Chapter 213: A Strange Training Session
"What, are you unhappy about it?" Axel asked.
"Not really," Zephyr replied. "Just a little surprised."
Thinking back on how this brat had spent the entire day contradicting him, Zephyr suddenly felt that this tiny bit of happiness had not come easily.
But this was for the best.
Although his earlier worry had been unnecessary, that was still better than letting the worry continue.
Now that Axel staying behind was settled, the next step was figuring out how to make him change.
Seeing Zephyr fall into thought, Axel could roughly guess what he was thinking, but he still pretended not to know.
"What are you thinking about?"
"Nothing," Zephyr said. "I was just curious why you changed your mind."
He came up with a relatively reasonable excuse.
After all, he could not exactly tell Axel that he was thinking about how to reform him.
"It's nothing much for me either," Axel said. "I'm staying because I'm in a good mood. Besides, I quite enjoy causing trouble for you."
Although Axel said something that almost made Zephyr lose his temper, that was not his real reason for staying.
The truth was that he could not be certain his actions had truly changed the course of history.
He did not possess the power of foresight. Everything was only deduction.
It was just like when he had anticipated how to save Tom. He could not have predicted that the enemy would retaliate so ruthlessly by posing as pirates.
If not for his strength being sufficient, and if he had not exposed them in time before the situation worsened, things might really have spiraled out of control.
So even if Zephyr had not made the request, Axel would have found another reason to stay.
He needed to see whether the future would move in the direction he expected.
And if any unforeseen changes occurred, he could react in time and take countermeasures.
This was not only to help a friend.
It was also an experiment.
Axel wanted to see what would happen when the trajectory of history was altered.
The next day, on the training grounds, Zephyr gathered the recruits for training as usual.
The difference was that the recruits were now divided into two groups.
The larger group remained under Zephyr's guidance, while a smaller group of about a dozen people was handed over to Axel.
This came from what Zephyr had said the day before about letting Axel stay to help train the recruits.
Since Zephyr had already said it, he could not easily take it back.
So he simply picked out a few recruits with average potential and handed them to Axel.
These people would not make much progress under him anyway. He might as well let the brat train them and see if anything interesting came out of it.
"That's the situation," Axel said lazily. "Starting today, you're with me."
Although he was only a child, not one person dared talk back.
Some recruits even swallowed nervously.
The reason was the explosion that had occurred on the training grounds during assembly.
At the center of that explosion, a child had clashed with their revered teacher, Zephyr.
A powerful shockwave had expanded outward with enough force to knock everyone off their feet. The ground, packed solid by the footsteps of countless Marines, had cracked apart, leaving behind a huge circular crater.
Just looking at it from a distance was enough to understand how terrifying that power had been.
In this world, age had never determined authority.
And Axel's strength made it impossible for the recruits to look down on him because of his age.
Seeing the recruits' reactions, Axel naturally understood that Zephyr's sudden attack had been meant to help him establish authority.
But this old man really hits hard.
Axel gently rubbed his swollen arm.
The impact just now had not been completely ineffective against him.
He was certain Zephyr had used Armament Haki in that attack. Only that could explain why the blow had affected him.
Was it really necessary to be that serious just to help me establish authority?
Axel could not help complaining inwardly.
On the other side, Zephyr stood with his hands behind his back.
His palm was swollen and trembling slightly.
The impact had affected him too, but to maintain his image as a proper teacher in front of Axel, he pretended nothing had happened.
He did not know what that brat had done during the clash.
Under normal circumstances, that kind of attack should not have affected him.
He was known as Black Arm. His mastery of Armament Haki in his arms was legendary.
Yet that plain-looking collision had produced such a shockwave and even injured him.
What made Zephyr even more saddened was the feeling that Axel had not held back at all during the clash.
He had not acted like a student facing a teacher in the slightest.
Regardless, the desired effect had been achieved.
It was just that this brat not only progressed quickly, but also possessed all kinds of strange abilities.
If he grew up with that personality of his, even imagining it felt like a nightmare.
"A powerhouse is called a powerhouse because they put in more effort than others, accumulating strength step by step between life and death," Zephyr said in his usual old-fashioned tone. "You must never underestimate any powerful figure who has made a name among pirates, because the price of doing so may be your life."
After finishing his speech, he finally said, "Training begins."
The moment Zephyr gave the order, the Marines began their usual routine training.
Some of them added equipment to increase the difficulty, such as weights while running or sandbags tied to their wrists while swinging swords.
Zephyr nodded in satisfaction.
At least the recruits' hard work made him feel that his efforts were being rewarded.
But when he turned his gaze toward Axel's side, he found that the group had also started moving.
The direction they were moving in, however, was a little strange.
They were running toward the building.
"What kind of mischief is that brat planning now?" Zephyr muttered under his breath.
It did not take long for that question to be answered.
A scene that made Zephyr want to curse unfolded before his eyes.
That brat had gone to torment the kitchen again.
And this time, he had even instigated the recruits under him to haul out all kinds of equipment.
They were using whatever was available nearby to set up a barbecue.
"I'm not angry. I'm not angry."
Zephyr comforted himself in a low voice.
Anyway, ingredients were always delivered at fixed times. Since the brat seemed prepared, he had probably bought the food using his own salary.
In that case, Axel should be the one feeling the pain in his wallet, not him.
However, Zephyr did not know that Axel had just extorted a massive sum from Tesoro.
Otherwise, he would not have thought that way.
As for Axel, he had never had the habit of hoarding wealth.
To him, money was only a worldly possession.
As long as he had enough to spend, that was fine.
And even spending like this, one billion Berries would not disappear so quickly.
Hmm. When I run out of money, I'll find a way to scam Tesoro again.
Axel thought this to himself.
Once the ingredients were ready, the recruits under Axel glanced back in Zephyr's direction.
Seeing that Zephyr did not stop them, they followed Axel's orders and joined the barbecue line.
Soon, the training ground that should have been filled with the smell of sweat began to drift with the tempting aroma of roasted meat.
This made the Marines training hard nearby unable to focus.
Seeing their bottom-tier comrades sitting there, grilling meat and eating happily while they themselves were drenched in sweat and training nonstop beneath the scorching sun, even someone with strong mental resilience would inevitably be affected.
Zephyr also noticed this.
"Assemble!"
His shout startled the distracted Marines and pulled their attention back.
Even the Marines on Axel's side were frightened into standing up instinctively.
Axel only waved his hand calmly.
"Sit down. They do their training. We do ours."
This counts as training?
If this counts as training, then what exactly are we training?
Some recruits wanted to ask that, but when they saw the crater still remaining nearby, they immediately shut their mouths.
After gathering his group, Zephyr said, "Remember, only by enduring hardship now can you become strong in the future and protect justice. Do not let this kind of temptation shake you."
His gaze swept across the recruits.
"Now, I'll explain the Haki questions you've all wanted to know. The training of Armament Haki requires not only a strong body, but even more so, actual combat experience..."
Before Zephyr could finish more than a few sentences, a sudden wave of roasted meat fragrance drifted toward him.
Saliva filled his mouth against his will, and he accidentally bit his tongue.
He turned and saw Axel fanning the air with his small hand, sending the rising aroma of roasted meat directly toward Zephyr.
He could have used his ability to do it.
But he had deliberately chosen to do it by hand.
It was clearly intentional.
Zephyr understood that.
But he could not suppress his body's natural reaction.
In the end, he could only say, "We're changing training grounds."
.....
https://discord.gg/KvMN2CFsMR
[If you don't want to wait for the next update, read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon.]
[[email protected]/FanficLord03]