For most people, Zhu Ying included, the best way to break through was undoubtedly to follow Shiki's example: fight a battle to the death and use the pressure of impending death to push past their limits!
Although Zhu Ying had not reached that point yet, honing his swordsmanship and improving his strength through combat was certainly an excellent approach.
"Enough talk. Let's fight!" With that, Zhu Ying charged at Saint Grujaya, sword in hand, and the two clashed.
Both were now at the Mid Admiral level. Their combat strength was roughly equal, and neither could gain much ground in the fight.
However, Zhu Ying's swordsmanship was clearly a little better than Saint Georgia's, giving him a slight advantage.
Still, with such a small advantage, deciding the winner would take at least three days.
Meanwhile, most of the other battles across Marineford remained evenly matched as well.
Even those who held an advantage had no intention of securing a quick victory. Instead, they began holding back, occasionally lending their comrades a hand.
For a time, the entire battlefield almost felt like an exhibition match. Aside from Raditz cleanly dispatching Saint Garling at the very beginning, everyone tacitly controlled the pace of their fights, ensuring the war would not end too quickly.
Whenever someone was unlucky enough to be defeated, a replacement quickly stepped in from the rear, keeping both sides evenly matched.
Naturally, this approach bored the viewers watching the live broadcast. One after another, they left their screens and returned to their usual work.
With the two sides having found a suitable way to resolve their differences, peace soon returned to the rest of the seas, leaving Marineford alone to rage with battle every day.
That lasted until a piece of news shocked the world and spread rapidly to every