Vic was the first to finish the run again today. He sped up and arrived at Andrew's office while everyone else was exhausted.
Andrew had prepared all the course materials in advance; this is what the Recruit Camp need to learn, and there will be more advanced learning later.
However, it was conducted after graduating from Recruit Camp. Vic wasn't particularly interested in learning about it, but the technology in this world was quite different, and he was still somewhat interested. He could try to get some more specialized books to read later.
There are several famous scientists in this world, each possessing unique technologies. It would be worthwhile to visit them if you have the chance, especially the enigmatic Vegapunk.
"Let's go, Instructor Andrew!"
Vic left under Andrew's complicated gaze. He took all the books back to his dormitory and then randomly picked one to take to the classroom.
Its main purpose was to see which class it had been assigned to, so that it could line up for morning exercises later. It couldn't be too unconventional; it should be one person per team. There was no need to attract attention like that. Its focus should be on cultivation.
"Class 1? I'm grouped with Rebecca. I wonder how good these students are!"
Vic found his classroom and looked around.
The students in his class were the strongest, and there were also several Devil Fruit User, though he wasn't aware of that at the moment.
Vic strolled into the classroom, found a seat at random, and began to read.
Rebecca soon arrived at the classroom and sat down next to Vic.
"Take a look at the timetable, choose the subjects you want to study as soon as possible, and then just follow the timetable to attend classes. Spend the rest of your time practicing in the forest."
After giving his instructions, Vic buried himself in his book. He had only come to check on the class, but now he was too lazy to go back; he decided to finish the book first.
Vic picked up the wrong textbook; the first lesson was about the structure of the navy, which is the origin of all disciplines.
Vic got a general idea and then buried himself in his book. Smoker had already told him some of this, so there was no need to go into too much detail.
" Rebecca, I'm leaving now. You go through all the classes and see which one you like best!"
After the first class, Vic finished reading his book, said goodbye to Rebecca, and went straight back to his dormitory.
Carrying a few books, I walked directly through the forest to the seaside. The trees from yesterday hadn't changed much; they'd probably take a few more days to dry, so building the cabin would have to be postponed.
Vic wants to use these few days to completely master his studies!
"I'm going to finish reading all the textbooks. From now on, I'll focus my energy on training and guiding Rebecca. Occasionally, I can challenge Instructor Zephyr to learn from his combat skills. My most important task is to Awakening Armament Haki; that's something I can't waver on."
Vic put aside his thoughts and began to read. The weather was nice, the sun was shining brightly, and Vic sat in the shade of a tree, quietly turning the pages of his book.
He also suppressed his Observation Haki. Occasionally, the sounds of birds chirping, insects buzzing, and waves crashing on the shore could be heard, and Vic calmed down completely.
By the time Rebecca came to find Vic, Vic had already finished reading two books.
"So, Rebecca, have you found anything that interests you?"
"There are too few courses, and I haven't found any yet!"
"Okay, take your time, no rush, I'm here!"
Seeing Rebecca arrive, Vic knew it was almost time to cook, and asked her a few simple questions.
Vic took off his weights and shirt and went into the water. Today, he encountered another Sea Kings he had never seen before. By the time Vic came ashore, Rebecca had already made preparations and started a fire.
After preparing the ingredients, Vic started barbecuing. Right now, they only had barbecue because they didn't have the facilities, but once the cabin was built, they could have more variety.
" Rebecca, you can't neglect your training. When you have free time, try closing your eyes and concentrating on sensing the changes around you. This will greatly help in Awakening your Observation Haki!"
"Really? I'll try it when I get back!" Rebecca was really fascinated by Observation Haki.
After devouring all the food, Vic began to meditate cross-legged, focusing his mind on sensing the changes in his body, especially in his stomach. He wanted to Life Return force from his stomach to his entire body, which would be very helpful in sensing the Haki within his cells.
Two days later, Garp came to the Recruit Camp to see Vic.
"I'm going out to sea on a mission, so you'd better study hard in the Recruit Camp, hahaha!"
Garp said nothing about what Vic did in Recruit Camp; he thought it was normal, that geniuses didn't need to follow the rules.
" Vice Admiral Garp, after you set sail, keep an eye out for some rare metals to bring back. I'll buy them for you."
"Alright, but I'll check your training progress when I get back, so don't slack off, hahaha!" Garp said, laughing heartily as he left.
Vic knew that Garp just wanted to beat him up, but he also wanted to improve his combat skills. Fighting against someone like him would be beneficial, so he wouldn't refuse.
Smoker and Hina also visited the area once during this time and learned that Vic had a base by the sea. They were curious why Vic didn't live in the dormitory area.
"I was hated for cooking in the dorm just to entertain the two of you, and I even got punished by the instructors. It's so much more liberating by the sea, where I can do whatever I want."
Since he didn't need to go to class, he made sure the two of them couldn't find him in their dorms, so he came here and treated them to a Sea Kings feast, which they both thoroughly enjoyed.
Vic also had Rebecca and Hina spar. The two fought evenly; Rebecca couldn't break through Hina's iron cage, and Hina couldn't catch the faster Rebecca.
The two were locked in a stalemate, exchanging blows, but in the end, Hina's greater combat experience gave her a slight advantage.
Vic told Hina to come and practice with Rebecca often, promising her something delicious afterwards, Hina readily agreed.
Smoker was a little annoyed that Vic hadn't invited him; he could have come to spar with him too. Then Vic asked who he was sparring with, Smoker just stared at him without saying a word.
Vic said helplessly, "You trash Logia are useless as a sparring partner. All you can do is dodge, you can't do anything else, right? Once I Awakening Armament Haki, you'll be a one-punch piece of trash. You'd better hurry up and improve your strength, so you don't keep getting beaten up."
Vic's words had a double meaning. "You'll be on a losing streak in the future. If you don't work hard when you're young, you'll be getting beaten up when you're old."
Vic respects Smoker's ideals of justice, unlike Akainu who is indiscriminate in his Absolute Justice and wrong and doesn't even spare his own people.
Akainu is not yet Admiral and does not yet wield that much power; he is currently serving as the base commander in the New World.
In Vic's view, what is Absolute Justice? It's using any means necessary.
Vic guessed that Akainu simply had a grudge against pirates, or perhaps he had been hurt by pirates himself, or perhaps his family had been hurt.
Just like Zephyr later on, he wanted to destroy the entire New World, sparing neither pirates nor civilians. Akainu was actually the same, just not as extreme as Zephyr.
His actions, though more subtle, were all ostensibly acts of revenge disguised as justice. Justice is meant to protect civilians, so how can you say that the sacrifices of civilians are worthwhile in order to eliminate pirates?
Vic thought of Smoker, then of Akainu, then of Zephyr, and finally of the word "justice"—two words burdened on the backs of naval admirals.
It seems like just two words, but far too many people bear the weight of it. How many truly understand its meaning? Some people carry it yet oppress the common people and exploit the wealthy; such people are even worse than pirates.
Vic also wondered what mindset he should have when he boarded a warship and became its supreme commander, and how he would uphold justice.
Vic felt that the "evil" on the sea was just a superficial phenomenon. Even if it were all eliminated, the "evil" would still continue to grow from that dark land!
To eradicate evil, we must deprive it of its fertile ground; otherwise, we are merely seeking superficial comfort.
Vic's current abilities are not enough to eliminate the dark soil; he can only redress the injustices he sees.
" Rebecca, the cabin is finished. You can move your things in now and live here from now on."
"OK!"
" Rebecca, it's been a week, have you decided on your career path yet?"
"I choose the navigator!"
"Not bad, keep up the good work! Now let's begin our training."
A week passed, Vic finished reading all the books. The cabin was built, and the furniture and kitchenware inside were all in place.
Vic also buried some rare metals he had collected next to the hut, planning to dig them up when he needed them.
"During this period, I went to fight Zephyr again and felt the Haki working within me once more. However, my attempts to use my strong will to command the black particles to defend against and resist them were largely ineffective; only my combat skills improved somewhat."
"I also learned the Rankyaku, which is also a speed-related skill. I knew the technique, tried it a few times, and learned it; it's quite simple."
Vic was reflecting on what he had gained over the past few days.
Vic hasn't Awakening Armament Haki yet, but he's not discouraged. He Awakening Observation Haki more than a year ago, and he has the power of willpower to meet the requirements. Armament Haki also requires willpower to drive it.
You could say they have the same supervisor, but they occupy different positions. Right now, only their Observation Haki obeys the supervisor, while their Armament Haki doesn't care about the supervisor. So the supervisor needs to become stronger.
Having trained in Observation Haki for so long, Vic's mental strength has also increased significantly, Awakening Armament Haki is only a matter of time.
After some contemplation, Vic began training Rebecca daily.
He blindfolded Rebecca, then moved around her, swung his sword, and punched, letting Rebecca feel these fluctuations.
This is the introductory course that Vic designed for Rebecca to Awakening her Observation Haki.
Vic now spends most of his day with his eyes closed, using his Observation Haki to perceive the outside world.
He has now mastered the use of Observation Haki, and his battle with Zephyr is a test of his Observation Haki.