This was a small plaza adjacent to the massive central square of the Marineford Fortress. It wasn't far from the standard recruit camp, but it was spacious enough to hold two of them. Regular recruits rarely came here unless it was for specialized combat training; this was the daily stomping ground for the "monsters" of the Elite Camp.
When they arrived, a few recruits were already training. Some were locked in one-on-one combat, others were sitting in meditation with katanas resting on their knees. But the one who commanded the most attention was a giant, at least four meters tall, who was performing squats while hoisting a block of iron larger than himself.
"Kuzan... Admiral, who are they?" Loya had almost slipped and called him 'Sensei,' but seeing the frost beginning to creep along Kuzan's skin, he wisely corrected himself.
Kuzan stopped walking and explained, "Oh~ them? They're this year's Elite Camp squad."
Elite Camp... Loya mused. The name said it all. Every member was a hand-picked powerhouse who had risen above the countless thousands of other Marines. Graduation from the Elite Camp carried a minimum rank of Colonel, and the graduation exam was notoriously brutal. Yet, with the "Iron-Faced" former Admiral Zephyr—the "Black Arm"—at the helm, there was zero chance of foul play or grade-padding. Those who graduated from here were the future backbone of the Navy; some would even eventually carry the mantle of Admiral.
Men like Kuzan, Sakazuki, and Kizaru had all walked this path.
Upon seeing Kuzan, the elites stopped their training and stood in a perfect, rigid salute. "Admiral Aokiji!"
"Hm, keep going... I'm just bringing a little kid over for some practice," Kuzan said lazily, gesturing toward Loya.
Loya felt his heart skip a beat. Damn it! This guy is so underhanded. Just because I annoyed him a little, he's going to this much trouble to make my life miserable? As an Admiral, he had immense prestige. Did he really need to explain himself to these recruits? Couldn't he just play the cool, aloof role? The trap was so obvious it was insulting!
Sure enough, as soon as Kuzan spoke, the gazes of the elites locked onto Loya. The massive bull of a giant glared at him. "Is this the kid?"
Kuzan's lips curled into a fleeting, invisible smile before he regained his bored expression. "Eh! Yeah. Can't be helped; his fruit ability has a huge range, and this is the only place he can really let loose."
You bastard, you're even leaking my intel to them? Loya was furious, but a sudden thought made him beam. "Yeah! That's exactly why Kuzan-sensei brought me here—he said he's going to teach me how to develop my Devil Fruit powers!"
Forgive me for acting cute at four years of mental age, but I've got a baby face; I have no shame left! If you're going to be uncharitable, don't blame me for being unrighteous. Let's dance!
"You dared to call Admiral Aokiji by his name! Wait... did you say... Sensei?!" The giant looked stunned, and the whole group erupted in murmurs.
Kuzan's eye twitched as if he'd swallowed a fly. Faced with their looks of shock, confusion, and even a hint of disappointment, he had to offer a weak explanation: "I didn't take him as a student. I'm just... teaching him a little."
"Mmhmm, but Kuzan-sensei, there's a saying," Loya chirped, piling on the 'Sensei's.' "If you don't know how to do something, and someone teaches you, they are your teacher. Like, if I can't write, whoever teaches me—even if he's just a shipwright—is my teacher. If I can't cook, and a flower girl teaches me, she's my teacher. It's not just me; it's true for all of humanity. We learn to make fire from nature, how to use tools, how to build houses. Nature is the teacher of mankind! So, Kuzan-sensei, if you teach me to develop my fruit, you are my teacher. Right, Kuzan-sensei?"
Loya's rapid-fire "Sensei, Sensei, Sensei" left the elites completely bewildered.
Kuzan pulled his eye mask up to his forehead. "Where exactly did you hear that ridiculous logic?"
"Hm, probably the East Blue? I remember we passed the Baratie floating restaurant before that."
"The East Blue... I see."
Later that year, one of the three great Admirals, Aokiji, would personally request a mission to the East Blue, where he would turn the entire ocean upside down for three months.
Seeing Kuzan didn't deny it, the giant's eyes welled up with tears. "Waaaah! Admiral Aokiji, you... you actually took on a student!"
Hey, hey, you're a grown man, crying like that is disgusting, Loya thought.
Suddenly, the giant stopped crying and turned to Loya, his expression hardening into intense, stubborn rage. "Brat! Let's settle this! Let me see what you've got that makes Admiral Aokiji accept you as a student!"
"Huh?"
Seeing this, Kuzan felt a rush of satisfaction. Finally, the main event. His plans had almost been ruined, but thankfully, Aldo was still as easy to manipulate as ever.
Aldo, the 4.3-meter giant, had admired the Admirals since his own time as a recruit. Because Kuzan had once saved his life, he had been desperate to become his apprentice, but the perpetually lazy Kuzan had always refused. Today, seeing Kuzan appear with a new pupil was the final straw.
Loya looked at him calmly, then pulled on Kuzan's sleeve, asking with his eyes: Is this your goal?
Kuzan looked back with an expression that screamed: I have no idea what you're asking, maybe you should just stop talking.
Loya was the one with the headache now. Looking at Aldo, he could see the man was taking this deathly seriously.
"Loya, why don't you give it a try? You're going to join the Elite Camp in a month anyway; it's good to get to know your peers," Kuzan added, leaving Loya with no room to complain.
Sigh... my heart is exhausted.
Loya shook his head and agreed.
"Then, I'll act as the referee! No rules, just don't kill each other!" Kuzan announced. Nobody dared to object—there was no one more qualified to judge.
"No rules? You're just hoping I get beaten to a pulp, aren't you?" Loya thought, giving him a dead-fish stare.
Across the plaza, Aldo dug his heels in, snorting clouds of air like a maddened bull. "Come on, Loya! I'll show you that the weak have no right to stand beside Admiral Aokiji! Even if he took you as a student, you won't win my recognition!"
Loya threw his hands up in defeat. What can I do? I'm truly desperate.