"Come to think of it, even though this isn't my first time teaching swordsmanship… how do you teach a large group?
Besides, I'm not really interested in untalented people…"
Sephiroth sat on a chair, hands behind his head, staring directly at Zephyr – the Chief Instructor of the Marine Academy – who sat across the desk in a purple suit, flipping through student files.
Zephyr paused briefly, then said in a slightly irritated tone,
"Do you even need to ask? Teach according to their aptitude!
Let the students grasp what they can grasp. Don't force what's beyond their talent limits…
You don't even understand that, and you still claim to have taught swordsmanship before?"
"Hmm… Because I only taught talented people. I just needed to find and point out their flaws, and they'd find ways to improve on their own..."
"Among this batch of recruits, the one with the most swordsmanship talent is her."
Zephyr reached into the pile of files, pulled out one, and placed it in front of Sephiroth.
"Ain, skilled in Two-Sword Style, user of the Return-Return Fruit (Kobu Kobu no Mi)..."
"She uses Two-Sword Style, and so do you. In that regard, your compatibility should be high. Pay special attention to her!"
"Are you so sure that among three hundred recruits, she has the best swordsmanship talent?"
"Of course. I memorize every batch's information thoroughly and assess their overall quality.
Add the placement test to that, and it's practically foolproof!" Zephyr said confidently.
He had been training Marine recruits for years, producing many high-ranking and mid-ranking officers. His judgment of talent was naturally not poor.
"This time, I plan to let Shuzo handle a class on his own. He's followed me for years and has plenty of teaching experience. I think he's up for it.
As for you...!
Besides serving as the swordsmanship instructor, you'll also be my assistant!" Zephyr said thoughtfully.
Sephiroth scratched his head, looking disgusted.
"Ah… That sounds like a huge pain! Can't I just be a regular subject instructor..."
"Either way, you're only doing this for a year. A little hardship won't hurt, right?
This will give you some different life experiences…"
Sephiroth immediately pouted. He was about to say something else, but Zephyr glanced at the clock on the wall and spoke first.
"Alright, time's almost up! Let's go see those new recruits..."
Zephyr picked up a clipboard and pen from the desk, stood up, walked to the coat rack, took down the admiral's coat hanging there, draped it over himself, opened the office door, and walked out.
Sephiroth could only sigh helplessly and follow him out.
As they were going down the stairs, they ran into a blonde woman carrying textbooks, leisurely walking up the stairs.
She wore a brown uniform skirt, a white blouse underneath, a black tie, paired with dark red knee-high boots and dark red long gloves. Her figure was graceful and captivating.
Her slightly wavy long blonde hair casually draped over her shoulders, reddish-brown sunglasses sat on her face, and a hat rested on her head. The tilted brim and her golden bangs covered her right eye, giving her an overall elegant demeanor.
"Good morning, Admiral Zephyr!"
The blonde woman first greeted the purple-haired old man, then looked at the silver-haired young man behind him. She said with pleasant surprise,
"Huh!? Sephiroth, long time no see!"
"Huh!? Isn't this Domino?
Long time no see – you've gotten a lot more beautiful!
My heart's racing. How about we go out for a meal and a drink sometime...?"
Sephiroth smiled and greeted the blonde beauty, unconsciously starting to flirt.
Domino blushed slightly. She raised her right index finger, scratched her cheek, and said somewhat shyly,
"Rea... really?
Then it's a promise. You can't take it back!"
Sephiroth choked a little. Through Observation Haki, he could clearly sense that the blonde beauty actually had feelings of affection toward him.
What's going on? I remember we barely saw each other after graduating from the Marine Academy!
Besides, back at the academy, she always kept her distance from me and Kaji – those two troublemakers...
Or is she just getting lovesick, and I happened to be the one she ran into...?
Sephiroth was full of question marks and muttered inwardly.
Still, he smiled and agreed,
"Of course!
By the way, why are you here at the Marine Academy?"
"Hmm! Because the Marine Academy recently added a new course – Criminal Psychology – and Sensei Zephyr invited me to be the instructor for that subject..."
"Eh!? Is that so? That old man Zephyr really...
He dragged me back too, to be the swordsmanship instructor."
"Hehehe! Oh! Then we'll get to see each other often from now on!"
"Ahem! Time's up. We should go."
Zephyr coughed lightly, reminding them not to keep chatting.
"I still need to meet the new recruits. Let's talk another day!" Sephiroth said apologetically.
"Okay! Another day, then!"
Domino smiled sweetly, gave a small wave, then walked upstairs with elegant steps, swaying her hips.
What a terrifying woman... Sephiroth watched Domino's captivating figure and silently made that evaluation.
Soon, the two walked onto the Marine Academy training ground and stood in front of the three hundred recruits.
These recruits were all elites selected from G-branch bases across the Grand Line or Marineford. They had gone through rigorous selection to earn admission to the Marine Academy, and their strength far exceeded that of ordinary Marine soldiers.
Zephyr first scanned the new recruits standing tall and straight on the training ground.
Then, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, revealing a hearty smile.
"Yo! New recruits, I'm your Chief Instructor, Zephyr.
First meeting – consider this your welcome gift...
Everyone!
Run two hundred laps around this training ground for this old man!
Anyone who doesn't finish within an hour gets an extra hundred laps as punishment.
Anyone who doesn't finish by twelve noon today gets no lunch!"
Sephiroth watched the group of recruits, surprised at first but then starting to run wildly across the training ground. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly:
Same old recipe, same old taste...