"Hurry up! Haven't you eaten yet?!"
A cold voice rang out from her delicate lips.
Saint Roselith Seraphina thought she was motivating her trainees with a stern tone, but instead, she attracted everyone's attention.
To those who were unaware of Vice Admiral Hakutaku's achievements, Seraphina's appearance alone made her look more like an extraordinarily young noblewoman than a battle-hardened Marine officer.
Her petite frame and youthful features made her stern voice sound surprisingly harmless.
"Seraphina, how about I handle this?" Zephyr watched from the sidelines, completely speechless.
He never expected that, even after all these years, Saint Roselith Seraphina's appearance and voice would remain so youthful.
The last time he had seen her, her voice had been exactly the same, which had led to more than a few amusing situations.
"All right…" Seraphina replied helplessly.
For some reason, her body had shown little change in height or appearance since she had reached her current age.
As a result, even her voice had retained its youthful quality.
"Is Vice Admiral Hakutaku always like this when she trains you?" Tashigi quietly turned toward Kuina and asked.
During the earlier assessments, she had been too focused on surviving Seraphina's Conqueror's Haki to pay much attention to her voice.
Now that the pressure had disappeared, she finally noticed how strangely cute Seraphina sounded despite her intimidating reputation.
"Isn't that normal?" Kuina replied casually.
She had spent a considerable amount of time training under Seraphina and had long since become accustomed to her voice.
"But, but…" Tashigi still couldn't understand how someone who possessed such terrifying strength could have such a youthful voice.
It felt completely unfair.
"All right, stop thinking about that," Kuina said.
"There's no doubt that my teacher is incredibly strong."
"Among the Four Emperors of the Sea, my teacher has already crossed swords with more than one of them!"
Kuina thought Tashigi was beginning to doubt Seraphina's strength, so she immediately emphasized her teacher's accomplishments.
There was absolutely no doubt about Saint Roselith Seraphina's strength.
Her appearance might be deceptive, but her reputation throughout the Marines and the Grand Line had been earned through battle.
"That's not what I meant!" Tashigi hurriedly explained.
"I believe Vice Admiral Hakutaku is strong."
"I mean… isn't she a little… too cute?"
Tashigi's cheeks reddened slightly as she spoke.
She had never doubted Seraphina's strength.
Smoker had frequently spoken about Vice Admiral Hakutaku, and Tashigi had heard enough stories to understand just how formidable this mysterious Marine officer was.
Smoker had even mentioned that during his own time in the Marine training program, Seraphina had stood at the very top of her class while he had followed behind her.
It was obvious that he sincerely respected her strength.
"…" Seraphina, naturally, heard every word of their conversation.
Her expression became slightly stiff.
"Do these people only care about appearances?"
"Don't they understand that true strength has nothing to do with height or appearance?"
For perhaps one of the few times in her life, Saint Roselith Seraphina felt genuinely embarrassed.
She had never expected that her youthful appearance and soft voice would become a topic of discussion among her trainees.
"I really should find a way to become taller."
Seraphina silently clenched her fist.
At noon, the training schedule continued without mercy.
"Kuina, this afternoon's training is the Six Powers of the Navy."
"As Vice Admiral Hakutaku's apprentice, you should already know some of them, right?"
"Could you teach me beforehand?" Tashigi asked.
"I'm worried I'll be too slow to learn them, and I don't want to embarrass myself in front of everyone."
Tashigi was proud by nature.
She was particularly afraid that her lack of talent would cause her to fall behind the other trainees.
If she could learn the basics beforehand, she would at least have a better chance of keeping up once the formal training began.
"Um… I'm actually not very good at the Six Powers either," Kuina admitted somewhat awkwardly.
"I only joined the special training camp because I wanted to properly learn the Six Powers."
She genuinely couldn't help Tashigi much.
If she had already mastered the techniques, she wouldn't have needed to come to Marineford's special training camp in the first place.
Wouldn't it have been better if she could simply receive individual instruction from Seraphina?
"Shave is one of the most practical techniques among the Six Powers."
"The basic principle is to kick against the ground repeatedly at tremendous speed, generating explosive movement and allowing the user to disappear from an opponent's field of vision."
"With sufficient physical conditioning and technique, the user can perform the movement almost instantaneously."
Zephyr explained the fundamentals to the trainees gathered before him.
As one of the Marines' foremost physical combat specialists, Zephyr had mastered all six techniques of the Rokushiki, commonly known as the Six Powers.
His mastery had reached an extraordinary level.
He wasn't merely teaching the trainees how to imitate the movements.
He was teaching them how to develop the physical foundation necessary to use the techniques effectively in actual combat.
"Therefore, beginning today, I want every one of you to practice your footwork ten thousand times every day."
"This will become part of your daily training routine."
The trainees immediately became restless.
Ten thousand repetitions sounded absurd.
Yet none of them dared complain.
Not every Marine could master all six techniques of the Six Powers.
For ordinary officers, mastering even one technique could already represent a significant achievement.
Within the Marine Headquarters, mastery of at least one of the Six Powers was considered an important benchmark for officers seeking to advance into the upper ranks.
For the elite trainees of this special training camp, however, Zephyr expected much more.
"Ten thousand stomps…"
Tashigi stared at the training ground.
The number alone made her legs feel weak.
Ten thousand repetitions were clearly beyond what her body could comfortably handle.
Nevertheless, she didn't complain.
Instead, she gritted her teeth and began following Zephyr's instructions.
Only by repeatedly pushing beyond one's limits could the body and will become stronger.
That was the principle behind the Marine special training camp.
"By the way, those of you who have already developed a foundation in the Six Powers can come with me afterward," Zephyr added.
His words were directed primarily toward Riva and Turi.
The two had demonstrated physical abilities far beyond most of the other trainees during the previous assessments.
Both had already touched the threshold required to begin serious Rokushiki training.
Although it was unclear where they had acquired their previous knowledge, their foundations were considerably better than those of ordinary Marines.
"Yes, sir!"
Riva and Turi immediately stepped forward.
They followed Saint Roselith Seraphina away from the main training ground.
"Instructor Hakutaku!"
Riva wasn't entirely certain which form of address was appropriate, so he chose the safest one.
Seraphina glanced at him.
"Riva, it's been a while."
"Mr. Turi, you too."
"Your physical strength has already reached the level expected of an advanced trainee."
"Especially you, Turi."
"Your physical ability is considerably higher than that of the other trainees."
"Zephyr-sensei told me that his instruction will mainly serve as a foundation for you."
"Therefore, I'll be responsible for refining your combat abilities from this point onward."
Seraphina and Zephyr had already discussed their training arrangements.
They both understood that Riva and Turi were too far ahead of the ordinary trainees to benefit from exactly the same exercises.
If they were subjected only to the standard training regimen, much of their potential would be wasted.
Saint Roselith Seraphina couldn't match Zephyr's monstrous physical strength in pure hand-to-hand combat, but her combat technique and precision were exceptional.
More importantly, she understood how to refine techniques through actual combat experience.
She couldn't simply teach someone the Six Powers by handing them a shortcut.
Rokushiki required physical conditioning, precise control, discipline, and talent.
However, a talented Marine could shorten the learning process considerably by avoiding inefficient movements and developing the correct foundation from the beginning.
"Understood."
Riva and Turi exchanged glances.
There was an unmistakable competitive atmosphere between them.
They had never truly fought one another, but after placing first and second during the previous assessments, neither wanted to acknowledge the other as superior.
Riva's eyes burned with fighting spirit.
"Good."
Saint Roselith Seraphina nodded.
Then, without warning, she moved.
She didn't draw either of the swords hanging at her waist.
Instead, her white-gloved fist suddenly appeared directly in front of Turi.
The small fist looked almost harmless.
Yet the instant it approached, Turi's expression changed.
The pressure carried by that seemingly simple punch was anything but ordinary.
✦ [SYSTEM] ✦
[Training Objective Updated]
[Target: Riva and Turi]
[Objective: Withstand Saint Roselith Seraphina's basic physical combat test.]
[Failure Condition: Unable to respond to the instructor's opening attack.]
[Reward: Advanced Rokushiki Training]
Turi's pupils contracted.
Riva's expression became serious.
Neither of them had expected Saint Roselith Seraphina to begin their special training by attacking without warning.
"Come."
Seraphina's calm voice carried across the training ground.
"Show me what you really have."
Her fist stopped just short of Turi's face.
The wind generated by the strike swept past him, causing his hair and clothes to flutter violently.
Turi swallowed.
Riva clenched his fists.
For the first time since entering the special training camp, the two of them understood the enormous difference between possessing strength and knowing how to use it.
Their training had truly begun.
WE ARE CURRENTLY ON CHAPTER 237 ON PATREON.
JOIN MY PATREON TO READ ADVANCED CHAPTERS BEFORE PUBLIC RELEASE OR PURCHASE THE BOOK FOR LIFETIME ACCESS!
Patreon.com/HACKDWORLD