Chapter 46: The Beginning of Training
"You've rested enough, haven't you, brat?"
Zephyr leaned against the doorway as if he had merely dropped by to chat, but the look in his eyes made Axel instinctively wary.
Still sitting on the hospital bed, Axel did not back down. "Yeah. Thanks to you."
The meaning was obvious enough. If Zephyr had not nearly punched him into the afterlife, he would not have been stuck here recovering in the first place.
Zephyr understood perfectly. His expression did not change in the slightest.
"Looks like you want to rest a little longer."
Axel immediately swallowed the rest of his sarcasm.
"…On second thought, never mind."
He had absolutely no doubt that if he kept talking, Zephyr's fist would do all the answering for him.
"What an unlovable brat," Zephyr said. "Ordinary people don't even get the chance to experience a blow from Black Arm Zephyr."
"Only lunatics would want that kind of chance." Axel clicked his tongue. "You didn't come here just to trade insults, did you? If you have something to say, say it."
He was not stupid. Zephyr was not the type to visit a kid in the infirmary out of simple concern. If the man had come personally, there was definitely a reason.
Zephyr did not bother circling around the point.
"I heard Garp running his mouth again. Said only he could train you into the strongest Marine. That no one else was qualified."
Axel stared at him for a second.
Then he gave a small, knowing sigh.
"So that's what this is about."
Zephyr snorted. "I suddenly feel like slapping that old bastard in the face."
Before Axel could even respond, Zephyr stepped forward, grabbed him by the arm, and yanked him off the bed.
"Your injuries are basically healed. That means your rest is over. From today on, you join training."
Axel nearly stumbled. "Wait."
"Not only that," Zephyr went on as if he had not heard him at all. "I'll be giving you extra lessons myself. Personal training. Harder than everyone else's. Much harder."
His gaze sharpened.
"And don't even think about relying on your ability to cut corners. I'll be watching you myself."
Axel turned his head immediately.
"Doctor Jerome!"
The middle aged doctor standing outside the ward smiled like a man watching someone else's funeral from a safe distance.
"Good luck with training, Axel."
Axel's face darkened.
Traitor.
Zephyr dragged him straight out without giving him any more chances to resist.
"Stop wasting time. I already spoke to Jerome. He agreed. You're fit enough to return."
"…That old man sold me out way too easily."
No one cared.
By the time they reached Zephyr's recruit camp, Axel had already resigned himself to his fate.
The place was far more professional than the regular academy facilities.
The training grounds were broad and well maintained. Specialized equipment stood in neat rows. There were dedicated medical staff nearby, and even a nutrition team assigned to the recruits. The Marine Headquarters clearly spared no expense on Zephyr's camp. It was easy to understand why. This was the place that had produced monsters.
At that moment, the recruits were in the middle of training.
Axel spotted Ain and Binz almost immediately.
They noticed him too. Their eyes shifted for a moment, surprise flashing across their faces, but under the strict atmosphere of the camp, neither of them dared call out.
Axel gave the slightest signal with his eyes before looking away.
Then he walked straight into Zephyr's back because the man had suddenly stopped without warning.
Fortunately, Axel's reflexes kicked in in time, and he caught himself before he hit him.
"Can you stop doing that?" Axel muttered. "What's with suddenly freezing in place?"
Zephyr ignored the complaint entirely.
Instead, he looked out over the training ground and shouted in a voice that cut across the entire camp.
"Assemble!"
The response was immediate.
Every recruit shot into motion like they had been struck by lightning. Training stopped at once. No one dared hesitate. In just a short span, they had rushed into formation.
Only a few were late.
Zephyr's eyes swept across the line.
"The last three here will do double training today."
The three unlucky recruits looked like the sky had just collapsed over their heads. The others quietly thanked fate for sparing them.
Clearly, this was routine.
Axel watched the entire scene with narrowed eyes.
Strict discipline. Swift response. Fear mixed with respect.
This place was nothing like the academy.
Zephyr let the silence settle for a heartbeat before speaking again.
"I called you here to announce something."
His tone was not loud, but every word carried weight.
"From today onward, this brat will receive personal training from me."
He lifted a hand and pointed directly at Axel.
In an instant, every gaze in the camp converged on him.
Axel felt it at once.
Curiosity. Envy. Rivalry.
A few even looked openly hungry.
It was the kind of look predators gave when they noticed fresh meat had just been thrown into their territory.
A bad feeling rose in Axel's chest.
Sure enough, Zephyr continued.
"But that personal training is not fixed."
A faint grin tugged at the corner of his mouth, one that made Axel want to turn around and leave.
"Starting tomorrow, any of you may challenge him. Whoever defeats him takes his place and earns the right to be trained personally by me. Physical condition will also be taken into account."
The moment those words fell, the atmosphere changed.
The recruits' eyes sharpened.
If the earlier stares had merely been curious, now they were openly aggressive.
Axel sighed inwardly.
So that was the plan.
Zephyr was throwing him into the center of the pack.
Before, Axel might have found that annoying. Now, though, he did not feel much pressure.
His calculation ability had risen sharply during his recovery. Even without properly measuring himself, he could feel the difference. His overall strength had climbed to an entirely new level. Against ordinary recruits, even talented ones, he had confidence.
At worst, it would just be troublesome.
What he did not know was that Zephyr's judgment of him was still based on their last exchange. In Zephyr's eyes, Axel was strong, but his fighting style still lacked the instinct born from repeated battle. Zephyr clearly intended to temper that flaw through constant challenges.
Unfortunately for him, Axel had improved faster than expected.
Zephyr turned and started walking.
"You. Come with me."
Axel followed without complaint this time.
He was curious too.
If this was supposed to be his personal training ground, what exactly did Zephyr have prepared for him?
They crossed part of the camp and entered a building beside the main training field.
Inside was a long corridor.
The first room stood open, revealing a medical bay staffed by white coated personnel and stocked with medicine and equipment. Everything was orderly, efficient, and spotless.
So the infirmary was built right next to the training area.
That alone told Axel how intense the training here must be.
At the end of the corridor, Zephyr stopped before an ordinary looking door and pushed it open.
Then he walked inside.
From the outside, it looked completely unremarkable. No sign. No decoration. Nothing special at all.
But Zephyr had brought him here personally.
That meant this room definitely was not ordinary.
Axel stepped through the doorway after him, anticipation rising in spite of himself.
Whatever waited inside, this was where his real training was about to begin.
.....
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