Chapter 66: The Last Lesson
The two of them returned to the cabin.
Sengoku did not immediately throw Garp back into work. Perhaps out of consideration for their long trip back, or perhaps because even he did not want to deal with Garp right away, he allowed him to rest for a few days and stay in his room.
For Axel, that decision was nothing short of a disaster.
His three day break should have been peaceful. He should have slept, eaten well, and enjoyed the rare chance to rest after training.
Instead, he ran straight into Garp.
And once he ran into Garp, the meaning of "rest" changed completely.
That old man did not need much of a reason to start swinging. Sometimes Axel had not even figured out what he had said wrong before a fist had already landed on his head. Garp called it physical training. Axel called it being used as a human punching bag.
There were no real injuries, thanks to his ability, but pain was pain. For three straight days, he lived in what could only be described as a private hell.
So when the day finally came to return to training, Axel did not hesitate for even a second.
He said goodbye without the slightest trace of nostalgia, turned, and bolted out of the room like a prisoner finally seeing the prison gates open.
Behind him came Garp's booming shout.
"You brat! Am I really that scary?!"
Since Garp obviously was not going to chase him into the training camp just to beat him, Axel finally let himself answer honestly.
"You are a demon!"
Then he ran even faster.
By the time he arrived at the training camp, many of the recruits were already there.
After three days of rest, the atmosphere had loosened considerably. Some looked refreshed, as if the break had washed away all their exhaustion. Others looked more tired than before, as if they had spent the entire vacation indulging themselves too hard.
Ain had come early. The moment she saw Axel, she walked over.
"How was your rest these past few days?" she asked.
Axel let out a long sigh.
"How was it?" He put on a tragic face. "In four words... pure suffering and torment."
Ain blinked, then laughed.
"What do you mean?"
Axel answered with absolute sincerity.
"Old man Garp came back. Then I got beaten for three days."
Ain waved both hands at once, laughing even harder.
"Axel, stop joking. How could someone as great as Vice Admiral Garp do something like that?"
"He really did."
Ain tilted her head, thought for a moment, then gave a very confident answer.
"Then you must have done something wrong."
Axel stared at her for two seconds, then gave up.
"Fine. Believe whatever you want."
There was no point explaining it. In her eyes, Garp was one of the great heroes of the Marines. She would never believe that same man would punch his own grandson into the floor just because the mood struck him.
Not long after, Binz arrived as well. He greeted the two of them briefly, then stood to the side with his usual quiet expression.
At around the same time, the noise around the camp began to fade.
Axel did not even need to turn around to know why.
Only one person could produce this effect. It was just like a classroom suddenly going silent when the teacher appeared at the door.
Zephyr had arrived.
Sure enough, when Axel looked over, he saw Zephyr walking slowly in from the entrance of the training grounds.
His expression was grim.
Not the usual kind of stern, not the cold severity he always carried while teaching, but something heavier. There was weariness in that face. Fatigue. And beneath it all, something darker that had not fully settled yet.
The recruits noticed it too.
"What is with Teacher Zephyr today?"
"He looks even scarier than usual."
"Maybe he has not rested well."
"Whatever it is, do not be the one who gets unlucky."
Those low whispers died quickly as Zephyr approached.
Axel watched him in silence.
It seemed the matter with Sengoku and the Seven Warlords had not left his mind at all.
When Zephyr reached the front, he did not waste time.
"Begin training."
His voice rang across the grounds, cold and direct.
Then he added, "The challenge is in a few days. Do not disappoint me."
That one sentence was enough.
The entire camp moved at once.
Compared to before, their discipline was noticeably better. Ever since Zephyr announced the challenge system, everyone had been training with renewed intensity.
The prize was obvious.
Personal guidance from a former Admiral.
That was something most Marines could only dream about, and every recruit here knew it. If they could not surpass Axel, then they still had a chance against Binz or Ain. Binz's Devil Fruit was troublesome, but not impossible to handle. Ain had skill, but she was not invincible. For many of them, that meant hope.
And hope was more effective than any lecture.
After the rest of the recruits dispersed to begin training, Zephyr signaled to Axel, Ain, and Binz.
"You three. Come with me."
The three followed him deeper into the training camp, toward a separate section away from the others.
There, Zephyr stopped.
"Wait here."
Then he entered a deep passage by himself.
About ten minutes later, he came back carrying a long package.
He opened it first and took out a long sword, then handed it to Binz.
"Your Devil Fruit is the Grow Fruit. It lets you manipulate plant growth and turn it into power. Its advantages are flexibility, resilience, and control. But its weakness is obvious too. You lack direct killing power."
Binz accepted the sword with both hands.
Zephyr went on, "So during this period, I had a sword forged for you. I hope you study it well. Plants alone are not enough. You need a sharper edge."
Binz nodded seriously and slung the longsword over his back.
Then Zephyr took out two short swords and handed them to Ain.
"These were made according to your style," he said. "I cannot teach you much about swordsmanship itself. That is not my field. But this..."
He pulled a small Den Den Mushi from his pocket and handed it over.
"This contains recorded combat footage from Marine swordsmen. Watch it carefully. It should help you."
Ain accepted both the swords and the Den Den Mushi with visible excitement.
"Thank you, Teacher Zephyr."
Zephyr gave a faint grunt in response.
Then silence fell.
Both Binz and Ain had received something clearly prepared for them. Axel looked at the empty package, then at Zephyr, then at himself.
Finally, he could not hold back anymore.
"What about mine?" he asked. "Old man Zephyr, why do I not get anything?"
Zephyr looked at him with a completely dead expression.
"No."
Axel pointed at the others.
"They got weapons."
"You do not need one."
"That is unfair."
"If you want a weapon, go ask old man Garp."
Axel was immediately dissatisfied.
"You are clearly playing favorites."
Zephyr ignored him completely and instead turned back to Binz and Ain.
"Originally, these were meant to be given to you after you completed your studies," he said. "I do not like forcing growth. I do not think that is the right way to teach."
He paused for a moment before continuing.
"But after watching Axel grow at that speed, I realized suppressing your growth would be even more foolish. For the first time in a long while, you three have given me a little hope for the future of the Marines."
Axel immediately raised a hand.
"So I really am that outstanding?"
Zephyr's eyelid twitched.
He plainly regretted saying that in front of Axel.
Pretending he had heard nothing, he continued in a steady voice.
"Work hard. Become excellent Marine soldiers. Protect justice in the future."
Then he turned sharply.
"Axel. Come with me. You have a separate lesson."
Axel narrowed his eyes.
"You are not dragging me away just to settle personal grievances, are you?"
Zephyr's face twitched again.
"You had better stop talking while I am still willing to tolerate you."
This time Axel immediately straightened up.
"Understood."
He could joke around with Zephyr most of the time, but he also knew when to stop.
The two of them walked into the private training room together.
Once the door closed behind them, Zephyr turned around.
His expression became serious again, but not the same kind of grim heaviness as before. This time it was something calmer. More deliberate.
He looked straight at Axel and said, "This is your last lesson."
.....
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