"Shave? Hmph, not that difficult."
"Not bad. Nice technique."
Shave—one of the famed Six Styles of the Navy. By stomping the ground dozens of times in a fraction of a second, the user generates explosive reaction force, moving at blinding speed. To the enemy's eyes, it looks as though the user has vanished.
A high-end combat technique, beyond the reach of most. Even across the seas, few in the first half of the Grand Line could ever hope to master it. Within the Navy, only lieutenants and above typically wielded such skills.
And yet—Tsugikuni Yoriichi treated it as if it were the simplest of movements.
Through the Transparent World, he saw every detail of Aokiji's muscles and bones as they moved. Nothing escaped his sight.
Yoriichi himself was a swordsman who once sliced Muzan's body into a thousand pieces in a single instant. Even at twelve years of age in this reincarnated world, his strength had not diminished. His body, refined and disciplined, was perfectly suited to mastering Shave.
So the very moment he witnessed Aokiji perform it, he could replicate it flawlessly.
A flicker of movement—Yoriichi vanished from in front of Aokiji and reappeared behind him, blade flashing in a swift slash. Because of their height difference, Yoriichi's strike could only reach Aokiji's lower back.
"Oh my… That's truly astonishing."
Aokiji glanced back just as the blade connected. He didn't even flinch. The moment the sword touched him, his back crystallized into solid ice. Frost erupted outward, freezing Yoriichi's katana and racing along toward his hands.
Yoriichi instantly released the blade, springing back to put distance between them. His sword remained stuck, embedded in Aokiji's icy body.
He stared, momentarily speechless.
What happened to sparring? Weren't you supposed to teach me the Six Styles? Why keep spamming your Devil Fruit ability? Isn't this just bullying an honest man?
"I've never learned it before," Yoriichi said simply. "This is the first time I've seen it."
But his weapon was gone, and the match ended before it began. A natural-type Devil Fruit user was overwhelming at this stage. Even if Yoriichi used his breathing techniques, the outcome wouldn't have changed.
Against a Logia user, those without Haki were powerless. Not all Logias had weaknesses like Crocodile, easily countered with water or sand.
"First time seeing it?" Aokiji raised a brow, though he recovered quickly. He casually pulled the frozen blade from his back and looked toward the warship's observation tower.
High above, Vice Admiral Garp leaned lazily against the railing, watching the spar. Behind him, Adjutant Bogart spoke quietly.
"Vice Admiral, the sparring can't continue. That boy actually used Shave. Could he be—"
Garp chuckled, shaking his head.
"Learning Shave just from watching? If I said it aloud, no one would believe me."
"But it's true," Bogart insisted. "Before we left port, I spoke with Zephyr. The boy had never been taught Shave."
"Exactly. No Navy schools in the East Blue, either."
Garp grinned. "I underestimated him. His Haki is one thing, but to grasp other techniques this easily… his talent is top-notch. I'll have to adjust my training plan."
Despite Aokiji's gaze, Garp gave no further reaction. Eventually, Aokiji turned back to Yoriichi, studying him carefully. After a pause, he tossed the sword back.
"The technique you used to move behind me—that was Shave. One of the Six Styles. The defense I used earlier was Iron Block, another of the Six."
His eyes glinted with expectation. Yoriichi, however, spread his hands helplessly.
"Sorry. I didn't see any 'Iron Block.' I only saw your body turn to ice when I struck you. If that was Iron Block, I wouldn't know."
He played dumb. He knew full well of Aokiji's Devil Fruit, and claiming ignorance was safer. In truth, even with the Transparent World, all he had witnessed was Aokiji's elemental transformation—he hadn't noticed the subtle use of Iron Block at all.
"Uh… no," Aokiji admitted. "That was my Devil Fruit ability. You know about Devil Fruits, right? Mystical treasures of the sea. Granting special powers, but taking away the ability to swim. I ate the Ice Fruit. I am a man of ice. My body can become ice at will. What you saw—that was my power."
He trailed off, frowning. He had used Iron Block in that instant, but Yoriichi's slash had cut through it without him realizing. His body had instinctively shifted to ice.
And that realization unsettled him.
He's twelve… and his slash cut through my Iron Block? My technique may not be the strongest, but for a child to break it so easily… terrifying.
"Did Zephyr ever test your dōri?" Aokiji asked suddenly. "What was your score? Judging by that strike, it must be at least one or two thousand."
"With my full strength… around five thousand." Yoriichi's head lowered in quiet shame. "Teacher Zephyr said I was weak. Unreliable. If not for Vice Admiral Garp, I wouldn't even be allowed to go to sea."
"Five… five thousand?!"
Aokiji actually leaned forward, stunned. He had expected Yoriichi to be gifted, but hearing the number still shocked him. At Yoriichi's age, his own strength had been nowhere close. Five thousand dōri was already outstanding in the Navy.
If not for his Devil Fruit, Aokiji admitted to himself, Yoriichi's blows might have seriously injured him.
No wonder Garp had assigned him this task. Few aboard could even qualify to spar with Yoriichi. And in truth, Aokiji himself—who relied heavily on his Logia power—might even benefit from such training.
"Zephyr is really reckless," Aokiji muttered. Then, meeting Yoriichi's eyes, he said firmly, "Don't take his words to heart. You're already strong. When sparring, remember to hold back. If I hadn't used my Devil Fruit earlier, your sword would have hurt me."
He nodded to the blade. "Switch to a bamboo sword. I won't use my Fruit. We'll fight purely with physical skills. I'll show you the rest of the Six Styles."
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(End of Chapter)