Though unaccustomed to enthusiastic applause, Finn didn't feel shy about it. He walked into the classroom confidently.
Inside, a group of people sat in standard Marine uniforms with Justice coats draped over their shoulders. Their ages varied, but most looked young like him. The oldest appeared to be perhaps in their mid-twenties.
As for numbers, there weren't many. Only about twenty people total.
But these twenty-odd individuals could be considered among the most talented and gifted of the Marines' current young generation.
At a glance, Finn recognized several figures.
Future elite Vice Admirals of Marine Headquarters: Momonga, Onigumo, and Doberman.
Judging from their shoulder insignia, they currently held only Commander rank at Headquarters, just slightly higher than Finn's Lieutenant Commander position.
Besides these three, two others surprised Finn considerably.
The future Admiral candidates...
Momousagi Gion and Tokikake.
As for the others, perhaps they'd changed too much by the time of Finn's previous life's knowledge, or perhaps their future achievements wouldn't reach these individuals' heights. Either way, Finn didn't recognize anyone else.
"Seems the Officer Training Camp has quite the talented roster," Finn thought to himself.
Following Instructor Zephyr's gesture, Finn walked to the front of the classroom, stood at attention, and saluted his soon-to-be classmates.
"Please introduce yourself," Instructor Zephyr said gently.
"Yes, sir!" Finn responded crisply.
Then he addressed everyone directly. "Rodriguez Finn. Formerly Captain of Marine Headquarters 113th Branch stationed in the North Blue. Currently Lieutenant Commander of Marine Headquarters. I hope you'll all look after me from now on!"
As soon as he finished, the elite Marine officers below applauded warmly together.
Overall, their bearing was excellent. Sitting here, they showed none of Kuzan's lazy demeanor. They all held their heads high, sat with straight backs, and looked like future pillars of the organization.
"You can familiarize yourself with everyone after class. Finn, sit there," Instructor Zephyr said, pointing to an empty seat.
It was right next to Momonga.
Finn didn't hesitate. After acknowledging the order, he quickly walked over and took the seat beside Momonga.
Momonga seemed quite friendly. He smiled and nodded at Finn, saying softly, "Looking forward to learning together, Lieutenant Commander Finn."
"Same here," Finn responded with an easy smile.
This wasn't a real school class, so Instructor Zephyr didn't waste time on formalities and quickly got to the point.
"Though we have a new member, fortunately the sixth class only started recently. Finn, if you have questions later, you can ask me after class. I'll continue the lecture according to the previous curriculum," Zephyr said calmly.
Finn nodded without objection.
He also understood that though he'd arrived slightly late due to hospitalization, the Sixth Officer Training Camp had apparently only begun a short time ago. He hadn't missed much.
"Well then, let's get into today's topic. In the last class, we discussed how strength can be roughly divided into several categories. Today we'll cover a set of physical techniques unique to our Marines, collectively called the 'Six Powers.' The so-called Six Powers aren't some mystical or special abilities as you might have thought. In fact, our Marines' masters worked together to research this systematic set of physical techniques. It wasn't developed for the purpose of simply increasing strength. Rather, this power exists to lay a solid foundation..." Instructor Zephyr began his lecture seriously.
Perhaps he genuinely possessed talent for teaching. Either way, though Finn had missed some previous lessons, he quickly became immersed in Instructor Zephyr's explanation.
He rapidly gained understanding of the Six Powers.
Simply put, the original intention behind developing the Six Powers wasn't to create some new overwhelming force.
On the contrary, these were techniques for consolidating fundamentals. Each of the six forms developed a different aspect of human physical capacity.
Soru, Geppo, Shigan, Rankyaku, Kami-e, Tekkai!
Each time you learned and mastered one technique, you'd reach superhuman levels in some aspect, meaning you'd broken through inherent physical limits.
If someone could master all six forms, they'd essentially broken through the inherent limitations of physical fitness in most areas.
Simultaneously, the body's potential would be developed at a deeper level.
"Therefore, compared to powers like Haki, our Marines' Six Powers aren't a higher level of strength. If you must categorize them, they're actually lower tier," Instructor Zephyr concluded.
After a brief pause, he continued, "But don't underestimate these Six Powers. As I said before, everyone sitting here has the potential and possibility to become strong. There are several paths to opening the door to strength.
The first is Devil Fruit power, which I mentioned earlier. Even an ordinary person, after consuming a powerful Devil Fruit, will gain tremendous power in very short time. However, as you all know, to gain power, you naturally must pay a price.
Devil Fruits grant power without hard work or sacrifice, but the disadvantage is becoming unable to swim, hated by the sea itself... Therefore, whether to become an ability user requires careful future consideration.
I'm not here to make that decision for you. The Six Powers I'm discussing now are keys to opening the door on the road to becoming strong. When you've thoroughly mastered this power, you'll be qualified to pursue higher levels of strength."
"Instructor Zephyr!" A student suddenly raised her hand.
Finn turned and saw the most beautiful woman in the entire sixth class: Momousagi Gion.
"Gion? Do you have a question?" Instructor Zephyr looked at her and gestured for her to speak.
"Yes, Instructor Zephyr. May I ask, how beneficial is mastering the Six Powers for someone pursuing the path of swordsmanship?" Gion asked without hesitation.
The Officer Training Camp didn't require students to learn in any specific manner or improve their strength through prescribed methods.
In fact, this was a cradle for developing 'possibilities.'
Many types of powerful individuals emerged from here, including top Devil Fruit users like Borsalino, Sakazuki, and Kuzan.
There were also swordsmen like Gion, and masters of pure physical techniques. This was normal.
Therefore, Instructor Zephyr wasn't surprised by Gion's question.
He smiled and nodded. "Of course it's beneficial. Developing the Six Powers means developing your own strength and potential. It means breaking through your personal limits. That's why I call this power fundamental. Mastering the Six Powers will benefit any path you choose in the future, whether kendo, taijutsu, Devil Fruit abilities, or anything else."
"Does the same apply to Haki?" Finn suddenly asked.
Instructor Zephyr's eyes flashed with approval. "That's an excellent question. In my experience, the Six Powers provide an outstanding foundation for mastering Haki in the future."
Currently, two masters in the Marines stood at the absolute peak regarding Haki mastery.
One was Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp, known as the "Hero of the Marines."
The other was none other than Zephyr himself, the "Black Arm" Admiral.
However, Garp's ability in education was frankly terrible. He'd trained the leader of the Revolutionary Army and also raised a great pirate. He was a complete embarrassment to the Marines in that regard.
In comparison, Instructor Zephyr was highly authoritative as an instructor.
So when Instructor Zephyr made this statement, many Marine cadets sat up straighter with interest.
As the new generation's elite Headquarters officers, each possessed vision and understanding. They all knew very clearly what path they'd take in the future, whether kendo, Devil Fruit abilities, or something else.
But Haki was the most important power, regardless of specialization.
Since Instructor Zephyr believed the Six Powers would have extraordinary enhancing effects on mastering Haki in the future, they all resolved to study and master this fundamental power system.
Afterward, several students asked questions, and Instructor Zephyr answered them patiently. Generally speaking, the atmosphere in this Officer Training Camp was quite harmonious and productive.
After addressing various questions and clearing confusion, Instructor Zephyr continued, "Since there are no more issues at this stage, let's discuss in detail the training methods for the Six Powers..."
Subsequently, Instructor Zephyr began explaining the training methodology for each of the six branches: Soru, Kami-e, Geppo, Rankyaku, Shigan, and Tekkai.
He was genuinely patient and possessed remarkable talent as a teacher.
Perhaps stepping down from the position of active-duty Admiral had been the right choice for him.
The future Marines would become stronger under his cultivation.
There were no strict "time" requirements for classes here.
Instructor Zephyr would speak as long as necessary. Sometimes with lots of content, he'd spend more time. Sometimes with less content, shorter sessions.
"Alright, that's all for today's class. From now on, you can practice and experience the techniques on your own. The next class will be in one month. If you receive mission assignments, complete them promptly. You're not just students, you're also Marines," Zephyr smiled and clapped his hands to dismiss class.
This surprised Finn somewhat. It seemed the current Officer Training Camp wasn't quite a traditional military academy.
In fact, this was accurate. The early Officer Training Camp was relatively rough in structure.
Later, after Zephyr truly separated from his identity as a front-line Admiral, he'd gradually refined this institution.
By the middle and late stages of the Great Pirate Era, the Officer Training Camp would completely transform into a proper military academy, with students trained from the ground up.
For example, the class containing the beautiful young woman Ain with the Return-Return Fruit ability would be completely different from the current format of selecting elite officers for advanced teaching.
In that era, they'd even need Zephyr to personally lead them on practical training missions.
But which of the students sitting here now lacked actual combat experience?
Finn had even fought Golden Lion Shiki directly...
However, this was an inevitable result of the times and organizational development. Since elite officers were being selected from existing ranks, there was naturally no need to force continuous classes.
In this case, Zephyr naturally had more time and energy to expand the academy's reach, selecting outstanding non-officer-level talents for training. After they matured, they'd directly provide fresh blood to the Marines.
After dismissing class, Instructor Zephyr addressed Finn specifically. "Finn, get acquainted with your colleagues first. Come to my office later and I'll arrange dormitory accommodations for you. If you have questions, think them over carefully and ask me then."
"Yes, Admiral Zephyr!" Finn responded quickly.
Zephyr smiled warmly. "Here, just call me sensei."
Hearing this, Finn also smiled. "I understand, sensei."
The simple exchange carried weight. Being told to call Zephyr "sensei" rather than "Admiral" meant acceptance into his inner circle of students.
Not just a random Marine attending classes, but one of Zephyr's personal disciples.
Finn felt the significance settle in his chest as Instructor Zephyr left the classroom.
Around him, the other students began standing and stretching, conversations breaking out in small clusters.
Momonga turned to him with a friendly expression. "So, Finn, you fought Golden Lion Shiki?"
Word traveled fast, apparently.