Cadets Battle a Commodore

Half an hour passed quickly. The Fourth Squad—composed of five cadets with strengths ranging from ensign to captain, each with a different fighting style—was ready. Instructor Gumir personally stepped onto the field with two long swords at his waist.

"Begin!" Zephyr ordered. The five-man squad below engaged Gumir. After their life-and-death battle a few days ago, the five of them showed no fear even when facing their own instructor, a powerful Headquarters commodore, and fought with all their might.

Their opponent, Gumir, was a dual-blade swordsman. Thus, the two cadets who used swords and preferred direct combat stepped forward, each taking on one of Gumir's blades. With two people facing one man's twin swords, though they were at a disadvantage in strength, they actually managed to fend off Gumir's probing attacks.

Of the remaining three cadets, one used fist techniques focused on frontal assaults, one used kicking techniques, and one wielded twin daggers for assassination. While the two swordsmanship cadets held off Gumir head-on, the fist-fighting cadet remained at Gumir's flank, continually striking at his shoulders and arms. The kicking cadet, meanwhile, kept attacking his lower body, limiting Gumir's room to move.

Gumir truly deserved his reputation as an experienced and powerful commodore. Once he noticed the cadets' intentions, he relied on physical abilities and combat skills far beyond theirs. He alternated between using one long sword to restrain the two cadets in front of him while the other guarded his body, forcing back the fist-fighting and kicking cadets several times.

They remained locked in combat for several minutes. The fist-fighting cadet attacked high while the kicking cadet targeted low, their coordination seamless as they put tremendous pressure on Gumir. His room to dodge and maneuver grew smaller and smaller. If he did not take an attack head-on, he would soon be surrounded by all four of them. Where would a dignified Headquarters commodore put his face then?

Just as Gumir was preparing to unleash a big move and drive back the cadets surrounding him, a thought suddenly flashed through his mind. "Four? The Fourth Squad should... have five people! The other one is—"

Alarmed, Gumir had already taken the opening stance for his big move and was about to switch techniques to defend himself when pain shot through both sides of his ribs. Two streaks of blood sprayed out as two daggers struck from behind, plunging deep into Gumir's sides before slashing viciously across them—truly, blades in both ribs!

"Stop!" Zephyr called out. The five Fourth Squad cadets retreated without stepping forward to check on Instructor Gumir, whose sides were spurting blood. Sure enough, a beam of golden light descended the next moment, and the wounds at Gumir's waist had already vanished without a trace.

Zephyr rose and walked onto the field, with Wright following behind him. Gumir remained rooted where he stood as if dazed, seemingly still unable to process the sight of himself—a dignified Headquarters commodore—being slashed until he bled by several junior officers.

"Smack."

Zephyr patted Gumir on the shoulder. Gumir snapped out of it and gave a bitter smile. "Teacher... I really embarrassed myself this time. If those guys at Headquarters find out, I won't have anywhere to hide my face..."

"Hahaha..." Zephyr was delighted, though naturally he was not mocking his disciple. "Gumir, I can tell that you were not careless or overconfident. You were dealing with the dense, coordinated attacks of four people, which made you overlook the fifth."

"You did not activate Observation Haki, but we saw it clearly. The fifth cadet, the assassination type who used twin daggers, is an elite cadet who learned Soru from the Six Powers. He used his powerful mobility to remain in your blind spot the entire time, without getting so close that he would attract your attention, waiting for his chance."

"The instant you prepared to drive back the four people around you and briefly entered your opening stance, he accurately seized the opportunity, used Soru to close in rapidly, and landed the blow—an excellent strike!"

Zephyr was in high spirits. The new squad tactics had been proven effective. A squad made up of five officer-level fighters, using close coordination and complementary attack styles, had unleashed a saturated assault on a commodore-level powerhouse, forcing him to reveal an opening and allowing the lurking assassin to succeed with a single strike—a pleasing tactical display!

Wright added, "Their coordination is still fairly loose. It is only because Instructor Gumir is their swordsmanship instructor and they understand your fighting style well that they were able to coordinate their attacks so specifically."

"If they faced an unfamiliar commodore or pirate of the same rank, they would likely be crushed in one fell swoop before becoming familiar with the opponent's fighting style—just like in most current situations. But as the tactics are refined and their coordination grows more seamless, these flaws can be addressed."

"In an ideal situation, tactical plans would be formulated for targets with different combat styles: swordsmen, fist fighters, kick fighters, technique-based fighters, strength-based fighters, speed-based fighters, and so on. They would drill these tactical plans in peacetime and switch between them flexibly in battle depending on the enemy's type."

"Going a step further, aside from fixed squads, any soldiers whose combat types fit the needs of a tactical plan could work together to employ it at any time. After all, all sorts of unexpected situations can arise on the battlefield. No one can guarantee that a squad will always remain intact."

"Good!"

As Zephyr looked at Wright, it was as though he were watching a brilliant new star slowly rise—kind-hearted by nature, strong-willed, limitless in potential, powerful in combat, exceptionally capable in support, and intelligent to boot. When they returned to Headquarters, he truly needed to thank that old bastard Garp. The most reliable thing he had done in recent years was bring Wright into the Marines and send him to Zephyr!

Wright felt his skin crawl under Zephyr's gaze and hurriedly said, "Teacher Zephyr, this is only my idea. Back when I was a Pirate Hunter, I always fought alone, so I am not truly familiar with tactical matters. What I said earlier was only an insight I gained while watching from the rear. This matter still requires the careful planning of experienced Headquarters officers."

"Mm, that is indeed true." Zephyr agreed with Wright. Being able to spot the shortcomings through observing a single battle and propose an effective concept was already more than enough to ask of him.

"I will personally report this matter to Fleet Admiral Kong. Next, Headquarters will select experienced officers to work together and advance it!"

Zephyr's wish was to strengthen the Marines and thereby suppress the pirates. The effects produced by these new tactics would allow the combat power of the Marines' vast number of rank-and-file soldiers and officers to be fully utilized, increasing the efficiency of Marine corps operations severalfold! More importantly, this had been proposed by his own disciple, and he would personally take part in refining it. How could Zephyr not be immensely gratified?

"Purururu~ Purururu~"

Just as he was about to continue issuing orders, the Den Den Mushi that Gumir had left with Zephyr began to ring from Zephyr's arms. Zephyr took it out and saw that it was doing its best to imitate Shuzo's large face.

"Click!"

"This is Zephyr."

"Teacher Zephyr! This is Shuzo!"

"Following your instructions, the next target for the combat internship has been identified. Headquarters intelligence indicates that their most recent activity has been near Long Ring Longland!"

"Very good. Good work, Shuzo!"

"My honor, Teacher Zephyr!"

"Mm."

"Click!"

After hanging up the Den Den Mushi, Zephyr swept his gaze across the field and said in a deep voice, "Training is over! Headquarters has identified our next target!"

"For this battle, I will emphasize once again: Wright will not use his ability in combat! I hope none of you end up on the casualty list!"

After a pause, Zephyr shouted sternly, "Now! Destination: Long Ring Longland! All hands, remain on alert!"

The Training Camp cadets could not help growing excited. At last, they could put into practice everything they had gained since the last battle. They were no longer the same as they had been a few days ago!

"Yes, Chief Instructor!"