"Yoriichi, the admission requirements for the Marine Academy are extremely strict."
"You need a power index of at least eighty to qualify for advanced training."
"Do you know what eighty means? A normal adult man with some training only scores around ten!"
"And for an ordinary person, eighty is basically superhuman!"
As he spoke, Zephyr could no longer hide the pride on his face and burst into laughter.
Though he was a former Admiral who had weathered countless storms, the moment he talked about his students and the academy, he looked like a child proudly showing off a report card — his face glowing with excitement.
"Come on, come on, I'll show you around!"
With that, Zephyr led Yoriichi Tsugikuni to the edge of the training grounds, pointing things out as he went.
"See that? That's the firing range. Marines who graduate from here are all expert marksmen!"
"And that field over there is for hand-to-hand sparring. Our graduates are masters of combat!"
"And that building is the dojo, where dedicated instructors teach swordsmanship. Anyone who graduates from our academy—"
Before Zephyr could finish, Yoriichi Tsugikuni chimed in,
"All become master swordsmen?"
Zephyr choked for a second. After a brief pause, he scratched his chin and replied a bit awkwardly,
"Well… not quite."
Then he quickly laughed it off.
"But they all build a solid foundation to become master swordsmen someday!"
"Hahahaha!"
Yoriichi Tsugikuni couldn't help shooting him a sideways glance. It was the first time he realized Zephyr could be such a braggart. If he didn't still remember a bit about how strength was ranked in this world, he might have actually believed him.
Master swordsmen?
How many existed in the entire world?
As far as he knew, there might not even be one within the Marines.
Still, he didn't find Zephyr's exaggerations annoying at all. This middle-aged man, so full of pride and belonging toward the Navy, was painting a hopeful future for a child who admired it. The feeling brought Yoriichi Tsugikuni a sense of peace he had never experienced before.
In the world he once lived in, he had never felt anything like this.
After being interrupted, Zephyr continued enthusiastically introducing every part of the academy. His lively expression left Yoriichi Tsugikuni momentarily dazed.
After listening for a while, Yoriichi Tsugikuni noticed Zephyr slowing down and pointed toward the dojo.
"Instructor Zephyr, could we go take a look inside?"
Zephyr glanced down at the sword Yoriichi Tsugikuni was holding and nodded with a smile.
"Of course! Let's go."
"Perfect timing — you can test your power index there."
"I'm curious what kind of kid Garp personally brought back to Marineford."
They crossed the training field toward the dojo, their contrasting figures drawing attention from nearby trainees.
"Hey, who's that kid with Instructor Zephyr? Never seen him before."
"A relative? Or a new recruit?"
"Idiot, Zephyr doesn't have relatives. And recruitment is already over — plus he's way too young!"
Ignoring the murmurs, Zephyr led Yoriichi Tsugikuni straight to the dojo.
From a distance it looked small, but up close, Yoriichi Tsugikuni realized he had been completely mistaken.
The building covered several thousand square meters.
After removing their shoes and stepping inside, he saw rows upon rows of racks lining the walls, each holding bamboo practice swords — easily over a thousand of them.
The hall was a modified traditional structure, with support pillars dividing the vast space into dozens of smaller training areas.
It could easily hold three hundred people training at once.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni hadn't set foot in a place like this for many years. Ever since leaving his family to hunt demons, he had never returned to a proper dojo.
Looking at this unfamiliar yet strangely nostalgic space, he fell into a brief daze.
Zephyr assumed he was simply awed by the size and smiled proudly. He grabbed a bamboo sword from near the entrance, stepped onto the floor, and suddenly said,
"Yoriichi, want to spar?"
"I heard from Garp that you're pretty handy with a sword."
"My swordsmanship isn't anything special, but it's decent enough. How about it?"
Yoriichi Tsugikuni snapped back to reality. Since Zephyr seemed interested, he was more than happy to spar.
To be honest, he still didn't have a clear grasp of his own strength in this world.
The giant beast he killed on the island wasn't a reliable benchmark. Even Luffy had taken down a Sea King not long after setting sail.
His second fight had been against Garp — and he'd been knocked out with a single punch.
His third was the pirate crew battle. According to Garp, his strength was comparable to a field officer, but that was far too vague to judge by.
There was an enormous gap between different officers of the same rank. Some captains were vastly stronger than others.
Heck, Smoker and Morgan were both captains.
Yes — that Morgan.
And even in that pirate battle, Yoriichi Tsugikuni hadn't fought at full strength.
"If I spar with Instructor Zephyr, I'll finally know where I stand in this world," he thought.
"At least he probably won't knock me out with one punch like Garp did…"
He leaned his sword against the wall, picked up a bamboo sword, and stepped forward.
Without hesitation, he took a two-handed stance.
"Instructor, I'll go all out. Please be careful."
Zephyr smiled lightly.
"Come at me."
The moment he finished speaking, Yoriichi Tsugikuni adjusted his breathing, and his entire presence transformed.
If he had been a calm lake seconds ago, now he was a roaring ocean. The aura he radiated was far beyond what a boy should possess.
And in his Transparent World perception, Zephyr stood before him full of openings.
"Hmm?!"
Zephyr's expression sharpened as he sensed the change. He raised his bamboo sword defensively — and in the next instant, Yoriichi Tsugikuni vanished.
A strange mist began to rise inside the dojo.
Within two breaths, the entire hall was filled with an illusory haze.
"What is this?!"
"A Devil Fruit ability?!"
"Garp never mentioned anything like this!"
"No… it doesn't feel like one."
"Is this pure sword technique?"
Zephyr activated his Observation Haki, frowning slightly.
Then suddenly, Yoriichi Tsugikuni emerged from the mist on Zephyr's right side, sweeping his bamboo sword toward his abdomen.
"Mist Breathing — Flowing Slash!"