Fish-Man Karate

Sig did not hold his liquor well, while after Hachi got drunk, he basically led everyone in singing for entertainment.

When the drinking party reached the "fighting for entertainment" segment, Sig, who was still not used to it, quietly left.

"Boss Jinbe, I'll take the helm and sober up a little. You go join them and have some fun." Sig spoke to Jinbe, who was steering.

Jinbe had said earlier that since he had not taken part in the fighting, he would not celebrate with everyone. Instead, he would steer and keep watch for them tonight.

Seeing Sig come over, Jinbe tugged on the nearby securing rope and fixed the wheel in place rather carelessly. Then he said, "No need. The wind and waves aren't strong tonight. But since you're here, your training starts tonight!"

Hearing this, Sig's expression grew serious. He straightened his chest and raised his head a little higher, tensing his mind as well and doing his best to block the alcohol's effects on his brain.

"There are roughly three types of training methods on this great sea. Do you know what they are?" Jinbe asked Sig.

"Armament Haki, Observation Haki... and Conqueror's Haki?" Sig tentatively confirmed.

"Of course not! Haki is only part of one's strength. Once someone trains to a certain level, no matter what school they follow, they will definitely understand some Armament Haki and Observation Haki. That cannot be considered an independent school." Jinbe immediately rejected Sig's answer.

At this point, Jinbe held up three fingers and bent them down one by one. "Swordsmanship, Martial Arts, and Devil Fruit Development!"

Sig looked somewhat unconvinced, so Jinbe continued explaining. "Are you thinking that, by that logic, there should also be schools that use other weapons?"

Sig honestly nodded.

"Swordsmanship and Martial Arts cannot be understood only by their literal meanings. In the broad sense, both are very general concepts..."

Jinbe explained to Sig that, broadly speaking, the difference between "Swordsmanship" and "Martial Arts" was not as simple as the former using swords and the latter using fists.

When Sig had previously hacked about with his sword, that had not even come close to Swordsmanship.

In terms of technique, "Swordsmanship" excelled at exquisite moves, while "Martial Arts" excelled at controlling the body. However, that was not the main difference.

More importantly, it lay in "will." The most typical example was the "slash" of Swordsmanship—the ability to send out a sword wind that could cut apart objects several or even dozens of meters away.

"Swordsmanship" excelled at projecting one's will outward, while "Martial Arts" excelled at guarding one's will within!

"But... Boss Jinbe, a Martial Arts expert can also destroy every target within dozens of meters with one punch, right?" Sig guessed that Jinbe should already be capable of doing so.

"That is indeed true. But you should understand that with a slash capable of flying twenty meters, its power at one meter and fifteen meters will not differ much. Only in the final few meters will its power sharply decline. The force of Martial Arts, however, must grow stronger the closer it is!" Jinbe reminded Sig of something he had not known.

A super sniper proficient in Armament Haki Infusion and Observation Haki lock-on could also be regarded as a special kind of Swordsmanship expert.

The reason "Swordsmanship" was named after the sword was that many people used swords nowadays, so the term had become customary. In reality, using a sword did not necessarily mean practicing "Swordsmanship," and not using a sword did not mean one could not practice "Swordsmanship."

At this point, Sig remembered the CP combatant who had been blocked by Boss Fisher Tiger at the port of Mary Geoise and asked, "In that case, the World Government's 'Tempest Kick' should count as Swordsmanship, right?"

"That's right. The World Government's Six Powers places greater emphasis on physical ability, but some of its techniques are also closer to Swordsmanship." Jinbe nodded.

It was like how even a warrior had to learn a few ranged skills, while a mage needed to know a couple of close-combat techniques for emergencies...

Some famous swordsmen also had techniques that concentrated their strength into the blade itself, while some Martial Arts masters could swing their hands like blades and send out slashes.

Aside from attack range, the more obvious difference between the two, as displayed externally, was the body's defensive power!

When it came to taking hits, swordsmen were generally far inferior to Martial Arts practitioners...

Swordsmanship experts generally had to use their swords to block attacks rather than endure them head-on.

Sig recalled the original story. Zoro really was far less durable than Luffy!

Although both members of the protagonist group had the passive ability to erupt with power after being reduced to low health, Luffy could take brutal punishment several times before suffering serious injuries. Zoro, by contrast, would be "like a guttering candle in the wind" the moment he failed to block with his sword.

As for everything beyond this, whether techniques, Haki, or Life Return, they were all auxiliary abilities rather than independent major schools.

The third type, "Devil Fruit Development," could complement Swordsmanship and Martial Arts, or be trained independently. That depended on the Devil Fruit ability. However, it had little to do with Fish-Men. The Fish-Man Race generally rejected Devil Fruits, so Jinbe did not understand much about this area either.

"Our Fish-Man Race has powerful bodies and is more suited to training in Martial Arts. 'Fish-Man Karate' is one of the training methods most suited to Fish-Men, as explored by countless predecessors. It is far older and more profound than the humans' Six Powers..." Jinbe gave Fish-Man Karate a strong endorsement.

"You've heard that fellow Kuroobi boast everywhere about being a thirtieth dan, right?" There was a hint of exasperation in Jinbe's voice.

"Kuroobi rarely boasts about himself directly..." Sig offered a fair defense.

"Hmph, that's right. He doesn't boast 'directly.'" Jinbe waved his hand, indicating that they should drop the subject.

Kuroobi really had become somewhat swollen with pride. He would not "boast about himself" outright, but he always put on the airs of an old Martial Arts master, making people feel somewhat... eager to punch him!

"The so-called 'dan' is the ranking system for Fish-Man Karate. If one can shatter thirty tiles with a simple straight punch, that counts as the first dan. At the thirtieth dan, one can roughly deliver a Thousand Tiles Punch."

As Jinbe spoke, he demonstrated a standard straight punch, though he did not put any actual force into it. Otherwise, the commotion would not have been small.

Next, Jinbe first had Sig learn the basic stance before carefully explaining the techniques for exerting force. Swinging a straight punch was also the most fundamental training method of "Fish-Man Karate."

As for how many watts of force were involved—if they really had to measure it with roof tiles, wouldn't that be too wasteful? Besides, different tiles would have different levels of hardness, right?

Jinbe also answered this question from Sig. They did not actually use roof tiles. Fish-Man Karate's straight punches had to be trained both underwater and in the air. Underwater, the punches produced special vibrations. The frequency of those vibrations could be regarded as the number of water tiles shattered. That was what counted as a proper tile!

Sensing the frequency of these underwater vibrations while counting tiles also unknowingly trained one's perception.

As the foundational training of "Fish-Man Karate," throwing straight punches not only trained the basics of exerting force and strengthened the body, laying a foundation for Armament Haki, but also trained one's perception by sensing the vibrations of the water, laying a foundation for Observation Haki.

After reaching more than a thousand tiles, one could also choose to study some long-range techniques from Swordsmanship.

Boss Jinbe's evaluation of "Fish-Man Karate" was not an exaggeration. It really was an extremely complete training system!