Three Years to Become a Swordmaster!

In his previous battles, his Flying Slashes had mostly relied on the added pull of gravity. His own swordsmanship had yet to truly reach the threshold of a swordmaster.

But now, an unprecedented insight was growing within him. He could faintly sense the Breath of All Things!

From the reef beneath his feet, the breeze brushing his skin, the white clouds overhead, and the distant sea came deep, drawn-out breaths.

The strange sensation jolted Ivan.

He stopped applying Blue's gravitational pull and swung his long blade with his own strength instead.

Swish!

The blade cut through the air with a piercing whistle, but nothing else happened, much less a Flying Slash!

Ivan showed no sign of discouragement. He lowered his arm slightly and swung again.

Once, twice, three times... After countless swings, Ivan finally felt his spirit merge completely with his blade.

The next moment, everything around him was so clear!

Ivan let out a long breath. Though he had yet to swing his blade, he already had an intuition.

The next slash will be different!

And so, Ivan swung...

Boom!

A sharp whistle pierced the sky as a Flying Slash a hundred times more ferocious than any before burst from the blade!

The slash tore across the sea, cleaving towering waves in two and forcing the water violently aside. In the end, it left a scar on the surface that would not close for a long time.

At last, Ivan could clearly hear the Breath of All Things and had entered the realm of a swordmaster!

He sheathed his blade, and his taut body abruptly relaxed, his eyes full of excitement.

Exactly three years after transmigrating to this world, he had become a true swordmaster!

What excited him even more was that once he combined his swordmaster realm with the Black Blue he had recently developed, his combat power would surely surge severalfold.

This was undoubtedly a tremendous, transformative improvement!

After delivering that slash, Ivan did not stop practicing. He continued swinging his blade, seeking to fully master the Breath of All Things and consolidate his swordmaster realm.

But after he had practiced for half an hour, his Den Den Mushi suddenly rang.

Ivan answered, and Smoker's smoke-roughened voice came from the other end. "Ivan, come to my office immediately. I have something important to tell you."

After ending the call, Ivan's heart stirred, and he realized what it was.

Most likely, Marine Headquarters had reached a final decision on how to handle his disposal of Arlong.

How will Headquarters deal with me?

A reward, or a punishment?

After weighing the possibilities, Ivan thought a reward was more likely.

After all, he had wiped out the Arlong Pirates, who had plagued the region for years. Such swift, decisive action would surely appeal to quite a few of the higher-ups at Headquarters.

With their support, he probably would not be punished.

When Ivan arrived at Smoker's office, he found that most of the officers in Loguetown were already there.

Seeing Ivan take his seat, Smoker took a deep drag on his cigar and said gravely, "Ivan, Headquarters has reached a decision on your case."

"Oh? What is it?"

Smoker gave Ivan a complicated look. "You're being promoted. Headquarters has decided to appoint you a captain at Headquarters. You need to report to Marineford within a month."

Smoker had watched Ivan rise from an ordinary marine to his present position.

He had thought Ivan was a hardworking soldier, but one who lacked talent.

Smoker had seen plenty of people like that. Not everyone could become a monster and a leading figure of the era.

He had thought Ivan was the same, that he would reach an officer's rank at most and spend his life accomplishing nothing in the East Blue.

But unexpectedly, Ivan had given him a huge surprise recently.

His strength had doubled. Smoker believed that, given Ivan's current strength, once he learned Haki, even Smoker would probably have to take him seriously.

Looking at Ivan, who had only just turned eighteen, Smoker found a bold thought forming in his mind.

Could this kid become one of the top monsters of the era someday too?

Ivan had no idea what Smoker was thinking. He was not at all surprised to learn he had been appointed a captain at Headquarters, and merely teased:

"Captain Smoker, I'm a captain now too. You'd better work hard, or you'll have to start calling me sir someday."

Smoker's face darkened. The fact was, if Ivan kept improving at his current pace, he really would have to call him sir before long.

He put that annoying fact aside for the moment, turned his attention elsewhere, and delivered the next piece of news. "Vice Admiral Garp will arrive in the East Blue before long. He'll take you to Headquarters along the way."

The news immediately sent the conference room into an uproar. Every marine was a fan of the Marine Hero.

They had not expected Vice Admiral Garp to arrive in the East Blue soon, and the officers were overjoyed.

Ivan was quite surprised too. Garp was coming to the East Blue soon? What was he after?

Could it be that Ace has already gone astray, and he wants to set his only grandson who hasn't gone astray yet on the right path?

Garp would probably be disappointed, then. All three of his grandsons had long since gone astray, especially Luffy, the originally destined Pirate King!

"What about the last piece of news?" Ivan asked.

At that, Smoker's expression turned somewhat peculiar.

"The Krieg Pirates heard that you killed Pal. Not long ago, they threatened me, demanding that I hand you over, or they'd attack Loguetown and slaughter everyone in it."

Ivan: "Huh?"

Who gave him the nerve?!

The Krieg Pirates were now at the height of their power. Before long, they would enter the Grand Line, where, just after arriving, they would see Hawk Eyes peeing off his little boat and be hunted down by him.

It seemed Don Krieg would not get to wait until Hawk Eyes peed. Ivan decided to send him to his death soon!

After confirming there was nothing else to discuss, Ivan immediately stood, his voice cold and decisive. "If that's all, I'll take my leave. Before Vice Admiral Garp arrives, I'll go deal with Don Krieg!"

Smoker slowly exhaled a cloud of thick smoke. "Do you need help? The Krieg Pirates have five thousand men, you know."

Ivan turned at that, his expression confident and bold. "No need. I'm very strong, you know."

[Because of your confidence, Satoru Gojo Template recognition +2%]

[Template: Satoru Gojo: Echo (recognition: 45%)]

Before long, the townspeople at the harbor saw the warship that had just docked slowly sail out again.

They all remarked that Major Ivan never stopped. He was a truly fine marine!

After leaving Loguetown, Ivan immediately ordered the marines under him to head for the place where the Krieg Pirates had last been sighted.

When he learned where the Krieg Pirates had appeared, Ivan's expression turned peculiar.

According to the intelligence, the Krieg Pirates were pursuing the seafaring restaurant Baratie.

It seemed that killing Pal and the others at Baratie last time had caused trouble for those cooks after all.

Ivan was not worried about them, though. Baratie had plenty of capable people, and Zeff in particular was a pirate who had once established a foothold in the Grand Line.

With their strength, even if they could not deal with the Krieg Pirates, they were certainly capable of protecting themselves.

What concerned Ivan was something else. While pursuing Baratie, the Krieg Pirates had encountered a moss-haired Pirate Hunter.