She looked at him, and he tried to hide that he was momentarily breathless.
"I saw it's going to be a survival training. I think it's something related to a shipwreck."
He nodded; this was a common training tactic for Marineford cadets. Officers from Headquarters were considered the elite, while those studying at the Marineford Academy were of even higher caliber.
The reason for this was that they were trained for almost every situation.
Seeing him silent, Sasha spoke up again, continuing to eat, "This time, they might include real Sea Kings in the simulation. I was told it has something to do with a recent incident that happened just a month's journey from here."
Ricky, chewing, replied, "Oh? So close to Marineford?"
Nodding, Sasha continued in a deep yet feminine voice, "An island appeared where there wasn't one before, and an experienced Captain had to survive, fending off numerous attacks."
Ricky hadn't heard about this incident, as he had recently been focusing more on improving his fencing skills. He was curious about how Sasha had found out, as she spent most of her time training and rarely got the news.
After swallowing his food, Ricky asked curiously, "How did you find out about this?"
Taking a sip of juice, the girl continued, "I heard it involved the Scientific Division, but no one I asked knew whether Bill was involved."Oh," Ricky thought, which explained a lot.
He didn't know how strong Bill and the others had become, but he knew that Sasha's character wouldn't let her stand idly by if a friend was in danger.
Ricky: "Well, I doubt the Commodore would let Bill be at risk, so he's probably fine."
Sasha simply nodded at this, and they continued to quickly devour their food until it was time to leave.
Being among the first to reach the training field, Ricky noticed that several zones had been set up. In one of them, there was even a fully rigged frigate, broken and lying on its side.
Marineford Academy spared no effort in preparing cadets, and this scene wouldn't have been so impressive if not for the presence of a chair in front of the zone where the cadets were supposed to gather.
Sasha, undoubtedly noticing it too, muttered "pointless" under her breath.
It was a sentiment he agreed with, and he was determined to voice it for her when he saw Zephyr and other Instructors come out of their office at the far end of the field.
Thirty cadets stood in a semicircle until a large man began to speak.
"Cadet 28, step forward!"
Sasha didn't acknowledge Ricky as she stepped forward. At just over six feet tall, she appeared diminutive next to the nearly twelve-foot former Admiral.
From a distance, it could look like a small child next to their parent. But despite the physical presence of the former Admiral, Sasha stopped at a sufficient distance to look him in the eye.
Seeing this, Ricky felt nervousness but also a strange excitement.
As Zephyr began to speak, two other normally sized people with bags in hand approached from behind.
"Miss Zima, do you know why we have a dress code?"—without giving her a chance to answer, Zephyr continued—"Because the Marines have standards!"
Ricky noticed Sasha's eyes light up, and he knew he wouldn't be able to stop her when she spoke.
"I know the dress code. As I already told you, former Admiral Zephyr, my hair tie broke while I was sleeping, and..."
"It seems you don't understand, Cadet 28!"
With that, Zephyr turned his head to the other cadets before continuing.
"The Marines have standards! That's all we have, and that's why we remain strong! You know the dress code, Miss Zima? Now tell me, what do you know about military social ethics?"
After these words, Zephyr went on for a while about how to properly address senior officers and what behavior is expected from Marines.
Sasha stood before him the entire time, serving as an example of "how not to behave."
Ricky felt like he was about to explode with indignation, but what could he do? He knew that if he interfered, at best he would get a reprimand and at worst, they might be expelled from the Academy.
So, while Zephyr talked about "how to behave at official events," Ricky just watched Sasha, who stood under everyone's scrutinizing gaze and didn't succumb to the pressure.
Ricky was contemplating his next move, and when Zephyr finished his tirade, he stepped forward and spoke, "Head instructor, Sir!"
Hearing the voice of a cadet, Zephyr approached and stood in front of Ricky.
Ricky was a couple of inches shorter than Sasha, which made the height difference between him and Zephyr even more noticeable.
"Do you have something to add, Cadet 26?"
Ricky wasn't as stoic as Sasha, but he continued speaking, "Sir! I broke Cadet 28's hair tie last night as a joke! I didn't expect it would be you gathering us in the morning!"
This was, of course, a lie, but Ricky hoped it would help Sasha avoid getting her head shaved.
As for Zephyr, he looked at Ricky as an example of what he had just been talking about