Junichi laughed heartily and didn't refute. He wasn't particularly talented, he relied entirely on cheats. But there was no need to explain that.
The matter of the cheat… He wouldn't tell anyone.
"Let's go back and eat," he changed the subject.
Mihawk took several deep breaths to calm himself down before responding, "Alright."
"Oh right, I'm going to the blacksmith's first to get some weights made," Junichi added. "You can go back and eat first. No need to wait for me."
Lately, his physical abilities had improved a lot. He was ready for weighted training now.
"Alright." Mihawk nodded.
---
In the bar, Hancock lay sprawled on the table, listlessly saying, "Why isn't he back yet? I'm starving!"
She had trained all morning and had long since been hungry. But it was lunchtime now, and still no sign of Junichi.
"Don't wait, let's start eating," Rayleigh said after some thought.
"Why?" Hancock looked confused. She was just complaining, she didn't actually mean they shouldn't wait.
Rayleigh chuckled and replied, "You can feel how anxious he is too, right?"
"Uh, why are you suddenly saying this?" Hancock looked even more puzzled.
Of course, she could tell. But since Junichi hadn't said anything, none of them dared to ask.
"Because he's so anxious, he's probably stuck right now, and he's not the type to give up easily," Rayleigh said slowly. "He might not come back at all, and just keep training like crazy until he's completely exhausted."
"Oh…" Hancock was momentarily stunned, her expression becoming complicated.
What Rayleigh said made a lot of sense. But if that was the case, wouldn't that mean they wouldn't get to see him?
Her mood instantly worsened.
"Alright, let's not wait for them," Shakky added.
"Okay," Hancock replied gloomily.
They were just about to start eating when, the door opened.
Ding-a-ling!
Walking in was Mihawk, but Junichi was nowhere to be seen.
"Knew it…" Rayleigh and Shakky weren't surprised at all.
Junichi really was pushing himself, and didn't plan to come back for lunch.
Hancock looked even more downcast.
"…?"
Mihawk felt a bit confused. Something about the atmosphere seemed… off. The way Rayleigh and Shakky looked at him seemed to have some hidden meaning? Without thinking much of it, he relayed Junichi's message, "He told us to go ahead and eat, he'll be here soon."
He'll be here soon? Rayleigh and Shakky couldn't help but find it amusing.
Who would believe that kind of excuse? Once someone started intense training, they always lost track of time. By the time they realized it, it was already night.
They'd been through that phase themselves.
"Then let's not wait for him," Rayleigh said casually. "Have a seat."
"Alright." Though Mihawk still found it odd, he sat down anyway. The four of them were about to start eating.
"No need to touch this portion, let's save it for Junichi," Shakky said, pulling out about one-sixth of the food. "We'll bring it to him after we finish."
"I'll bring it!" Hancock immediately raised her hand.
"No! You've got training too, don't forget!" Shakky shot her down instantly.
Hancock pouted in protest, clearly reluctant. "Fine…"
Only Mihawk sat there, completely confused. Why bring the food to him? Didn't he just say Junichi would be right over? Did he mess up the message?
Just as he was about to say something, Rayleigh and Shakky suddenly paused mid-action.
"Huh?"
Ding-a-ling!
The bar door opened again, and Junichi, who had just picked up his weights, walked in.
"I'm back." He smiled and greeted Rayleigh and the others.
"You're back?" Rayleigh, Shakky, and Hancock all responded with surprised expressions.
"Am I not allowed to come back?"
"Yeah, why are you all so shocked?" Mihawk also looked puzzled.
The three of them were thrown into disarray. Something wasn't right. Wasn't Junichi supposed to be lost in intense training, skipping lunch entirely?
Why had he suddenly come back?
With how eager he had been, they couldn't believe he'd actually put aside his training just to come back for lunch.
"Aren't you training your Flying Slash?" Rayleigh couldn't help but ask.
"Yeah," Junichi nodded and smiled cheerfully. "But I already mastered it. Took a bit of time, but luckily I didn't miss lunch."
"Huh?" Rayleigh, Shakky, and Hancock were stunned, mouths agape.
They all turned to look at Mihawk.
"Is that true?"
"Didn't you say it would take three years?"
"Yeah! You were so confident about it last night!"
He fell silent, looking a bit awkward.
Just yesterday, he had firmly declared that it would take at least three years before Junichi could even begin to grasp the breakthrough to the level of a Great Swordsman.
Yet now, the very next day, the boy had done it.
"Under normal circumstances, yes, it would take at least three years of wandering and experience to even sense that opportunity. Even if it were another Great Swordsman giving their opinion, they would've said the same as me."
"So it's not that I misjudged. It's just that he is different."
Hearing this, Rayleigh, Shakky, and Hancock all looked at Junichi in disbelief.
"You guys are way too shocked," Junichi said with a helpless smile as he walked over and sat down. "
He casually picked up a dinner knife from the table.
Whoosh!
With a casual flick, a thin wave of energy cut cleanly through a bone in front of him, exposing the marrow inside.
A rich aroma wafted out.
What incredible control. He had casually unleashed a Flying Slash with a table knife.
"Your Flying Slash…" Rayleigh's eyes also lit up with surprise. "You're already that skilled?"
He was a Great Swordsman himself and knew the technique. Though to him, swords were just one of many tools.
Still, that didn't stop him from knowing that the Flying Slash wasn't something that could be done casually.
It was the fusion of will, spirit, force, and technique—requiring one's full effort.
"It's alright," Junichi said nonchalantly. "Once you understand the technique behind the Flying Slash, it becomes easier. After a bit of practice, you can use it however you want."
His words left Rayleigh in stunned silence, and slowly nodded.
Confirmed.
It wasn't his problem.
No normal Great Swordsman had ever thought the Flying Slash was easy, it required full effort to perform.
Only a freak like Junichi thought it was effortless.
"Alright, alright, let's eat," Shakky chimed in. "Otherwise the food's going to get cold."
"Yeah, yeah, let's eat," Rayleigh quickly agreed.
Rayleigh silently picked up his dinner knife.
It was better not to ask how Junichi did it, no point in taking psychological damage.
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100 Advance chapters!
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