Diarmuid was a rather unique presence in the 6th Marine Officer Training Camp.
The other students, while training, had their own units. When they didn't have classes, they would go on missions assigned by the Marines.
But Diarmuid was different. He was transferred directly from the North Blue and was injured on the way there, which led to him being hospitalized.
If he hadn't been in the hospital, he would have been assigned to work under a Rear Admiral.
But he wasn't.
So, he was now an unassigned member of Marine Headquarters.
Because of this, he had no missions, which was very unusual.
He didn't know if Admirals Sengoku and Zephyr had forgotten about it, or what, but no one had come to deal with the situation.
In this situation, Diarmuid didn't want to make things complicated. To be honest, he preferred to stay low in Marine Headquarters and quietly improve his strength.
Once he had a certain level of strength to protect himself, he could go out and execute justice. That would be much better.
So for the past few weeks, Diarmuid had been living in the Marine Officer Training Camp dorms, steadily improving his strength.
Relying on his Iron Will talent, Diarmuid would wake up at 7 a.m. every day without fail. After getting ready and eating breakfast, he would go to the training field to work on his swordsmanship.
At noon, he would rest for a bit, go to the cafeteria for lunch, and then continue his physical training to prepare for the development of Rokushiki.
The training camp's dorms were right next to the training field.
On the second floor, Commander Momonga had just put his things away in the dorm and came out to look at the view from the window.
"Yamakaji, what are you looking at?" Momonga asked curiously, seeing Commander Yamakaji biting on a cigar and looking at the training field.
Yamakaji slowly exhaled a puff of smoke. "I'm looking at our roommate. I haven't had any missions for a while, so I've been staying here. I've noticed that our roommate shows up at the training field at the same time every day to do these repetitive exercises…"
As the Marine Headquarters, Marineford naturally didn't lack living spaces for Marines. But in reality, anyone selected for the Marine Officer Training Camp would move their residence here.
They knew that the people chosen to come here were all talented and gifted Marine elites, and as long as they didn't die young, they had a promising future.
Therefore, living together also helped to strengthen their relationships. It was a small circle.
"Is that so?" Momonga mumbled and came to the window to look.
Sure enough, he saw Diarmuid jogging around the training field.
Diarmuid had been assigned to a triple room with Momonga and Yamakaji.
But on most days, Yamakaji and Momonga were out on missions, so he was usually living alone.
In any case, the three of them were roommates.
Both Momonga and Yamakaji were people who believed in justice and were pretty optimistic and cheerful.
Yamakaji, in particular, had a very gentle personality and had taken care of Diarmuid quite a bit during this time. The three of them had a good relationship.
Looking at Diarmuid, whose white tank top was soaked in sweat, Momonga asked, "What lap is he on?"
"Forty-two. If he sticks to his usual routine, he still has eight more to go," Yamakaji said with a smile.
"Fifty laps every day? That's a lot of exercise. It seems like Diarmuid really wants to get stronger," Momonga said with a laugh.
"No, that's not all. In the morning, he does swordsmanship training, which is also a lot of exercise. After he finishes his laps, he'll rest for fifteen minutes and then do pushups, weightlifting, and other basic strength training. He does high-intensity training every day, from sunrise to sunset," Yamakaji said calmly.
Momonga was a little surprised. "Every day?" he asked.
"Yeah, it was pouring rain the day before yesterday, and he still didn't change his plans," Yamakaji nodded.
After he finished speaking, he stroked his chin. "Ah, today's Wednesday. After it gets dark, he'll go to the boxing gym for free sparring. How about it? Interested in going a few rounds with him?"
The Marine Officer Training Camp also had activities. For example, on Wednesdays, they would have a sparring match. It was more of an unofficial gathering for the students.
If they didn't have any missions, many people would participate.
And on Fridays, they would have a swordsmanship sparring match, and on weekends, they would have small competitions like wrestling and shooting. In short, it was lively.
These unofficial competitions weren't just for the current students; former graduates would also come to watch if they had nothing else to do. It was a club for people who had graduated from the Marine Officer Training Camp.
"You know what, I am interested. I wonder how strong he is? But if his training is as intense as you say, he's already very strong in terms of stamina," Momonga said, smacking his lips.
Yamakaji looked at Momonga and said, "He's very strong in terms of fighting too."
"Huh? You've seen him in a match?" Momonga asked curiously.
He had been very busy for the past few weeks and rarely came back. Today was his first long vacation, and Zephyr's small class would start in a few days.
Hearing Momonga's question, Yamakaji didn't seem embarrassed at all. He said naturally, "I lost to him last week."
Momonga was shocked.
So you guys already fought?
"Was it a big difference?" Momonga asked with a sparkle in his eyes.
"In terms of technique, I was a little better. But unfortunately, that guy can take a beating. In terms of stamina and physical abilities, I was completely defeated. In the end, I fell to the ground," Yamakaji said with a chuckle.
He was truly gentle. Even though he was defeated, he didn't show any jealousy or resentment.
"Is that so? Then I have to try and go against him tonight," Momonga said, a fighting spirit rising in his heart.
Just then, Momonga and Yamakaji suddenly noticed something. They both leaned out of the window with curiosity.
"Whoa, what's going on? Is he close with Gion too?" Momonga raised an eyebrow and asked with a laugh.
Yamakaji also opened his eyes wide and smacked his lips. "I don't know. But from what I've seen, it doesn't look like they've interacted at all."
That's right. The reason they were so excited was that they saw the "campus belle" of the 6th Marine Officer Training Camp, Gion, actually approaching Diarmuid.
Gion was a very composed person. She didn't use her good looks, great figure, or popularity to just go and disturb Diarmuid's training.
Instead, she sat down on a bench by the training field and quietly waited for Diarmuid to finish his laps.
Just like Yamakaji, Gion had been observing the new guy, Diarmuid, for a few days.
She also knew that Diarmuid ran fifty laps here every day. He was on his forty-eighth lap, so she only had to wait for two more.
Diarmuid naturally noticed Gion, but he didn't stop what he was doing and continued to jog.
After a few minutes, he finished his two laps. Gion stood up, ready to talk to him.
But then she realized that Diarmuid didn't stop and was still running.
This surprised Gion, and she stopped in her tracks.
"Did I count wrong?" Yamakaji also watched this with a hint of surprise.
But soon, he shook his head. "No, that guy is increasing his workout!"
"What do you mean?" Momonga asked.
"I heard that when he first started, he only ran thirty laps a day!" Yamakaji said in a low voice.
Diarmuid's white tank top was dripping with sweat, but he didn't stop.
After he steadily finished sixty laps, he walked around the field one more time to calm his breathing and pace before ending his run.
"Catch."
A crisp voice came from nearby. Diarmuid turned around and saw a bottle of water flying toward him.
He reached out and caught the bottle firmly.
The person who had thrown the water bottle was Gion.
"Thanks," Diarmuid said, nodding at Gion.
He didn't stand on ceremony. He twisted the cap open and took a big gulp.
Gion also slowly walked closer to Diarmuid.
"Sixty laps. Your stamina is much better than before," Gion said with a smile.
"This level is nothing to be proud of," Diarmuid said modestly.
But he was also telling the truth. It was nothing special.
He was a little curious now. Although he had been here for a while, he hadn't had any interaction with Gion. Why was she suddenly talking to him?
He held the water bottle in his hand, even wondering if his charm was too much and had attracted Gion.
"I've been observing you for a long time." Gion suddenly said.
Diarmuid was stunned. Here we go. This is usually the prelude to a crush or a confession, right?
After nineteen years in this world, am I finally going to have a romance?
But he had no experience with this!
"Uh…" Diarmuid muttered, not knowing what to say.
But before he could speak, Gion continued, "Your swordsmanship fundamentals also seem very solid. Are you a swordsman?"
As she said this, Gion turned to look at the chair where Diarmuid had placed his things. She pointed to it and said, "If I'm not mistaken, that sword should be one of the 21 Great Grade Swords… Nagasone Kotetsu, right?"
"That's correct," Diarmuid nodded.
It seems I misunderstood something.
"It's a great sword," Gion said with a smile.
Diarmuid didn't think too much of it. He looked at the sword hanging from her waist and complimented her in return. "Your Konpira is also very good. It's a great sword."
Hearing this, Gion's eyes lit up. "You have a good eye. Not many people can recognize Konpira at a glance."
Diarmuid was a little surprised.
I don't really know about these things. I just learned about them in my previous life.
"Anyway, the reason I came to find you is to invite you to the swordsmanship sparring match on Friday. I'll be participating this time, and I hope to have a match with you!" Gion said with a serious expression.
Diarmuid was stunned again. He scratched his head. "To be honest, I haven't really accomplished anything in swordsmanship…"
He wanted to refuse, but seeing Gion's passionate eyes, he thought that participating wouldn't hurt and that it could be a good practice. In the end, he nodded. "Okay."