Blue Chicken

"Who the hell are you?"

For the first time in a long while, Noah felt both embarrassed and indignant. With a swish, he viciously pointed his bamboo sword at the top of the wall. "Squatting up there early in the morning and suddenly speaking without warning is really scary, you know!"

"Ah, sorry about that."

The guy scratched his messy hair. "I accidentally fell asleep. I just woke up and didn't think much about it. That was rude of me."

"Your attitude is sincere enough. Fine, I'll forgive you this once."

Noah lowered his bamboo sword and eyed the guy suspiciously. "Just woke up? Don't tell me you slept on that wall all night?"

"Well, not the whole night."

The man yawned again and muttered, "I only got back to Marine Headquarters after three in the morning. I was too tired to bother finding my way home, so I just picked a spot and rested for a bit."

What a strange guy.

"Now that it's light out, please hurry home."

Noah was speechless for a moment before pointing toward the exit of the training grounds. "When I'm practicing swordsmanship, I don't like having strangers watching nearby."

"That's understandable."

As the guy flipped down from the wall, stretching lazily, he asked, "Then I'll be going. Oh, right, by the way, where would Teacher Zephyr usually be at this hour?"

"He probably just got up, so he's likely in the cafeteria. Hey, are you also Teacher Zephyr's..."

As Noah watched the guy emerge from the thick fog, his words abruptly cut off. His expression froze slightly.

"Mr. Kuzan?"

The man stepping out of the fog wore a black coat and a purple bandana embroidered with the Marine scales emblem. Beneath his messy black curls was a face Noah found unmistakably familiar.

—He was none other than Aokiji, one of the future Three Admirals.

Of course, he had yet to receive the admiral-exclusive title of "Aokiji." The twenty-eight-year-old Kuzan was still young and currently served as a vice admiral at Marine Headquarters.

"Ah, my, I was recognized?"

Aokiji looked at Noah in surprise and could not help scratching his head. "Even a junior from the Recruit Camp who hasn't graduated yet recognized me at a glance. Looks like I haven't been wasting my time these past few years. I've made at least a little name for myself."

His expression remained easygoing, but now that Noah knew who he was, acting as casually as before would have been quite disrespectful.

"You're too modest, Mr. Kuzan."

Noah stood straight and gave Aokiji a standard military salute before speaking solemnly. "Teacher Zephyr considers you his pride. He's used you as an example several times to educate and encourage us."

"His pride..."

Aokiji murmured those words. For some reason, scenes he had gradually buried deep within his memories resurfaced months later, flashing before his eyes one by one like a revolving lantern.

The evacuation ship exploding amid cannon fire, Sakazuki's cold profile, the cries and wails of civilians, the despairing gaze of the black-haired girl...

And the "Dereshishishi" laughter of his deceased friend, which seemed to still echo in his mind.

"I can hardly be called an example."

His mood suddenly sank, and he lost all desire to talk. He turned to look at the utterly baffled Noah, sighed, and waved a hand. "...Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. We can talk next time we meet."

After saying that, Aokiji left the training grounds on his own. His back vanished into the thick fog, gradually disappearing from Noah's sight.

Judging by the direction, he was clearly heading straight for the cafeteria to find Zephyr.

"What's with that guy..."

Watching Aokiji's retreating figure, Noah felt somewhat bewildered. That did not seem like the man's usual temperament. It was rare for him to run into such an impressive senior from the same school, and he had been pleasantly surprised, intending to chat a little longer.

Unable to figure it out, he could not be bothered to dwell on it. Shaking his head, he picked up his bamboo sword and focused on swordsmanship practice.

As usual, he first performed standard "suburi" swings once every two seconds, continuing without interruption for half an hour.

After resting briefly and loosening his aching wrists, he picked up another bamboo sword and practiced Two-Sword Style techniques with both blades.

"Two-Sword Style."

Before obtaining the system, this was one of the few skills Noah possessed that had reached the beginner level. Having practiced swordsmanship since childhood for over ten years, he had long mastered the basic techniques of Two-Sword Style to perfection.

Even considering swordsmanship fundamentals alone, he ranked among the best in the entire Elite Training Camp and was no worse than any swordsman his age.

The reason he had chosen Two-Sword Style might have had something to do with his father, Captain Romanov, being an outstanding Two-Sword Style swordsman as well.

But honestly, Noah felt that he had been influenced by all the manga he had read in his previous life. The idea that Two-Sword Style looked impossibly cool and could max out one's style points had taken deep root in his mind.

Aoshi Shinomori, Spring Water, Miyamoto Musashi... even Captain Levi and Grandpa Kirito could be considered living examples.

"Phew..."

After repeating the sword techniques several times, his stamina had been drained considerably as well. Noah panted heavily, his gaze clearing as he pulled himself free from the single-minded state he had just been in.

Looking at the bamboo swords in his hands, already scuffed and warped, he scratched his head. At this rate of wear and tear, he estimated that he would have to replace them again within a few days.

Come to think of it, he had been in the Marine Headquarters Recruit Camp for less than a year, yet he had already worn out twenty or thirty bamboo swords through his usual personal training alone.

"I wonder if the system shop can refresh famous swords or blades..."

As Noah gathered up his coat and headed toward the cafeteria, he quietly speculated.

"If it can, how many points would a good sword of Ryo Wazamono grade cost?"

Hopefully it would not be too expensive. Otherwise, he might as well wait until after graduation and seize one himself.

Just as Noah finished his morning swordsmanship training and headed toward the cafeteria,

in a spacious office located at the northeastern corner of the Elite Training Camp, Zephyr, the chief instructor in charge of the entire Marine Headquarters Recruit Camp, was meeting with his prized student, who had come specifically to visit him.

"Sherry wine produced in the Orpho Kingdom of North Blue?"

Zephyr accepted the two bottles of wine from Aokiji, examining the "Sherr" label engraved on them. His eyes immediately lit up, and he broke into a wide grin.

"I like it! I'll take this gift. Just as I thought, Kuzan, you brat, understand me best!"

"I'm glad you like it, Teacher."

Seeing his mentor again after so long, Aokiji's low spirits eased somewhat. He forced out a smile and spoke softly.

"I seized these from a pirate crew at the beginning of the year. There was half a crate in total, all good stuff aged for over twenty years. When I get the chance next time, I'll definitely bring all of it over so you can enjoy it to your heart's content."

"It's a deal!"

Zephyr burst into laughter, but after putting away the two bottles of sherry and sitting back down behind his desk, his expression gradually turned serious.

"You haven't returned to Marine Headquarters for nearly half a year, have you? Sengoku issued orders for you to come back before, but you claimed to have matters to attend to and drifted around the Four Blues instead..."

Gazing at Aokiji across from him, Zephyr suddenly sighed. "Have you still not moved on from that incident?"