Ever since Yoriichi Tsugikuni learned the Six Powers of the Navy from Aokiji, he had been pestering Aokiji for sparring all day long, wanting to use frenzied battles to quickly adapt his body to the Six Powers.
Although using the Six Powers was extremely physically demanding, Yoriichi could usually recover some stamina after a short rest, enough to sustain him in combat using the Six Powers for a period of time.
As his understanding of the Six Powers deepened, Yoriichi also began to try to incorporate the attack techniques of the Tempest Kick into his slashes during battle.
Finally, at noon, Yoriichi successfully unleashed a Flying Slash.
"Whoosh—"
A deep whooshing sound echoed on the deck as Yoriichi successfully launched a Flying Slash with his bamboo sword, an invisible blade of energy flying rapidly towards Aokiji not far away.
The speed of the slash was incredibly fast, and it was completely silent. Fortunately, Aokiji had been using Observation Haki to fight Yoriichi, so he noticed the slash the moment it was launched.
Even so, Aokiji hadn't expected Yoriichi to attack from such a distance, and therefore wasn't prepared to dodge. As the slash struck, Aokiji reluctantly used his Devil Fruit ability, his body instantly turning to ice. However,
the next second, the slash passed right through Aokiji's body, severing him at the waist, his upper body slamming onto the deck with a loud thud.
"Thump!!!" The attack, having passed through Aokiji's body, slowed slightly before slamming into the railing, creating a huge gap in the warship's railing.
"Crack—" The elemental Aokiji quickly returned to his physical form, touching a non-existent wound on his lower abdomen, looking back at the large gap in the railing with surprise.
"That was... Flying Slash!"
"Swordsman!"
Yoriichi nodded excitedly, tightening his grip on his bamboo sword, unleashing two more Flying Slashes. This time, Yoriichi seemed to have mastered them even more, the range of the slashes significantly larger than before.
If anyone could see Yoriichi's slash with the naked eye, they would probably see a crescent-shaped blade of air, three meters long and half a meter wide, hurtling towards Aokiji.
"Are you trying to cut me down?" Aokiji shrugged helplessly. A gentle breeze swept by, and Aokiji had vanished from his spot.
Aokiji, prepared, wouldn't be hit by Yoriichi's slash.
"Thump!!!"
"Thump!!!"
After two consecutive loud thuds, two more huge holes appeared in the warship's railings, and this time, even the deck was left with two deep cuts.
"Not bad!"
"Finally, I can feel my progress."
"Without a doubt, in this world, my potential will become even higher!"
Yoriichi was quite satisfied with the power of his slash, slightly raising his bamboo sword, wanting to try out the newly mastered flying slash again.
However, at that moment, a fist the size of a sandbag silently descended, slamming into Yoriichi's head. Yoriichi hadn't noticed the person behind him at all. Caught off guard, he was hit squarely by a fist, immediately wincing in pain and crouching on the ground, clutching his head. Garp's furious roar rang out from behind him:
"Damn it!"
"What do you take my warship for?!"
"Are you training or dismantling the ship?! Huh?!"
Yoriichi turned around at the sound of the roar and saw Garp's enraged face.
"Uh... I'm sorry..." Yoriichi apologized, clutching his head. His personal strength had improved, and Yoriichi was somewhat excited, momentarily forgetting where he was. Looking at the mess on the deck, Yoriichi felt truly embarrassed. "
Vice Admiral Garp, I... I don't have the money to pay." After a moment's thought, Yoriichi suddenly gave an awkward laugh, looking at Garp with a face full of apology.
"Tch, it's alright, I'll get reimbursed by Zephyr."
"Now, go fix the railings and deck you damaged."
"No dinner until you fix them!"
Garp said with a smile, picking his nose with his little finger. As soon as he finished speaking, Garp turned sharply to look at the cabin entrance and immediately called out to Aokiji, who was trying to sneak away.
"Hey! Kuzan, you're in too!"
"Work with Yoriichi to fix the damaged public property. If you don't, you won't get dinner either!"
Aokiji, who had been called out, turned around, smiled awkwardly, and then glared at Yoriichi.
"Tap! Tap! Tap!"
Yoriichi Tsugikuni squatted by the railing, hammering a piece of wood of the correct size into the railing, and then adding nails.
It must be said, Yoriichi was actually quite skilled at carpentry; having lived in seclusion in the mountains, he often made his own wooden furniture. Aside from not knowing how to carve, Yoriichi understood the basic mortise and tenon joints.
"Tap…tap…" Unlike Yoriichi's skillful movements, Aokiji was clearly not a "craftsman." He hammered haphazardly onto the deck, prying up the excess parts around the edges, the dimensions completely wrong.
"Well… that's fine."
"That's good enough."
Hearing this, Yoriichi turned to look at the protruding "patch" on the deck and fell silent.
"Never mind, Captain Aokiji, since I broke it, I'll fix it later." Aokiji's skills were truly questionable, and to avoid rework, Yoriichi took over the job.
"It's nothing, just a minor issue." Aokiji seemed to realize that his patch was rather unsightly. He stretched out his hand, and a sharp ice blade appeared in his grasp. He then used the ice blade to cut away the excess material, allowing the plank to fit smoothly into the deck.
"Wow! Devil Fruit abilities are really convenient." Yoriichi exclaimed in admiration, then turned back to his work.
"Speaking of which, Captain Aokiji, why did you become a Marine?"
For a qualified "carpenter," chatting while working was an essential skill, and also the best way to build rapport.
"You're Zephyr's student, so we're acquainted now. Don't keep calling me Aokiji."
"Call me Kuzan, that's my name."
Aokiji wasn't too formal with Yoriichi.
Admiral Zephyr was also Aokiji's teacher, and Aokiji could tell that Yoriichi and Garp had a good relationship. Coupled with Yoriichi's inherent strength and talent, Aokiji treated him as a peer, without putting on any airs of a high-ranking officer.
"The reason you became a Marine..."
"Do you even need to ask? Of course, it's to uphold justice!"
"Aren't you?"
Aokiji's eyes shone when he said "uphold justice." This young Marine officer joined the Marines with a heart full of passion.
"Upholding justice! Sounds impressive."
"I'm not as noble as you. I just don't want to see ruined towns and innocent deaths anymore."
Yoriichi sighed softly, his hands never stopping. However, Aokiji paused upon hearing this, then looked at Yoriichi and said with a slightly heavy tone,
"What you want to do is far more ambitious than what I'm doing!"
"This world is vast, Yoriichi."
"What you want to do is not easy. Without great strength, it's impossible. Even with great strength, it's very difficult."
"I never imagined someone your age would have such ambition."
At this point, Aokiji suddenly laughed, "Hahaha, I suddenly understand why you were brought onto this ship."
"Yoriichi! You and I are both very lucky to be on Vice Admiral Garp's ship!"
However, just as Aokiji finished speaking, Garp's booming voice came from afar: "You two, stop slacking off! Get to work!"
"..."
"Alright, never mind."