" Ain, you can't wash up today, but from now on you have to wash yourself clean before eating every day, or you'll turn into a female monster!"
Vic helped Ain sit down on a chair beside him, then smiled and placed a plate full of food in front of Ain.
"I don't want to become a monster! I won't become a monster! Vic, you're just trying to fool me because I'm small, humph!" Ain is really smart; otherwise, with so many people at the human traffickers' place, why was she the only one who escaped?
"Small in stature but big in brains!" Rebecca muttered, making everyone laugh.
"You'll turn into a monster, a female monster with yellow teeth and a face full of pockmarks, hahaha!" Vic laughed heartily. He wasn't wrong; if you don't brush your teeth and wash your face, you'll end up like that!
"I don't want to!" Ain imagined the scene, and she couldn't accept it at all. She shook her head violently to shake the image out of her mind. Although she couldn't delete it with one click like Zoro, it was still not bad to shake it out.
"Then you'll have to brush your teeth and wash your face every day from now on, so you can be this cute every day! Rebecca, you're in charge of this from now on. If you don't do it, you won't be allowed to eat!" Vic said, ruffling Ain's hair, and then passed the responsibility to Rebecca.
"Okay! Leave it to me!" Seeing that Vic had entrusted Ain with all the responsibilities, Rebecca no longer harbored any hostility towards Ain. What could a little kid possibly accomplish?
Ain didn't speak. She knew she was currently living under someone else's roof and couldn't go too far, nor could she use other people's concern as a weapon.
Then the group ate while talking. Ain wrapped herself in a blanket and started eating, while Vic simply ate with them, as he was indifferent to the food.
The Elite Camp members eat very quickly because they still have training missions to complete. There are only a few of them in the canteen now. At the table, only Ain and Vic are still eating in small bites. Rebecca and the other two just watch the two of them chewing slowly.
" Rebecca, take Ain to her dorm and let her get some more sleep. She didn't get enough rest last night; children need sleep!" Vic said to Rebecca when he saw that Ain had stopped eating.
"Um!"
Rebecca responded and took Ain's hand, leading her towards the dormitory. Ain looked back at Vic several times during the walk, but she still followed Rebecca. Vic finished off all the remaining food on the table before leaving the restaurant.
" Vic, what are your plans for this child?" Zephyr asked calmly on the deck.
"Like Smoker, I intend to become this child's guardian. Taking her on the warship for now will broaden her horizons and be of great help to her in the future."
After returning to headquarters, we'll arrange for her to attend school. Once she's a bit older, we can start her physical training. I'll train her so that she'll at least be able to protect herself on this vast ocean when she grows up.
Vic replied softly that since he had transferred his affections to his prized disciple Zephyr, he had to be responsible for him to the end.
Vic's approach was correct; by gaining a higher level of understanding, he can avoid many detours in the future. By standing on the shoulders of giants, he can advance much faster.
Just like Red-Hair and Kaido, one was an apprentice on the Pirate King's ship and the other was an apprentice on Rocks' ship. They had seen too many strong people and knew their direction in life. So they quickly became strong after forming their own pirate crews.
Then there's Koby from the Navy side, who's been following the Marine Garp the Hero. His speed of getting stronger is just as fast. In just over two years, he's already mastered both types of Haki and the Six Powers, which is standard for Vice Admiral. Others might take ten or twenty years to achieve that.
"Well, that's good. I think that child has great talent, and we can't let her talent go to waste. Originally, if you hadn't been so keen on training her, I would have sent her to the Elite Camp later."
"That doesn't conflict at all. We can let her join the Elite Camp when she's old enough!" Vic smiled.
"I'm just worried that you'll have mastered all Six Powers of Haki before she even enters the Elite Camp. What will she do there then? Just Elite Camp along like you?"
Zephyr joked that the way the two communicated was more like friends than master and apprentice; they could be described as both teacher and friend.
"I'm not as good at teaching apprentices as a teacher. Sakazuki, Borsalino, Kuzan —these guys are almost Admiral by now."
And those Vice Admiral at headquarters, apart from the very old ones, aren't they all from your Elite Camp?
Furthermore, many of the school-level officers in the Four Blues branch are graduates of the Elite Camp, which is sufficient proof of your teaching ability!
Vic wasn't just flattering him. Zephyr had been the head instructor of the recruit training area since he stepped down as Admiral more than a decade ago, and he personally served as an instructor in the Elite Camp. Most of the Admiral and Vice Admiral who followed in his footsteps were trained by him.
"You're going too far with that. Their current strength is primarily due to talent and hard work. I just helped them avoid some detours!"
Zephyr said calmly that he was not taking credit for it; at this stage, he believed that training personnel for the navy was an inescapable duty.
Even after his hand was cut off, he never considered leaving the Navy, until the World Government, heartbroken, recruited the man who had killed many of his students to become Shichibukai.
Sometimes direction is far more important than effort; without a teacher to guide you, the outcome might be quite different!
Vic believes that all the instructors in the Elite Camp over the years have some skills; otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to serve as instructors for so long and would probably have been dismissed long ago.
They are likely all retired Admiral- level combatants. After Zephyr left, Garp will probably serve as the instructor of the Elite Camp.
After explaining Ain's situation, breakfast time had passed for a while, and Zephyr began his lesson for the day, while Vic returned to his corner to meditate.
Honestly, Vic is very busy right now. He needs to train in both types of Haki, nurture his Black Blade, comprehend swordsmanship, and develop his Devil Fruit.
If it weren't for the fact that we're still far from the main storyline and he has good physical talent, he would definitely specialize in one thing. However, being good at many things isn't without its advantages; his combat strength has also increased exponentially, and his hard-earned gains haven't been in vain.
When Ain woke up in Rebecca's bed, three hours had passed. She slipped out of the cabin and stood at the door, watching the trainees training on the metal deck.
Most people remained in the same place, while her brother who was treating her injuries and the sister who had always been by Rebecca's side appeared in one place one moment and then in another the next.
Ain was amazed, but what surprised her even more was her older sister Rebecca. Rebecca could actually walk in the air, as if she were flying, which broadened Ain's horizons at such a young age.