In just one month, he had transformed from weaker than an ordinary person to possessing the strength of a Navy Marine. For most, that would have been an exhilarating achievement.
But Rayk did not feel particularly thrilled.
Because in this past month, he was not the only one to make such leaps. Especially those young prodigies who, in the world Rayk had known, had already shown extraordinary potential their training and development at the youth camp had unlocked astonishing progress.
Among them, Smoker and Drake shone the brightest.
Of course, Smoker hardly needed an introduction. As a Logia-type Devil Fruit user, he was near-untouchable. Unless confronted with Haki or Seastone, he was virtually invincible.
Mastering Armament Haki demanded immense strength. Within the Navy, all admirals naturally possessed the power to wield it, but below that rank, only elite colonels might have a chance.
In other words, unless prepared with Seastone, even a lieutenant or sergeant could not confront him. Most colonels would fare no better.
With this advantage, Smoker did not need to worry about defense during early training. He could dedicate his full energy and body to offensive exercises. This was a privilege none of the others had.
Then there was Rayk's roommate, Drake. His brilliance rivaled Smoker's. Possessing the Ancient Zoan Devil Fruit the Dinosaur Fruit Drake's abilities were even rarer than Logia powers. By raw strength alone, he approached the level of a colonel.
By Rayk's estimation, Drake was at least five times stronger than himself.
For someone like Rayk, if he didn't trust the assistance of the Gourmet System to catch up, such a vast gap could easily become a source of discouragement.
Beyond Smoker and Drake, many other trainees had made remarkable progress, surpassing anyone Rayk had previously known.
"Hey, Rayk, did you hear? Today, the Navy Vice Admiral…" Barry Good whispered excitedly as he hurried down the corridor. "They're letting Zephyr teach us a class!"
"The Black Arm, Zephyr?" Rayk frowned slightly.
"Aren't you excited? A legendary Vice Admiral is personally coming to teach us!" Barry Good's voice was full of awe.
"He's a former Vice Admiral," Rayk corrected calmly.
A few years ago, Zephyr had requested retirement after his entire family was killed by pirates. Though Fleet Commander "Steelbone" Kong could not prevent him from resigning, he allowed Zephyr to remain as a Navy instructor.
"No difference!" Barry Good said nonchalantly. "Hurry and change class is about to start. Look at you, sweating all over. It's impolite to show up like that!"
After delivering this, Barry Good ran off to spread the news to the others.
Rayk glanced at his sweat-soaked clothes and pants, deciding to follow Barry Good's advice and change into fresh attire.
The former Vice Admiral, the Black Arm Zephyr… Rayk's mind began to sift through the information he knew about this man.
Since arriving in this world, Rayk had never met Zephyr personally. Zephyr had served alongside his miserly father, Sengoku, as a Navy admiral. But the previous owner of Rayk's current body had encountered Zephyr multiple times and should have been quite familiar with him.
After all, Sengoku, Tsuru, and Zephyr were all contemporaries in the Navy, friends for decades. It was natural for them to know each other's families.
Furthermore, Zephyr's deceased son would have been around Rayk's age. Had he not been killed by pirates, he might now have been attending this youth camp alongside Rayk.
"Sigh… he's another unfortunate soul," Rayk muttered.
Rayk held deep respect for the former Vice Admiral, Zephyr, a man who had lived a life without taking a life a true exemplar of mercy.
Yet respect did not mean agreement.
Even before coming to this world, Rayk understood that it was chaotic, far more so than Earth had ever been in his previous life. Especially in the coming era of great pirates, chaos would only intensify, and savagery would reign supreme.
In such a world, in such a time, Zephyr's unwillingness to kill seemed utterly naïve to Rayk.
It was all the more perplexing considering that Zephyr had once been a Navy Vice Admiral.
However, the Black Arm Zephyr was exceptional at nurturing the next generation. The three future admirals were all his students, and many vice admirals also came from his tutelage. Not to mention others scattered across the world, including the host of this youth training camp Vice Admiral Dalmatian himself another student of Zephyr.
Rayk's curiosity about Zephyr deepened. The memories of Zephyr from the previous owner's perspective were incomplete. Even what Rayk had seen in manga from his past life could not provide the full picture.
To truly understand this man, he would have to meet him personally.
"Attention!"
At Dalmatian's command, all the trainees stood straight.
"This is your final class of the month. After this, you will have two days of free time," Dalmatian said with a smile. "In recognition of your hard work over the past month, I have invited an exceptional individual to teach this last session as a reward…"
Murmurs began spreading among the trainees. Many had already heard rumors about this guest, including the occupants of Rayk's dorm, thanks to Barry Good, the camp's unofficial gossip prince.
"Now, please welcome my instructor, former Vice Admiral Instructor Zephyr!" Dalmatian gestured toward the teaching building behind him.
A moment later, a towering middle-aged man appeared from that direction. With short purple hair and dark sunglasses, he walked deliberately toward the students.
"The legendary Navy Vice Admiral Zephyr! The Black Arm, the man with the strongest Armament Haki!"
"I never imagined I'd meet a Navy Vice Admiral," Rayk thought, feeling thrilled. "Being Zephyr's student… If Father knew, he'd be so envious!"
Whether or not they had known Zephyr would be arriving, the trainees were electrified with excitement. Only a few remained calm: the ever-cold Shun, the self-assured Smoker, and Rayk himself, whose father was a Vice Admiral.