Although the three of them had not seen each other for several months, after chatting with Gion and Kake for a few words, they not only didn't feel strange at all, but instead felt the joy and freedom of reunion after a long separation.
Of course, this was limited to the three of them.
After all, Rosen had only taken one class in Zephyr's course, and before he even finished that class, Zephyr had set up another class just for him.
During this period, apart from interactions with Gion and Kake, he really hadn't said a single word to anyone else.
Whether from the perspective of class or social circle, only Gion and Kake could truly be considered his classmates, and only the two of them could be counted as part of the same circle as him.
As for the other members of Zephyr's class, he didn't even know the names of some of them.
But Rosen did not ignore the others.
When facing classmates with whom he had shared a class, he still did not forget to greet Smoker and the rest.
"Everyone."
"Long time no see."
"You're still as energetic as before!"
Rosen's eyes fell on Smoker and the others.
"I'm doing okay."
"It's just that compared to you, it's a little less exciting."
When Smoker opened his mouth, his words seemed to have a sting to them.
"Rosen, I'm sorry."
"He's just like that—bad temper, harsh words. He offends people the moment he opens his mouth."
"During class, he was often scolded by Mr. Zephyr for being too arrogant."
"Hina gets a headache too!"
Seeing this, Hina, who was standing beside him, immediately bent her elbow to bump him, then said to Rosen with an apologetic look.
"It's okay, Hina-san."
"I'm just a little curious."
"Mr. Smoker, do we have some sort of grudge?"
Rosen waved to Hina, telling her not to worry and that he wouldn't take offense at Smoker's words.
In truth, he wasn't angry at all, nor did he have any intention of making an issue of it. Instead, he looked at the future "White Hunter" with interest.
If he remembered correctly, he had only met Smoker once.
During that time, not a single word was exchanged—let alone anything that would make them enemies.
He really couldn't think of any reason why Smoker would be unhappy with him.
"There's definitely no grudge."
"It's just that he's usually too arrogant and often gets scolded by Mr. Zephyr."
"Yeah! And that might be why Mr. Zephyr often used you as a positive example when scolding him."
"Hina thinks he's jealous of you."
Before Smoker could speak, Hina had already offered her explanation.
It was clear she feared Smoker might offend Rosen if things were left unsaid.
"Where's the jealousy coming from? Don't talk nonsense."
"Rosen, I'll just say it straight."
"I'm not jealous of you, nor do I dislike you, nor do I have any grudge against you. The reason I'm standing here today—aside from being curious about you—is that a few days ago, I applied to Mr. Zephyr for early graduation."
Smoker finally couldn't hold it in and interrupted Hina:
"In the end, he turned me down."
"The reason was—'Are you worthy?'"
"Later, I asked Mr. Zephyr what it meant to be 'worthy.' He said that if I could survive one move from Rosen, then I'd be worthy."
Smoker looked at Rosen and spoke in a deep voice.
Rosen immediately understood—Zephyr had once again painted a target on his back.
It would be strange if someone like Smoker could tolerate that.
"Teacher Zephyr."
As soon as Rosen turned his head, he realized Zephyr, who had been standing next to him just moments ago, had already disappeared.
The speed was so fast it was as if he had stolen Borsalino's Glint-Glint Fruit.
"Honestly, although Mr. Zephyr's words were a bit unpleasant, I don't think he meant to insult you."
"He's well-known throughout headquarters for his harsh treatment of students. The reason he rejected your early graduation request is mainly because he felt you had greater room for improvement if you stayed at the Naval Academy."
"What he least wants is to regret it in the future—because if he agreed to your early graduation, you might miss the chance to grow further, and eventually die at the hands of pirates."
Rosen shook his head.
He finally understood.
It was true that strict teachers produce excellent students, but not everyone could accept Zephyr's strictness, teaching methods, and not-so-pleasant manner of speaking.
Just like Borsalino—he clearly acknowledged Zephyr as his teacher both in words and in his heart, but their relationship was still like that of rivals.
And someone as headstrong as Smoker? Zephyr's methods were bound to rub him the wrong way.
"I didn't feel like Mr. Zephyr was insulting me."
"I also know his rejection was for my own good."
"However, there's one thing I really want to know now—and that's whether I can survive a single move from you."
Smoker really couldn't stand it anymore.
Because of his rebellious nature, and the fact that he'd been the "top dog" of Zephyr's class for several months, he had even started feeling that military school was boring, and wanted to graduate early.
The result? An evaluation from Zephyr: Are you worthy?
How could someone as proud and arrogant as him accept that?
"Rosen."
"I watched the live video just now, and it's clear to me—you're stronger than me, by a lot."
"But I still want to prove one thing: I, Smoker, am worthy of standing against you."
Smoker spoke each word firmly.
"Teacher Zephyr really knows how to get me into trouble."
"I'm in a hurry to eat!"
Rosen felt a little helpless.
He understood exactly what Smoker meant.
In short, it was a story between the strict teacher Zephyr and the prickly Smoker.
As for himself, he was simply caught in the crossfire for being used as a "positive example."
"Don't worry, it won't take up too much of your time."
"Let's go somewhere else!"
"Be careful not to break anything—Mr. Zephyr might make me pay for it."
Smoker ignored Rosen's comment about going to eat and suggested changing locations.
Obviously, he was determined to fight.
"Smoker, I understand how you feel."
"As for what happened between you and Mr. Zephyr, I can't comment too much—but Rosen just came back from a fight."
"Are you sure you want to fight him now?"
Gion also saw Smoker's determination.
She didn't want to comment much on the matter—only pointing out that attacking Rosen now would be like taking advantage of him when he was worn out.
"So, tomorrow?"
Upon hearing this, Smoker couldn't help recalling the intensity of Rosen's battle with Redfield in the live video.
The fight was so fierce it had destroyed an entire island.
Whether in terms of stamina, Haki, or mental energy, Rosen would have inevitably spent an enormous amount of energy.
"No need—since you're here, let's do it now."
"And there's no need to trouble ourselves by changing venues. This place will do."
"As for your concern about breaking things—there's absolutely no need to worry, because that won't happen at all."
Rosen shook his head.
It was true that the battle with Redfield had consumed a great deal of energy.
But the Rokugan Rebirth wasn't just for show—one of its abilities was to steal the vitality of Nature for his own use.
On the way back, even though Rosen hadn't eaten any Sea King meat, his stamina, spirit, and Haki had fully recovered just by breathing the air.
Even the D clan—known for their strong vitality and astonishing recovery ability—couldn't compare to him.
The only ones who could match him in vitality and recovery speed were those with Zoan-type Devil Fruits—assuming they had achieved awakening.
Not to mention—
The opponent was Smoker, who was still in training at the Naval Academy.
Did he really need to be at 'full health' to fight him?
If he postponed the match to another day, it would be a double insult to both the Heaven-Defying Spirit and the Rokugan Rebirth.
...
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