Zephyr's Jaw Drops! (Double Chapter)

Zephyr's Jaw Drops! (Double Chapter)

After returning to Marine Headquarters, Tsugikuni Yoriichi once again moved into Zephyr's home.

Although he and Zephyr had only known each other for a brief half month, the moment Zephyr appeared on Garp's warship to pick Yoriichi up and bring him "home," Yoriichi's attitude toward the man had completely changed.

Before that, he had always been rather reserved around Zephyr. It was not as though they were distant, but there had always been an invisible barrier between them, preventing them from truly opening their hearts to one another.

Yoriichi had never truly felt a sense of belonging in the Marines. However, after that day, his attitude changed. At the very least, his attitude toward Zephyr changed.

Zephyr truly treated Tsugikuni Yoriichi like his own nephew. That one "Teacher" Yoriichi called him was not said for nothing.

From the moment Garp brought the boy with the "birthmark" on his face before him, Zephyr had been fond of Yoriichi. When he accepted Yoriichi calling him "Teacher" in front of Garp, it had not been meaningless either.

Tsugikuni Yoriichi was extraordinarily gifted, reserved, and polite. It was precisely because Zephyr liked Yoriichi that he let him live in his home. After Yoriichi moved in, Zephyr even had a dojo specially built in the house for Yoriichi's future development, giving him a place to train.

Yoriichi had thought that since he and Zephyr had only spent half a month together, their relationship had not yet been firmly established.

But in Zephyr's eyes, from the moment he accepted Tsugikuni Yoriichi's "Teacher," the two of them had become the closest of teacher and student.

In the early morning, the sky had only just begun to brighten.

A faint mist shrouded all of Marineford.

Tsugikuni Yoriichi's room was dim and gray. The faint morning light filtering through the window only made the room slightly brighter.

After Tsugikuni Yoriichi moved back into this room, its furnishings had changed somewhat.

Originally, the empty room had contained only a futon on the tatami mats and a wardrobe by the window. Now, a brand-new sword rack stood beside the wardrobe.

Three long swords rested on the rack. At the top was Tsugikuni Yoriichi's own blade, Black Blade Dawnbreaker. Beneath Dawnbreaker lay two sharp long swords without sheaths.

These two swords had once been Kozuki Oden's weapons. Both were among the 21 Great Grade Blades: Enma and Ama no Habakiri.

These two swords were Garp's spoils of war.

But Garp himself did not use swords at all, and aside from Bogard, there was no swordsman on his ship skilled with such weapons.

Not wanting such fine weapons to go to waste, Garp gave both swords to Tsugikuni Yoriichi. In his words, it was useless for him to keep such famous blades. If they were given to mediocrities, they might as well be stored away and never used.

Originally, Garp had only intended to give Tsugikuni Yoriichi one sword, Ama no Habakiri. He had planned to put Enma away, because this Demon Blade was not easy to wield, and he feared Yoriichi might hurt himself.

But after seeing Tsugikuni Yoriichi wield Enma that day, Garp abandoned that idea and gave both swords to Yoriichi. As for how Yoriichi wanted to handle them, Garp would not interfere. Once they had been given away, they belonged to Yoriichi.

Yoriichi did not refuse Garp's kindness. The quality of these two swords truly was excellent. Though he was not some "three-sword style" swordsman, he would not turn down the chance to collect famous blades.

As for how to repay Garp, Yoriichi had already made up his mind.

After coming of age, he would join the Marines. He absolutely would not become a pirate, join the Revolutionary Army, or become a traitorous officer. And when he faced battles in the future, he would not become a deserter either~

He would protect the dignity of Garp, the Marine King.

The mist shrouding Marineford gradually dispersed, and dawn light streamed into Tsugikuni Yoriichi's room.

Tsugikuni Yoriichi, who had been deeply asleep, was awakened by his own "diligence" and slowly opened his eyes.

Sitting up, Yoriichi blankly looked over his surroundings. After sitting still for a long while, a faint smile suddenly appeared on his face. He rose to his feet, found a loose white training outfit in the wardrobe, put it on, casually picked up Dawnbreaker from the sword rack, and walked out of the room.

Even now, Yoriichi still felt a little unreal. He had spent too long sailing at sea and had grown accustomed to the rocking of a ship and the enveloping feel of a hammock. Suddenly changing where he slept left him somewhat unaccustomed to it.

Rubbing his neck, he entered the courtyard, briefly washed up by the pool, then turned with his sword and headed for the dojo nearby.

Just then, Zephyr's voice came from behind Yoriichi.

"Hey! Yoriichi, you're up pretty early!"

"How did you sleep?"

Turning around, Yoriichi looked toward Zephyr, who was slowly walking toward him from the end of the corridor. Then he smiled warmly and replied, "I slept very comfortably. Sleeping on a ship isn't nearly as comfortable as sleeping at home."

"You have no idea how bad Kuzan's feet stink."

"The entire cabin reeks of his 'manly scent.'"

Hearing Yoriichi "complain" about Aokiji, Zephyr could not help bursting into laughter. "Kuzan! That kid's feet stink? Hahahaha!"

"Now that he's back this time, his rotation is over. He's about to be promoted to commodore."

"I hadn't even decided how to congratulate him yet, but after hearing that, I'll give him a better pair of military boots."

"So he won't have no shoes to change into and end up with stinky feet, hahahaha!"

Zephyr and Yoriichi had found "common ground," and the conversation immediately began flowing.

Zephyr had been about to have a proper talk with Yoriichi about "Kuzan's stinky feet," when he inadvertently noticed the long sword in Yoriichi's hand and recalled that Yoriichi seemed to have been planning to head to the dojo.

"Yoriichi, are you going to start training so early in the morning?" Zephyr asked with a smile. Although he already knew the answer, he still hoped to hear Yoriichi confirm it himself.

"Yeah, I don't want to waste the morning."

"I learned some things on Vice Admiral Garp's ship. I want to keep training and strengthen them."

Hearing Yoriichi's answer, Zephyr nodded approvingly.

Look at that! This was what an outstanding disciple looked like. Only this level of diligence qualified someone to be his disciple! Looking at Yoriichi, Zephyr could not help recalling that lazy fool he had taught in the past. Even if he was a vice admiral now, a fool was still a fool! (Hey, don't hide. I'm talking about you, Borsalino.)

Along with his satisfaction, Zephyr also became curious about the "things" Yoriichi had learned.

He wanted to see whether Yoriichi had improved over the three months at sea. If he had not, Zephyr would go settle accounts with Garp!

"Yoriichi, spar with me."

"Let me see how much you've improved after all this time."

Yoriichi nodded and followed Zephyr into the dojo. Setting the long sword aside, Yoriichi picked up a bamboo sword from beside the wall and walked before Zephyr.

Zephyr did not take a bamboo sword. He stood barehanded in front of Yoriichi. Seeing Yoriichi holding a bamboo sword before him, he smiled and casually beckoned. "Come on, Yoriichi. Go all out. Don't hold anything back."

"I'm starting, Teacher Zephyr. Please be careful."

Yoriichi nodded, held the sword upright before him with both hands, and the instant his words fell, Tsugikuni Yoriichi's figure abruptly vanished from before Zephyr.

"Hm?!" Zephyr could not help uttering a soft cry. At that moment, his naked eyes could not capture Tsugikuni Yoriichi's figure at all, so he hurriedly used Observation Haki to locate Yoriichi.

The next second, Tsugikuni Yoriichi suddenly appeared behind Zephyr. Armament Haki flowed around the bamboo sword in his hand as he viciously slashed at Zephyr's waist. The strike was so fast that it even let out a piercing howl through the air.

"Good boy!"

Detecting the attack, Zephyr could not help crying out. He hurriedly raised his left hand to block his waist, coating his entire body in Armament Haki as he prepared to take the blow head-on.

Clang!!!

After a tremendous crash, Tsugikuni Yoriichi flashed backward after delivering the strike, swiftly opening up distance from Zephyr.

Zephyr remained standing in place without moving an inch. Feeling the faint pain coming from his arm, his face was filled with astonishment.

"Not only did you learn Soru, you even integrated Armament Haki into it."

"After covering your legs in Haki, you also covered your arms and bamboo sword. The range is this broad?!"

"And the force behind that slash was incredibly powerful. It actually made me feel pain."

"In just three months, you've grown to this extent?!"

After falling silent for a long while, Zephyr stared blankly at Tsugikuni Yoriichi and spoke in surprise.

Zephyr had once been an admiral of Marine Headquarters. Unlike the "three animals" of the future, who had reached the rank of admiral through Devil Fruit powers, Zephyr had risen to such heights through pure physical prowess and formidable Haki.

He was currently in the prime of his life, and his strength was at its peak.

In all of Marine Headquarters, the number of people capable of breaking his defense through physical attacks could be counted on one hand. He had not felt something like pain in who knew how many years, ever since becoming the Marines' chief instructor.

But now, Tsugikuni Yoriichi had actually made him feel pain with that bamboo sword!

Three months ago, he could have blocked Yoriichi's attacks with Tekkai alone. Yet three months later, even with Haki, he could no longer completely ignore Tsugikuni Yoriichi's slashes.

Zephyr had never anticipated such terrifying progress from Tsugikuni Yoriichi.

"Teacher Zephyr, are you all right?"

"Should we continue?"

Yoriichi's strike had hit Zephyr. Through the Transparent World, he could clearly see that the spot he had struck had reddened slightly. It was not an injury at all, but being able to achieve even that made Yoriichi extremely happy. If he had used an actual sword, it would not have been as simple as reddening!

He had broken through Zephyr's defense. Even without using his own weapon, even with only a bamboo sword, Yoriichi could now breach the defense of a top powerhouse like Zephyr.

To Yoriichi, this was enormous progress.

When the Straw Hats, who were practically invincible in the movie, first encountered Zephyr, they had not even managed this.

"Hahahahaha!"

"Yoriichi, keep going!"

"This is getting a little interesting."

"You really have surprised me! Hahahahaha!"

"But I can't let my disciple look down on me. I need to put in a little effort!"

As Zephyr spoke, he bent his legs slightly and moved first. In an instant, he appeared directly in front of Tsugikuni Yoriichi. His fist, as large as a sandbag, smashed straight toward Yoriichi's head with thunderous speed.

Zephyr's speed was so fast that, in Yoriichi's eyes, it was as though a beam of light had shot toward him. There was no way to evade it. Although the Transparent World and Observation Haki accurately captured Zephyr's movements, his body could not make any effective evasive motion at all.

Yoriichi could only raise the bamboo sword with all his strength and block above his head.

But the next second, Zephyr's fist smashed directly into the bamboo sword. The bamboo sword coated in Armament Haki snapped on impact. Yoriichi's pupils contracted slightly as his Armament Haki shifted to cover his forehead, preparing to take Zephyr's heavy punch.

Faced with the speed Zephyr displayed, Yoriichi could only sigh inwardly. As expected of a top powerhouse capable of keeping up with Kizaru's Glint-Glint Fruit.

Yet just as Zephyr's fist was about to smash into Tsugikuni Yoriichi's head, Zephyr suddenly stopped. The descending heavy fist opened into a palm, which lightly rested atop Yoriichi's head.

"Not bad! Very good!"

"You could still react to my attack. Your Observation Haki training is quite good!"

"Yoriichi, you've truly grown a great deal in these short months. Not only did you learn Soru, you even mastered both Armament Haki and Observation Haki! This rate of growth has far exceeded my expectations."

"You really are a genius, kid! Hahahahaha!"

Zephyr laughed loudly as he pressed a hand to Yoriichi's head. Though their exchange had lasted only a single encounter, Zephyr already had a clear grasp of Yoriichi's progress. Soru from the Six Powers, plus both types of Haki.

For Tsugikuni Yoriichi to train these three things to this degree in only three months had vastly exceeded Zephyr's expectations. He had originally thought Yoriichi would already be exceptional if he managed to learn even one of the Six Powers under Garp.

After all, among the Marines, quite a few rear admirals who specialized in physical combat had only learned one technique. Some vice admirals had only mastered three or four of the Six Powers. For these people, training just one technique might take half a year or even a full year.

Some people could not master even one technique after several years. Their whole lives, they could only rely on seniority to become a branch colonel, and that would be the end of it.

With Yoriichi's current strength, most vice admirals of Marine Headquarters might not even be Tsugikuni Yoriichi's match!

And this fellow was only twelve years old. Moreover, given Tsugikuni Yoriichi's talent, his current strength was still far from his limit!

"Yoriichi, I roughly understand your improvement now."

"I never expected you to master so many things in such a short time."

"As expected of my disciple."

"Now, it seems your next goal should be to first expand the range of your Haki coverage. Once you can cover your whole body at the same time, you should train the intensity of your Haki."

"Haki also has quality. Quality represents the strength of your Haki, while quantity determines how long you can fight using Haki."

"Yoriichi, if you maintained the same Haki output as just now, how long could you fight?"

At that, Zephyr's face showed some curiosity as he asked.

"I haven't actually fought like that, so I can't say exactly. But if I had to estimate, half an hour shouldn't be a problem."

Hearing this, Zephyr nodded. A flash of satisfaction passed across his face before he patted Yoriichi on the shoulder and said earnestly,

"A true powerhouse can fight at full output for five or ten days without any problem at all!"

"You are still far from becoming a true powerhouse. Never become arrogant, and never stop moving forward."

Tsugikuni Yoriichi could not help nodding at those words.

He did not doubt the truth of Zephyr's words, because he knew that the endurance of powerhouses in the world of the Pirate King really was that terrifying.

He had never considered this before, but now that Zephyr mentioned it, Yoriichi realized he likely still had a long road ahead of him. At the very least, he could not even fight at full power for a single day.

It could not be helped. His Haki reserves did not allow it, and neither did his stamina.

"Yoriichi, did Garp ever tell you what Life Return is?!"

Seeing Yoriichi deep in thought, Zephyr suddenly remembered something and asked with a smile.

Yoriichi's pupils shrank slightly. He had heard that name before, but it was not one of the Six Powers. Garp truly had never specifically told him about Life Return.

He had also been so immersed in Haki training that he could not pull himself away, and had never considered it.

Shaking his head, Yoriichi looked up at Zephyr.

"Heh, it looks like that fool Garp forgot to teach you the most important thing! The reason you've improved so much in the end is because of your outstanding talent."

"Life Return is the most fundamental thing for strengthening the body!"

"Yoriichi, in the time ahead, you must prioritize mastering this!"

"I'll teach you!"

(End of Chapter)