Master and Student
On the spacious training ground, Sirius and Jin stood facing each other.
Looking at Teacher King standing not far ahead, Sirius felt a pang of emotion.
The scene of his first sword lesson ten years ago is still vivid in his mind, as if it were overlapping with the scene now.
The only difference is that he is now sixteen years old.
He is no longer a small child.
"Go for it, Sirius!!"
Off the field, Yamato was enthusiastically cheering for Sirius.
Sirius gave her a thumbs-up without turning his head, then said to Jin,
"Teacher King, the usual routine?"
The so-called "old rules" are, of course, the old rules from class: no Devil Fruit abilities, just pure hand-to-hand combat.
The afternoon's lesson was specifically for practicing this.
"Whatever you want."
Teacher King spoke calmly.
"Then it's decided! Let's begin the long-awaited classes!"
Sirius gripped the hard hilt of the Azure Greatsword tightly with his right hand.
The sword blade, as clear as the sea, turned pitch black in an instant, and invisible ripples swirled around it, making the air appear somewhat distorted.
With a calm flick of his longsword, Teacher King caused the blade to turn completely black.
"Will this time be different from when I was a child?"
On the sidelines, Black Maria smiled and said, "Sirius is so much better than before."
"But defeating Brother King won't be an easy task."
Jack said, "He's Boss Kaido's right-hand man, a true monster!"
"There's no point in guessing here; we'll know the result after the game."
Ulti gave a soft hum, then stroked her younger brother's head and asked with a smile, "Right, Pay-tan?"
Page One didn't reply at all; he, like Yamato, stared intently at the two on the field.
Then, the battle began.
Almost simultaneously, Sirius and Ember were launched into the air.
The ground beneath their feet shattered under their weight, the astonishing force converting into kinetic energy that propelled them forward, leaving long afterimages.
When!
The next instant, swords clashed!
Teacher King swung his sword down heavily with both hands, while Sirius countered with a swift, upward slash.
The moment the swords clashed, the ground beneath Sirius's feet shattered, creating a huge crater.
At the same time, Teacher King was also shaken back two steps by the force of the collision.
"Emperor Sword-- "
Sirius showed no mercy, leaping off the ground with his feet, azure waves instantly spreading across the blade.
He seemed to be dragging an ocean as he surged forward.
As he swung the sword, all the blue energy suddenly collapsed and gathered on the relatively narrow blade.
The once jet-black blade was now a breathtakingly blue.
"Water Wave!"
Teacher King didn't say anything, nor did he shout out any moves; he simply slashed down with his sword in an unremarkable manner.
A sharp, explosive sound once again shook the surrounding area.
The training ground shattered into pieces in an instant, and the shockwave even caused sand and stones to fly all over the field. Yamato and the others below the field couldn't help but cover their eyes.
You have indeed grown up.
Teacher King stepped back a few paces, looking at Sirius who was charging at him again, his tone carrying a hint of inexplicable sigh.
"Even without using his abilities, his strength is this great, and his Haki is unimaginably strong. Even I have almost nothing left to hold back."
Are there any reservations?
Sirius laughed loudly. As was the usual practice in class, Teacher King would fight him with power at the same level as him.
Sirius wielded the greatsword, causing a deep blue aura to fill the surroundings.
The weapons in their hands clashed fiercely in that instant.
Constant clashes, constant sword fights.
After another clash of blades, a small crack suddenly appeared on Teacher King's blade, trapping Sirius's greatsword.
Then, out of the blue, he kicked me.
Sirius was even more decisive; he simply released the hilt of his sword, sprang into the air, and, taking advantage of his smaller stature, kicked Teacher King in the head.
"Excellent!"
Jin also lowered his blade, raised his arm, and threw a punch at Sirius's whip kick.
Sirius's leg was blasted back by Ember.
At the same time, Sirius's immense power caused Ember's body to tilt.
But Teacher King is Teacher King after all. He used this power to spin his body, grabbed the long sword in mid-air with his other hand, and slashed horizontally at Sirius.
Fortunately, by this time, Sirius had already grasped the hilt of the Azure Greatsword again.
When!
With nowhere to grab hold while in mid-air Sirius was sent flying, but he still managed to slash with his greatsword.
"Sovereignty!!"
A beam of azure light roared out, engulfing Jin instantly.
However, just a second later, Teacher King, flapping his wings, took to the air and then crashed down on the attraction filament like a cannonball.
He was unharmed.
"That's outrageous! The Lunarian Tribe!"
Sirius landed and was immediately launched backward.
The next second, Teacher King landed, directly cutting a huge gash in the ground.
He slowly stood up. "It seems I really have nothing more to teach you."
"Physical strength, physical power, Haki presence—you are flawless."
"I owe all of this to the guidance of my teachers."
Sirius grinned.
Ten years have passed in the blink of an eye.
It is no exaggeration to say that he spent the vast majority of his life on this island.
His friends and teachers accompanied him as he grew up.
Laughing, Sirius gripped his sword with both hands and charged forward as if swept by a whirlwind.
Yes, now is the time for Teacher King to review the results of his learning over the years.
Sirius leaped into the air and brought his sword down in a downward strike.
Jin raised his sword to block, and the aftershock shattered the ground once more.
The two engaged in close combat once again.
Although both men were armed, their fights often included punches and kicks.
This is precisely the essence of swordsmanship that Teacher King taught Sirius.
Anything can be considered a sword as long as it can successfully injure the opponent.
In the fierce exchange, Sirius was struck by several swords from Jin, as well as several kicks and punches.
Although he retaliated with many attacks of his Teacher King, neither his slashes nor his punches and kicks were effective against Teacher King.
Like Sirius back then, Teacher King is also a master of exceptional skills, but his skills are just too exceptional.
Its defensive capabilities are even more exaggerated than Teacher Kaido's!
I guess the only way to break through his defenses is by using my teeth!
Another sword strike landed on Teacher King's chest, but only produced a shower of sparks, failing to cause him any harm whatsoever, Sirius thought to himself.
Instead, he was kicked away and flew quite a distance before barely managing to regain his footing.
That's enough for now.
Sirius waved his hand, "I lost, I lost. I really can't do anything with you, Teacher King."
Jin nodded, showing no intention of continuing the fight. He calmly sheathed his sword and then said,
"Sirius, stay."