"Cough, cough, cough—"
Just as Kuzan finished recounting his recent experiences, Zed suddenly began coughing violently. His face and labored breathing clearly showed how uncomfortable he was.
In truth, he had wanted to cough earlier but held back to avoid interrupting Kuzan. Now that Kuzan had mostly finished speaking, he could no longer suppress it.
"Teacher!"
"Teacher Zed?"
"What's wrong with you?!"
Momonga, Yamakaji, and the others were visibly alarmed and quickly expressed their concern. It had been some time since they last saw Zed after graduation, as everyone had been busy.
While being busy was good, it also meant they had less insight into Zed's recent condition.
"Whew—it's nothing, just a minor issue. No need to make a fuss. I'm feeling much better now!"
Zed's asthma finally stabilized, and he let out a long breath, grinning as he took two white pills from his pocket and swallowed them with a gulp of beer.
This illness had started about two years ago, but it wasn't too severe. Occasionally, he would feel chest tightness, have difficulty breathing, and cough.
He had already consulted a doctor on the island and was prescribed medication, which worked quite well. However, he was advised to avoid alcohol and smoking—two of Zed's favorite indulgences, which were hard for him to give up.
"Teacher, I may not know much about medicine, but from the symptoms you just showed, it seems related to breathing. I think you should take it seriously. I'm sure you understand this yourself."
Kuzan's words were met with nods from those around him. Zed, of course, knew what he meant. As a master of pure physical combat, he understood better than anyone the connection between breathing and combat power.
If a person's breathing isn't smooth, they can't exert much strength. Even the essence of Life Return is deeply intertwined with breathing.
"I've already seen a doctor and got medication. It helps a lot when the symptoms flare up, but it can't cure the root cause," Zed said, showing a hint of frustration.
"I've heard that if the asthma gets worse, you might need to use some kind of hormone inhaler for relief."
Kuzan recalled something and suggested, "Since the doctors at headquarters can't cure it, why not consult the doctors at the Drum Kingdom's medical school?"
"What's special about the doctors in the Drum Kingdom?"
Yamakaji asked curiously, and Zed and the others turned their attention to Kuzan. They had heard him mention the Drum Kingdom before but didn't know much about its doctors.
Kuzan chuckled, "Ara ara, I'm not entirely sure either, but according to Minister Mick, they have the best doctors in the world. There's even a doctor named Dr. Kureha, who's over a hundred years old but maintains the vitality of a middle-aged woman. She's been appointed as the dean of the medical school. I happen to know her, so I thought I could introduce Teacher Zed to her."
"Hmm, the best doctors even recognized by the World Government? That sounds promising!" Momonga said enthusiastically, looking at Zed.
"Indeed."
Dragon and the others nodded in agreement, but Zed hesitated, saying, "But I'm very busy. I can't just stop training my students to go see a doctor for myself!"
"I remember the training camp had holidays, one day a week and a month-long break," Kuzan recalled, reminiscing about the past.
Zed shot him an annoyed glance and said, "That was your vacation! I still had to come back and deal with school matters!"
He wasn't just responsible for the few dozen people in the training camp. There was also a Marine Headquarters school on the island, dedicated to training a large number of marines. The workload wasn't overwhelming, but it was still considerable.
"So, what should we do? Should we invite Dr. Kureha to Marineford?" Momonga asked, stroking his chin.
"I think that's possible. After all, the teacher holds the rank of admiral. What's wrong with having her come for a consultation?" another colonel chimed in.
"Well, that might be a bit difficult. Dr. Kureha has quite a temper," Kuzan chuckled awkwardly, recalling the witch-like demeanor of the female doctor. The idea of her making a house call didn't seem reliable.
Moreover, Dr. Kureha was busy building the framework of the medical academy and researching Platinum Lead Disease. She wouldn't come to Marine Headquarters, even if Zed held the rank of admiral. That woman simply didn't care about such things.
"Forget it then," Zed shook his head.
At that moment, Dragon spoke up, sharing his thoughts after some consideration.
"The Drum Kingdom is a winter island. From what Kuzan described earlier, it's an even harsher environment than a typical winter island. Couldn't you, Teacher Zed, take this batch of trainees there for some training?"
"Ah!!"
Zed's eyes lit up at the suggestion. The freezing cold, strong winds, and heavy snow of a winter island would undoubtedly be a great way to temper the trainees' willpower.
"Exactly! You could train them while also getting treatment. As for the training content, I've already thought of something. There are eight Drum Rockies, but I've only built stairs to the main peak. The other seven are five thousand meters high, with extremely fierce snowstorms. We could have this batch of trainees climb them barehanded!"
Kuzan cheerfully shouted out his brilliant idea. Momonga, Yamakaji, and others nearby became intrigued, brainstorming what other winter island challenges could help with the trainees' training.
Ah, this was all for the sake of the juniors, a labor of love. Surely, they would understand and gladly accept it, maybe even thank them for it.
"Are there any wild beasts on the island? We could have the juniors wrestle—no, spar with them in the icy snow!"
"I think we should have non-Devil Fruit users do a winter swimming special training, circling the island once!"
"Avalanche! They must face an avalanche!"
The marines and their families at the neighboring tables stared in shock at these maniacal training camp seniors. Hey, hey, hey, are you serious? Barehanded climbing of five-thousand-meter snow-covered peaks is one thing, but an avalanche? Do you even know what an avalanche is? Ah, why did the previous one get a pass?
"Enough!"
Zed slammed his palm on the table, stopping them as they got carried away. However, he mentally noted down some of the more interesting training suggestions.
"I also think Dragon's proposal is excellent. So, it's settled. In a few days, I'll take the training camp to Drum Kingdom!"
With this decision made, the time was about right, and everyone had drunk their fill. They picked up their Justice Coats from the chairs and draped them over their shoulders.
In a moment, led by Marine Admiral Zed, with Vice Admirals Kuzan and Dragon flanking him closely, along with over a dozen Rear Admirals and Marine Captains, they all descended the stairs to the first floor of the tavern. Their presence immediately drew the attention of all the patrons and the bartender. Everyone watched as these high-ranking figures pushed the door open and left.
Once outside, everyone went their separate ways, except for Kuzan and Dragon, who tacitly stayed behind. The two of them walked together to the seaside of the port, gazing at the massive warships anchored under the moonlight and the shimmering silver waves.
"The changes in the World Government, I assume you've noticed them too," Dragon said gravely.
"Mm."
Kuzan nodded and smiled, "I'm also full of questions. But given our current positions, it's unlikely we'll get to the truth no matter what. So, I've chosen not to dwell on it too much and focus on completing the tasks at hand. I believe that one day, we'll find out."
"Indeed. If one day you become a Marine Admiral, you'll probably have the chance to learn more secrets. When that time comes, I hope you'll share them with me," Dragon said, turning his head.
"Ahahaha, of course, no problem."
Dragon continued, "I just recalled the locations where we're stationed. I'm at Sabaody Archipelago, you're at Fish-Man Island, Borsalino is at G-2 in the first half of the Grand Line, and Sakazuki is at G-1 in the second half. Do you see anything?"
Kuzan was stunned. In his mind, a clear sand map of the Grand Line appeared, with four glowing dots marking their respective stations.