Among the entire Sixth Session Officer Training Camp, Dante was a relatively special existence.
Because everyone else, while undergoing advanced training, had their own assigned sequence.
On weekdays, when there were no classes, they would also carry out missions assigned by the Marine.
But Dante was different; he was directly transferred from the North Blue, and on the way, he was injured in the line of duty and was hospitalized.
Originally, during this period, if he hadn't been hospitalized, he would have been assigned to work under a Rear Admiral upon arriving at Marineford.
However, that didn't happen.
As a result, he became an unassigned Marineford member.
It was precisely for this reason that he had no missions, which was very unusual.
It was unknown whether Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Admiral Zephyr had forgotten about this matter or what, but in any case, no one had ever taken care of it.
In this situation, Dante didn't meddle. To be honest, he preferred to lay low in Marineford for a while longer, quietly improving his strength.
It would be perfect if he could go out and execute justice after he had enough strength to protect himself.
Therefore, for some time now, Dante had been living in the Officer Training Camp dormitory, steadily honing his strength every day.
Relying on his Iron Will talent, Dante was unshakeable. He woke up at 7 AM every day, got ready, ate breakfast, and then went to the training ground to practice the basics of swordsmanship.
After noon, he would rest for a while, go to the training camp's mess hall for lunch, and then continue physical training on the field, preparing for his future involvement in the development of the Rokushiki.
The training camp's dormitory building was right next to the training ground.
At this moment, by the corridor window on the second floor, Momonga had just put away his things in the dormitory and came out to look at the scenery.
"Yamakaji, what are you looking at?" Momonga saw Lieutenant Colonel Yamakaji by the window, biting on a cigar and looking at the training ground, and asked curiously.
Slowly exhaling a puff of smoke, Yamakaji smiled and said, "I'm looking at our roommate. I haven't had any missions recently, so I've been staying here. I've noticed that our roommate appears on the training ground at the same time every day, doing these repetitive exercises..."
As Marineford was Marine Headquarters, there was naturally no shortage of places for Marines to live, but in reality, anyone selected for the Officer Training Camp would generally move their residence here.
Because they knew very well that those selected here were elite Marines with potential and talent, and as long as they didn't die prematurely, their future prospects were very promising.
Therefore, living together also helped deepen their relationships, forming a small group.
"Is that so?" Momonga muttered, then leaned towards the window to look.
Sure enough, he saw Dante running laps around the training ground.
Dante's assigned dormitory was a triple room, shared with Momonga and Yamakaji.
However, on weekdays, Yamakaji and Momonga often went out on missions, so he usually lived alone.
In short, the three of them were roommates.
Both Momonga and Yamakaji were people with a sense of justice and were relatively cheerful and optimistic.
Especially Yamakaji, who had a very gentle personality, and had taken good care of Dante during this time. The relationship between the three of them was also quite good.
Looking at Dante, who was wearing a white two-stripe tank top, with sweat already soaking through it, Momonga asked, "What lap is he on?"
"Forty-two laps. If it's like usual, he still has eight laps to go," Yamakaji said with a smile.
"Running fifty laps every day? That's a lot of exercise. It seems Dante really wants to get stronger," Momonga said with a smile.
"No, that's just the beginning. In the morning, he practices swordsmanship, which is also a high-intensity workout. After he finishes running, he'll rest for fifteen minutes, then do basic strength training like push-ups and weightlifting. He trains at high intensity every day, from dawn until sunset," Yamakaji said calmly.
Momonga was a bit surprised and asked, "Every day?"
"Yes, it poured rain the day before yesterday, and he still didn't change any of his plans," Yamakaji nodded.
After speaking, he stroked his chin and said, "Ah, today is Wednesday. After dark, he'll go to the fighting gym to participate in free sparring. How about it, interested in sparring with him?"
The Officer Training Camp also had some activities, such as fighting matches every Wednesday. In fact, though called matches, they were actually just a form of informal exchange among the cadets.
If they didn't have missions, many people would participate on this day.
And on Fridays, there would be Kendo exchange matches, and on weekends, there were small competitions like wrestling and shooting. In short, it was very lively.
Often, these private exchange matches were not only attended by current cadets, but also by former graduates who, if they had nothing else to do, would come to watch. It was also considered a club for activities among those who graduated from the Officer Training Camp.
"Don't mention it, I'm actually a little interested. I wonder how strong he is? But looking at his training, if it's really as impressive as you say, in terms of physical fitness alone, he's already very strong," Momonga said, smacking his lips.
Yamakaji glanced at Momonga, then said, "He's also very strong in terms of skill."
"Oh? Have you seen his matches?" Momonga asked curiously.
He had been quite busy these past few weeks, so he rarely came back. Today was finally a longer holiday, and in a few days, Zephyr-sensei's small class would start again.
Listening to Momonga's question, Yamakaji didn't show any embarrassment and said very naturally, "I just lost to him last week."
Momonga???
So you two have already fought?
"Is the gap big?" Momonga asked, his eyes lighting up.
"In terms of technique, I should have a slight edge, but unfortunately, that guy is too resilient. In terms of stamina and physical fitness, I was completely defeated. In the end, I was the one who couldn't get up," Yamakaji said with a chuckle.
He was genuinely very gentle; even after being defeated, he showed no jealousy or resentment.
"Is that so? Then I must try fighting him tonight," Momonga said, a hint of fighting spirit rising in his heart.
Just then, Momonga and Yamakaji suddenly noticed something, and both of them curiously poked their heads out the window.
"Hey, hey, what's going on here? Is he also very familiar with Gion?" Momonga raised an eyebrow and asked with a chuckle.
Yamakaji also opened his eyes wide and smacked his lips, "I don't know, but from what I've observed during this period, it seems like the two of them don't have much interaction."
That's right, the reason they were so excited was because they discovered that Gion, the 'campus belle' of the Sixth Session Officer Training Camp, actually took the initiative to approach Dante.
Gion was also a very sensible person. She didn't rely on her high attractiveness, good figure, and popularity to be bossy and directly interrupt Dante's training.
Instead, she sat down on a bench by the training ground, quietly waiting for Dante to finish his laps.
Actually, like Yamakaji, Gion had also been observing this newcomer, Dante, for a few days.
She also knew that Dante ran fifty laps here every day, and he was now on his forty-eighth lap, with only two more to go, so waiting for a while wouldn't hurt.
Dante naturally noticed Gion, but he didn't stop what he was doing and continued to run his laps silently.
After waiting a few minutes, two laps were completed. Gion stood up, ready to go and talk to Dante.
However, she suddenly realized that Dante had not stopped, but was still continuing to run laps.
This surprised Gion, and her steps, which were originally preparing to move forward, also stopped.
"Did I miscount?" Yamakaji also watched this scene with some surprise in his heart.
But soon, he shook his head and said, "No, that guy, he's starting to increase the volume!"
"What do you mean?" Momonga asked.
"It's said that at first, he only ran thirty laps a day!" Yamakaji said in a deep voice.
The white tank top on his body was starting to drip water, but Dante still didn't stop his steps.
After steadily completing sixty laps, he walked another lap around the training ground, calming his breathing and rhythm, before finally ending this running session.
"Catch."
A crisp sound came from not far away. Dante turned his head and saw a bottle of water flying through the air.
He reached out and caught the bottle of water steadily.
The person who threw the water bottle to him was Gion.
"Thank you," Dante nodded to Gion in thanks.
Then, without being polite, he directly twisted open the bottle cap and drank large gulps.
Gion also slowly walked to a spot not far from Dante.
"Sixty laps. Your endurance is stronger than before," Gion smiled and said.
"My level is nothing impressive," Dante said very modestly.
But what he said was also true; it really wasn't anything impressive.
At this moment, he was also a bit strange. Although he had been living here for a while, to be honest, he had almost no interaction with Gion. Why did this woman suddenly start talking to him today?
Holding the water bottle in his hand, Dante even wondered if his charm was too unbridled and had attracted Gion?
"I've been observing you for a long time," Gion suddenly said.
Dante was stunned for a moment. Here it comes, here it comes. These words are usually the prelude to a secret crush and a confession, right?
Could it be that after nineteen years in this world, I am finally going to welcome spring?
But he had no experience with this!
"Uh..." Dante pondered for a moment, unsure how to respond.
However, before he could speak, Gion continued, "You seem to have a very solid foundation in swordsmanship as well. You're a swordsman, aren't you?"
At this point, Gion turned her head to look at the chair where Dante had placed his belongings, pointed to it, and continued, "That sword, if I'm not mistaken, should be one of the 21 Great Grade Blades... Nagasone Kotetsu, right?"
"That's right," Dante nodded.
It seemed he had misunderstood something?
"It's a good sword," Gion said with a smile.
Dante didn't think much of it. Looking at the sword hanging at her waist, he also responded with praise, "Your Konpira is also very good. A famous sword."
Hearing this, Gion's eyes lit up and she said, "You have good taste. Not many people can recognize Konpira at first glance."
Dante???
He actually didn't know much about these things; he had learned about them in his previous life.
"Anyway, I came to find you to invite you to participate in Friday's Kendo exchange match. I will be competing this time, and I hope to spar with you!" Gion said, her expression serious.
Dante was stunned again, scratching his head, "To be honest, I haven't achieved much in Kendo..."
He originally wanted to refuse, but seeing Gion's enthusiastic gaze, and thinking that participating wouldn't hurt and could be considered training, he finally nodded, "Okay."