Water Hashira… his master's words made Tomioka a little stunned.
In the past, he would have denied the identity of Water Hashira.
But now, his master's affirmation penetrated his heart even more, and he couldn't deny it anymore.
Tanjiro, who was nearby, also closed his eyes, a look of recollection on his face.
"Yes, yes… At that time, on Mount Natagumo, when I saw Mr. Giyuu use a never-before-seen technique, I realized that Mr. Giyuu was truly, truly amazing!"
Urokodaki casually waved the branch in his hand twice, making a whooshing sound.
Then he picked up another one and threw it to Tomioka.
"Come on."
He assumed a familiar starting stance, his voice steady, "Let me see what level you're at now, with only one hand left."
"Eh, eh, eh, eh! No way! Master Urokodaki! Mr. Giyuu!"
However, Tomioka silently bent down and picked up the branch.
Facing an old man who was over seventy years old, others might hesitate.
But Tomioka would not; in front of his master, he needed no reservations.
Tomioka took a deep breath, his eyes becoming focused and sharp, his steps subtly shifting, his body's center of gravity sinking, his left hand gripping the branch tightly.
"Water Breathing, Seventh Form: Drop Ripple Thrust."
With a soft murmur, his figure suddenly blurred, the branch in his left hand seemingly transforming into the sharpest blade tip, thrusting straight forward in a direct line!
The speed was astonishing; before he had even finished speaking, the branch in Urokodaki's hand was knocked away, spinning a few times in the air before falling to the ground.
Urokodaki looked at his empty hand, and a low laugh came from behind his mask.
"Don't you know it well?"
He said, his tone devoid of any frustration, but rather with a hint of relief.
"The current you, if you haven't found a way to absolutely crush your opponent with overwhelming power yet, then you must use the most precise judgment to block the enemy's moves, and then, with the fastest speed, strike their weakest point!"
Tanjiro, who was nearby, also seemed to have an epiphany; he also put his right hand behind his back and began to try practicing Water Breathing techniques with only his left hand.
Tomioka stood still, chewing on his master's words.
Just then, the originally bright sky suddenly darkened without warning.
"Mr. Giyuu! Look at the sky! There are monsters!"
Tanjiro's voice came, frantically shaking Tomioka's left arm, making him turn to look at the sky.
Tomioka looked up, staring disbelievingly at the darkening sky.
Above the clouds, three colossal shadows suddenly appeared; they had wings on their backs, their bodies were as massive as mountains, and they held long spears in their hands.
How could there be such giant creatures? What exactly are these…?
But Urokodaki had already walked to his side, placing a hand on his shoulder, and together they looked up at the anomaly in the sky, "Your adventure is about to begin again…"
"What?"
Meanwhile, in the open space of the adjacent courtyard, an irregular crack appeared out of thin air.
Within the crack was an incredibly dazzling pure white light.
This familiar scene… he had witnessed it like this before… Immediately after, Tanjiro also reached out and placed his hand on his other shoulder, "Good luck, Mr. Giyuu!"
Before Tomioka could react, two gentle forces came from his shoulders, pushing him towards that dazzling white crack!
… "Tomioka! Tomioka! Wake up! There are monsters!"
An anxious shout and a violent shaking sensation pulled him back; his arm was being frantically shaken by someone.
As soon as Tomioka opened his eyes, the tranquil scene had faded, replaced by Luffy's face, almost pressed against his own.
The birdsong, the scent of flowers, his master, and Tanjiro were all gone.
But the three colossal figures in the sky had not changed.
They were now looming over the going merry, casting a huge shadow.
The ship was already in chaos; he could hear Usopp and Chopper's terrified screams, and Nami's urgent commands.
"Quick, quick, Tomioka! Don't sleep! There are monsters in the sky!" Usopp shouted at Tomioka while frantically waving the oars.
"Mm."
Tomioka exhaled deeply, threw off the thin blanket covering him, and stood up, then joined the escape journey, paddling the famous oars.
"Don't just chat, you guys!"
"Think of a way to escape!"
Amidst everyone's shouts of "monster" and "paddle faster," the going merry desperately cut through the azure waves, finally leaving the huge shadow far behind.
Usopp slumped onto the deck, his back completely against the ship's rail, "Are… are we safe?"
Sanji lit a cigarette and took a deep drag, exhaling a long plume of smoke, muttering, "What a cursed day today… First, something fell from the sky…"
Even Zoro felt a bit helpless about this series of events, "Suddenly, a giant sailboat fell from the sky."
"And the Log Pose is pointing to the sky…" Nami also looked dazed, staring at the needle of the Log Pose on her wrist.
"And a strange monkey appeared!"
Monkey?
Tomioka slowly turned his head to look at the large Shoujou squatting in the corner of the deck.
As Tomioka's gaze turned to the creature, everyone else's eyes involuntarily followed, focusing on it.
Suddenly, without knowing what had happened before, Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji almost simultaneously struck it with solid blows.
Accompanied by a short shriek, the monkey turned into a shooting star, flying far away from the going merry and disappearing over the horizon.
As Tomioka stared blankly, not understanding the logic behind it.
Usopp then leaned closer, lowering his voice, "Tomioka, do you want to know what thrilling things happened just now?"
Tomioka looked at him and nodded.
Immediately after, Usopp straightened his chest and cleared his throat:
"Just now, it was a real close call! A super huge sailboat just crashed down from the sky! It almost smashed the going merry to pieces!"
He spread his arms, trying to describe the ship's enormous size.
"At that critical moment! It was I, the brave warrior of the sea, Captain Usopp, who rushed forward and propped it up with both hands like this!"
"I single-handedly supported that falling large ship, protecting the going merry!"
He took a breath and continued to fabricate, "Then I threw that ship back into the sea, which gave Luffy and the others a chance to go down."
However, Chopper, who had witnessed everything, listened from the side, a black line on his face, "No… that's not it at all…"
"Chopper!"
Usopp immediately pounced, quickly covering Chopper's mouth.
Just then, Luffy, who had been playing with armor parts found from the shipwreck, looked up after putting on the armor, just as Robin walked down from the second floor.
Robin smiled, holding an Eternal Pose in her hand, and walked up to Luffy.
"Captain, this is a small gain I brought back from that rescue ship just now."
She gently shook the Eternal Pose in her hand; the needle inside the glass sphere steadily pointed in one direction, with the letters JAYA written on it.
Taking the Log Pose, Luffy tilted his head to look at it, then pointed at Robin with his finger, "Steal! I get it, you're Nami number two!"
This direct address made Robin I couldn't help it cover her mouth and chuckle, "Alright, alright, call me whatever you want, Captain."
Luffy looked at the Jaya Island Log Pose in his hand, then at Nami, who was still deliberating on the other side, and without much thought, began to point in a new direction.
"Tomioka! Jaya Island! Full speed ahead!!"
"Mm."
......
To everyone, this is the last chapter published in the original language, so there will be a significant break.