Chapter 45: Zephyr-sensei’s Philosophy

Everyone here was an adult and a working professional, so most things could be laughed off without anyone taking them too seriously.

Momonga had "fulfilled his wish" by helping out his goddess, ending up in the last row as Tokikake's desk mate. Ortoren, on the other hand, inherited both Momonga's "legacy" and his dream, taking the seat beside Gion.

But clearly, this wasn't the time for chatting. Once Gion sat down, Admiral Zephyr rapped the podium, drawing everyone's attention.

"I'm very happy to see the elite of our Marines here, still full of energy, sunshine, and good spirits," Zephyr said with a teasing smile.

The class laughed a few times in response, partly to be polite. And to be fair, what had just happened really was pretty funny.

"The fact that you were selected to join the very first Officer Training Camp shows that each of you is among the best our Marines have to offer. I hope you can set aside your pride, return to the mindset of a learner, and continue your studies here under me. This training camp has taken a great deal of effort to organize, and I even called in favors to invite exceptional seniors to teach you regularly—including, but not limited to, Chief Staff Officer Tsuru, Vice Admiral Garp, and Admiral Sengoku…" Zephyr said, still smiling.

The room buzzed with excitement the moment he finished.

The officers present might be standouts among their peers, but they were still low on the ladder—Captains, Commodores, and the like. Only someone with connections, like Gion, could often interact with figures such as Sengoku and Garp thanks to her ties to Chief Staff Officer Tsuru.

For the rest, including Ortoren, such chances were nonexistent. Forget learning directly from them—just meeting a Marine Admiral was already difficult enough. Admirals didn't exactly spend their free time hanging around unrelated Captains and Commodores.

This alone showed how valuable the training camp really was. The instructors Zephyr had named—himself included—weren't just top-tier in the Marines, but ranked among the very best in the world.

Zephyr then went over the rules. They were much the same as standard Marine regulations, so no one had anything to ask. Ortoren also understood and had no objections.

Only then did Zephyr-sensei move on to the core of the program.

"What qualities do you need to become an excellent Marine commander?" he asked, looking over the trainees.

"Strength—overwhelming strength. The strength to destroy evil and suppress crime!" Onigumo answered without hesitation.

Zephyr nodded.

"A broad strategic vision," Yamakaji added.

"Justice and a sense of responsibility!"

"Caring for your subordinates…"

Many different answers were called out, and Zephyr nodded in agreement to each.

When the room finally quieted, he said, "Strength, military literacy, a sense of justice, responsibility, and a broad vision—these are all essential, and they're exactly what we're here to work on."

He paused briefly before pulling out a course list.

"As for strength, our upcoming lessons will include, but are not limited to, swordsmanship, Haki, physical techniques, and ability development. You may choose electives based on what you excel at and what interests you. Of course, if you believe you have the stamina and already possess some foundational skills, you're free to take them all."

"Zephyr-sensei, how do we know when we've passed these subjects?" Momonga asked from the last row.

"There's no fixed standard. If I had to say, it would be based on my personal judgment," Zephyr replied calmly, rubbing his chin.

In other words, if Zephyr-sensei decided you weren't up to par, then you simply weren't—no official reason required.

It might have sounded unreasonable, but no one voiced any objections. That was simply the Marine way.

Zephyr then went on to explain in detail the differences between the core subjects.

Swordsmanship had a long history in the Marines. Across more than 800 years, countless great swordsmen had emerged, each leaving behind their own sword arts. Many skilled swordsmen still served within the Marines, and due to the tradition of wearing a command sword, most officers of Rear Admiral rank and above knew at least some swordsmanship.

Even so, in Ortoren's memory, while there were many swordsmen in later generations, true top-tier masters were rare. Borsalino could probably be counted as one—his swordsmanship allowed him to fight Rayleigh evenly—but his real renown came from his Devil Fruit powers. Gion likely qualified as well. As for others, Ortoren couldn't recall any that stood out.

Haki, on the other hand, needed little explanation. The way it was classified was no different from other factions in the world, and there were no formal schools or branches within the Marines.

Then came physical techniques. Among them, the most notable was the Marines' fundamental training method—the Rokushiki.

That's right. The famed Rokushiki, in Zephyr's words, was merely a "basic training method." Its true purpose was to help practitioners continually deepen their control over their own bodies.

That was the core. The techniques most people knew—Soru, Geppo, Shigan—were just flashy offshoots. What truly mattered was mastering the essence of the Rokushiki, reaching the point where one could control even hair or blood at will, achieving complete command over the body and stepping into the realm of a true "superhuman."

Only by attaining that level could one hold an advantage over ordinary people in higher-level skills such as Haki.

Because the Rokushiki formed part of the Marines' standard curriculum, it was widely taught and not especially secret. Enough had leaked that even some pirates knew a move or two. The reason the Marines didn't care about this was simple—the individual techniques weren't the real treasure. The real core lay in combining all six forms, uniting mind, body, and technique, and mastering advanced arts like Seimei Kikan—high-level methods for complete control of one's body.

As for ability development, the Marines' massive numbers, long history, and wealth of talent meant they had accumulated extensive experience. They held development records and training notes for almost every Devil Fruit ever documented.

Ortoren had taken the chance to ask if they had any experience with his own Goro Goro no Mi.

Zephyr-sensei answered with complete confidence. In over 800 years of Marine history, including Ortoren, there had been three Goro Goro no Mi users. The first two had both left detailed development and training notes. The most recent, two hundred years ago, had been the strongest man at sea at the time and had even served as a Marine Admiral—known as the "Shiroyasha." If Ortoren was interested, he could apply to review those records.

It was then that Ortoren truly grasped the depth of the Marines' heritage.

This was something no ordinary force could match—not Shiki's crew, not the Big Mom Pirates, not even the Whitebeard Pirates, who were said to have dominated the New World for an entire era. None of them could compete in terms of accumulated knowledge and resources.

If Ortoren had wanted to obtain a reference manual for developing the Goro Goro no Mi from any of them, it would have been impossible. That was the difference in foundation.

"Strength is important," Zephyr emphasized, "but it isn't everything. Each subject has its own score, and there are also marks for cultural courses such as tactics, strategy, military literacy, and navigation knowledge. As long as you earn enough points for me to approve your graduation, even if you're as weak as a chick, I can still graduate you, award you a corresponding rank, and recommend you to an appropriate department."

Graduation here was based on a credit system, not fixed years. Once you had enough credits, you could graduate at once. There were no mandatory subject requirements. Even if you were useless in combat but knew everything from astronomy to geography and possessed exceptional military literacy and strategic insight, you could graduate.

Likewise, if you were completely uneducated but so overwhelmingly strong that you could earn the credits, you could graduate through sheer combat ability.

In Zephyr's eyes, whether someone excelled in battle or in intellect, they were a valuable asset to the Marines, with a position somewhere that suited them.

Tailoring teaching to the individual and cultivating excellent officers in all areas—that was Zephyr's original vision in creating the Officer Training Camp.