The Mystery of Tornado's Height

Instructors' Office.

"Which trainee do you think will be the first to walk through the door, Father Anderson?" Gozuki asked casually as he sipped from his coffee cup, having nothing better to do.

Anderson was wiping his nearsighted glasses. Squinting through hazy eyes, he smiled and countered, "You know them better than any of the other instructors—and certainly better than I do, since I've only just met them. So, which trainee do you think will be the first to enter?"

"Setting aside that green-haired girl who was kissed on the forehead by God, she is the most shocking... thing I've seen in nearly forty years of life, without question! Even the annual Water Gods tsunami near Enies Lobby—a majestic natural disaster of the highest order—doesn't shock me as much as she does. I'd even be willing to call her a child of God, an angel," Anderson added.

"Tornado really is too outrageous." At the mention of Tornado, Gozuki shook his head repeatedly before declaring with certainty, "Esdeath. I think Esdeath will be the first through the door! To doubt the strength of will of someone with Conqueror's Haki, the doubter would have to be insane. On top of that, she inherited the Barutes Clan's bloodline and forged a powerful body through relentless effort and grueling training. Awakening life energy shouldn't be difficult for her at all."

Anderson put on his glasses. "The Barutes Clan? That formidable tribe from the desolate ice plains at the northernmost edge of the North Blue, who make their living hunting Super Dangerous Beasts?"

"That's right. She's the Barutes Clan's princess." Gozuki could not hide his pride. "One day, she'll surely become a member of the Holy Shield!"

Anderson slowly nodded and sighed mournfully. "Another poor child."

"Yes." Gozuki sighed as well. "Those disgusting scum from the Phantom Troupe really are utterly lawless! Whatever catches their eye, no matter who it belongs to, they dare to rob and steal it. A few years ago, they set their sights on the Barutes Clan... Luckily, the Barutes Clan fought them to the death. Though they paid a devastating price and only Esdeath survived, the Phantom Troupe ran into a hard wall and got smashed bloody themselves. Now they're barely clinging on and can no longer continue endangering the world. That really is a relief."

"Evil must be eradicated completely. Especially criminal organizations with a legacy like the Phantom Troupe—who knows whether someone will inherit their will and raise the Phantom Troupe banner again?" Bill interjected. "They're a troublesome bunch."

Gozuki set down his coffee cup. "Come to think of it, you still haven't answered my question, Father Anderson."

"Bred Hyman," Anderson said with a smile.

Gozuki's first reaction was, "You know him?"

"You may already know this, but Bred is Raschi's nephew," Anderson said. "He's another poor child. His parents were elite scientists in the Science Force, and they unfortunately died some time ago. I was the one who officiated their funeral."

"So that's how it is." Bill clicked his tongue, then immediately added, "That kid... how should I put it? He's far too mature and calm. Sometimes, when I meet his eyes, it sends chills down my spine."

"You were scared by him when he was sleepwalking, weren't you?"

"Hahaha~~~"

"..."

The instructors joked around.

To keep Bill from sneaking into his room at night to hypnotize and brainwash him, Bred had deliberately stayed awake for an entire week. He waited for Bill to show up, chased him down with a knife, and only then went to sleep. In the end, he got the result he wanted—the instructors unanimously concluded that he suffered from sleepwalking. For Bill's personal safety, they temporarily suspended the work of hypnotizing and brainwashing Bred.

"Why Bred? Melard, the Oberg Family's ghost, has tremendous potential as well," Gozuki asked doubtfully.

Anderson opened his Bible and prepared to read. "I don't know which child Melard is. Actually, I also think Esdeath will be the first through the door, but wouldn't it be nice to hold a little extra expectation? Of course, the most beautiful sight would be all of them coming through together."

"The hopes of a senior for the younger generation?" Gozuki agreed wholeheartedly. "You're right. The more talent there is, the better. Then the iron fist of justice can smash the heads of those evil bastards to pieces."

Before he had even finished speaking—

"Knock, knock, knock~~~"

"Bang!"

After three symbolic knocks, the door was pushed open without the slightest courtesy.

Tornado stepped in briskly, Bred looked a little awkward, and Esdeath stood beside them with an expressionless face.

Anderson closed the Bible he had just opened, visibly delighted as he said in a mystical tone, "That was the true light, which gave light to everyone born into the world! A~men!"

"They comprehended and used Ten while awakening life energy?!"

"Huh?"

"Look!"

"Th-this... what kind of talent is this?!"

"A genius—no, a talent unprecedented in nearly eight hundred years of Cipher Pol history!"

"..."

Astonishment, trembling, terror—all the instructors' eyes widened as their jaws dropped. Even though they had accurately predicted it, reality had still surpassed their predictions so thoroughly that it shattered everything they thought they knew.

At that moment, they finally understood that perhaps they were not qualified to call themselves these children's teachers at all.

At that moment, they finally understood that perhaps they needed to start currying favor with them right now.

At that moment, they finally understood that perhaps they were witnessing the birth of a new era.

"Congratulations, children." Anderson rose to his feet. "Come with me. Let's find somewhere with enough room to practice."

A moment later.

"Awakening life energy in just a few hours—without question, you are all exceptionally, exceptionally outstanding, children," Anderson praised.

Tornado snorted impatiently. "Boring. Hurry up."

"Don't be so impatient, Tornado." Anderson spoke gently. "Whether you awaken life energy on your own or have it forcibly awakened with another person's help, that is when you truly begin learning to freely control life energy—when you begin learning Nen! Nen has four major principles. The first is Ten, and you've already grasped its basic trick. Do you remember the cup of water I showed you?"

"Life energy slowly leaks away without us realizing it?" Esdeath asked.

"More or less." Anderson said, "Ten is the technique of completely sealing our life energy within our bodies! Ten can make the body stronger and greatly delay the onset of aging compared to ordinary people..."

Bred raised an eyebrow. "To some extent, life energy is equivalent to lifespan?"

"Yes, Bred." Anderson did not blame Bred for interrupting him rudely.

Tornado, meanwhile, asked cautiously after some hesitation, "Will Ten... will it affect growth?"

After careful consideration, Anderson said, "I don't think it would for ordinary people. When we say Ten prevents life energy from leaking away, we mean it prevents needless waste. In the future, when you fight and train using Nen, Haki, Chakra, or similar powers, all of those are acts of releasing life energy. Thus, there are gains and losses, forming a cycle."

He abruptly changed the subject.

"You... I'm not sure," Anderson said. "It's my first time seeing someone with such an enormous amount of life energy, as if it were inexhaustible and endless—especially since you already know how to entang—"

Crack~~~

An ethereal, crisp sound rang out—the sound of a heart breaking.

Tornado: "..."