A Day Without a Beating Makes My Skin Itch

Under the blazing sun, dozens of Marines stood bare-chested, wooden swords in both hands, swinging them again and again under the Instructor's supervision.

"Hah!"

Luo Ya stepped forward with his right foot while raising the wooden sword overhead in both hands. At the peak of the motion, he shouted and swung it down.

"Smack!"

The wooden sword tore through the air and slammed into the dummy's wooden head, leaving a clearly visible dent.

The entire sequence flowed in one smooth motion.

"Whew~~"

Luo Ya stepped back to his original position, took a deep breath, fixed his gaze on the dummy again, and tightened his grip on the wooden sword.

Build up power, then strike downward!

The most basic—and most important—movement in swordsmanship.

The Marines swung their swords, drenched in sweat. Not one of them dared slack off. Swordsmanship was the most commonly used combat method among Marines, without question.

The same went for Pirates.

Most Pirates lacked advanced weapons such as firearms. Their most common way of fighting was to swarm forward and engage the Marines in melee combat.

Even if they would not rely on swordsmanship in the future, Marines still had to understand how swords were used. That way, when a Pirate rushed them head-on, they would know how to guard against the Pirate's attacks.

Three hours passed in a flash.

Luo Ya put down his wooden sword, his face covered in sweat and his arms aching and swollen.

One thousand sword swings completed.

He had been an official Marine for a month now. Over that month, apart from the occasional Duty Mission that did not require combat, he had spent every afternoon at the Training ground honing his swordsmanship and Fist and Foot skills.

It was monotonous, but fulfilling.

From not even knowing how to hold a sword at first to now completing one thousand proper swings within the allotted time, he had progressed at least twice as fast as the Marines who had enlisted alongside him.

But a problem was troubling him now.

"Yo, Luo Ya."

During the break, Fullbody slung an arm around Luo Ya's shoulders and wiggled his brows. "Why the long face? The Instructor didn't praise you today?"

"Hehe."

Luo Ya rolled his eyes.

After completing a thousand swings or Fist and Foot drills each afternoon, the remaining time was free practice. The Marines generally used it to shore up their weaknesses.

So did he.

After practicing for over half a month, along with extra training at night and even more intense training in the "World," he had already mastered all the swordsmanship the Instructor had taught.

After all, it was all the most basic slashing movements. There was nothing difficult to learn; at most, it came down to proficiency, which could only be honed with time.

His problem was that there was nothing new left for him to learn.

It was not that he was aiming too high. The Instructor's swordsmanship was simply limited. Forget Cutting Steel—he did not even know any flashy moves.

Over the past few days, the Instructor had not only stopped finding faults with him, but had praised him highly, using him as a positive example.

"Look at New Recruit Luo Ya!"

That opening line had earned him quite a few enemies.

Luo Ya did not mind drawing resentment, but without anyone to guide him, he felt unbearably restless, as if ants were crawling inside him.

What was the point of praising him?

He preferred the Instructor's harsh criticism!

No matter what one did, having a clear goal was extremely important. Only by knowing one's shortcomings and undergoing targeted special training could one get twice the result with half the effort.

Unfortunately, the Teaching Staff at the 153rd Branch was truly limited. If Marine Headquarters was comparable to a Higher Learning Institution, then the 153rd Branch was probably a Township Elementary School.

Any swordsman with even a little skill would not stay in such a backwater place. The Instructors were all Retired Officers filling the role.

If only he could receive guidance from the famous New World educator, "Teacher Kai." One club to learn Ryuo, two clubs to comprehend Conqueror's Haki Coating, three clubs...

Yeah, he would probably die.

Luo Ya shook his head, casting aside the unrealistic thought. He spread his hands helplessly. "That's all."

"..."

Fullbody gave him a very strange look.

"Are you a pervert?"

"Possibly!"

Luo Ya nodded in wholehearted agreement.

A day without getting beaten made his skin itch.

He really did seem a little perverted. If he could find a girlfriend who liked using whips to complement him, perhaps they would create some different kind of chemistry.

"Tsk, tsk. I'm really jealous. If only I had your drive."

Fullbody sighed, then pointed toward the warehouse beside the Training ground. With a sly grin, a dangerous glint appeared in his eyes.

"Come on, let's try something new today!"

"Something new?"

Luo Ya's heart skipped a beat. He hurriedly laid down a condition, saying seriously, "Let's be clear first: no dancing today!"

If he danced awkwardly in the Training ground, he would die of embarrassment.

He actually cared a lot about saving face.

"Don't worry."

Fullbody waved a hand and entered the warehouse at the edge of the Training ground. From a training rack, he took down two worn pairs of Boxing Gloves, one red and one blue.

"Catch."

He tossed the red Boxing Glove to Luo Ya.

Luo Ya caught it, and his eyes lit up.

"Combat training?"

"Exactly. I don't like swordsmanship much, so let's do some Close Combat."

Fullbody took off his Iron Fist Gauntlets and put on the Boxing Gloves. His body swayed slightly as he threw two rapid punches at the air.

His movements were remarkably slick!

Back at the Training ground, the two found a corner and drew a square Ring Line in the sand.

"It's been a long time since I did this."

Fullbody rolled his neck, bumped his fists together, and even stuck out his tongue to lick the corner of his lips, looking like some grand villain.

"Luo Ya, your body used to be too frail, and combat training could easily get you hurt. But over the last half month, I unexpectedly discovered that your recovery ability is incredibly strong. You can loosen up a little."

"Yeah, come at me with everything you've got!"

Luo Ya's expression was eager.

He had wanted to do combat training for a long time.

For one thing, sudden Pirate Raid incidents could happen at any time. The sooner he became familiar with fighting people, the less likely he would be flustered when battling Pirates.

Although the branch would not send them to face overly dangerous missions yet, it was better to be prepared. No one knew when an accident might strike.

There was another important reason.

The "World" had previously recorded Fullbody's dance instruction. Could it record the process of a fight as well?

If it could, then he would be able to hone his combat experience in the "World."

Luo Ya stared intently at Fullbody and cautiously edged forward. When the other man entered striking distance, Luo Ya stamped his left foot forward, twisted his waist to generate power, and launched his right fist at Fullbody's face with the strength of his entire body.

Straight Punch Assault!

"Haha, nice one!"

Fullbody swiftly crouched, and the incoming fist swept over his head.

Before Luo Ya could react, Fullbody rose from the ground almost pressed against him, swinging his left fist upward!

"Hao You Gen!"

The howling left uppercut smashed hard into Luo Ya's chin!

"Bang!"

Luo Ya's skull trembled. The sharp pain and dizziness made his eyes roll back, while the violent impact lifted his heels off the ground.

Then his whole body flew through the air and crashed down three meters away.

K.O.!

The fight had ended in less than ten seconds.

"Hey, Luo Ya? Are you still conscious?"

In his daze, someone seemed to be patting his face.

Luo Ya's pupils gradually focused. In his vision, Fullbody had puckered his lips and was getting closer and closer to his face, seemingly intending to save him with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

"Stop, I'm fine!"

He raised a hand to block Fullbody's mouth. Luo Ya struggled into a sitting position, held his forehead, and tried hard to recall the fight just now.

Had he been knocked down by a single punch?

He had clearly seen Fullbody dodge and the path of his punch, but he had put too much force into his attack and his body had not been able to adjust in time to defend.

Also, had his attacking intent been too obvious? Was that why Fullbody had so easily seized the opportunity to knock him out with one punch?

Should he hold back a little when punching, stay ready to change moves at any moment, and add some feints?

It seemed he had gotten a little carried away lately. He had merely performed well in training; he was still far from becoming a qualified Warrior!

"Di Ge, let's train again tomorrow!"

Late at night, midnight.

The World.

An arena had appeared beside the Training ground. Fullbody stood in its center like a reigning champion waiting for challengers.

"Just as I expected."

Luo Ya clenched his fists excitedly.

The "World" really could record combat!

That meant not only Fullbody, but the other Marines and School Officials at the branch could all become his Sparring Partners.

Perhaps even Pirates could.

And perhaps, in the distant future, he might truly be able to receive Kaido's Thunder Bagua teaching package in the "World"!