Chapter 609: A Young Man with a Lost Direction! (3 in 1)

A faint scent of essence permeates the entire Flavor Island. Although this island has been transformed by the new navy into a complex arena specifically for training and assessment of military personnel, the original industries of Flavor Island have merely been relocated instead of being completely stopped.

The aroma of essences on Flavor Island even overwhelms the smell of gunpowder, making this island show a unique style.

"Mr. Zefa, our new navy plans to recruit 3,000 core members this time."

"But considering our current total military strength, isn't it too big a step to recruit so many backbones at once?"

"It's not easy to train so many new recruits at once."

"If we cannot train all these people into qualified marines and fill them into various units, not only will it not increase the combat effectiveness of the units, but it will also affect the cohesion of the units."

"You really don't want to think about it anymore?"

On Fengwei Island, Zefa Zhenghe, Yixiao and other senior naval officials inspected the preparations for recruiting new members. The assessment is divided into three stages. In addition to the most basic political review, the second stage is the assessment of combat capabilities. After successfully passing the first two items, the students who participated in the assessment will participate in the final interview.

The interviews are conducted by the new navy's middle and senior officers such as major generals and lieutenant generals, and the workload is not small.

Under Zefa's governance, the new navy did not expand blindly. On the one hand, it was limited by funds, and on the other hand, it was limited by the fact that the new navy did not have so many middle-level officers.

In order to ensure the cohesion of the new navy and slow down the corruption of these enthusiastic young people, the political review work of the new navy has always been very strict.

However, this time, their new navy has changed its usual practice and plans to recruit up to 3,000 grassroots backbones at one time, which will have a huge impact on the entire new navy.

Currently, the total strength of the new navy has reached 11, scattered all over the new world. The number of 11 people does not seem much compared to the total strength of , but you have to know that these people are recruited according to the backbone standards, and the total number of grassroots sergeants in the new navy is less than .

It is conceivable that when these 3000 people enter the various branches of the new navy, what kind of impact will it have on the current internal structure of the new navy.

This decision was made by Zefa alone. Although it was also recognized by senior executives such as Yixiao, to be honest, Yixiao held a conservative attitude towards Zefa's plan.

He still felt that Zefa's approach was too radical. He believed that the development of the new navy should be gradual, step by step. Even if the expansion speed was slower, it would not affect the purity of the team.

But Zefa doesn't think so.

The development of the new navy has reached a bottleneck. Ever since the death of Kuniyoshi Tsugumi, the pirates of the New World have shown signs of resurgence. Those guys who used to be hiding their true colors have begun to emerge wildly, and some pirates have even dared to openly oppose the new navy.

The Beehive Island that was recaptured by pirates was like a thorn stuck in Zephyr's throat, making him extremely uncomfortable.

"Yixiao, I can understand your thoughts."

"But we can't wait any longer."

"The corruption of human nature will not slow down just because the new navy's expansion stops."

“Power and strength can completely change a person’s humanity in a short period of time.”

"The Tianzheng report has already explained a lot. In recent years, the number of people who have problems with internal audits has increased year by year."

"But in contrast, the combat capability of our new navy has not grown dramatically in recent years."

"And because of the promotion system, I have noticed signs of division within the new navy."

"These children who have been supported by our new navy since childhood, grew up in orphanages and joined our new navy have become the indispensable backbone of our new navy."

"These people have clean backgrounds and good family backgrounds. They are undoubtedly the backbone."

"Therefore, when appointing and promoting officers, policies will inevitably be tilted towards this group of people."

"But there is more than one path to becoming our new Navy."

"Over the years, many people have come here to join our new navy and have fought bravely against the pirates, making great contributions."

"Some of them have been promoted to senior positions and are beginning to control the promotion channels for junior officers."

“NCOs who rose through different paths had different preferences when it came to promoting and appointing officers.”

“Differentiation, that’s how it happens.”

Zefa, Yixiao and others walked to the base training ground. Zefa looked at his subordinates who were making various preparations in the training ground, and spoke to Yixiao beside him in a heavy tone.

The new navy is no longer the new navy that it was in its early days.

Among them, there were gradually signs of factional disputes.

Having been in law enforcement for many years, he had witnessed the complex relationships among factions when he was in the Navy Headquarters. Therefore, as soon as the new navy began to show signs of small groups forming groups, he was ready to intervene.

The children who suffered a lot in their childhood and grew up relying on the support of the new navy have a strong sense of belonging to the new navy. They have witnessed the dangers of the world since childhood. After gaining power, their methods of dealing with pirates have become ruthless and sharp. They are the hawks.

Those who admire the new navy and choose to join them are usually adults, relatively mature in mind but still have some fantasy about justice. These people will appear gentle when dealing with specific matters, and have stronger empathy, which is dove.

In the new navy, the power of the hawks is far stronger than that of the doves.

This is not a good thing in Zefa's opinion. If there are only hawks in their system, they will often go to extremes and eventually go on the road of self-destruction.

If you want to change the political landscape within the Navy, you need to strengthen the power of the doves and allow the team to maintain a dynamic balance.

Recruiting so many reserve backbones at one time is actually a last resort.

"I can understand what you said."

"Alas, if Yunyi were here, all these problems would be solved."

After hearing what Zefa said, Yixiao deeply understood how difficult it is to manage a system when it becomes huge.

And it is precisely because of understanding this difficulty that Yixiao couldn't help but feel regretful that Tsugumi Yoshiichi was no longer in the new navy.

This is not to say that Tsugakuni Yoshiichi's management ability will prevent such a thing from happening, but because Tsugakuni Yoshiichi is a totem-like figure for the new navy system.

As long as he is in the new navy, all the navy will involuntarily follow Ji Kuniyoshi.

Faction?!
That kind of thing will never appear in the new navy's system, because Tsugakuni Yoshiichi is the leader of the largest faction.

And now.
He smiled and sighed softly, glancing sideways at Mihawk who was standing on the other side of Zephyr, feeling a little helpless.

Mihawk is the so-called hawkish leader among their new navy.

Although he is a swordsman who is somewhat indifferent to everything except fighting, under his cold appearance, Mihawk has spent a lot of energy helping young boys who have lost their parents at a young age to grow up.

In his words
[I just want to personally train an opponent who will keep me from feeling lonely. ]

However, those children who accepted Mihawk's guidance gathered around Mihawk closely after growing up and defended his ideas.

As for the doves among the new navy?
In fact, there is no dove leader in the strict sense. It’s just that the actions of Yixiao, Kuzan and others vaguely meet the doves’ expectations of the top leaders, and they regard them as the goals they want to follow.

Although it is a division within the new navy itself, the influence and contradictions between the two sides are deepening.

"Smile and stop saying those discouraging words."

"If the new navy wants to grow healthily, it cannot rely on just one person."

“We have to rely on each and every one of us.”

When Zefa heard Yixiao mention Tsugikoku Yoshiichi, his eyes darkened slightly. Then he gently patted Yixiao's shoulder and walked towards the next assessment site that needed to be inspected.

Yixiao and others followed closely. The smile had disappeared from everyone's face and the atmosphere seemed a little depressing.

The death of Tsugakuni Yoriichi is a pain that the senior leaders of the new navy cannot overcome no matter what.

The reason why a large number of them stayed in the new navy after Tsugumi Yuichiro was because they were reluctant to give up the "hope" that Tsugumi Yuichiro and they had worked so hard to build.

After a whole day of inspection, the senior leaders of the new navy returned to their respective residences.

At night, the new naval headquarters building on Cake Island is brightly lit.

In order to prepare for the next recruitment, the driving school officers stationed at the headquarters are also busy.

After dinner, Zefa returned to the office. It was a small room with simple furnishings, a row of bookcases, a set of tables and chairs, a set of sofas and tea sets. These were all the furniture in Zefa's office.

As for decoration, there is a knife rack against the wall. The knife rack has three grids. On the two bottom grids are two long swords, namely Yan Mo and Tian Yu Yu Zhan. On the top grid, there is a black blade with only half of it left.

That half of the black blade was found at the bottom of the Alabasta cemetery. It was proof that Yoriichi Tsugakuni once existed and it was a relic.

At this time, Zefa was sitting behind the desk, looking sideways at the half-broken blade on the knife rack by the wall, a little absent-minded.

As Zefa gets older, there are more and more things on his mind. If he is not careful, he will get distracted and will be reminded of people when he sees things.

"Dang, dang!"

At this moment, the half-broken blade of Dawn suddenly vibrated slightly, and the blade and the blade holder collided with each other, making a series of noises.

Seeing this scene, Zefa raised his eyebrows, thinking that he had seen it wrong. He gently pinched his thigh. After coming to his senses, Zefa suddenly stood up from his seat, walked quickly to the knife rack, grabbed the black blade and lifted it from the knife rack.

"what happened?!"

"what is this!"

The blade in Zefa's hand seemed to be struggling, and a powerful domineering aura was actually emanating from the blade.

Dawn had been in the hands of Tsugakugo Yoriichi for so many years, and had long been infiltrated by Tsugakugo Yoriichi's powerful aura. The aura emanating from the broken blade at this moment was very familiar to Zefa.

Zefa looked at the blade in his hand, and an indelible sadness flashed in his eyes.

Just when Zefa was feeling sad, a breeze suddenly blew into the house from outside, and the blade in Zefa's hand quickly calmed down.

"long time no see--"

"Teacher Zefa."

A clear voice suddenly came into Zefa's ears from behind him. This voice made Zefa feel strange, yet familiar. Well... very complicated emotions.

Zefa was startled when he heard the voice. He turned around and looked behind him, only to find a red-haired young man with a long sword on his waist, leaning on the window sill with his hands on his waist, looking at him with a smile on his face.

The moonlight shone on the face of the red-haired young man, and his handsome and familiar face fell into Zefa's eyes.

"you you."

When Zefa saw the familiar face of Tsugakuin Yoshiichi, an expression of disbelief appeared on his face, and his eyes were full of nostalgia and confusion.

Looking closely at Yoshiichirō's face, Zefa's observation Haki was quietly released.

"Yuichi, it's really you!!!"

The young man standing in front of him seemed to be nothing. Zefa's observation Haki could easily penetrate through the other person's body, but he could not sense the other person's breath. That person's breath merged with nature and was completely unnoticeable.

It was this perception that made Zefa completely believe in the identity of Yoshiichi Tsugakuni in front of him!
"It's me, I'm back."

Ji Guoyuan walked towards Zefa with a smile on his face. Looking at the approaching disciple, Zefa suddenly changed his expression of sadness, nostalgia and shock, and instead angrily grabbed Ji Guoyuan by the collar and shouted angrily:
"You're not dead!"

"Haha, I knew you wouldn't die so easily!"

"Tell me, you bastard, you're still alive, why didn't you show up until now?"

"Where have you been fooling around all these years? Huh?!"

I don't know whether Zefa was angry or happy at this moment. Although he was saying words of accusation, his eyes had become moist. I think he had both emotions.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Zephyr."

"I didn't mean to not come back. In fact, I didn't resume my actions until a while ago."

"No, I rushed back as soon as the action resumed."

Tsugikoku Yoriichi told a little lie here. Although he was facing a grown man, Yoriichi suddenly reached out and hugged Zephyr.

Feeling the real warmth coming from Jiguoyuan's arm, Zefa couldn't help but stand there in a daze.

After a long while, he shook his head and cursed, "Get out of here."

Although Zefa said this, his arms were hooked around Tsugikoku Yoriichi's neck. This unreal feeling of regaining what he had lost touched Zefa's heart:
"It'll be good to come back, it'll be good to come back."

It was not until this moment that Zefa truly spoke out his inner thoughts.

Both Zephyr and Yuichiro Tsugakuko are emotionally reserved people, and the surprise of their reunion was quickly overcome by curiosity about Zephyr.

After the Kingdom of Alabasta was attacked by ancient weapons, both Zephyr and Kuzan went to the bottom of the pit to check for traces of Tsugakuni Yoriichi. He can guarantee that neither he nor Kuzan found any trace of Tsugakuni Yoriichi at that time.

Zephyr actually really wanted to know how Yoriichi Tsugakuni managed to survive such an attack.

In fact, even Tsugumi Yoshiichi himself cannot explain the secret of rebirth.

"I didn't actually survive that attack. My devil fruit was a little special. After my body disappeared, my consciousness fell silent. When my consciousness recovered, I appeared on an uninhabited island."

“And my body has become this.”

Ji Guoyuan sat on the sofa, reached out to take the tea handed to him by Zefa, and briefly talked about his experiences in recent years. While speaking, Ji Guoyuan stretched out a finger, and golden flames ignited at his fingertips.

"It turned into fire?!"

When Zephyr heard what Tsugikoku Yoshiichi said, he was a little stunned. In his entire life, this was the first time he had heard of a devil fruit with such a strange power. What was certain was that this was a devil fruit that had never appeared in the records of the World Government.

Possesses the ability to be reborn. If such a thing had ever appeared in this sea, it would definitely leave a record.

"Not really. It's a rather special state."

"I call it 'Nirvana'. Anyway, after Nirvana, I have a new body and regain the ability to move."

To Zefa, the experience of Yoriichi Tsugakuni seemed a little magical, but he did not have any doubts and did not continue to ask questions.

Everyone has his or her own destiny. On this magical ocean, any strange thing is possible.

“I have my body back”

"Yuichi, what is your current strength?"

Zefa still grasped the key point keenly, and his eyes were full of scrutiny when he looked at Tsugikuni Yoriichi.

If the body is "brand new", does that mean that Tsugukuni Yoshiichi's strong strength needs to start from scratch? !

With such doubts, Zefa looked at Yunyi quietly, waiting for the answer.

Of course Zefa was happy that his disciple could come back.

But then again, the career that Tsugumi Yuichiro had created had destined him to not be an ordinary person.

If the news that Tsugakuni Yoriichi is still alive gets out, and that his strength is not as good as before, then it will definitely be a disaster for Yoriichi himself.

Fortunately, Zefa's worries were unnecessary.

"Of course, his strength has not declined, and his combat power is even greater than before."

"I'm getting stronger!"

A confident smile appeared on Tsugakuni Yoshiichi's face. At the same time he said this, a powerful domineering aura surged out from his body. Although it was only released for a moment, Zephyr still felt a huge sense of oppression from the aura released by Tsugakuni Yoshiichi.

Although Zefa's strength has declined compared to when he was young, he is a former admiral of the navy after all. The domineering domineering that can make him feel oppressive can no longer be described as simply strong.

"Okay, hahaha, okay!"

A happy smile appeared on Zefa's face. Feeling the powerful aura of Jiguo Yuanyi, he suddenly put down the burden on his shoulders at this moment.

Now that Tsugakuni Yoshiichi is back, no matter what difficulties their new navy encounters, Tsugakuni Yoshiichi will be able to lead the new navy through them safely.

Even ancient weapons could not kill Yoriichi. It was hard for Zephyr to imagine what kind of enemy in this world could pose a threat to him.

Zephyr was originally still worried about the resurgence of pirate forces, but the power of the World Government was recovering rapidly.

In the past, the new navy would be stuck in the quagmire of the new world and unable to extricate itself.

But now it seems that all the worries are unnecessary.

At the moment when Yoshiichi Tsugumi released his domineering aura, the new navy warriors who had not yet rested on Cake Island all felt this terrifying aura.

On the beach, Mihawk was sitting on a dry rock, holding a red wine glass in his hand. He was drinking and looking at the shallow sea. A green-haired boy was holding a knife in both hands, practicing the chopping motion towards the sea meticulously.

The moment Mihawk felt the domineering aura of Jiguo Yuanyi, his pupils shrank slightly. He suddenly grabbed the black knife Ye beside him and turned to look in the direction of Zefa's office.

At the same time, the green-haired boy Zoro, who was practicing basic movements in the sea, felt a palpitation inexplicably, and the movement of swinging the sword stopped involuntarily. He seemed to have sensed something in his heart, and turned his head to look in the direction of Zefa's office.

After staring for a long time, Zoro asked Mihawk in the distance:

"That was the Conqueror's Haki just now?"

"Mr. Mihawk, that doesn't seem to be Mr. Zephyr's aura?"

The young Zoro has awakened his Observation Haki. Although the coverage range of his Observation Haki cannot reach Zephyr's office a thousand meters away, Tsugaru Yoshiichirō's Haki can affect this place.

"Today's training ends here."

"Go find Koshiro."

Mihawk did not answer Zoro's question directly. He put the wine glass aside, grabbed the knife, stood up suddenly, then jumped and disappeared into the night.

In just a blink of an eye, Mihawk disappeared from Zoro's sight.

"Is it an unknown strong man?!"

Zoro did not choose to listen to Mihawk and go home obediently. Instead, he showed a fighting smile on his face, tightened the long sword in his hand, quickly pulled out of the sea, and ran in the direction Mihawk left.

go home?!
Are you kidding me? !

However, the young man, Sauron, had only walked a few hundred meters when he inexplicably changed direction and was not heading towards the office.
Even on this Cake Island where he has lived for several years, the child Zoro still often gets lost.

Because of this, he is often accompanied by Mihawk in his training.
(End of this chapter)