"Not bad, Mercer."
Bogard nodded with a smile, offering his assessment.
Mercer took Hanlu from his left hand with his right.
He shook out his left hand, easing the slight discomfort.
His leg muscles tensed, and Mercer charged at Bogard again. Once he reached him, he coordinated his steps with the movements of Hanlu in his hand, thrusting, slashing diagonally, sweeping upward, and pulling downward.
Clang, clang, clang!
Bogard blocked with his short sword. Block, block, block—he effortlessly parried every one of Mercer's attacks.
Mercer wasn't surprised. There was no other explanation: his physical stats were simply outclassed.
He immediately stopped thinking about anything else. His breathing rose and fell as he focused completely on his "battle" with Bogard.
As sparks flew from the clashing sword and blade, Mercer studied Bogard's swordsmanship, breathing rhythm, and changes in footwork.
He streamlined his movements, refined his breathing, and continued to grow with every fight.
As time passed, Mercer stopped limiting himself to his short sword and began incorporating punches and kicks. He showed off the way he had learned to throw punches from Garp, one move at a time.
As his stamina rapidly drained, every punch and kick he threw sent out a wave of air pressure. His technique was still clumsy, but there was already an indefinable, unstoppable momentum to it.
Bogard kept feeding him moves, growing increasingly astonished. He knew Mercer had Observation Haki, and he'd only just learned that Mercer could use the Breathing of All Things. But now, he could see faint traces of Garp in Mercer's punches and kicks, and traces of his own swordsmanship and footwork in Mercer's movements.
"This kid really is a monster."
Bogard was certain of it. For the first time in a long while, he felt a stir of excitement, wanting to