Linde vs. John

Soon, Shiki lowered the two ships onto the waters near Hachinosu.

Seeing the pirate ships touch down, Lind wasted no time and used his telekinesis to fly straight over to Shiki.

"Jihahahaha! Everyone, this is Lind, the brother I told you about—and my future deputy division commander!"

Golden Lion slung an arm around Lind's shoulders as he introduced him to the others. Fortunately, they were about the same height, both around two meters tall, which fell within the range of ordinary people.

"Huhahahaha! Shiki, having such an outstanding talent serve as your division commander would be a bit of a waste!"

"With Lind's talent, and such powerful Conqueror's Haki at his age, he'll probably be your equal in a few years!"

"Gurararara! Exactly, Golden Lion! You're dreaming! I think Lind could easily command the Seventh Division!"

Rocks and Whitebeard spoke in turn. Clearly, they felt that Lind was too strong and would upset the balance between the divisions, so they did not want him becoming Shiki's deputy.

"Of course, we still need to see what Lind can do! John, you're a master swordsman too. Why don't you spar with him?"

"Lind, you don't have any objections, do you?" Rocks looked at John first, then asked for Lind's opinion.

Although he had already decided to make Lind a division commander, Rocks still wanted to see his strength for himself.

"Hahahaha! Sure! I've been looking forward to this ever since I heard your name. Let's have a match, Lind!" John did not hesitate and challenged Lind outright.

With things having reached this point, Lind did not refuse and agreed to the match.

"Commander John, my fighting style might be a little different from that of most swordsmen. I hope you'll bear with me!"

After giving John that warning, Lind flew into the sky, leaving only the Kunpeng Sword where he had stood.

"My sword is named Kunpeng. Its blade measures three feet and nine inches, and it weighs thirty-nine jin. Forged and refined from deep-sea cold iron and meteoric iron, it embodies the union of sea and sky-hence its name, Kunpeng!"

"Though it is not ranked among the supreme great grade swords, it is in no way inferior. Commander John, please show me your skill!"

Once he had steadied himself in midair with his telekinesis, Lind introduced his sword.

Hearing the voice from above, John was left a little dumbfounded. Were swordsmen these days really this elaborate? Unfortunately, he did not have any fancy words in his head, so he could only throw together a couple of lines.

"My swords are named Rum and Gin, gifts from an old friend. Both rank among the Skillful Grade Swords: 50 Skillful Blades!" John finished with an elegant flourish of his swords.

"Is that really John?"

Hearing his words, the division commanders nearby stared at him with wide eyes.

Is this really the drunkard I know?

Those two simple sentences were nowhere near as elaborate as Lind's introduction, but coming from John, they somehow sounded remarkably impressive. What happened to all of them being uncultured together?

Lind, too, felt that he had met his match when he heard John's words.

Who would've thought a thick-browed, wide-eyed drunk like you had that in you?

But before anyone could dwell on it, John's last words had barely faded when the Kunpeng Sword coated itself in Armament Haki and thrust toward him.

Although Lind had learned some swordsmanship from Golden Lion over the past few days, the time had clearly been too short to yield much, and his progress was limited.

His fighting style remained the same plain, unadorned Sword-Flight Technique he had always used.

Against John, who was at his level or perhaps even stronger, Lind soon fell onto the defensive, managing only to keep himself from losing.

This is so frustrating. I'll have to really work on my swordsmanship when I get back. Brute force alone isn't quite enough anymore. I wonder if I can come up with a fruit that improves my comprehension.

Lind dodged another of John's slashes as that thought crossed his mind.

And so the two traded blows for over an hour, Lind sending his flying sword at John, and John answering with a slash.

The fight was dull and monotonous, and the spectators were starting to feel sleepy.

In the end, both knew they would not settle the match anytime soon. Just as in his earlier fight with Golden Lion, the battle ended after Lind easily blocked John's finishing move.

After all, it was only a sparring match. Giving the senior members of the Rocks Pirates a sense of Lind's strength was enough.

"Huhahahaha! Lind, your swordsmanship really doesn't live up to your strength. I feel like even Silver Axe, who fights with an axe, could use a sword better than you!" Rocks laughed as the two finally finished fighting.

"Shiki mentioned earlier that he wanted you as his deputy. Here's what we'll do: from now on, you're the commander of the Rocks Pirates' Seventh Division, but you'll serve as Shiki's deputy for a while first and hone your skills."

"Once you become a master swordsman, you can establish the Rocks Pirates' Seventh Division yourself. With your talent, I'm sure it won't take long!"

Although Rocks's decision did not quite meet Lind's expectations, it was good enough for him. Seeing that Golden Lion beside him offered no objection, he quickly agreed.

"Hahahaha! Thank you for thinking so highly of me, Captain. I'll follow Commander Shiki for the time being, then."

"Commander Shiki, I look forward to learning from you."

Shiki knew he could not oppose Rocks's decision. Besides, it benefited him as well: at the very least, he had gained an ally with tremendous strength and potential. He was therefore very welcoming toward Lind.

"Jihahahaha! No need to be so formal, Brother Lind. We're in the same boat now! If you need help with anything, just say the word. Don't hold back!"

"Gurararara! Congratulations, Shiki! With Lind joining you, your Second Division is going to be stronger than the First!"

"Mamamama! That's right! The next time someone strong joins us, you'd better not fight us for them!"

Although Whitebeard and the others marveled a little at Shiki's luck, they said nothing more and offered him their congratulations.

"Huhahahaha! Boys, let's throw a banquet to celebrate the arrival of our Seventh Division commander!"

In high spirits, Rocks swept his hand through the air and called for a grand banquet.

Soon, a magnificent banquet was underway on Hachinosu, with tens of thousands of pirates reveling together!

In this era, only Rocks, the uncrowned king of the New World, could make such a thing happen.

Inside the palace at the center of Hachinosu, Lind finally found a chance to be alone for a while when Shiki went to perform a dance for everyone.

Wineglass in hand, Lind walked over to a window alone. Watching the pirates revel all across Hachinosu and taking in the unique atmosphere of this world's banquets, he was filled with emotion.

Before I knew it, I'd been in this world for two and a half years. This is still my first time attending a banquet like this!

So I ended up taking the pirate's path after all. I suppose this counts as my debut. The Navy and Cipher Pol spies have probably already sent out information about me!

I wonder how much my first bounty will be. Will it reach nine digits? I'm actually looking forward to it!

The sea breeze from outside brushed across Lind's delicate features. He half-closed his eyes, countless thoughts running through his mind.