Chapter 40 – The Strategic General, Sengoku?
"Ho! This brat… he really has no sense of fighting etiquette!"
"How could he hit that part of Gion?!"
"Gion! Hurry and use your Five-Strike Lightning Whip on that kid!"
Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp's booming voice rang across the island. Ever since he'd been sparring and goofing around with Tachibana Kyūjō these past few days, it seemed Garp had picked up the boy's playful antics and now treated every duel like a comedy act.
On the other side, Chief of Staff Tsuru could only cover her face with one hand and let out a long sigh.
What was this?
Garp had never exactly been the picture of seriousness, but lately… this was just excessive.
And the culprit, without question, was the boy standing right there in the middle of the field.
When the thought crossed her mind, Tsuru shot Sengoku a sharp look—like she was accusing him directly: This is your fault. You didn't raise him right.
Sengoku blinked and pointed at himself, utterly baffled.
Why me? I didn't even do anything…
---
In a quiet corner of the island, no one noticed Chaton—the ever-loyal admirer of Gion—quietly wiping away a tear.
If he didn't know Gion's personality so well, he might have already charged into the battlefield to stop this "impure" sword fight.
Even if the Gorosei themselves tried to hold him back, he'd still do it.
That was the oath of Chaton.
— — —
Ignoring Garp's loud distractions, Gion gazed down from the bright sky, white clouds drifting behind her. From this height, Kyūjō's figure looked as small as an ant.
Without hesitation, she swung Kinpira.
A rainbow-hued slash burst forth, dazzling like a streak of light, and in an instant shot straight toward Kyūjō.
"Yume-hanare!" (Dream Unbound)
From the ground, Kyūjō felt the weight behind that beautiful slash—it was like an illusionary rainbow carrying a razor-sharp edge.
He gave a faint smile and spoke with genuine admiration.
"A beautiful slash…"
"No—"
"It's beyond beautiful… it's elegant. Incredibly elegant."
With those words, he raised Rairyūken.
"Cutting the body… cutting the soul… cutting the heart!"
"When lightning falls from the heavens—none can escape my blade!"
"Thunder Breathing – Tenth Form – Busoshoku – Baki Kyōjin Rai Zan'mettsu!" (Giant-Slaying Lightning Annihilation)
A surge of black lightning coursed down Rairyūken's blade. In one magnificent motion, Kyūjō's Haki-imbued slash split "Yume-hanare" cleanly in half, then surged forward without losing its force.
A faint whistle sliced through the air as the attack passed just by Gion's body, not cutting her, and continued on to tear open the clouds behind her.
In a radius of a hundred li, the sky split into two distinct worlds—white clouds neatly parted in a straight, endless line.
A single black strand of hair drifted away from Gion's right shoulder, falling slowly toward the ground.
She let out a quiet breath, shook her head, and slid Kinpira back into its sheath.
The gap in strength was too wide. Continuing was pointless.
In both swordsmanship and Haki, Kyūjō outclassed her by far.
In fact… in her eyes, his power might already surpass the current active admirals. Though she wasn't entirely sure—perhaps it was just her bias as a fellow swordsman.
The slash earlier could have been dodged. But her Kenbunshoku Haki had told her plainly that the attack was never meant to hit her in the first place.
Standing her ground without flinching—that was her final grace as a swordsman.
Blocking it? Impossible. That path would only lead to death.
There are times when charging forward despite certain defeat is an act of bravery. But here—between high-ranking comrades in the Navy—it would be nothing but foolishness.
Against a pirate, in a true life-or-death fight? She wouldn't hesitate to risk her life.
— — —
Kyūjō smiled, appreciating someone who could read the situation so clearly.
With a soft shing, Rairyūken slid back into its sheath. He turned and walked toward the line of senior officers watching the duel.
Sengoku gave a small nod, a proud smile tugging at his lips.
To him, Kyūjō's strength was already on par with the active admirals.
He'd never imagined this boy would grow to this level—though in hindsight, it explained how he had managed to kill a legend of the past era: Shiki the Golden Lion.
Still… this growth was far too fast.
Only Sengoku knew Kyūjō's true age.
Eighteen years old.
Not yet nineteen, yet already wielding power equal to—or perhaps greater than—an admiral.
If the Gorosei ever found out… they wouldn't just sit back.
A sly grin formed in Sengoku's mind. That was exactly why he had kept Kyūjō's real age a secret from the moment he joined the Navy.
If he hadn't, two things could happen:
First—Kyūjō would be forced to kneel to the Gorosei and join the shadowy powers behind the Tenryūbito, like CP0 or even the so-called God Knights.
Second—Kyūjō would refuse, and the World Government would mobilize every resource they had to erase him from history.
Never doubt the Gorosei's resolve. The World Government hadn't ruled for over eight centuries through mercy or justice.
— — —
It wasn't just Sengoku who thought Kyūjō was already admiral-level.
Garp, Zephyr, and Tsuru all shared the same opinion.
But Garp and Zephyr—both peak figures in physical might and Haki—held an even deeper belief.
To them, Kyūjō already surpassed the current admirals.
For Garp, that belief came from their recent training sessions—he had felt a flicker of Haoshoku Haki from Kyūjō's body.
Zephyr was different. He didn't have Haoshoku Haki himself, so he hadn't sensed it. But his belief came from his philosophy—strength of body and Haki above reliance on a Devil Fruit.
To him, his three disciples who relied on Devil Fruits had chosen a "strayed path."
He almost regretted they weren't here today. If they were, he would have enjoyed lecturing them.
Taking shortcuts… how disgraceful.
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