When Zephyr returned to his residence, Yoriichi was still sitting on the corridor, looking up at the star-studded night sky.
As Zephyr approached, Yoriichi stood up and smiled at him, "Zephyr-sensei, you're back."
"Oh!"
"Yoriichi, you haven't rested yet?"
Starlight surrounded the moonlight, illuminating half of Yoriichi's face. Zephyr looked at the youthful face, calmed himself, and asked.
"Actually, I don't go to bed this early."
Zephyr nodded, hesitated for a moment, and then said,
"Yoriichi, you're already my student."
"However, I am, after all, the head instructor of the Marine Academy, so I don't have much time. Due to the system, you can't always be with me."
"Yoriichi, can you read?"
Zephyr seemed to suddenly remember something and asked.
"I guess so," Yoriichi replied uncertainly, as he had never seen the written language of the One Piece world.
"I'll give you some books on navigation later. You can read them on your own. If you have any questions, ask me when I get back."
"When I return, I'll also take some time to teach you related knowledge."
"To become a Marine, the first thing you need to learn is to read nautical charts, master navigation, and understand the world."
"As for combat training, I already have some ideas, and I'll gradually work on them."
"Right now, the most important thing is to master the knowledge!"
"Get some rest early today. Tomorrow, I'll try to find a teacher to help you."
With that, Zephyr patted Yoriichi's shoulder, his earnest expression conveying his deep care.
"Okay, Zephyr-sensei."
Zephyr turned and left. Yoriichi watched Zephyr's departing figure, spechless for a long time.
Black Arm Zephyr, who doesn't kill Admirals.
This man truly possesses a unique charm, making people unconsciously trust and rely on him.
Zephyr, turning away, looked grave. He felt that Yoriichi's talent would be wasted by him, by the Marines.
"I have to think of another way."
At dawn, a thin mist shrouded Marineford.
Yoriichi, half-asleep, suddenly sensed movement outside and abruptly opened his eyes. He got up, grabbed the long sword beside his bed, pushed open the door, and stepped out of the bedroom.
However, he was immediately startled by the sight before him.
While it was still barely light, many craftsmen had arrived at Zephyr's house, and piles of timber were still stacked in the courtyard in front of his bedroom. Zephyr stood in the corridor with his arms crossed, looking like a supervisor.
"What are you doing, Zephyr-sensei?"
Hearing the voice behind him, Zephyr turned around and saw a sleepy-eyed Yoriichi Tsugikuni. He smiled and said,
"Oh! You're awake!"
"I'm planning to build a small dojo at home and renovate that empty room."
"You can do your regular training in the dojo when you're not studying."
"By the way, I brought you some books. You can take them to your room later."
As he spoke, Zephyr pointed to a stack of books piled up at his feet and laughed.
"So many?!"
Yoriichi turned his head and saw that the stack of books at Zephyr's feet was at least a meter high. How long would it take him to finish reading so many books?! It wasn't that Yoriichi was afraid of studying, but he had never known that becoming a Marine required learning so much!
If one had to learn so much to become a Marine, then Yoriichi dared to say that there probably wouldn't be many Marines left in the entire pirate world.
"Teacher, are you sure you got nothing wrong? Are you sure I need to learn so much
Yoriichi walked to the pile of books, picked up a book titled "World History," flipped through it, and after a few pages, switched to "The Contributions of the Celestial Dragons," briefly flipping through a few pages before putting it back.
Bending down, Yoriichi glanced at the titles and his eyelids twitched.
These books were very different from what Yoriichi understood as "knowledge." He thought he would be learning about navigation and military affairs, but this stack was full of various "historical" and "contribution" books.
Just looking at the titles, Yoriichi wasn't very interested.
"Oh, this is just the first batch. We'll proceed step by step. Let's start with these."
"If you don't recognize any words, or if you have any thoughts, you can tell me!" Zephyr's tone was clearly displeased as he spoke.
These books weren't chosen by him for Yoriichi; they were selected by Kong. Zephyr knew perfectly well what the Fleet Admiral's intentions were. Zephyr
's original plan was for Yoriichi to first learn navigation, recognize nautical charts, and gain a general understanding of the world.
But Kong had disrupted his plans, so what could he do? He could only bring the books back.
However, Zephyr had already decided that if Yoriichi was interested, he could read them; if not, they could be used as reading materials.
"Alright, I'll read them,"
Yoriichi said, sensing the displeasure in Zephyr's tone. He knew this displeasure wasn't directed at him; after seeing the books, Yoriichi quickly understood.
"It seems the Navy doesn't fully trust someone of unknown origin like me yet!"
Yoriichi sighed inwardly, but this distrust from the Marines's higher-ups didn't affect his mood.
He wasn't a child; Yoriichi knew very well that trust takes time to build.
After instructing the craftsmen on some matters and giving Yoriichi some money, Zephyr went straight to "work." There was no way around it; after all, the Navy's chief instructor was quite busy with daily affairs.
Yoriichi didn't interfere while the craftsmen were building the dojo. This was Zephyr's home, not his; Yoriichi knew his place.
Carrying books, Yoriichi returned to his room.
"Looks like I won't be able to access Haki anytime soon."
"Before I can access Haki, I'll focus on strengthening my physique."
After moving the books, Yoriichi looked at the table of contents, gritted his teeth, and pulled out a book, *World History*, to begin reading.
Before starting, Yoriichi was full of resistance, but once he got into the content, he no longer resisted. Although written from the perspective of the world's "justice," the content still helped Yoriichi understand the world.
At the same time, as he read deeper, Yoriichi gained a new understanding of the world's chaotic political situation.
"Clang, clang, clang."
The sound of hammering wood echoed in the courtyard; the craftsmen had moved the materials and were beginning their work. Yoriichi , who had been in his room for a while, heard the noise outside. He took his book and went to the corridor, leaning against a pillar and sitting on the floor. By the morning light, he began to read his "history."
The craftsmen, between tasks, would occasionally glance at Yoriichi sitting to one side, filled with curiosity about this quiet boy.
This was the first time they had seen a child from the Zephyr family, but they had heard of the Zephyr family's tragic deaths, which only fueled their curiosity about Yoriichi.
"Is the master home?"
"Who is Yoriichi?!"
Just as Yoriichi was engrossed in his "history reading," a shout came from the doorway.
Turning around, he saw a blond boy walk into the courtyard, glance at the craftsmen working, and then his gaze fell directly on Yoriichi in the corridor.
"Long red hair, flame-shaped birthmark."
"That's him!"
Rosinante thought to himself, walking straight up to Yoriichi and greeting him,
"Hello! Yoriichi Tsugikuni!"
Then, Rosinante leaned close to Yoriichi's ear and introduced himself in a low voice,
"My name is Rosinante. Admiral Zephyr asked me to come."
After speaking, Rosinante straightened up and extended his hand to Yoriichi, saying,
"Nice to meet you!"
"I am Admiral Zephyr's 'teacher' assigned to you!"
"Nice to meet you!"
Rosinante had beautiful blond hair, and while his features weren't exactly refined, he was still quite handsome.
Tall and slender, he wore a standard marine uniform, but he looked energetic and upright, with a sincere and bright smile that easily made him approachable.
Yoriichi stared at the nearly two-meter-tall boy before him, slightly taken aback.
A moment later, Yoriichi smiled and shook Rosinante's hand, saying,
"Hello, it's a pleasure to meet you."
"Nice to meet you."