Wazamono 21

It was already ten o'clock at night when he finished his shower. Noah changed into the clothes Momousagi had prepared for him and finally had the cloth strips removed.

He was still wearing the white uniform of a Commodore, with pale pink epaulets and cuffs, looking heroic and spirited.

Lying on the bed, after exchanging goodnights with Momousagi on the floor mat, he pretended to close his eyes and drift off to sleep, while secretly using his mind to try and open the system panel.

The ghostly blue panel appeared before his eyes, as smooth as always. It seemed that, just as he had expected, the system was bound to his soul and moved with his consciousness, rather than remaining within the physical body.

Noah felt relieved. When he turned his head to look, Momousagi was already fast asleep, her breathing steady and long.

Goodnight.

He whispered this silently in his heart, watched her quietly for a long time, then lay flat and withdrew his gaze.

Listening to the breathing in the silent night, sleepiness gradually surged like a tide, and he finally drifted into a dream without realizing it.

Outside the porthole, the stars filled the sky, and the moonlight was cold and dim.

The next morning, Noah was awakened by a rustling sound.

Drowsily sitting up from the bed, Noah turned his head and found Momousagi staring blankly at the ceiling, her face filled with an expression of existential doubt.

"What's wrong, Commodore Gion?"

"You have the nerve to ask?"

Hearing his voice, Momousagi whipped her head around, gritting her teeth as she interrogated him, word by word: "What, is, wrong, with, your, body! Tell me!"

"Why does it automatically wake up at five-thirty in the morning, and then refuse to fall back asleep no matter what?"

She looked annoyed, somewhat frantic, and even carried a hint of... grievance?

Noah wasn't entirely sure, but he was very clear about the culprit behind Momousagi's inability to sleep—it was obviously his own biological clock, which was precise to the second, doing its work.

"It's been like this for years, waking up at this time. My body has developed muscle memory. I'm sorry."

He gave a sheepish smile, looked at the dim light of dawn outside the window, and began to ponder a question.

Should he follow his usual habit and go out for morning exercise?

If he didn't exercise, he felt like something was missing and his whole body felt uncomfortable. But if he did exercise, he wasn't training his own body; no matter how hard he pushed himself, it would all be in vain in the end.

Noah muttered to himself, and after struggling for a moment, he decided to ask for Momousagi's opinion.

"You are not allowed to go."

That was Momousagi's exact words. With an indisputable attitude, she directly extinguished the thought in Noah's mind.

The reason was simple: there were so many acquaintances on the ship. If Noah used her body to run laps around the deck or perform basic physical training in full view of everyone, what would that look like?

As the high-mountain flower of the Marine Headquarters and a proud talent of the new generation, didn't she have a reputation to maintain?

"Then I can't just stay cooped up in the room for the next few days, right?" Noah followed closely behind Momousagi, expressing his dissatisfaction with a bitter face. "We have a saying in the East Blue: an inch of time is worth an inch of gold, Commodore Gion!"

"Nonsense, your time isn't worth that much."

Momousagi was brushing her teeth. Hearing this, she snorted and said vaguely, "It's only three days, just suck it up."

After brushing her teeth, she washed her face and wiped it dry with a towel. As she lifted her gaze, she happened to meet the eyes of the exceptionally handsome young man in the mirror, the kind who easily made people feel favorable toward him.

Under the medium-length black hair were clear, deep black pupils and a firm, well-defined face. His temperament was clean, full of the vigor and vitality that only young people possess.

Momousagi stopped wiping her face, her expression slightly stunned.

At this moment, even she, who had always held herself in high regard, had to admit that the charm of the guy in front of her could almost rival her own.

Especially when he smiled, his eyes curving into crescents and revealing white teeth, that infectious quality seemed to make people forget their worries and feel happy for the whole day.

Perhaps this was why she could allow him to use her body for over a week, and even go out to sea alone to carry out missions for her?

If it were someone else, like Chaton, she probably would have taken action long ago, simply knocking him out to get through these few days in the most brutal and simple way.

"Commodore Gion?"

Noah, behind her, saw Momousagi staring at the mirror for a long time without a word, and asked tentatively, feeling a bit confused.

"Hmm?"

Momousagi snapped back to reality. She turned her head as if nothing had happened, and while continuing to wipe with the towel, she asked Noah casually:

"Before leaving Marineford, I heard people mention that among the new recruits in the Elite Training Camp this term, there was a madman who trained until he nearly died, spending almost the entire day at the training grounds."

"Looking at you now, I'm afraid this legendary freak is you, right?"

Has my reputation in this regard already spread outside the Recruit Camp?

"I suppose so." Noah scratched his head and answered honestly, "If you're referring to this term, it seems there really isn't anyone who trains harder than me."

"No wonder you look so uncomfortable when you don't train for a day."

Momousagi hung the towel back in its place, thought for a moment, and said, "Since that's the case, I'll go find Kuzan and have him open up a small, separate training room. For these few days, I will provide you with one-on-one guidance."

"Eh?"

Noah's previously low mood instantly climbed to a peak, and his face was filled with great joy. "Really?"

Not only would he get several days of continuous one-on-one guidance, but she would also open a separate training room on the warship. This was incredible treatment; two days ago, when he first met Momousagi, he wouldn't have even dared to dream of it.

"Hmm, consider this compensation for you being unable to participate in this practical assessment."

Momousagi's expression was indifferent, as if she had just done something trivial in passing. "From what I understand, Zephyr only started teaching you the Six Powers recently, right? Do you want me to specifically guide you in that area, or something else?"

"Anything is fine!"

Noah nodded hurriedly, then suddenly remembered something, his eyes lighting up:

"Oh right, and swordsmanship, I forgot to mention. I am a dual-wielding swordsman, and I hope to receive your guidance in the way of the sword!"

He remembered very clearly that the future Momousagi, in addition to her status as a Marine Admiral candidate, was also a master swordsman with superb skills. In terms of swordsmanship alone, almost no one in the entire Marine force could compare to her.

Everyone has their own strengths; at the very least, Teacher Zephyr, who specialized in physical techniques, could hardly compare to Momousagi in this regard.

"Very well."

Momousagi remained indifferent. After giving a slight nod of agreement, she led Noah back to the bedroom, pulled a sword from behind the table, and tossed it to him.

"Take it. After you finish breakfast, I'll go arrange a training room for you so we can begin today's instruction."

"Oh, oh right."

Noah scrambled to catch the sword. He hadn't thought much of it at first, but once he held it, he felt the heavy weight and realized something was off.

Lowering his head to examine it closely, he discovered that what Momousagi had thrown to him was the very same slender sword she always carried at her side. The scabbard was magnificent and elegant, with pale pink decorative tones that matched Momousagi herself.

He flicked his thumb upward, and the blade sprang out halfway. Under the light, it shimmered with a chilling, lethal gleam. The texture was hard, and when his fingertips touched it, it felt like ten-thousand-year-old ice.

"What a fine sword..."

Noah stared at it, mesmerized, for a long time before he finally snapped out of it and couldn't help but mutter to himself.

As a swordsman, he certainly knew quality when he saw it. He was certain that since he began his path in swordsmanship, he had never seen any blade that could compare to the one before him.

"The famous blade Kotpira, ranked among the Wazamono 21."

Momousagi's calm voice drifted over. "Since your eye for quality is decent, I will lend it to you for the time being. However, you only have these three days, so cherish it. Before you leave the warship to carry out your mission, I will take it back. Do you understand?"