Although he was not quite accustomed to the enthusiastic applause, Dante did not shy away because of it and walked in generously.
Upon entering, he saw a group of people just like him, dressed in Marine uniforms with Justice cloaks draped over their shoulders.
Their ages were not uniform, but most of them looked very young, like him, with the oldest perhaps only in their twenties.
As for the number of people, it was not many, totaling about twenty.
But these twenty-plus people could all be called the most talented and gifted individuals among the current young generation of the Marine.
With just one glance, Dante recognized several figures.
Among them were the future Marineford elite Vice Admiral Momonga, as well as Yamakaji and Onigumo.
Currently, judging by their epaulets, they were still only Marineford Lieutenant Commanders, just a little higher than Dante.
Aside from these three, two others surprised Dante.
They were two of the future Marine General Candidates...
Gion and Tokikake.
As for the others, perhaps their future changes were too great, or perhaps their future achievements were not as high as these few, in any case, Dante did not recognize anyone else.
"It seems the people of the Sixth Session Officer Training Camp are indeed full of talent," Dante thought to himself.
Following Admiral Zephyr's gesture, Dante walked a few steps to the podium, stood at attention, and saluted his many colleagues.
"Introduce yourself," Admiral Zephyr said gently.
"Yes!" Dante replied.
Then he looked at everyone and said, "Rodriguez Dante, former Marineford 113th Branch Colonel in North Blue, now a Marineford Lieutenant Commander. I ask for your continued guidance in the future!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the many Marine elites below quickly applauded again.
Overall, their morale was excellent. Sitting there, they showed none of Kuzan's laziness. Each of them sat with their chests out, heads held high, and postures upright, looking like future pillars of talent.
"After this, you can get to know each other. Dante, sit there," Admiral Zephyr said, pointing to an empty seat below.
It was right next to Momonga.
Dante did not hesitate, acknowledged, and quickly walked over to sit next to Momonga.
Momonga seemed very friendly, smiling and nodding at Dante, saying softly, "Please guide me more in the future, Lieutenant Commander Dante."
"Likewise," Dante replied with a smile.
It wasn't really like elementary school class, so Admiral Zephyr didn't do anything else fancy and quickly got to the point.
"Although a new person has arrived, thankfully your Sixth Session Officer Training Camp's classes have only just begun. Dante, if there's anything you don't understand later, come ask me after class. I will continue teaching according to the previous progress," Zephyr said softly.
Dante nodded, having no objection.
At the same time, he also realized that although he was a little late due to hospitalization and other reasons, the Sixth Session Officer Training Camp seemed to have only just begun.
"So, let's move on to today's topic. Last class, we already discussed the general categories into which power can be divided. Today, we will talk about a unique set of physical techniques exclusive to our Marine, which can tentatively be called 'Rokushiki'. The so-called Rokushiki are not the powerful, special abilities you previously thought. In fact, when our Marine experts pooled their wisdom and developed this systematic physical technique, it was not for the purpose of increasing strength. On the contrary, this power is for solidifying the foundation..." Admiral Zephyr explained earnestly.
Perhaps he truly had a talent for teaching others. In any case, although Dante had missed some lessons previously, he quickly became immersed in Admiral Zephyr's lecture.
He quickly gained some understanding of the Rokushiki.
Simply put, the original intention behind the development of the Rokushiki was not to make them a new powerful force.
Instead, it was a technique for solidifying one's foundation. From every aspect of the Sixth Form, it was a means of developing a person's physical qualities.
Shave, Moonwalk, Finger Pistol, Tempest Kick, Paper Art, Iron Body!
Each one learned and mastered would, on a certain level, reach a superhuman realm, meaning breaking through inherent limits and physical qualities.
If one can master all of the Sixth Form, then they can almost be said to have broken the inherent physical limits in most areas.
At the same time, the body's potential has been developed to a deeper level.
"Therefore, compared to powers like Haki, our Marine's Sixth Form is not a higher-level power; in fact, if we had to say, it's even somewhat lower-level," Admiral Zephyr concluded.
After a slight pause, he continued, "But you all should not underestimate the power of the Sixth Form because of this. As I said before, all of you sitting here have the potential and possibility to become strong. There are several ways to open the door to becoming a strong person.
The first is the Devil Fruit power I mentioned earlier. Even the most ordinary person, after eating a powerful Devil Fruit, will possess great strength in a very short period.
However, as you all know, to gain power, one naturally has to pay a price. As a power not obtained through effort or other costs, the drawback of Devil Fruit is that it will make you a landlubber, hated by the sea… Therefore, whether or not to become an ability user is something you need to consider in the future. I will not offer suggestions here.
The power of the Sixth Form that I am now mentioning is a key to opening the door to the path of the strong, which you can obtain without paying any other price, simply by working hard and practicing.
Once you have thoroughly mastered this power, perhaps you will be qualified to pursue even higher powers."
"Admiral Zephyr!" a student suddenly raised a hand to indicate.
Dante turned his head and saw that it was Gion, the most beautiful person in this entire Sixth Session Officer Training Camp.
"Gion? Is there a problem?" Admiral Zephyr looked at her, then raised his hand to indicate.
"Yes, Admiral Zephyr, may I ask, how beneficial is mastering the power of the Sixth Form for swordsmanship?" Gion asked without hesitation.
Within this Officer Training Camp, there are no mandatory requirements for how you must study or enhance your strength.
In reality, this is a cradle for the development of 'possibilities.'
The strong individuals who emerge from here are diverse; there are top-tier Devil Fruit ability users like Borsalino, Sakazuki, and Kuzan.
There are also swordsmen like Gion, and even masters of physical techniques, which are all quite normal.
Therefore, Admiral Zephyr was not surprised by the question Gion raised at this moment.
He smiled and nodded, saying, "Of course there is. The development of the Sixth Form is about mastering one's own power and potential; it is a development that breaks through one's own limits.
Therefore, I say this power is fundamental.
Mastering the power of the Sixth Form is beneficial and harmless to all the paths you will take in the future, whether it's swordsmanship, physical techniques, Devil Fruit abilities, or anything else."
"Is it the same for Haki?" Dante suddenly asked.
Admiral Zephyr's eyes showed a hint of appreciation as he said, "That's a good question. In my experience, the Sixth Form power is an excellent foundational enhancement for mastering Haki power in the future."
Currently, within the Marine, there are two top-tier experts who are exceptionally outstanding in Haki power.
One of them is Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp, known as the 'Navy Hero.'
The other is Zephyr, the 'Black Arm Admiral.'
However, Garp's ability in education is simply appalling; he raised the leader of the Revolutionary Army and also raised a Great Pirate, which is simply a disgrace to the Marine in this regard.
In comparison, Admiral Zephyr is very authoritative.
So, as soon as Admiral Zephyr finished speaking, the hearts of many Marine students tightened.
As the elite of Marineford's new generation, they are all discerning, and thus they clearly understand that no matter what path they choose in the future—swordsmanship, Devil Fruit ability user, or something else—
Haki is a power of utmost importance.
And at this moment, Admiral Zephyr affirmed that the Rokushiki has an extraordinary enhancing effect on mastering Haki power in the future.
Therefore, they all also believed that they must diligently learn and master this power.
Afterward, several other students also asked questions, and Admiral Zephyr patiently answered them. Overall, the atmosphere in this Officer Training Camp was quite harmonious.
After a session of answering questions and dispelling doubts, Admiral Zephyr continued, "Since there are no problems at this stage, then next, we will elaborate on the training methods concerning the Sixth Form..."
Then, Admiral Zephyr began to explain in detail the training methods for each branch of the Sixth Form, including Shave, Paper Arts, Moonwalk, Tempest Kick, Finger Pistol, and Iron Body.
He was truly very patient and had a talent for teaching.
Perhaps his retirement from the position of Admiral was a truly correct choice.
The future Marine will become even stronger under his cultivation!
There were no strict 'time' regulations for classes here.
Admiral Zephyr would start teaching, and the time was not fixed. Sometimes, if there was a lot of content, he would spend more time; if there wasn't much content, he would teach for a shorter period.
"Alright, that's all for today's lesson. For what's next, you all go and experience it thoroughly yourselves first. The next lesson will be in a month. Those who have missions, go on your missions as soon as possible. You are students, but even more so, you are Marines," Zephyr smiled and clapped his hands, signaling the end of class.
This somewhat surprised Dante. It seemed that the current Officer Training Camp was not yet a true Military Academy.
In fact, that was indeed the case; the early Officer Training Camp was relatively unrefined.
It was only later, when Zephyr truly detached himself from his frontline Admiral status, that he gradually improved the place.
By the mid-to-late Great Pirate Era, the Officer Training Camp had completely become a Military Academy, and the students within were cultivated from the very beginning of their basic training.
For example, the generation of Ain, the little beauty with the Retrograde-Retrograde Fruit ability, was not at all like it is now, where Marine elite officers are selected for instruction.
In their era, they even needed Admiral Zephyr himself to personally lead them out for practical combat training.
And which of the students sitting here now has not experienced actual combat?
Dante had even fought against Golden Lion Shiki...
However, this was also an inevitable result of the era and its development, because during that period, almost all of the Marine's elite officers were cultivated from the Officer Training Camp, so there was naturally no need to make them continue attending classes.
Under these circumstances, Zephyr naturally had more time and energy to subdivide and decentralize the academy, selecting more excellent non-officer-level prospects for cultivation, directly providing fresh blood to the Marine once they matured.
After announcing the end of class, Admiral Zephyr then said to Dante, "Dante, you should get to know your colleagues first. Come to my office later. I'll arrange a dormitory for you.
If you have any questions you don't understand, think them through first, and then come ask me."
"Yes, Admiral Zephyr!" Dante quickly replied.
Zephyr smiled and said, "Here, just call me teacher."
Dante smiled upon hearing this and said, "I understand, teacher."