Despite being a bit uncomfortable with the enthusiastic applause, Diarmuid didn't shy away and walked confidently through the door.
He saw a group of people, just like him, wearing Marine uniforms and Justice coats.
Their ages varied, but most of them looked very young, with the oldest probably in their twenties.
There weren't many people, about twenty in total.
But these twenty or so people were considered the most talented and gifted of the young generation of Marines.
With just one look, Diarmuid recognized a few of them.
Among them were future Marine Headquarters elite Vice Admirals Momonga, Yamakaji, and Onigumo.
For now, judging by their epaulets, they were only Marine Headquarters Commanders, just a bit higher than Diarmuid.
Besides the three of them, two other people surprised Diarmuid.
They were two of the future Marine Admiral candidates…
Momousagi Gion and Chaton Tokikake.
As for the others, either they changed too much in the future or their achievements weren't as high as these few, because Diarmuid didn't recognize anyone else.
It seems that the 6th Marine Officer Training Camp is full of talented people, Diarmuid thought to himself.
At Zephyr's gesture, Diarmuid walked a few steps to the front of the classroom, stood at attention, and saluted his colleagues.
"Introduce yourself," Zephyr said gently.
"Yes, sir!" Diarmuid replied.
He then looked at everyone and said, "Rodriguez Diarmuid, former Captain of the North Blue's 113th Marine Branch, now a Major at Marine Headquarters. Please take care of me!"
As soon as he finished, the elite Marines below him started applauding again.
Overall, their morale was very high. They sat with their chests up and heads held high, looking like the pillars of the future. They didn't have the lazy demeanor of Kuzan.
"You guys get to know each other. Diarmuid, you can sit there," Zephyr said, pointing to an empty seat next to Momonga.
Diarmuid didn't hesitate. He agreed and quickly walked over, sitting next to Momonga.
Momonga seemed very friendly. He smiled and nodded at Diarmuid, whispering, "Please take care of me, too, Major Diarmuid."
"You too," Diarmuid replied with a smile.
This wasn't a regular class, so Zephyr didn't waste any time and got straight to the point.
"We have a new person here, but luckily, the 6th Class has only just begun. Diarmuid, if you have any questions, you can ask me after class. I will continue with the previous lesson," Zephyr said softly.
Diarmuid nodded, having no objections.
He also realized that even though he was a bit late because of his hospital stay, the 6th Marine Officer Training Camp had just started.
"So, let's move on to today's topic. In our last class, we discussed the various types of power. Today, we're going to talk about a unique set of martial arts techniques that are exclusive to the Marines. We call it Rokushiki. Rokushiki is not the strong, special power you might think it is. In fact, when our Marine masters put their heads together to create this systematic set of martial arts, they weren't trying to increase their strength. On the contrary, this power is meant to lay the groundwork…" Zephyr said seriously.
Perhaps he truly had a talent for teaching. In any case, even though Diarmuid had missed part of the class, he quickly became engrossed in Zephyr's lecture.
He also quickly learned about Rokushiki.
Simply put, the original purpose of developing Rokushiki wasn't to create a new, powerful ability.
Instead, it was a technique to lay the groundwork. In all aspects of the Rokushiki, it was a way to develop a person's physical abilities.
Soru, Geppo, Shigan, Rankyaku, Kami-e, and Tekkai!
Mastering each one allows you to reach a superhuman level in a certain area, meaning you can break through your existing limits and physical abilities.
If you can master all six, you can be called someone who has broken through the physical limits in most areas.
At the same time, it also allows for a deeper development of the body's potential.
"Therefore, compared to powers like Haki, our Marines' Rokushiki is not a higher-level power. If anything, it's a bit lower," Zephyr concluded.
After a short pause, he continued, "But don't underestimate the power of Rokushiki. As I said before, everyone sitting here has the potential to become a powerhouse. There are a few ways to open the door to becoming a powerhouse.
"The first is the power of Devil Fruits that I mentioned before. Even the most ordinary person can gain a lot of power in a very short time after eating a powerful Devil Fruit. But as you know, to gain power, you must pay a price.
"Devil Fruits are not something you earn through hard work, and their disadvantage is that they turn you into a stone who's hated by the sea… Therefore, whether or not to become a user is something you have to consider for yourselves in the future. I won't give any advice here.
"The Rokushiki I'm talking about now is something you can get by working hard and training without any other cost. It's the key to opening the door to the path of power. Once you have a firm grasp of this power, you may be qualified to seek even greater power."
"Zephyr-sensei!" a student suddenly raised his hand.
Diarmuid turned to see that it was the best-looking person in the 6th Class, Momousagi Gion.
"Gion? Do you have a question?" Zephyr looked at her and gestured for her to speak.
"Yes, Zephyr-sensei. Does mastering the power of Rokushiki improve one's swordsmanship?" Gion asked without hesitation.
In the Marine Officer Training Camp, you weren't forced to learn a certain way to improve your strength.
In fact, it was a cradle for developing one's "potential."
The powerhouses who came out of here were all different. There were top-tier Devil Fruit users like Borsalino, Sakazuki, and Kuzan.
There were also swordsmen like Gion, and even masters of martial arts. It was all normal.
Therefore, Zephyr wasn't surprised by Gion's question.
He smiled and nodded. "Of course. The development of Rokushiki is the development of your own power and potential. It's a way to break through your own limits. That's why I said this power is fundamental. Mastering the power of Rokushiki is beneficial to any path you choose to take in the future, whether it's swordsmanship, martial arts, Devil Fruit abilities, or anything else."
"Is it the same for Haki?" Diarmuid suddenly asked.
Zephyr's eyes lit up with appreciation. "That's a good question. From my experience, the power of Rokushiki is a very good foundation for mastering Haki in the future."
Currently, there were two top-tier masters of Haki in the Marines.
One was the "Marine Hero," Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp.
The other was Zephyr, the "Black Arm Admiral."
But Garp's ability to teach was appalling. He had taught the leader of the Revolutionary Army and a great pirate, which was a disgrace to the Marines.
In comparison, Zephyr was very authoritative.
So as soon as Zephyr said that, the students all felt a chill.
As the elite of the Marines' new generation, they all had foresight. They knew that no matter what path they took in the future, whether it was swordsmanship, a Devil Fruit user, or something else, Haki was the most important power.
And now, with Zephyr's statement that Rokushiki had a unique benefit for mastering Haki in the future, they all decided that they had to learn and master this power.
A few other students asked questions, and Zephyr patiently answered them all. Overall, the atmosphere in the Marine Officer Training Camp was very harmonious.
After answering their questions, Zephyr continued, "Since there are no more questions for this part, we'll now go into the details of the training methods for Rokushiki…"
After that, Zephyr began to explain the training methods for Soru, Kami-e, Geppo, Rankyaku, Shigan, and Tekkai in detail.
He was very patient and had a real talent for teaching.
Perhaps it was the right choice for him to step down from the position of Marine Admiral.
The future Marines would be stronger under his tutelage!
There was no fixed schedule for classes here.
Zephyr would teach whenever he wanted. When there was a lot to cover, he would take more time. When there wasn't, he would take less time.
"Alright, that's all for today's class. You all can go and practice on your own. The next class will be in a month. If you have a mission, go do it as soon as possible. You are students, but you are also Marines," Zephyr said with a smile, clapping his hands to dismiss the class.
This surprised Diarmuid a little. It seemed that the current Marine Officer Training Camp wasn't a real military academy yet.
In fact, that was true. In the early days, the Marine Officer Training Camp was a bit rough.
It wasn't until later, when Zephyr truly stepped down from his position as a front-line Admiral, that he gradually improved it.
By the middle and late stages of the Great Pirate Era, the Marine Officer Training Camp had become a full-fledged military academy. The students were all trained from the very beginning.
For example, in the era of the Return-Return Fruit user, the pretty girl Ain, the training was not like this, where they selected elite Marine officers for guidance.
In their era, they even needed Zephyr to personally lead them in combat training.
But the students sitting here now, which one of them hadn't fought in a real battle?
Diarmuid had even fought against Golden Lion Shiki…
But this was also an inevitable part of the era's development. Because at that time, almost all the elite Marines were trained at the Marine Officer Training Camp, so there was no need to force them to take more classes.
In this situation, Zephyr naturally had more time and energy to refine the academy, reaching down to select more excellent non-officer candidates for training. After they matured, they would directly replenish the Marine ranks.
After dismissing the class, Zephyr said to Diarmuid, "Diarmuid, get to know your colleagues first. Come to my office a little later. I'll arrange a dorm for you. If you have any questions, think them over and ask me later."
"Yes, Admiral Zephyr!" Diarmuid replied quickly.
Zephyr smiled. "Just call me Sensei here."
Diarmuid also smiled. "Understood, Sensei."