"Get him to the Navy?!"
"How is that possible?"
Aokiji, upon hearing Yoriichi's words, was about to say that he was a swordsman, but suddenly stopped himself.
Well, come on, you're right, the Navy isn't very picky about identity. As long as one has a clear background, isn't a pirate, and hasn't committed unforgivable crimes in a member country, one can join the Navy.
Aokiji didn't know that Cyrus entered the arena because of his murderer connections, but even if he knew, it wouldn't matter.
Cyrus had already been pardoned by the King of Dressrosa, so the Navy wouldn't use their swords to slaughter the people of Dressrosa, and he hadn't committed any more crimes.
"How about it, Kuzan, go down and ask!"
"At the very least, let me fight him privately. I really want to fight him!"
Yoriichi said excitedly, expressing a strong desire to fight Cyrus.
A battle between swordsmen can generally be divided into two aspects: "skill" and "strength." Speed, strength, and perception—all of these things were far superior to Kyros's. But setting those aside, in terms of skill alone, Kyros was worthy of being defeated by Kyros.
"Well, okay, we'll ask later, but don't get your hopes too high."
"He probably doesn't want to be a marine."
"Although this is my first time in Dressrosa, I've heard a lot about the arena here. Some of the gladiators here are here to hone their skills, some are death row prisoners, and some are slaves."
"Many gladiators are expendable."
Aokiji, seeing Yoriichi's eagerness, didn't refuse outright, but he didn't want to let Yoriichi get his hopes up too high. After all, the greater the expectations, the greater the disappointment.
"It's okay, I'm just asking."
"Maybe he'll be interested."
Having agreed, the two of them left their seats and hurried backstage to find Kyros, rather than watching the ensuing fight. But it was obvious that the arena staff wouldn't allow two strangers to meet their gladiators for no reason.
Unlike other freelance swordsmen, Cyrus was, in a sense, a criminal, without freedom. Aokiji
's status as a Marine Headquarters captain proved invaluable at this point. After confirming Aokiji's identity, the tournament dispatched a special agent to escort Aokiji and Yoriichi to meet Cyrus.
Contrary to Yoriichi's expectations, Cyrus was in a prison within the arena. He had assumed the arena would have provided this "cash cow" with more modest accommodations.
The solitary cell, approximately 10 square meters, was surrounded by bluestone walls. A single air vent was cut into the top of one wall, divided into small squares by thumb-thick steel columns, barely wide enough for a cat to fit through.
The room's layout was straightforward: a bed, a table and chairs, a squat toilet connecting the room, and a simple sink. On top of it lay a pale yellow towel, a half-empty bar of soap, a toothbrush, a cup, and a small box of tooth salt.
After the battle, Cyrus had returned to his "room," his sword leaning against the wall.
It was clear that despite being in prison, Cyrus was different from the criminals, enjoying numerous privileges and no restrictions on his freedom.
With Cyrus's fighting prowess, with a sword in hand, he could easily break out of the arena.
Aokiji and Yoriichi entered Cyrus's room and surveyed his quarters. Cyrus, in turn, looked at the two visitors with some surprise, his bright eyes gazing at Tsugikuni Yoriichi and Aokiji.
He had heard from the person in charge that a captain from Marine Headquarters wanted to see him, and it looked like the tall man was the one. Cyrus's expression was a bit surprised when he saw Aokiji's face. He hadn't expected such a young man to be a captain.
"What do you two Marines want from me?"
Cyrus seemed to have not spoken to outsiders in a long time, and his words came across as insecure.
It was completely different from his performance in the ring.
Without waiting for Aokiji to speak, Yoriichi walked up to Cyrus, extended his hand, and greeted him with a smile.
"Hello, my name is Yoriichi Tsugikuni, and I'm not a marine yet."
"Cyrus, I admire your fighting skills. I'd like to have a sparring match with you."
"Not in the ring, just in private."
"Honestly, I'm a fan."
Yoriichi praised Cyrus implicitly, fearing he might refuse.
"Sparring?" It was the first time Cyrus had heard that term. Every battle in the arena was a life-or-death struggle. Sparring? He had never heard of that before.
Cyrus lowered his head, gazing at Yoriichi Tsugikuni, who stood just
over 170cm tall. Seeing Yoriichi's childish face, he had no intention of sparring with him.
If Yoriichi hadn't also wielded a long, black-sheathed sword, Cyrus wouldn't have considered him worthy of a fight.
A spar? Cyrus feared accidentally killing him.
"I've never sparred before. I've always fought to the death."
"I'm afraid I won't be able to stop. If you two are here for this, forget it. I can't help you."
Cyrus reached out to shake Yoriichi's hand, but he crouched down as he spoke, refusing the offer with the air of a child.
"Uh," Yoriichi said, sensing Cyrus's attitude. He acknowledged the "concern" in his words, but the words still left him feeling slighted.
But Yoriichi wasn't angry. After all, judging people by their appearance was normal. Furthermore, Yoriichi had entered the "state of no self." When not fighting, he seemed like an ordinary person, emitting no danger at all.
"Mr. Cyrus, I don't think you need to worry about that."
"I think fighting me won't be boring for you."
As Yoriichi spoke, he swiftly drew the long sword from his waist, thrust it flatly, and sheathed it. A muffled sound exploded in Cyrus's ears. He turned to see a small, two-finger-wide hole in the bluestone wall, seemingly unexplained.
Sunlight streamed into the room through the hole.
Seeing this, Cyrus' pupils constricted. He hadn't even seen Yoriichi draw his sword; he only felt a breeze brush against his waist, followed by a muffled sound.
"So strong!"
Cyrus muttered, his gaze towards Yoriichi changing. After a long silence, Cyrus walked to the wall, grabbed the sword, and walked out the door. There happened to be an open space at the door of his room. Although it was less than 100 square meters, it was enough for sparring.
Seeing this, Yoshiichi smiled and followed him out of the room with his sword in hand. He walked to the open space in front of the door one after another, without taking off the scabbard
, and just stood in front of Cyrus. From beginning to end, Aokiji watched quietly from the side without interrupting.
Since it was Yoshiichi Tsugakuni's idea, let Yoshiichi Tsugakuni say it himself and do it himself. Aokiji thought so in his heart.
"Then, I'll begin."
"Young man, Yoshiichi Tsugakuni, be careful."
Cyrus held the sword with both hands, ready for battle. Cyrus had already seen the gap from Yoshiichi Tsugakuni's previous attack. He felt that he was no match for Yoshiichi Tsugakuni, but Cyrus would not lose his fighting spirit because of such a thing.
He is also a swordsman!
Bang!
Uncharacteristically, Cyrus didn't wait a moment, attacking immediately. Sword in hand, he swiftly rushed in front of Tsugikuni Yoriichi and thrust a single thrust straight at Yoriichi's chest.
Tsugikuni Yoriichi observed Cyrus's every move, raising his sword to block, deflecting the blow.
"Huh?!" Aokiji, observing the battle from the sidelines, suddenly exclaimed. He noticed that Yoriichi's speed and power hadn't been fully unleashed. It
seemed as if he was deliberately suppressing these abilities,
attempting to fight on equal footing.
However, while Yoriichi intentionally controlled his power and speed, the transparent world couldn't be blocked by human will. Cyrus's movements were still visible.
Yoriichi precisely seized the weak spot on Cyrus's chest, blocking the blow while lunging forward, the hilt of his sword slamming directly into Cyrus's lower abdomen, sending him flying.
"Bang!" Cyrus's body slammed to the ground with a dull thud.
After successfully striking, Yoriichi immediately stopped. He hadn't expected it to turn out like this. His original intention was to have a magnificent sword fight with Cyrus, but
Yoriichi frowned slightly and said a little embarrassedly:
"Cyrus, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it."
"It was a subconscious action."
Even if Yoriichi suppressed his speed and strength, as long as he had the blessing of the transparent world, Yoriichi's fighting power was still terrifying. He and Cyrus were still not on the same level.
"Cyrus, do you want to join the navy?"
"I think if you can become a little stronger, our battle will be very interesting."
Author here,
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(End of this chapter)