From within the swirling cloud of dust, Gion slowly emerged.
Blood soaked her left shoulder, her soft, snow-white arm hanging powerless at her side.
In this condition, she likely wouldn't be able to continue fighting with both hands at all.
"You were right. Anything can happen in a battle.
Asking the enemy for confirmation… is the most foolish thing a swordsman can do."
Gion said solemnly, gripping her sword once more as she approached Longinus.
"You plan to continue?"
Longinus frowned slightly.
"You're a swordswoman—you know better than I do the difference between a two-handed and one-handed blade."
"Since this is a battle, it shouldn't stop until one side collapses.
Besides, I've known since I was young that due to physical limitations,
no female swordsman has ever become the World's Greatest Swordsman.
So to pursue that dream, my swordsmanship has always focused on technique and speed.
Strength doesn't affect me the way it does others."
"So please—continue fighting me!"
"The world's strongest swordsman, huh? A lofty dream indeed.
And for a true swordswoman like you… I have no reason to refuse."
"Pity from an enemy is a swordsman's shame."
Gion's face blossomed into a radiant smile—perhaps the brightest she had shown in years.
"Thank you for acknowledging my conviction…
for not pitying me just because I'm injured."
"Next, I'll give my all.
Death — Waltz!"
Gion's steps became light—almost fairy-like—her movements filled with breathtaking grace.
Yet hidden beneath that dazzling dance were countless slashes.
So refined, so compressed, that even the ground along their trajectory showed no damage—
as if brushed by a gentle breeze rather than lethal force.
Longinus's eyes sharpened.
With a sudden leap to the left, he narrowly escaped.
The ground he had stood on erupted violently—
debris blasting outward like a barrage of bullets, pockmarking the earth with craters.
Longinus wasn't surprised in the slightest.
He was about to counterattack when his sharp eyes caught it—
thin slivers of sword aura, needle-fine, converging on him.
A secondary strike, born from the explosion of the original slash.
No time to think.
He sprang upward, narrowly dodging the silent, deadly attack.
A piercing sonic crack tore through the air beneath him—
enough to make even Longinus grow somber.
If I had been even a moment slower…
"Even that was dodged… Longinus really is strong."
Gion sighed inwardly.
But she did not despair.
If anything, her fighting spirit surged even higher.
"Death — Moonlight Movement!"
A gentle, silver-white slash burst from Gion's sword Kinpira.
This time, it was not silent—
but like soft moonlight pouring across the battlefield.
Its radiance swallowed the entire area, leaving Longinus nowhere to run.
"Wider attack range… but the power is too dispersed.
Something like this won't work anymore."
Longinus's blood surged.
His entire body swelled ever so slightly—muscles tightening—
and he charged into the falling swordlight.
The moonlit blades struck him—
only to bounce off with metallic clangs, leaving faint white marks on his skin.
"Not good!"
Before she could question his absurd durability,
Gion already swung again.
"Death — Rondo—"
Her strike was fast—
but Longinus was faster.
In the reflection of her dilated pupils,
he flashed before her with explosive speed, fist descending like a meteor.
"This ends here—Meteor Crash!"
Gion instinctively shifted from offense to defense,
bringing her blade horizontally before her.
When fist met steel,
a violent shockwave blasted outward in rippling waves.
The next moment—
her sword bent.
The balance shattered.
Her slender body was hurled away like a ragdoll,
slamming into the mountain wall at the edge of the training ground and disappearing beneath a cascading collapse of rubble.
"G-guh…"
The onlookers shivered, cold sweat running down their backs.
Longinus really hadn't held anything back.
"…S-so, uh… is the fight over?"
"It has to be… Gion isn't like Kake—she's not a Zoan user. Her recovery is limited."
"Being in the same class as these three monsters… really is despair-inducing."
"I think the tier list is obvious now.
Tier 1: Longinus.
Tier 2: Gion and Kake.
Tier 3: Everyone else."
"…Shouldn't we be saving her!?"
"Crap, you're right! Gion's still buried under the rubble!"
But before they could move,
they saw Longinus already lifting Gion gently from the debris.
"Boss… is she okay?" Gregory asked nervously.
He had heard that Gion was practically like a sister to Vice Admiral Tsuru—
and Tsuru wasn't just an HQ strategist but also a decades-long comrade of Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Vice Admiral Garp.
If they angered Tsuru…
their next few years might be filled with "special training" misery.
"Relax. I controlled my strength.
She'll only need a few days of rest—nothing serious."
Longinus carried the soft, boneless-feeling Gion toward the infirmary.
Despite his calm expression, his heart wasn't quite settled.
Even if it wasn't his fault…
Tsuru was a woman, and women were not creatures known for loving reason.
"That's good… that's good!" Gregory exhaled in relief.
Then suddenly froze.
"Boss… if you can hold back even in that kind of fight…
just how much stronger are you than the rest of us?"
The new recruits were equally shaken.
None of them doubted the "three-tier system" anymore—
Longinus truly stood alone at the top.
Fortunately, Longinus's concerns didn't come true.
As HQ's Chief Strategist, Vice Admiral Tsuru naturally saw the big picture.
She wasn't the unreasonable type.
After hearing the full explanation, she simply dismissed Longinus.
Half a day later—
"Gion, how is your body? Do you feel better?"
Vice Admiral Tsuru asked gently.
"Sister Tsuru, I'm totally fine! They were mostly surface wounds.
But Longinus is really strong—
even in that moment, he still managed to hold back!"
Gion's eyes sparkled, as if reliving the excitement of the battle.
"You… honestly, such nonsense."
Tsuru sighed helplessly.
"You knew you weren't his match, yet you insisted on challenging him."
"Hehe!"
In front of Tsuru, Gion's cool goddess image evaporated—
she acted just like a spoiled little girl.
"But I'm fine, see?
And besides, Admiral Zephyr said—
'Lose more now, so you cry less when fighting pirates later!'"
"…Fine, you win."
Tsuru rubbed her forehead.
"So, what did you gain from this reckless duel?"
"My battle experience is still far inferior to Longinus's.
My reactions were way too slow.
And his mental resilience is on another level—
If I faced Kake's nightmare attacks, I could never stay as calm as he did.
And also—compared to Longinus—"
After hearing "Longinus" brought up for the fifth time in under a minute,
Tsuru's heart suddenly thudded.
This child…
Don't tell me she's showing symptoms of that thing they mentioned to me…
what was it called again…
Stock… something?
Stalk—
—Stalker Syndrome?
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