"Quack..."
Under the blue sky, several seagulls swooped past, cawing loudly. A few white clouds drifted in the distance, and the sea below was perfectly calm and undisturbed, a scene as harmonious and beautiful as a traditional Chinese ink painting.
But a sudden complaint shattered the tranquility. Under the blue sky, a luxurious and imposing ship was sailing smoothly on the sea, and a young man on board uttered a grumbling.
"Ugh!! How boring! I wonder how much longer it will take to reach Sabaody Archipelago..."
A day later, after everyone approved Luo Chen becoming Shichibukai and setting off for the Sabaody Archipelago, George lost his previous excitement and joy, and lazily leaned on the railing without any regard for his image, saying...
"Stop complaining. Aren't you the navigator of this ship? You should be the one who knows the clearest when we'll arrive. If you're really bored, then come and help me wash the vegetables, or the dishes!"
Behind him, Monbuma, carrying a box of vegetables, came out of the storage room and happened to hear his complaints. She spoke up irritably.
"Um... I remember now, there's still a training task I haven't completed. I'll go finish it now, so I won't stay with you any longer, Monbuma..."
Upon hearing Monbuma call him to come help in the kitchen, George jumped up immediately, clapping his hands as if he Satori something.
"Hehe, hearing that really gets me all excited. Oh well, never mind him, we need to hurry up and prepare lunch for the crew."
Watching the figure Extreme Speed away as if granted a pardon, Monbuma shook her head and said, then carried the box of vegetables back to the kitchen to prepare the ingredients for lunch.
Clang...
"Not enough! You can't even hold the hilt properly, and your swordsmanship is a complete mess. How will you ever master swordsmanship if you keep going like this? Be more serious, Lulith, or I won't be as lenient with you as Luo Chen was... Now, pick up your sword and swing it at me!!"
In the training room, Catherine deftly flicked her sword with her right hand, deflecting the sword that Lulith. The sword spun a few times in mid-air before falling straight down and embedding itself in the floor.
Catherine positioned the blade against the outside of Lulith's throat, the tip less than a centimeter from her skin. A gentle poke would be enough to pierce her skin. Then, Catherine spoke to her sternly in a tone of disappointment and frustration.
"Yes, I understand, Sister Catherine, I'll try again..."
Despite being scolded by Catherine Lulith did not cry in anger. Instead, a resolute expression appeared on her flawless white face as she responded. Then, she quickly walked to the sword, gripped the hilt with both hands, drew it, and thrust it at Catherine once more.
Clang!!
Swoosh...
Clang! Clang!
The two figures clashed, their swords exchanging blows at lightning Extreme Speed. The moment they met, Lulith felt an immense force on her hand, almost causing her to lose her grip and be torn away. But she gritted her teeth and held on tightly to the hilt to keep going.
Swoosh...
Lulith stared intently at her location, leaped into the air, and swung her sword at Catherine. However, Catherine simply stepped lightly on her feet, her body disappearing in front of her at Extreme Speed, causing her sword strike to miss its mark.
"Hmm, where is it?"
Lulith looked around anxiously, trying to figure out where Catherine had teleported to, but she still couldn't find her.
call out...
"I'm here..."
Clang!!
The voice suddenly rang out behind Lulith, making her turn around hurriedly to look at the direction from which she was about to slash with her sword, but it was too late. Catherine lightly swept away Lulith's blade with a swift Flowing Shadow, then cleaved the entire sword in two with another swing, placing the blade against Lulis's neck.
"You've lost again!! Alright, that concludes today's trial with me. Reflect on it carefully, and then go to Luo Chen for physical training!!"
Catherine sheathed the Flowing Shadow sword and addressed Lulith.
"Yes, thank you so much for taking the time to train my sister Catherine..."
Although Lulith was a year or two older than Catherine, she dared not be presumptuous.
On this ship, strength reigns supreme. Catherine, as the first member to Luo Chen Pirates and whose strength was second only to Luo Chen and Phil, was highly respected by the others, who called her "Big Sister." She, in turn, respectfully addressed them as "Sister."
As for Luo Chen and Catherine, Lulith were extremely grateful that they could take precious time every day to train her and make her stronger.
Snap snap...
"What a wonderful battle! Miss Catherine, your swordsmanship is truly admirable. If possible, let's have a match right now and see if your Flowing Shadow Swordsmanship is more powerful or my God-Slaying Style is more effective!"
A round of Palm Strike sounded at the door. Phil walked in and praised Catherine and the other girl. Then he challenged her. In their easy victory, Phil's sharp and discerning eye could clearly see that even though Catherine hadn't shown her full strength, her movements and swordsmanship had already earned his approval. So, his eyes gleamed with a strong fighting spirit as he challenged her to a duel.
"Hmm... So you're not planning to challenge Luo Chen, but instead you've come to challenge me?"
Upon hearing the voice, Catherine looked up and saw the intense fighting spirit in his eyes. She then spoke calmly.
"Hahaha, I'll challenge that guy later. Right now, the important thing is our fight. So, do you accept my challenge?"
Phil ignored Catherine's mention of challenging Luo Chen and instead stared intently at her, asking a question.
"If that's the case, then let's do it... Shave... Iai... Slash!!"
Catherine accepted his challenge, stomped her foot hard on the ground, and charged forward with lightning Extreme Speed, drawing her sword and slashing at him.
"Hmm... Six Powers? Interesting moves, but useless against me... Gale Step... Shadowless Fist!!"
Clang...
A punch and a sword collided at Extreme Speed, unleashing a violent sonic boom that swept through the training room, lifting up all the equipment placed there.
"Ah!!"
Startled by the sudden gust of air and the loud hissing sound, Lulith quickly covered her ears and crouched down to avoid the swirling, flying equipment.
Bang...
As the commotion subsided, the two were thrown backward by the Extreme Speed, leaving two deep marks on the floor. The equipment that had been flying through the air lost its airflow support and crashed to the ground with a clatter.
"Hey, just as I expected, you're the second strongest fighter on this ship. Once I defeat you, I'll be the second strongest, and maybe even defeat Luo Chen to become the strongest on board... Here I come... Swift Step... Storm Tempest Kick!!"
Seeing that the two were evenly matched in this exchange, Phil became even more excited and spoke.
After speaking, a series of blue light emanated from his body, enveloping him. Like a shadow, he flashed past and disappeared from their sight. The next moment, he appeared in front of Catherine, his right foot whipping up a myriad of air currents, sending a streak of Blue Light sweeping towards her.
"A powerful attack, but it's useless if it's detected. Sword technique... Flowing Moon Slash!!"
Catherine narrowed her eyes and seized the moment he appeared in front of her, gripping the hilt of her sword tightly and slashing diagonally.
Clang!!
Under her sword, a slash transformed into a bright moon and struck Phil down.
boom...
The Flying Slash wave transformed into a bright moon, meeting Phil's whip kick. The two once again stirred up countless waves, with rolling air currents Charge and spreading in all directions. A layer of semi-transparent, undulating gas could be vaguely seen floating and dispersing in the air, shaking away all the scattered equipment around and smashing it against the wooden wall, creating cracks.
Unaware of this, the two continued their fight, and the floor beneath their feet slowly gave way and cracked.
"Wow... has a world war broken out?"
Just as the two were preparing to unleash their full power and engage in a fierce battle, an unpleasant voice rang out, interrupting their fight. George, who had just come to the training room to complete his daily training goal, opened his mouth wide in astonishment and exclaimed.
"Um..."
"Um..."
The two men turned around at the same time and saw that it was their companion George from their own ship who was shouting. Their fighting spirit gradually dissipated. They looked at each other, put away their weapons, and turned to leave.
"Since we've already been interrupted, let's continue this battle another time..."
Phil walked to the door, then suddenly turned back and said something.
"Hmph, that's exactly what I'm thinking. I won't lose to you, I swear by my sword heart..."
Catherine retorted without backing down, clenching her fists and silently vowing in her heart.
"Haha, interesting. Let's go then. I happen to have no opponents to challenge, and you two are good candidates. If I defeat you, my strength should improve considerably..."
After saying that, he laughed heartily and walked out, and a battle that had almost reached its full strength was averted in just a few words.