As soon as Michael heard Zephyr's name, he knew the matter was basically settled.
If Sengoku had said the instructor would be one of the three Admirals, Michael would definitely have objected.
But Zephyr…
He was, without question, the most perfect physical combatant in the traditional sense.
First of all, his strength came entirely from his physical abilities, combat skills, and powerful Haki.
There was no enhancement from any Devil Fruit, nor did he possess Conqueror's Haki.
In other words, theoretically, all of Zephyr's strength could be replicated.
That was why, as the instructor for the Youth Class, he was undoubtedly the best choice.
It was just that…
"Does Zephyr even have time to handle this? He's the Instructor for all Marine recruits."
After all, he himself had once been a rookie under Zephyr's command.
Thinking back, when he was just an average recruit with no particular talent to show off, Zephyr had constantly pushed him to work harder…
Shaking his head, Michael looked toward Sengoku.
"This is easy to arrange," Sengoku nodded. "Frankly, having Zephyr train recruits is already a waste of his abilities. From now on, this will be handled in turns by elite Vice Admirals… and this time, I've decided to let Garp take over."
Garp?
Michael's mouth twitched, but he understood — this was the best solution.
After all, the current batch of recruits had already joined the camp and trained under Zephyr for some time… If they suddenly replaced him with just any elite Vice Admiral midway, the recruits would feel a sense of loss, even dissatisfaction.
But if it was Garp taking over, then there wouldn't be any complaints.
Garp might be wild, but his teaching level was undeniably high. He was, after all, someone capable of personally improving Rokushiki.
And most importantly, the title "Hero of the Marines" carried enough weight to keep everything under control.
Once this batch of recruits graduated, from the next generation onward, it would switch to the Vice Admiral rotation Sengoku had mentioned.
However… this batch of recruits was in for some pain.
Garp's training was not something ordinary people could endure.
"I think that's fine. Garp's been so idle lately he barely even visits G-3 Branch anymore. It's about time to give him something to do."
"Good. Since you think this will work, then go make the preparations," Sengoku nodded and turned to leave.
"Huh? Prepare? What am I supposed to prepare?"
"Prepare to manage those brats," Sengoku said with a satisfied grin. "Zephyr will be in charge of training, of course, but we can't dump everything else on him. Someone with a position equal to his has to handle the administrative matters… and after some thought, you're the most suitable."
"...So I'm supposed to be their babysitter now?"
"Aren't you the best at this kind of thing?"
"...Old man! Just wait! The day you're lying in bed unable to move, I'll pull out your oxygen tube myself!"
"Ahahahaha! That's still a long way off!"
...
Although Michael and Sengoku ended their talk by threatening to pull each other's oxygen tubes, Sengoku's proposal for the Youth Class officially entered the agenda.
After all the Shichibukai and the World Government member nations left Mary Geoise, the Marines collectively set sail back toward Marineford.
The very first thing they did after returning to Marineford was to have Garp take over Zephyr's current duties.
It was said that because of this, Zephyr had stormed into Sengoku's office — a rare sight — and had a huge argument with Sengoku, Garp, and Tsuru.
But after Sengoku and Tsuru laid out the pros and cons, they eventually persuaded Zephyr to become the new instructor for the Youth Class.
Michael hadn't been present for that. When he found out, he was in the middle of organizing the Youth Class roster…
And honestly, he was quite relieved about Zephyr being chosen.
Because, by his calculations, this was about the time when Zephyr's recruits would be wiped out and his arm cut off.
Although he didn't know who the culprit was yet, based on the clues, it was most likely that so-called "Whitebeard Jr."
But now, with Garp taking Zephyr's place…
He hoped Whitebeard Jr. wouldn't doubt reality after getting beaten down.
"Michael, this time for the Youth Class… besides your nephews, Garp's three little kids have joined too," Stella said with a smile as she looked at the roster.
"It's really something. Each of those kids is scarier than the last when it comes to talent… The Monkey family's genes sure are something special."
"Stella, remember this — anyone with the name 'Monkey' has talent directly proportional to their ability to cause trouble," Michael chuckled and continued down the list.
"This time, they've recruited talented kids from all over the world. That old man Sengoku must've been disgusted to death by the World Recruitment, so he decided to add this program. As expected, Law and his little sister Lami are among them. Those two really are set on joining the Marines."
The list was long, but among the sea of unfamiliar names, Michael kept spotting some familiar ones.
For example, the sisters Nojiko and Nami from Alabasta.
"Bell-mère actually agreed to let Nojiko and Nami go to Marine Headquarters?" Michael said with some surprise.
"I once suggested to Bell-mère that I could train them early to make it easier for them to join SWORD — the Secret Special Force — later on. That day, Bell-mère threw the biggest fit I'd ever seen."
"She's probably still unwilling… but she can't do anything about those two daughters of hers," Stella laughed. "It's a happy sort of trouble, really."
"I just hope that Nami, that little chaos gremlin who fears nothing, doesn't cause too much trouble at HQ…"
Michael knew Nojiko and Nami very well.
A reliable older sister and a completely outrageous younger one — the classic combo.
Then, as he continued scanning the list, he saw more familiar names.
Like the siblings Ulti and Page One, who had been brought out by Yamato.
Tony Tony Chopper from Drum Island.
Monet and Sugar, the sisters from the Four Seas, as well as the sword-wielding girl Tashigi.
And then, a name that surprised Michael…
Marianne.
A.K.A. MISS Goldenweek.
One of the rare exceptions in the entire world of pirates.
She hadn't eaten a Devil Fruit, yet she possessed a power comparable to one.
And her ability even had the feeling of a "conceptual" power — it could influence something as intangible as emotions…
Her ultimate move allowed anything that saw it to transform into its ideal self.
This…
In a sense, was practically reality manipulation on a small scale.
"This time… we've really struck gold!"
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