Garlic Bird, Garlic Bird, It's Not Easy for Anyone!

For the first few days, although Luo Tian's swordsmanship was at a high level, he lacked experience in life-or-death combat. He was often suppressed by the seasoned Golden Lion Shiki in terms of adaptability and rhythm, forcing him to rely on his fruit ability to hold his own.

However, as the sparring continued, Luo Tian's hundredfold-enhanced learning and adaptation abilities began to manifest in terrifying fashion.

His grasp of sword techniques, timing, and momentum climbed rapidly.

Now, without using his fruit ability and competing solely on swordsmanship, he could fight Golden Lion Shiki to a standstill, occasionally even landing exquisite counters that forced Golden Lion Shiki to treat him with caution.

As for the Space-Space Fruit ability, Luo Tian had not slacked off either.

Every night, he would delve deep into his training, attempting to develop new applications or refine his existing moves.

The only slight regret was that the system had not issued a single mission in the past month, meaning he had not gained any new rewards.

But he also understood that relying solely on system rewards to improve his strength was not feasible; steady, down-to-earth cultivation was the true path.

"Kid Luo Tian, you training maniac, do you still want to fight?"

Golden Lion Shiki took a swig of wine and looked at the composed Luo Tian, his eyes a mix of shock and gratification.

"Your speed of improvement is simply horrifying."

To be honest, the speed at which Luo Tian's strength was rising made even an old-timer like him, who had seen all kinds of storms, feel secretly alarmed.

Those of them who stood at the pinnacle, who among them hadn't waded through mountains of corpses and seas of blood, forging their strength and experience with time and blood?

Yet, Luo Tian had only been with the Rocks Pirates for a month, and especially through these recent bouts of sparring, the combat experience and mastery of power he had accumulated already surpassed most of the officers in the crew who had climbed the ranks through seniority.

This guy was a monster born for battle.

What was even more terrifying was that he was still so young.

His potential was bottomless.

"Golden Lion Shiki, our swordsmanship is now evenly matched."

Luo Tian sheathed his blade and looked at the setting sun on the horizon, his tone calm.

"If we continue to spar purely with swordsmanship like this, I fear there won't be much room for further progress in the short term."

"Hahaha! Kid Luo Tian, what kind of big talk is that!"

Golden Lion Shiki laughed heartily. Although he was secretly shocked by the speed of Luo Tian's progress, he refused to concede in words.

"You've only just scratched the surface; you're still a long way from my true level!"

Admit to a draw with a "newbie"? That would be more painful than killing him.

"Hmph—"

A deep, thunderous sneer suddenly cut in.

"Is that so, Golden Lion Shiki? How come I feel that after this month, your strength hasn't improved at all, but your skin has grown thick enough to block cannonballs?"

Whitebeard leaped down from the bow of the ship high above, his massive frame carrying an astonishing presence. He landed beside the two, causing the ground to tremble slightly.

He really couldn't stand this look on Golden Lion Shiki's face.

Earlier at the banquet, he had been boasting about being the "strongest swordsman," yet after dozens of matches with Luo Tian, every single one had ended in a draw once they were exhausted.

With the iron-clad facts right before his eyes, how could he still spout such nonsense without changing his expression?

Could this guy's face be thicker than the Red Line?

The more Whitebeard thought about it, the more annoyed he became. Sometimes he really wanted to coat his Murakumogiri in shockwaves and blast this guy, ship and all, to the bottom of the sea to feed the fish.

"Newgate, what are you meddling for?" Golden Lion Shiki's face darkened as he retorted unceremoniously:

"This is a swordsmanship exchange between me and Luo Tian. Is it your place, a brute who doesn't understand the essence of the sword, to interrupt?"

He never had a kind look for this guy who always loved to undermine him. It was truly detestable that he had to ruin his attempt to maintain some dignity in front of a junior!

"Gurarara! A brute?"

Whitebeard laughed instead of getting angry. He crossed his arms and looked down at him, his sarcasm deepening.

"Luo Tian is only twenty, yet he has already used his own strength to rank among the top swordsmen of the sea.

Looking through history, how many people have had this kind of talent?"

He shifted his tone, striking at the heart of the matter:

"What about you? You've dominated the seas for ten years, but in this month of sparring with Luo Tian, have you ever truly won a single match?

With that level of skill, how do you have the face to say Luo Tian is inferior to you?"

Every word was a stinging rebuke.

"Damn it! Whitebeard, you don't know a thing!" Golden Lion Shiki's face turned red, and his golden hair practically stood on end:

"I practice the profound and unfathomable Two-Sword Style!

Using two swords simultaneously, combining offense and defense, with infinite variations—it's many times harder than your clumsy path of holding one blade with two hands!

The mental effort consumed and the precision required are simply not in the same league!

Don't spout nonsense if you don't understand the true meaning of the sword! You're just relying on that Tremor-Tremor Fruit of yours!"

Angered by his own embarrassment, he grabbed the Oto and Kogarashi stuck in the ground nearby and prepared to slash at Whitebeard.

Today, I must make this guy shut his mouth!

Seeing Shiki provoked into making the first move, Whitebeard's lips curled into a smirk, revealing the satisfaction of a scheme successfully executed.

His hands had been itching for a fight, and this was the perfect opportunity to teach this fellow a lesson.

"Come on, come on, it's not easy for either of you, and Shiki just finished a fierce battle with me; winning against him now wouldn't be a fair victory," Luo Tian stepped in as the peacemaker.

Upon hearing this, Whitebeard found some truth in the words and let out a cold snort: "Shiki, do you dare to fight me tomorrow?"

Shiki crossed his arms over his chest: "Bring it on! Do you think I'd shy away from your edge?"

At this moment, Luo Tian spoke up: "Shiki, our swordplay match just now didn't determine a winner, and continuing to fight like that won't yield a result either.

How about this: you and I will each use one of the other's most proficient sword techniques.

Whoever mimics the move with more finesse, captures its essence better, or even improves upon it and demonstrates a deeper understanding, shall be the winner.

How about it? This will not only reflect our understanding of sword techniques but also indirectly highlight the difficulty of cultivation, as the more complex a sword technique is, the harder it is for an outsider to mimic its essence."

"Hahaha! That suits me perfectly!" Shiki laughed as he stood up.

Having fought Luo Tian for a month, he had long since grasped the patterns of his swordplay.

Relying on his years of experience and keen eye for the way of the sword, mimicking sixty or seventy percent of the technique would be no difficult task.

But for Luo Tian to mimic his complex and ever-changing Two-Sword Style? Impossible!

"Hahaha! Since you proposed the contest, I shall demonstrate first and let you see what the foundation of a senior looks like!"

"Watch closely, this move of yours, Sea-Severing!"

Shiki took the lead, and to show how effortless he found it, he gripped Oto with only one hand.

Taking a deep breath, a flash of light ignited in his eyes as he mimicked Luo Tian's starting stance and power-generation method, then swung his blade with force!

A cold glint erupted as a hundred-meter-long sword aura wave slashed out vertically, tearing through space and splitting the sea!

Shiki was quite satisfied with his masterpiece and turned back with an arrogant look:

"How is it? Although the One-Sword Style is fierce, its structural design is relatively simple.

I have already mastered seven or eight parts of the essence of your move.

At the end of the day, my Two-Sword Style is still more complex and profound, making it much harder to cultivate and mimic!"

Luo Tian smiled calmly, not even bothering to critique the imitation, which was riddled with flaws.

"Is that so? Shiki, you had better watch carefully now."

Before Luo Tian's voice had even faded, his figure moved like a ghost.

Shiki felt a lightness at his waist as his other Great Grade sword, Kogarashi, had already fallen into Luo Tian's hands.

He held a blade in each hand, hunched slightly, his eyes instantly becoming focused and sharp.

Hum—

A heart-stopping sword hum faintly resonated, not from the blades themselves, but from the sword intent condensing around Luo Tian's body.

Streaks of solid, tangible, azure sword aura, carrying an aura of destruction, swirled rapidly around the blades of Black Dragon and Kogarashi like living creatures, converging and emitting a low, whistling roar!