Field Training, Bound for West Blue!

Field Training, Bound for West Blue!

A gentle breeze drifted by, rain fell in delicate threads, and time drew back the curtain on June.

The young Tsugikuni Yoriichi officially joined the Marine Academy. Just three days after enrolling, he had already "fought" his way into the good graces of his senior classmates and gotten along with them harmoniously.

The Marine Academy's curriculum was rather demanding for its students. Mornings were spent studying world history and navigation, while after lunch and a brief rest came the intensive combat training of the afternoon.

The Marine Academy offered many different afternoon training subjects, including but not limited to the Marine Six Styles, swordsmanship, firearms, and hand-to-hand combat. Each afternoon, the instructors would usually select two subjects to teach the Marine students.

After these past few days of training, Yoriichi had also gained some understanding of his fellow students.

Most of the Marine Academy's students were elites transferred up from the Four Blues. Only a very small portion were outstanding Marines active on the Grand Line.

The Marines' ranks ranged from Private Third Class to captain. Among these two hundred people, the highest-ranking was a captain like Momonga. Only two others shared his rank; both were around thirty years old and had been transferred from the West Blue and North Blue respectively.

The Marines at the academy had a wide age range. Excluding Tsugikuni Yoriichi, the youngest was sixteen and the oldest thirty-two. There were talented students who had only just entered the Marines, as well as hardened veterans tempered by countless battles.

Because Tsugikuni Yoriichi had caused quite a bit of commotion when he enrolled, everyone at the academy knew him despite his being a newcomer. Even the instructors at the Marine Academy all knew his name.

Tsugikuni Yoriichi's reputation had spread far beyond the Marine Academy. Thanks to a few gossip-loving instructors, in just three days nearly every officer and soldier at Marine Headquarters knew that the academy had produced a super genius only twelve years old, one who had beaten up the older students as soon as he entered.

Some interested people had even dug into Tsugikuni Yoriichi's background and learned that Garp had brought him from the East Blue. Those with particularly well-informed sources had also uncovered the fact that Yoriichi had wiped out a pirate crew in the East Blue with a combined bounty of eleven million Beli.

However, no one knew that Yoriichi and Aokiji had joined forces to wipe out the Nyuk Pirates.

It seemed that Garp had deliberately kept that matter under wraps.

After joining the Marine Academy, Yoriichi's life became quite regular. Every morning, he attended academic classes step by step with his "fellow" students.

When afternoon practical combat classes came around, Yoriichi was often drafted by the combat instructors to "help" serve as a sparring partner and improve his fellow students' strength.

There was an enormous gap between those students and Yoriichi. Sparring with them offered Yoriichi no great benefit at all.

However, Yoriichi's current training focus was the coverage range of his Haki. Thus, while sparring with those students, he would consciously coat his body in Armament Haki for defense. His Haki training was not delayed.

Over the course of three days, Yoriichi's Haki coverage range increased somewhat, though the improvement was not particularly large.

But ever since Yoriichi learned Life Return from Zephyr, combined with his Breathing Technique, his physique had steadily strengthened day by day. Every morning when he woke up, Tsugikuni Yoriichi could clearly feel himself becoming stronger.

From the perspective of the Transparent World, he could immediately catch even the slightest change in his body.

However, because power levels in the world of the Pirate King were rather vaguely defined, Yoriichi did not know exactly where he stood. But there was one thing he did know: the Doriki Value of his full-power strike had already exceeded the test stone wall's measuring range. In other words, his Doriki Value had surpassed 7,000.

In the days that followed, Yoriichi continued training day after day. While completing his Marine Academy coursework, he would sometimes spar with Zephyr after returning home in the evenings. Fighting an expert like Zephyr always brought Yoriichi something to gain.

As Yoriichi trained, the coverage range of his Armament Haki grew larger and larger.

Three months of peaceful life passed in the blink of an eye.

At the beginning of September, Yoriichi's Armament Haki could finally cover his entire body, and he could maintain full output in battle for an hour.

Smack!

Smack!

Smack!

Marineford on an autumn night was quiet and tranquil.

Yet from the dojo in the home of Marine Headquarters' chief instructor, Zephyr, the constant sound of bamboo swords crashing rang out.

Inside Zephyr's home dojo.

Tsugikuni Yoriichi wore a loose black training outfit. Sweat had long since soaked through his inner clothes. Yet Yoriichi paid it no mind. Gripping his bamboo sword in both hands, after a brief pause, he charged fiercely at Zephyr and swung at his waist and abdomen.

At this moment, Tsugikuni Yoriichi's entire body was coated in Armament Haki, and his sword strike carried tremendous force. Zephyr also held a bamboo sword. Seeing Yoriichi attack, his expression turned serious as he swiftly raised his sword to block.

The two bamboo swords collided with a crisp smack.

In an instant, a burst of air suddenly erupted through the dojo despite the windows being shut, rapidly spreading outward in all directions.

"Mm! Not bad. You've improved quickly!"

Zephyr praised him as he suddenly exerted force through his hands, knocking Tsugikuni Yoriichi's sword aside before slashing backhandedly at Yoriichi's chest.

Tsugikuni Yoriichi saw Zephyr's attack clearly. By now, he could react to attacks of Zephyr's level.

Yoriichi raised the bamboo sword in his hand and swiftly blocked Zephyr's attack. Their Armament Haki clashed once more through the collision of their bamboo swords, and the resulting gust scattered the bamboo swords leaning against the wall.

At the same time, after blocking the strike, Tsugikuni Yoriichi quickly leaped back two meters before landing steadily on the ground.

"You can now barely withstand attacks using seventy percent of my strength, Yoriichi. Very good!"

"With your current strength, you can barely be considered someone of note across the seas."

"Now, I can rest a little easier."

Zephyr looked at Tsugikuni Yoriichi in the distance, his face full of satisfaction.

In the short three months since Tsugikuni Yoriichi returned to Marine Headquarters, his Armament Haki had progressed to the point where it could cover his entire body. At the same time, Yoriichi's physique had improved tremendously. Now, even when sparring with Yoriichi, Zephyr no longer dared to try catching his blade barehanded.

Yoriichi's speed, strength, and two types of Haki had all improved enormously. In ordinary sparring, Zephyr no longer had any opportunity to catch Yoriichi's blade barehanded.

In Zephyr's view, what Tsugikuni Yoriichi still lacked compared to top-tier experts was only the intensity of his two types of Haki and the gap in physique.

As for combat experience and the like, the fighting ability Tsugikuni Yoriichi had displayed had long since earned Zephyr's recognition.

"Teacher Zephyr, don't praise me like that. I still have a long way to go."

Yoriichi shook his head as he spoke.

He still had a clear understanding of himself. Though he had never fought Zephyr with real swords, after sparring with him for so long, Yoriichi clearly knew that his Armament Haki was still not strong enough. He remained quite far from an expert of Zephyr's level.

Speaking only of Armament Haki intensity, Yoriichi estimated that he was merely somewhat stronger than Virgo at his peak.

Of course, if he faced Virgo head-on, Yoriichi was confident he could defeat him within five exchanges.

"Yoriichi, Headquarters had actually arranged for all of you Marine Academy students to go out to sea for field training."

"But I held it down before. Now that you have this kind of strength, I can be somewhat more at ease."

"Your field training location is the West Blue. With your strength, there shouldn't be much danger if fighting breaks out."

"One week from now, Colonel Kane of Marine Branch 133 will come to Headquarters to report on his duties. When the time comes, you and Kyros will return to the West Blue with him."

Zephyr walked to the wall and set down his bamboo sword before speaking to Tsugikuni Yoriichi.

Upon hearing the news about going out to sea for field training, Yoriichi's eyes lit up. But in the next moment, he seemed to think of something and asked in confusion, "Just Kyros and me? What about everyone else?"

Hearing this, Zephyr smiled and replied:

"Only you two are Private Third Class, complete rookies. Most of the others are elites from the Four Blues. Their field training location is the Grand Line."