"You too… do you like the sea?"
Hearing the voice, Yorichi Tsugikuni turned his head. Standing beside him was a tall man.
The newcomer was nearly three meters in height and wore a pair of round, dark sunglasses.
On his head sat a round, blue cap embroidered at its center with a pure white seagull. Draped over his shoulders was a long, black cape, and on the chest of that cape was the same white seagull.
Although the man's clothing clearly bore the insignia of the Navy, his attire was quite different from officers like Garp or Zephyr, who wore suits and justice cloaks, and equally unlike the sailor uniforms of the lower-ranking marines.
Instead, he gave off an air that was both sharp and stern.
A man dressed like this standing aboard the battleship was a rather odd sight. In fact, he looked every bit as out of place as Yorichi himself, who was clad in a loose kimono.
"Aokiji!" Yorichi recognized the man the instant he saw him and murmured the name inwardly.
Aokiji slightly turned his head. Seeing that Yorichi didn't immediately reply, he said nothing further. He simply rested both hands on the railing, continuing to stare at the sea as he spoke to himself:
"My code name is Aokiji."
"I'm a Captain in Navy Headquarters."
Yorichi blinked in surprise. Aokiji a mere Captain aboard Garp's ship? That was unusual. Ordinarily, a Navy Headquarters Captain would be more than capable of leading his own ship on missions. Why would he be sailing under someone else's command?
"Hello. My name is Yorichi Tsugikuni. Uh… civilian."
Yorichi offered a polite greeting. Strictly speaking, he still wasn't even officially a member of the Navy.
"Ha ha, I know."
"Vice Admiral Garp asked me to come along."
"Vice Admiral Garp specifically requested that during this voyage, I teach you how to fight."
Aokiji made no effort to hide this fact, and spoke with a friendly smile.
Yorichi looked at him curiously.
He'd thought Garp was bringing him aboard to train him personally. But apparently, Garp had simply tossed him to Aokiji instead. Well… at least Aokiji seemed straightforward and honest. If Garp had been any more careless, would he have just sent some random Lieutenant to train him?
Still, Yorichi didn't mind Garp's arrangement. If it were anyone else, he might have objected. But Aokiji? That was perfectly acceptable.
In the future, Aokiji would unquestionably become one of the Navy's top powers. Even if he was merely a Captain right now, he was certainly more than qualified to train the current Yorichi Tsugikuni.
Yet Yorichi couldn't help being curious as to why a Captain of Aokiji's rank wasn't leading his own ship, and was instead stuck serving as Garp's temporary assistant.
"Captain Aokiji, why are you on Vice Admiral Garp's ship?"
"I know a little about the Navy's ranks and duties. A Captain should usually be able to lead their own missions, right?"
Faced with Yorichi's confusion, Aokiji didn't try to hide the truth. Smiling, he explained:
"I've received notice that I'll be promoted to Rear Admiral this year. 'Home' assigned me to train. My mentor… is Vice Admiral Garp."
By "home," Aokiji was referring to Navy Headquarters. He'd previously spent time rotating through one of the Navy's special units, where they used the term "home" as shorthand for headquarters. It was a habit he'd retained ever since.
In that special unit, all personnel kept their real names secret. Everyone addressed each other solely by their code names. His was "Aokiji," meaning "Blue Pheasant." Funny enough, most members of that unit had code names like dog, monkey, and other animals not exactly the most intimidating choices.
As Aokiji spoke about his promotion, he couldn't keep the grin off his face. Still young, he obviously cared a lot about rising through the ranks. And getting the chance to train under Vice Admiral Garp was something he was genuinely happy about.
Throughout the entire Navy, there were very few Captains who were granted the privilege of learning directly from Garp.
Yorichi felt thoroughly outclassed.
Aokiji was barely in his early twenties still practically a kid himself. And yet, he was already a Captain in Navy Headquarters, and slated to become a Rear Admiral this very year.
For comparison, Smoker was already thirty-four when he was still merely a Captain guarding Loguetown. And though Smoker later shot up from Captain to Vice Admiral in just two years, that was largely thanks to riding the waves of fame caused by the Straw Hat Pirates.
Otherwise, if Smoker wanted to reach Vice Admiral at Navy Headquarters, he'd have to wait until he was at least forty.
Yet here was Aokiji, only in his early twenties and about to become a Rear Admiral the fastest promotion speed in Navy history.
Yorichi fell silent for a moment. Suddenly, even the gorgeous ocean scenery lost some of its appeal.
"Captain Aokiji… are you free right now?"
"Since Vice Admiral Garp entrusted you with my training, I think we shouldn't waste any time."
Yorichi placed his left hand lightly on the hilt of his sword, eyes sparkling with anticipation.
It struck him that time was far too precious to waste. Admiring the scenery could wait. The top priority right now was to increase his strength.
Yorichi had a strong feeling that once Garp led them back to Navy Headquarters, he'd have very few chances to spar with anyone again.
"Oh? You're that eager?"
"Fine by me. If you're that motivated, we can start right now."
"Vice Admiral Garp told me to teach you the Navy's Rokushiki. Though honestly… I'm not all that great at it myself."
"But if Vice Admiral Garp gave me this mission, I'll do my best."
"Do you know what the Navy's Rokushiki is?"
Aokiji asked the question casually, glancing sideways at Yorichi.
"I don't."
Yorichi answered crisply, shaking his head.
Aokiji nodded, then continued:
"I figured as much. I doubt you'd understand it even if I tried to explain the theory."
"So let's do it the direct way through combat. It's the fastest way for you to experience what Rokushiki feels like."
He turned and began walking toward the center of the deck. Garp's Doghead Battleship was massive, and with the rest of the crew busy at their posts, the deck was completely open and spacious.
"Alright!"
Yorichi answered without hesitation. As he spoke, he drew his katana from his waist in one fluid motion.
He really was quite curious about the Navy's Rokushiki. He'd read a little about the concept, but theory was one thing. Trying to recreate those techniques from scratch based only on theoretical knowledge was as unrealistic as reinventing the Rokushiki itself.
If you wanted to learn it properly, you needed a teacher.
And Aokiji was as good a teacher as he could hope for.
"Then let's begin. Captain Aokiji get ready."
Yorichi offered the polite warning, raising his blade upright before him, face turning serious.
But Aokiji simply waved a hand, his expression relaxed, and said carelessly:
"Eh, don't worry about it. Come at me."
It wasn't that Aokiji underestimated Yorichi. It was simply that Yorichi looked far too young. And besides, Aokiji was a Logia-type Devil Fruit user. In most battles, he simply didn't have to worry about getting hurt. So he didn't take Yorichi's warning too seriously.
Yorichi nodded and wasted no time. Planting both feet firmly on the deck, he exploded forward toward Aokiji in a sudden burst of speed so swift that Aokiji's eyes widened in surprise. The next instant, the tip of Yorichi's blade was already thrusting at Aokiji's chest.
Sun Breathing Seventh Form: Hiyori Thrust.
The blade lunged forward in a precise stab aimed at Aokiji's chest.
Aokiji clearly hadn't expected Yorichi to be this fast. This was definitely not the kind of speed one would expect from a teenage boy.
As the blade closed in, Aokiji instinctively activated his Devil Fruit power. His chest turned instantly to ice, and when the sword's tip struck home, it felt nothing like piercing flesh.
An instant later, Aokiji withdrew, vanishing from in front of Yorichi's eyes.
"That was Rokushiki Soru."
Aokiji's voice suddenly came from behind Yorichi. Just as he was preparing to give a proper "lecture" about the technique, he saw a glint of steel slicing toward his side.
"He's already reacting?! He's even counterattacking?!"
Aokiji stared in astonishment at Yorichi's movement. He'd never imagined that this kid could respond so quickly and while Aokiji was still speaking, the katana was already about to strike his waist.
Although Yorichi didn't know Rokushiki yet and wasn't as fast as Aokiji, his combat instincts were excellent. He'd successfully anticipated Aokiji's move.
Clang!
The blade slammed against Aokiji's side with a crisp sound. But instead of flesh, Yorichi's sword struck solid ice. Aokiji's waist had transformed entirely into ice, and the blow was stopped cold. The ice was far tougher than steel.
"Tekkai… and it still couldn't completely block this kid's slash."
"My Rokushiki really does leave something to be desired."
Aokiji glanced down at his waist and sighed inwardly. He lifted his head, ready to explain the technique called Tekkai but was startled to discover that Yorichi had already disappeared from where he'd been standing.
"Huh?!"
Aokiji's eyes narrowed sharply as he spun around.
And just then, Yorichi's voice came from behind him:
"So… this is Soru. Doesn't seem that hard."
"Nice technique."