At Kuzan's suggestion, Yoriichi Tsugikuni did switch out his bamboo sword—and Kuzan, true to his word, immediately used his Devil Fruit powers to conjure a sword made of ice.
Well, calling it a "sword" might be a stretch. Although it had the shape of one, it lacked a sharpened edge. It was more like a solid icy rod—ideal for sparring without causing harm.
Moments later, the two clashed on the deck.
Kuzan, not using his Devil Fruit offensively, proved surprisingly underwhelming in pure hand-to-hand combat. Even against a "rookie" like Yoriichi, he only managed to hold a slight upper hand.
During the duel, Kuzan demonstrated several of the Navy's Six Styles:
Kami-e (Paper Art): A technique where the user senses the flow of air generated by incoming attacks, allowing them to relax their muscles and evade with near-effortless grace.
Geppō (Moonwalk): An advanced version of Soru, using rapid footwork to compress the air beneath one's feet and leap midair.
Rankyaku (Tempest Kick): A high-speed kick that slices the air, creating a blade-like shockwave.
Shigan (Finger Gun): A focused strike that condenses all bodily power into a finger thrust, capable of piercing flesh like a bullet.
Tekkai (Iron Body): A defensive art that accelerates blood flow and harnesses the strength of a tempered body, rendering it as hard as steel, impervious to bullets and blades.
Together with Soru—the blinding movement technique—these comprised the complete Rokushiki, or Six Powers.
As Kuzan demonstrated each move, Yoriichi quietly observed. With his ability to perceive the Transparent World, he could instantly grasp the essence and mechanics of each technique.
To put it bluntly, all of Rokushiki was about mastering the body—and Yoriichi's greatest strength wasn't just his ability to unleash a hundred strikes in a breath, but his unparalleled control over his body.
In the world he came from, any warrior who had refined the Breathing Techniques to their apex and reached the domain of the Transparent World possessed terrifying precision over their musculature.
With that immense bodily awareness and already superhuman physique, Yoriichi was able to replicate the essence of the Six Powers almost instantly.
As he grew more comfortable with the techniques, he began contemplating how to incorporate them into his own fighting style.
"Shigan's burst-point resembles the Seventh Form of Sun Breathing: Sunflower Thrust.'"
"One channels power into the fingertip, the other into the sword tip. The principle's the same."
"But for me, Shigan isn't that practical."
"Geppō does offer aerial mobility, but swordsmanship works best when your feet are grounded. In real battle, it's more for surprise maneuvers."
"Soru, though, has potential—it could help link my sword techniques more seamlessly."
"Rankyaku is interesting. If I use a sword instead of a kick, could I fire flying slashes?"
"As for Tekkai... yeah! This is the one I need most. Everyone knows swordsmen are squishy!"
Tap!
Tap!
Tap!
On the deck, Yoriichi's bamboo sword clashed repeatedly with Kuzan's icy rod, producing dull, rhythmic thuds. His attacks flowed with grace, no fancy sword forms, but each strike followed naturally into the next, forming seamless, elegant chains.
Though his strikes weren't overly forceful, they were surgical, each aimed precisely at a weak point in Kuzan's defense.
Kuzan, for his part, stayed purely on defense, relying on his speed and a hint of Observation Haki, which he sneakily activated. With it, he narrowly blocked each of Yoriichi's attacks.
Whenever Kuzan tried to shift from defense to offense, Yoriichi would instantly switch tactics, forcing him back into defense again.
At times, Kuzan even suspected the kid might be using Observation Haki too, predicting his every move and countering perfectly with sheer swordsmanship.
But then he'd shake his head in self-mockery. He never taught Yoriichi Haki, and the boy had only just started learning the Six Styles, there's no way he could've learned it on his own.
What Kuzan didn't know was Yoriichi really hadn't learned Haki.
But he had the Transparent World.
Kuzan's every muscular twitch when shifting to offense was plain as day to Yoriichi. If Observation Haki let one sense incoming attacks, the Transparent World let Yoriichi see the body's internal movements and anticipate action before it began.
It was like comparing the Uzumaki clan's Kagura Mind's Eye to the Byakugan of the Hyuga—different methods, similar result.
Eventually, their back-and-forth drew attention from the rest of the ship's crew.
The ship was already sailing on a fixed course, and most of the marines—aside from those in the engine room, helm, and crow's nest—had nothing to do. Soon, idle chatter turned into curiosity as more gathered on deck to watch.
One person told another, and before long a crowd had formed, pointing and whispering.
"Hey! That red-haired kid looks familiar... wasn't he on Dragon Roar Island?"
"Oh yeah! The one Vice Admiral Garp brought aboard. Yoriichi Tsugikuni, right? What's he doing here—wasn't he supposed to be at HQ?"
"You didn't hear? Garp brought him along on this mission. Word is, he's Zephyr's disciple now."
"No way—Zephyr's student? He's already this good? Back in East Blue, he wasn't half this strong. Now he's going toe-to-toe with Captain Kuzan?"
The murmur of voices reached Yoriichi and Kuzan, but neither paid it any mind. Their focus remained locked on each other.
Plenty of crew aboard this vessel had seen Yoriichi before—after all, it was the same ship he'd used to travel to Navy HQ.
Some had even fought alongside him.
And those who had were stunned at how far he'd come. His use of Soru was now fluid, almost ghost-like. Paired with his exceptional swordsmanship, his fighting capability had grown exponentially.
Yoriichi himself knew that while his Doriki (combat power) might not have increased numerically, his actual combat effectiveness had taken a huge leap. He could probably defeat his old self within five moves.
Who said Kaido was the best teacher in the pirate world? If you asked Yoriichi, Kuzan was doing a pretty solid job too!
"Hah!"
On the deck, Kuzan finally seized an opening. With a deft flick of his "ice stick," he knocked aside Yoriichi's bamboo sword and jabbed straight at the boy's abdomen.
Yoriichi, still a youth, didn't have Kuzan's stamina.
The prolonged fight and continuous use of Soru, alongside maintaining Total Concentration Constant, had left him winded. His speed was waning—enough for Kuzan to mount a counterattack.
"Tekkai!"
Yoriichi shouted inwardly, deciding to tank the blow head-on.
But just as the ice rod struck, a massive force exploded in his gut—before he knew it, he was sent flying.
BOOM!
He shot back over ten meters, smashing into the ship's mast with a resounding crash. Dazed and dizzy, he hit the ground and immediately vomited up clear liquid—yet another victim of Tekkai gone wrong.
"Hey, you okay?" Kuzan rushed over. He hadn't held back when the opportunity finally came, but seeing Yoriichi's reaction, concern overtook triumph.
"Whoa... Not hurt!"
"Tekkai is amazing!"
After a while, Yoriichi shakily stood up, still wobbly. As he moved his limbs, he was astonished—he wasn't hurt at all. A strike like that would've put him out of commission before.
"Heh."
From the crow's nest above, Garp watched with a chuckle.
"Bogard. Starting tomorrow, teach him Haki."
"He doesn't need the Six Styles anymore."
"He's already mastered them."
With that, the Vice Admiral turned and descended the tower.
*********
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