Test, an Unusual Sword Technique!

Test, an Unusual Sword Technique!

"Yoriichi, the admission requirements for the Marine Academy are very strict."

"Only those with a Doriki Value above 80 are qualified to study and advance at the Marine Academy."

"Do you know what 80 means? An ordinary adult man with some training only has a Doriki Value of 10!"

"A Doriki Value of 80 makes someone practically superhuman to ordinary people!"

As he spoke, Zephyr could no longer hide his pride and burst into hearty laughter.

Though he was a former Marine Admiral who had weathered countless storms, whenever he spoke of students and the academy, he was like a child showing off his report card, his face full of pride and excitement.

"Come on, come on, come on! I'll show you around!"

As he spoke, Zephyr led Tsugikuni Yoriichi to the edge of the training grounds. Looking out over the area, he began introducing it to Yoriichi.

"There, that's the shooting range. Everyone who graduates from our Marine Academy is a sharpshooter!"

"There, that field is for hand-to-hand combat sparring. Everyone who graduates from our Marine Academy is a fighting master!"

"There, that building is the dojo. There are dedicated kendo instructors there. Everyone who graduates from our Marine Academy—"

Before Zephyr could finish, Tsugikuni Yoriichi cut in. "They all become Great Swordsmen?!"

Zephyr, who had been eagerly introducing the Marine Academy to Tsugikuni Yoriichi, suddenly choked on his words. After a pause, he stroked his chin and said somewhat awkwardly,

"Well, not exactly. It'd be a stretch to say they all become Great Swordsmen."

The next second, Zephyr continued with a chuckle,

"They all lay a solid foundation for becoming Great Swordsmen!"

"Hahahaha!"

Zephyr laughed loudly as he spoke.

Hearing that, Tsugikuni Yoriichi could not help glancing sideways at Zephyr. It was the first time he had realized that Zephyr was the type to brag. If he had not retained some vague memories of the power hierarchy in the Pirate World, Zephyr's grand promises might really have fooled him.

Great Swordsmen?

How many Great Swordsmen were there in the entire world?

As far as he knew, the Marines did not seem to have even one person who could be called a Great Swordsman!

Still, Tsugikuni Yoriichi did not dislike Zephyr's boasting at all. This middle-aged man, filled with belonging and pride in the Marines, was painting a picture of the "future" for a child who admired the Marines. It gave Tsugikuni Yoriichi a sense of peace he had never felt before.

He had never experienced such a feeling in the Demon Slayer World.

After being interrupted by Tsugikuni Yoriichi, Zephyr continued introducing the Marine Academy to Yoriichi. The animated look on his face left Yoriichi briefly distracted.

After listening for quite some time, Yoriichi noticed Zephyr slowing down and pointed at the kendo hall Zephyr had introduced earlier.

"Teacher Zephyr, can we go take a look at that kendo hall?"

Hearing this, Zephyr looked down at Tsugikuni Yoriichi beside him. Seeing the long sword in Yoriichi's hand, he smiled and nodded.

"Of course! Let's go!"

"Perfect. You can test your Doriki there too."

"I also want to see what kind of brat could make Garp personally bring him back to Marineford."

As they spoke, the two crossed the training grounds and headed toward the distant kendo hall. The tall and small figures drew the attention of quite a few trainees who were in the middle of training.

"Hey! Who's that brat following Teacher Zephyr? I've never seen him before!"

"A relative? Or a new student?"

"Idiot, how could Teacher Zephyr still have relatives? And recruitment season is already over! Besides, that kid is way too young!"

Ignoring the trainees' chatter, Zephyr led Tsugikuni Yoriichi straight to the front of the kendo hall.

Though it had looked rather small from afar, Yoriichi realized he had been mistaken once he stood before it.

The dojo before him probably covered several thousand square meters. After taking off his shoes and entering, he looked around to see rows of long racks lining the walls, each holding bamboo swords. There had to be over a thousand of them.

The dojo was a modified Japanese-style building. The load-bearing pillars were arranged in orderly rows, dividing the vast hall of several thousand square meters into smaller "training areas" of several dozen square meters each.

This dojo could probably accommodate three hundred people training at once with ease.

Tsugikuni Yoriichi did not know how many years it had been since he had stepped into a dojo like this. Ever since he had left the Tsugikuni Family and begun hunting demons, he had never entered one again.

Looking at this unfamiliar yet familiar dojo, Yoriichi was somewhat dazed.

Zephyr assumed Tsugikuni Yoriichi was seeing such a large dojo for the first time. Pride appeared on his face as he casually picked up a bamboo sword by the entrance, walked into the middle of the hall, and suddenly said to Tsugikuni Yoriichi,

"Yoriichi, interested in a little spar?"

"I heard from Garp that you're pretty good with a sword!"

"My swordsmanship is nothing special, but it's decent enough. So? Want to have some fun?"

Zephyr's words pulled Tsugikuni Yoriichi back to reality. Since Zephyr was interested, Yoriichi was naturally willing to spar.

To be honest, he had not been in this world for long, and he did not have a clear grasp of his own strength.

Back on that island, he had easily slain a giant beast, but Tsugikuni Yoriichi also knew that killing such a creature could not serve as a measure of strength at all.

He vaguely remembered that even Luffy, when he had first set sail, could easily take down a King of the nearby sea.

His second time fighting had been against Garp, and Garp had knocked him out with one punch.

The third time had been when he attacked that pirate ship. According to Garp's assessment, his strength should have been comparable to that of a field-grade officer. But that kind of assessment could not serve as a standard for measuring strength either.

Field-grade officers? A strong colonel and a weak major could be worlds apart! Even colonels of the same rank could differ enormously in strength.

You might not believe it, but Smoker and Morgan were both colonels.

Yes, that Axe King who had knocked down the hero Garp with a single swing.

And during that battle against the pirates, Yoriichi had not even used his full strength.

If I fight Teacher Zephyr, I'll be able to clearly understand where my strength stands in the Pirate King world now.

He probably won't knock me out with one punch like Vice Admiral Garp, right?

With that thought, Yoriichi casually leaned his sword against the wall, grabbed a bamboo sword, and walked up to Zephyr. Without wasting words, he raised the bamboo sword with both hands and said to Zephyr,

"Teacher, I will go all out. Please be careful."

Hearing Yoriichi's words, Zephyr smiled, casually holding his bamboo sword as he said,

"Come at me!"

The moment his words fell, Yoriichi adjusted his breathing, and his entire aura changed abruptly. If Tsugikuni Yoriichi had been a calm lake like an ordinary person just a second ago, then now he was a raging sea. The presence pouring from him was not something a young boy should possess.

And in Tsugikuni Yoriichi's Transparent World, Zephyr, standing before him with his sword in hand, was full of openings!

"Hm?!"

Zephyr's expression sharpened when he saw Yoriichi's aura suddenly change. The bamboo sword that had been pointing toward the floor instantly rose before his chest. The next second, Tsugikuni Yoriichi vanished from where he stood.

Within the dojo, an eerie, illusory mist began to rise, filling the entire hall in just two breaths.

"What is this?!"

"A Devil Fruit ability?!"

"Garp never told me the brat had an ability like this!"

"No, no... it doesn't feel like a Devil Fruit ability."

"Is it purely a sword technique?"

Zephyr spread his Observation Haki, his brows slightly furrowed as he muttered inwardly.

The next second, Tsugikuni Yoriichi's figure suddenly emerged from the illusory mist, appearing to Zephyr's right. His bamboo sword swept horizontally toward Zephyr's abdomen.

"Mist Breathing—Still Water Slash!"