Marine Headquarters New Marine Recruit Camp

After a good night's rest, Wright had recovered some of the mental energy he had expended fighting the Sea Kings. The next day, he arrived at the New Marine Recruit Camp on time with his transfer order.

"Knock, knock, knock." Wright rapped on the door to the instructors' office.

He had read the recruit handbook several times already. As a mature young man... of course he knew what sort of attitude to show in what setting.

"Come in!"

A gentle voice sounded. Wright pushed open the door and saw a balding... nearly bald fat man sitting behind a desk, reviewing a stack of documents.

"Reporting! Newly commissioned Ensign Wright, reporting to the New Marine Recruit Camp! Awaiting orders, sir!"

"Oh?" The fat man behind the desk looked up at Wright. Wright stepped forward, placed his transfer order on the desk, and stood to one side awaiting instructions.

"You're Wright, the specially approved transfer recruit this year?" The balding... nearly bald fat man lifted the coffee cup beside him and took a sip.

"Ugh... so bitter..." The bald fat man froze, his large face wrinkling up like a bitter melon.

Wright: "...Yes, Instructor!"

It's fucking bitter. Couldn't you add some sugar? What's with this bald fat guy and his bitter coffee...

"I'm Commodore Gumil. Er... currently an instructor at the Marine Headquarters New Marine Recruit Camp." The balding... nearly bald fat man set down his coffee and said seriously, "Since you're already a week behind everyone else, you'll need to work even harder to catch up. You must not slack off. The New Marine Recruit Camp is the cradle of countless outstanding officers throughout Marine Headquarters!"

"Yes, Instructor! Please give your orders!" Wright answered solemnly. It was precisely because he understood the New Marine Recruit Camp's status within Marine Headquarters that he would cherish this opportunity even more.

"Hmm..." Instructor Gumir was quite satisfied with Wright's attitude. He carefully reviewed Wright's file. "You were already an Ensign the moment you joined the Marines? Two-Color Haki, a Devil Fruit ability, swordsmanship at the level of a master swordsman... no wonder. What an exceptional recruit."

"Combat strength at the level of a colonel, perhaps even stronger..." Instructor Gumir pondered. "It seems the New Marine Recruit Camp's regular training will have limited effect on you. Then the Elite Test a week from now should be able to give you suitable pressure."

"Now then, Ensign Wright, come with me and meet your fellow recruits at the New Marine Recruit Camp." Instructor Gumir stood up. "You are all the future backbone of the Marines, so make sure you get along well! Hahaha!"

This baldy... he'll probably become a Vice Admiral in the future. He's really hiding his talents. Who would have thought he'd once been an instructor at the New Marine Recruit Camp? His connections at Headquarters must be terrifying. Wright silently followed behind Gumir.

I might run into some famous officers from the future at the New Marine Recruit Camp. I'm really looking forward to it. It'd be so much fun to beat them into pig heads!

Upon arriving at the New Marine Recruit Camp's grounds, Wright's eyes were opened—trainees were engaged in sparring practice. On the enormous training field, under the guidance of a dark-skinned Longarm Tribe instructor with braided hair, the trainees fought in pairs, and it was quite the...

"Rookie slap fight!"

Wright smiled faintly as he spotted several interesting targets. "Oh, isn't that Smoker? And that's... Donquixote Rosinante?! They were actually in the same class?"

"Wait, that's..."

Wright's gaze was soon drawn to a towering figure at the edge of the field. The man had short purple hair, resolute features, and rimless glasses. Draped in a Justice Coat, he looked rather old, yet his explosive muscles nearly burst through his suit.

A Marine Admiral, the Chief Instructor of the New Marine Recruit Camp, Black Arm Zephyr!

Wright held his breath. This Admiral, known as "Not Killing," had joined the Marines in the same generation as Admiral Sengoku, Vice Admiral Garp, and Vice Admiral Tsuru. Like Garp, he possessed no Devil Fruit ability, yet had reached the rank of Admiral through powerful Armament Haki and unparalleled physical prowess. He had once crusaded against countless pirates without killing a single one. As the Chief Instructor of the New Marine Recruit Camp, he had trained innumerable outstanding Marine officers. It could be said that he was the very foundation of the Marines!

Yet fate had been so cruel to a man who practiced his own justice so steadfastly...

Instructor Gumir stepped forward and greeted the Longarm Tribe instructor. "Shuzo, looks like the testing here is going smoothly. I brought this transfer recruit for Teacher Zephyr to review."

"Hahaha, there's a transfer recruit this year too? The Training Camp's transfer recruits have always been elites, without exception. Looks like another remarkable talent has appeared this time!"

The Longarm Tribe instructor—Marine Headquarters Commodore Shuzo—laughed. "Teacher Zephyr is over there. Senior Brother Gumir, I heard you applied to be assigned to guard a branch base after this batch of trainees graduates? That's truly impressive..."

"Hehehe, Squirrel has long since been promoted to Vice Admiral. As his senior brother, I can't fall too far behind. Since the Great Pirate Era began, the pressure in the New World has only grown greater. It's time for me to leave Headquarters and put my own justice into practice. But you..." Gumir glanced at Zephyr. "You should have had a bright future ahead of you. With your strength, becoming a Vice Admiral would have been more than possible. Teacher Zephyr also hopes you can walk your own path."

Shuzo waved an arm dismissively. "Senior Brother, Teacher Zephyr has shown me immense kindness. Even if the Marines... I once swore that wherever Teacher Zephyr is, I, Shuzo, will serve at his side! I only accepted the rank of Commodore to help Teacher take up the duties of an instructor. Otherwise, what meaning does rank have for me?"

"We can catch up later, Senior Brother. Don't keep Teacher waiting. I also want to see what kind of young man could earn this year's transfer recruit slot!"

Gumir sighed inwardly, patted Shuzo on the shoulder, and walked toward Zephyr.

"Chief Instructor!" Gumir saluted. "The new recruit, Ensign Wright, has been brought here! Awaiting the Chief Instructor's orders!"

"..." Zephyr withdrew his gaze from the training field and nodded to Gumir. "You've worked hard, Gumir. Sengoku has already spoken to me about him. I was wondering what kind of talent could draw Sengoku's attention. After all, since Kuzan, no outstanding talent has received such praise from Sengoku in all these years."

"I'm sure he won't disappoint you. Admiral Sengoku's wisdom and discernment have always been admirable," Gumir said with a smile.

Seeing Gumir beckon him over, Wright hurried forward and saluted. "Instructor! Chief Instructor!"

Zephyr and Gumir nodded. Gumir introduced him, "Chief Instructor, this is Ensign Wright. A Paramecia Holy Light Fruit user, a master swordsman capable of Flying Slashes, and he has awakened both Observation Haki and Armament Haki."

"Wright, this is the Marine Headquarters Admiral and Chief Instructor of the New Marine Recruit Camp, Black Arm Zephyr. The backbone officers of Marine Headquarters all came from under his tutelage. Instructor Shuzo over there and I are no exception."

"Greetings, Admiral!" Wright saluted again. As a longtime One Piece fan, Wright had always held a very favorable impression of Zephyr. Zephyr nodded. "From now on, just call me Chief Instructor."

"Next, you'll spend an unforgettable period of time in the Training Camp."