The next day arrived quickly. Vic arrived at the Elite Camp early because Zephyr was starting his instructor duties that day, Vic, the acting instructor, was about to step down, so the acting instructor had to be present for the handover.
The trainees arrived early, and their spirits were already different; they were eager for greater strength, Zephyr saw and was very satisfied with.
"Line up!" Vic shouted softly, but his voice was very penetrating, and everyone heard it. The trainees reacted quickly and lined up in less than 5 seconds.
"This gentleman next to me is the head instructor of the recruit training area, and also our Elite Camp instructor, former Marine Admiral Zephyr..."
"Clap clap clap..."
Before Vic could finish speaking, enthusiastic applause erupted from below. They had been watching Zephyr closely since early morning. A former Marine Admiral, Admiral! That's the pinnacle of the Navy, right? Fleet Admiral are just managers, having to worry about everything every day, which isn't very pleasant.
In their eyes, the Admiral is the highest honor, the ultimate combat power of the navy, a name that resounds throughout the entire sea. They can go wherever they want and roam freely on the ocean; that is truly the romance of men.
Zephyr smiled, Vic pressed his hands down, indicating that they could stop, and then the commotion ceased.
"Teacher Zephyr just returned to headquarters yesterday. As for what happened, you all know. He took up his post as soon as he got back from the last Elite Camp assessment. He was just worried that you wouldn't learn well under my guidance!"
"Pfft, hahaha..."
As soon as Vic finished speaking, a burst of laughter erupted from below, and Zephyr's smile widened even further.
"What does this mean? It means that Master Zephyr cares about you and is afraid that I will lead you astray. Therefore, you must train hard and cultivate diligently in the future to repay Master Zephyr's kind heart!"
"Yes!!!"
A chorus of responses came from below; the voices of about thirty people echoed throughout the entire Elite Camp, startling even the birds in the sky.
A tear welled up in Zephyr's eyes; perhaps this was what he was pursuing now!
"Alright, now please introduce yourselves so that Professor Zephyr can get to know you."
"Let's start with Barnett!"
"Teacher Zephyr, my name is Barnett, and I'm a 'Replenishment Person' who ate the Replenish-Replenish Fruit..."
"Mr. Zephyr, my name is Rebecca..."
"Mr. Zephyr, my name is Wendy, and I'm a sniper..."
"Teacher Zephyr, my name is Kevin, and I'm a bird-man who ate Zoan Bird-Bird Fruit in Eagle form..."
Soon, about thirty people earnestly introduced themselves, including their strengths. This was all instructed by Vic, so that Zephyr Zephyr provide targeted instruction only by telling them what they were good at.
Zephyr listened attentively, taking notes on everything, including what they were good at.
"Alright, everyone has finished their introductions. My career as an instructor has officially come to an end. Now, please welcome Instructor Zephyr to speak!"
After Vic finished speaking, enthusiastic applause rang out again. Vic then stepped down from the platform and joined the group.
"My name is Zephyr, and I'm currently an instructor in the Elite Camp. I will be in charge of your training from now on. Vic has done a great job training you all; you can keep it up. The training is very targeted and will be very helpful for the upcoming Six Powers instruction. I'm not worried that Vic will ruin your training; I'm really not worried at all. I just can't sit still."
"When I was Admiral, I was always out chasing pirates, and I was so busy every day that I missed out on a lot of people and things. I regret it now. But now that I'm an instructor, I've found my purpose again. I can't stay idle anymore; I've gotten used to it."
What I mainly want to say is that you may not be very talented, but don't be discouraged. The majority of people in this world are ordinary, including me!
"No way, Professor Zephyr is considered an ordinary person?"
" Zephyr, you were Admiral before!"
"Can an ordinary person become Admiral?"
When Zephyr said he was an ordinary person, there was a flurry of discussion below, but Zephyr did not stop it.
"Of course, I'm just an ordinary person. I have average talent, and I didn't eat Devil Fruit. I climbed my way up from the very bottom. The reason I say I'm just an ordinary person is because I'm a comrade-in-arms who fought alongside Garp. That Garp guy is no ordinary person!"
"I mentioned this to Vic before. Garp always eats dozens of times more than me! Eating more means storing more energy and fighting for longer."
Everyone looked at Vic; they had witnessed it themselves.
"Every time I get injured in a battle with pirates, I need to stay in bed for a month to recover, Garp heals completely in three days and fifteen meals!"
After listening attentively, everyone turned to look at Vic.
"And then there's the Six Powers and the Awakening of Haki. It takes me a long time to learn those, and a lot of fighting, but Garp learns them all just by playing around and fighting!"
"If you ask me why I became Admiral despite such a huge gap, it's because I didn't feel sorry for myself because others had higher talent, nor did I give up training because others had abnormal physiques. I kept persevering and kept chasing. I didn't give up on myself. I worked hard, even if I was only one-tenth as good as others each time. As long as I was more diligent and worked harder, I could still achieve great things!"
The students were greatly encouraged. This was a real case in front of them, and Teacher Zephyr had no reason to lie to them. They saw a brighter hope.
"If Garp is talented, then Vic is both talented and hardworking. Don't Koby, or you'll truly despair. Just compare yourselves to yourselves. Are you stronger today than you were yesterday? Even if you run one more meter or persevere for one more minute, that's progress!"
The trainees looked at Vic again; if they really had to compete with him, they would be filled with despair.
Vic was speechless. "You don't need to keep looking at me. I'm practically cheating. I'm like God's favorite son. We're different!"
" Vic is seventeen years old this year. You all saw his battle with Sakazuki a few days ago. To tell you the truth, Sakazuki already has the combat power of Admiral. As for why he hasn't become Admiral yet, that's due to the higher-ups in the navy, so I won't go into details!"
"Are there already Admiral at that level?"
"Doesn't that mean Vic is now capable of fighting a Admiral?"
"Has Vic become that strong?"
The trainees below were shocked. A seventeen-year-old Admiral- level officer? What did that even mean?!
Actually, that's an exaggeration. Both of them were restricted in their fight against Akainu. Akainu's proudest possession is his high-attack Devil Fruit, and he didn't unleash most of his power. If you asked Vic himself, he'd only be at the level of a Yonko's first mate at best. He could only be said to have the strength to fight, but he would definitely lose in the long run!
"This is the result of talent plus hard work. Even Garp didn't have this kind of fighting power at Vic's age, so you only need one of these to become strong! I relied on hard work and perseverance!"
The trainees were immediately energized, as if they had been injected with chicken blood, their faces flushed.
"Alright, today's main purpose is to give everyone a comprehensive test to provide direction for future training. Let's go, everyone, follow me to the training room!"
Zephyr concluded his speech and moved on to today's main topic.
" Rebecca, Wendy, you two go and take the test too, and see how you are doing!" Vic said to the two women.
" Vic, aren't you going?" Rebecca asked, and Wendy looked at Vic with a puzzled expression.
"Do you think those devices can still detect what's wrong with me now? You can go and do it yourselves," Vic explained.
"What you said makes sense!" Rebecca said after thinking for a moment, and Wendy nodded in agreement.