"What's with all the scowling? Don't like what I said?"
Onigumo sneered as he lit another cigar. "Can't handle a little truth? Back when I was a trainee, I mastered both Armament and Observation Haki before the end of my first year. And you? Hah… you lot are a disgrace to Instructor Zephyr."
A wave of uproar swept across the training field.
"Hey! What the hell did you just say!?"
"You got a death wish, old man!?"
The simmering frustration among the recruits finally boiled over. A crowd quickly formed around Onigumo, surrounding him with angry stares.
At the front stood none other than Shiryu.
Elsewhere, the other officers—Momonga, Strawberry, and the rest—exchanged weary looks. Momonga sighed and rubbed his temples.
—This guy's attitude is seriously the worst. If I'd known he was gonna stir up this much trouble, I wouldn't have brought him along to visit Zephyr-sensei.
"You'd better take back what you just said," Shiryu said coldly, cigarette dangling from his lips, eyes sharp as blades. "Even if you were once one of Zephyr-sensei's students, with that attitude? You're not welcome here."
"Apologies, everyone—" Momonga stepped in, hoping to smooth things over. But before he could finish, Onigumo waved him off with a scoff and stood up, smoke curling from his mouth.
"Big talk from a little punk. What, you think I'm not qualified to judge your performance as a senior?"
He blew a thick puff of smoke in Shiryu's direction and smirked.
"If you're gonna be the loudest voice here, then why not back it up? Let me see if any of you brats actually have what it takes to be Zephyr-sensei's students."
Onigumo was known for his short fuse. But Shiryu wasn't one to back down either.
Looking down on the shorter man, Shiryu said flatly, "You think you're in any position to pass judgment on us? Pathetic."
"Cut the crap. You're a swordsman, aren't you?" Onigumo jabbed his cigar toward Shiryu's sheathed blade. "Well, guess what—I am too. Let's have a duel, sword-to-sword. Show me what you've got."
Before Shiryu could answer, Onigumo added with a smug grin, "Don't worry—I don't expect a rookie like you to actually beat me. All you have to do is draw blood. If you can land a single cut, I'll admit I was wrong and take back what I said."
Shiryu didn't reply. He just stared coldly.
"What? Chickening out?" Onigumo raised an eyebrow. "Fine, I'll even handicap myself—no Haki. How about th—"
"No need."
Shiryu flicked his cigarette away, his right hand already resting on his hilt. His voice was calm, yet edged like steel.
"A duel between swordsmen doesn't need any handicaps. Draw your blade. I'll shut your mouth the proper way."
Onigumo stared at him for a beat, then grinned and tossed his cigar. Drawing his sword, he barked at the surrounding recruits:
"Out of the way, you little punks! Step back and give us space. Don't they teach you how to show respect to your seniors?"
The response was a sea of angry glares.
Meanwhile, on the southeast corner of the training grounds…
Nao stood alone, eyes closed, both blades in hand. A subtle pressure pulsed around him as he gathered his focus.
Then—
His eyes snapped open. With a low shout, he unleashed the energy he'd been holding back. In a blur too fast for most to follow, he slashed forward with both swords.
BOOM!
Two nearly invisible waves of sword energy burst forth, crossing paths and crashing into the thick steel wall ahead. They carved a massive X-shaped gash more than a meter deep.
"Not bad."
Nao stepped forward, inspecting the damage with a satisfied nod.
"As long as I take a few seconds to focus, I can reliably release flying slashes now."
That alone meant he was halfway into the realm of a true swordmaster.
But in actual combat, it was rare to have the luxury of preparation. Until he could release slashes at will, he wasn't ready to claim the title of swordmaster.
Then there was Haki.
Nao looked down at his right-hand blade. As his will focused, a faint black aura wrapped around the blood-red blade of Azakana. The ominous gleam sent chills down the spine.
After a full morning of training, he had managed to take his Armament Haki even further. He could now coat his blade and launch flying slashes infused with a thin layer of Haki.
The power boost wasn't huge—his Armament strength still had a ways to go—but it was a massive step forward.
At the very least, he was no longer helpless against Logia-type Devil Fruit users. He didn't even need to get close—his Haki-infused slashes could now wound them at range.
"Disperse."
With a single thought, the black haze faded from his blade.
The ability to channel and dispel Haki at will—that, too, was progress.
"Looks like it's almost lunchtime. Time for a break."
Nao glanced at the sun overhead, sheathed his swords, and casually headed toward the main part of the training ground. As he walked, he opened his system panel.
[Natsuya Nao]
Age: 19
Strength: 19
Agility: 19
Stamina: 19
Intelligence: 8
Charm: 12
Points: 139,401
Skills:
Dual Blade Swordsmanship (Beginner)
Rokushiki (Intermediate)
Firearms Proficiency (Advanced)
Close Combat (Beginner)
Self-Discipline (Master)
Radiant Smile (Innate Skill)
Drawing (Advanced)
Iron Hide (Intermediate)
Aside from his Stamina, nothing had changed much.
"Huh. Looks like my body's evolving even more than I thought…"
Scratching his head, he decided to go all in and push his Stamina up to the next threshold—21.
That would raise his physical ceiling, improve training efficiency, and still leave plenty of points in reserve.
He selected the stat and tapped the "+" icon.
[You spent 20,000 points: +1 Stamina]
[You spent 20,000 points: +1 Stamina]
In an instant, 40,000 points vanished. But Nao didn't feel the sting—he was already used to spending big.
"Nice. With that, my stamina's doubled compared to last week."
Feeling his body overflowing with energy, he grinned.
"At this rate, three-day all-nighters won't even be a challenge. I could probably train non-stop for a full week and only need one night's sleep to recover."
By now, he was pretty sure… even among all of Marineford, not many could match him in raw stamina alone.
Still smiling, Nao reached the main training field—only to pause in confusion.
This side of the grounds was completely empty. All the recruits had gathered by the road, backs turned, watching something.
From the distance, he could hear cheering.
"Go, Shiryu! Show him what you've got!"
"Don't let that guy walk all over you!"
"Go for the center! Cut him in the middle!"
…Huh?
Is Shiryu in a duel?
Nao blinked, then his expression turned a little strange.
Wasn't this… kind of a first?
With that gloomy expression and cold attitude, Shiryu usually came off as a villain in these kinds of stories.
And yet, here he was—with the entire elite camp cheering him on.
Did that mean… there was someone with even less charm than Shiryu in the entire Marine base?
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin