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The rookie camp was built at the edge of the town behind Marine Headquarters. It was under military management, with tall walls completely separating the town from the camp. Law was only allowed in after submitting the rookie camp student ID he processed yesterday.
Passing the Monument of Glory, his vision immediately cleared. Neatly arranged classrooms, but what was most striking was the massive training ground, equipped with various training equipment, already bustling with people. Faintly, the rookies on the training ground were divided into three queues.
"You must be the new student today, Trafalgar Law!" an instructor walked forward, sizing Law up. "You don't seem to have anything special about you, yet the Fleet Admiral personally arranged for you to enter the rookie camp. Are you a genius?" The instructor couldn't help but smile. No teacher disliked a genius.
"Yes." Law nodded.
"Then come with me. You just enrolled today, so you're naturally a junior student." The instructor led Law towards a certain queue on the training ground, explaining some of the camp's regular procedures to Law: "The rookie camp is divided into three phases, each lasting three years: junior, intermediate, and senior. You can train for a maximum of nine years in the rookie camp. Any student who just enters the rookie camp can only be a junior student, but it's not necessary to study for three years in each phase. The three phases are determined by strength. If your strength can reach the intermediate student level and you complete the upgrade mission, you can advance to intermediate student tomorrow. If you want to graduate, you must first become a senior student, then complete the graduation mission. If you can't advance a level in three years, you will be expelled from the rookie camp, or transferred to a branch rookie camp, or become a reserve Marine, understood? So work hard and don't disgrace yourself."
"Is that so?" Law looked at the three major formations on the training ground. No wonder it was so strange. It seemed to be divided by age, but there were many exceptions. For example, the formation the instructor led Law into generally consisted of students between twelve and fifteen years old, but there were also young people nearly twenty. Intermediate students were generally between fifteen and eighteen, but there were also younger students. Senior students were generally over eighteen, but there were also teenagers aged fifteen or sixteen, and even young adults in their twenties. Was strength the determinant of status? Very direct. Direct was good.
Law was assigned to the junior student formation, which had about thirty to forty people. The intermediate and senior student formations also had similar numbers. The entire Marine Headquarters' rookie camp had less than a hundred people, which was indeed pitifully few. But these were the future elites of the Marines. These rookies were indeed geniuses in the eyes of ordinary people, but in the eyes of Trafalgar Law, who was a prominent figure in the original story, they were not even considered ordinary people.
"Another new student? He actually got to cut in line for the rookie camp. It seems he has something special. I wonder if he's as terrifying as that monster who came yesterday?" "He seems very young. He shouldn't be terrifyingly strong, right?" The surrounding rookies whispered, discussing him.
In the junior student formation, there was a strange situation: there was one person around whom no other students stood within three meters. This student was surprisingly the oldest in the junior student formation, a young man around nineteen. This student, who was feared and avoided by the other junior students, was now glaring at Law with a hint of resentment.
Rookie Camp. In the senior student section. "Smoker, two new recruits joined in the past two days. That Drake who came yesterday, although still a junior rookie, defeated all junior students alone on his first day. He has terrifying Devil Fruit abilities. With his abilities, he could become a senior student in one day. Perhaps he will be a strong opponent for you. Tina is very curious to see that day come."
"Him? He's indeed a strong opponent, but he hasn't mastered Haki yet. No matter how strong he is, he still can't deal with my Smoke-Smoke Fruit. He's not a threat." In the senior student area, Smoker, a central figure, said proudly, "As for the new recruit who arrived today, he's too young. I haven't seen anything astonishing about him yet. It's even less possible for him to be my opponent." This year, Smoker was nineteen.
"Indeed. We, as disciples of Instructor Zephyr, cannot be surpassed by any new recruit."
...
"All students, quiet! Chief Instructor Admiral Zephyr will speak." The noisy training ground fell silent. The rookies, including the instructors, watched the burly man walking towards them with reverence. His imposing physique supported an incredibly explosive body. Every movement radiated a domineering aura. He was Chief Instructor Admiral Zephyr! Perhaps his glory and military achievements couldn't compare to other Admirals, but in terms of training students, no one in history could compare to Admiral Zephyr.
"Very good. Good spirit. Keep it up." Zephyr scanned all the rookies from the platform. His gaze under his sunglasses couldn't capture them. "But it seems you've been a bit too idle recently. I've decided that three days from now, we'll go out for a practical exercise on Beast Island. You all know the rules, right? All of you, get your spirits up and don't disgrace yourselves."
"Practical combat?" The rookies' faces changed drastically. Zephyr came and went quickly.
"Is that little guy the new recruit who just arrived today? Trafalgar Law? That Corazon fellow actually came to beg me last night to take this kid as a disciple. But I don't take disciples based on identity. To become my disciple, let's see how he performs in practical combat three days from now. If he's too weak, I won't take him, even if Sengoku asks." Zephyr's gaze finally scanned Law in the crowd as he left the rookie camp.
"Didn't we just have practical combat a month ago? Why practical combat again? Damn it, my strength hasn't improved at all. How can I do practical combat?" "I'm finished." Ninety percent of the rookies were wailing and sighing. Only ten percent of the students had a proud smile on their faces. After all, compared to top students, mediocre students were always more numerous.
"Practical combat, huh?" Law hadn't expected to have practical combat so soon after entering the rookie camp. "Can you explain in detail?" Law asked the approximately twelve-year-old girl beside him.
"Asking me?" Only then did Law notice that this little girl with blue curly hair was so adorable. Her chubby face had a pair of bright, black, cute eyes. "Hello, I'm Aisa."