Ever since Yorichi Tsugikuni started learning the Navy's Rokushiki techniques from Kuzan, he'd been pestering him nonstop for sparring matches. He wanted to push his body to adapt quickly through relentless combat.
Though using Rokushiki consumed a tremendous amount of stamina, Yorichi found that after short periods of rest, he could usually recover enough energy to keep fighting for a while longer.
As his understanding of Rokushiki deepened, Yorichi began experimenting with integrating Rankyaku's attack mechanics into his sword strikes during battle.
Finally, around noon, Yorichi succeeded in unleashing a flying slash attack.
"Vwoom-"
A low, powerful whoosh split the air across the deck as Yorichi swung his bamboo sword and sent an invisible blade of compressed wind flying at Kuzan, who was standing some distance away.
The speed of the slash was incredible, nearly silent as it traveled. Fortunately, Kuzan had been relying on his Observation Haki throughout the sparring session, which allowed him to sense the attack the instant Yorichi launched it.
Still, even with that warning, Kuzan never expected Yorichi to strike from such a distance, and he had no time to properly dodge. When the slash connected, Kuzan had no choice but to activate his Devil Fruit power, instantly transforming his body into solid ice.
But in the very next moment, the flying slash sliced clean through Kuzan's frozen form, cutting him in half at the waist. His upper body toppled forward and crashed onto the deck with a heavy thud.
"Thud!!!"
The flying slash, though weakened after passing through Kuzan's icy body, continued on and smashed into the ship's railing, blowing open a massive hole.
"Crack—"
A moment later, Kuzan's elemental form quickly reassembled, returning him to his normal shape. He brushed his fingers over his abdomen, where the wound should have been, and turned to glance at the gaping hole in the railing, eyes wide with surprise.
"That was… a flying slash attack!"
"A swordsman's hallmark move!"
Yorichi nodded excitedly, tightening his grip on the bamboo sword. In one fluid motion, he unleashed two more flying slashes. This time, he seemed even more proficient. The slashes were broader than before, cutting a much larger swath through the air.
If anyone had been able to see Yorichi's slashes with the naked eye, they would have witnessed crescent-shaped blades of compressed wind, three meters long and half a meter wide, slicing through the air toward Kuzan at high speed.
"Hey, kid, are you trying to chop me in half or what?" Kuzan said helplessly, shrugging his shoulders. A gentle breeze swept the deck as he vanished from sight in the blink of an eye.
Now that Kuzan was prepared, there was no way Yorichi's slashes could hit him.
"Boom!!!"
"Boom!!!"
Two successive crashes echoed across the ship. Two more giant holes appeared in the railing, and even the deck itself was left with deep gouges from the powerful strikes.
"Not bad at all!"
"I can finally feel my own progress."
"There's no doubt about it. In this world, my potential ceiling is going to be even higher!"
Yorichi was extremely pleased with the power of his new technique. He lifted his bamboo sword slightly, eager to keep testing his freshly acquired flying slash.
But at that moment, a fist the size of a sandbag came crashing down silently, slamming directly onto the top of Yorichi's head. Caught completely off guard, Yorichi yelped in pain, clutching his head and dropping into a crouch. Behind him came Garp's thunderous roar:
"You little brat!"
"What the hell do you think my warship is for?!"
"Are you training or trying to tear my ship apart?! Huh?!"
Startled, Yorichi turned around and found Garp towering over him, face twisted in rage.
"Uh… I'm sorry…" Yorichi apologized, still rubbing the sore spot on his head. His recent breakthrough in power had left him a bit overexcited, and he'd completely forgotten where he was. Seeing the mess he'd made on the deck, Yorichi felt genuinely embarrassed.
"Vice Admiral Garp, I… don't have money to pay for this." After a brief moment of thought, Yorichi forced an awkward grin and looked at Garp apologetically.
"Tch. Forget it. I'll make Zephyr cover the expenses."
"But for now, you're going to fix the railing and the deck that you wrecked."
"And you're not getting any dinner until it's all repaired!"
Garp picked his pinky to clear his nose as he spoke, grinning wickedly. No sooner had he finished speaking than he suddenly spun around, shouting at the ship's entrance, where Kuzan was trying to sneak away unnoticed.
"Hey! Kuzan, you're in this too!"
"You're helping Yorichi fix all the damage. And if you don't get it done, you're not eating dinner either!"
Called out, Kuzan froze, then turned back around with an awkward smile. He shot a fierce glare at Yorichi before reluctantly joining him.
…
"Tap! Tap! Tap!"
With a small wooden mallet in hand, Yorichi crouched beside the broken railing, driving a carefully measured wooden plank into place and then hammering in nails to secure it.
Truth be told, Yorichi actually knew a thing or two about carpentry. During his years living in seclusion in the mountains, he'd often needed to craft wooden furniture and household items by himself. While he wasn't skilled at carving decorative patterns, he was quite familiar with basic joinery and mortise-and-tenon construction.
"Tap… tap…"
Unlike Yorichi's skilled and precise movements, Kuzan clearly wasn't cut out for handiwork. His hammering was random and haphazard, pounding nails into boards that stuck out awkwardly from the deck. The extra wood jutted up all around, completely mismatched in size.
"Eh… it's fine like this."
"Close enough."
Yorichi glanced over and fell silent as he stared at the awkward wooden "patch" sticking up from the deck.
"…Forget it, Captain Kuzan. Since I'm the one who broke it, I'll redo it in a bit." Kuzan's carpentry skills were simply terrifying in the worst way. Not wanting to deal with the inevitable rework, Yorichi decided it was safer to take the job himself.
"It's fine. No big deal." Kuzan seemed to realize just how hideous his handiwork looked. With a flick of his hand, a sharp ice blade formed in his grip. He swiftly sliced off the excess wood, trimming the patch so it fit seamlessly with the deck.
"Whoa! Devil Fruit powers really are handy." Yorichi exclaimed, impressed, before turning back to his own repairs.
"By the way, Captain Kuzan, why did you decide to join the Navy?"
As any good craftsman knows, making small talk while working is essential it's one of the best ways to bond with others.
"You're Admiral Zephyr's disciple, and now that we know each other, don't keep calling me Captain Kuzan."
"Just call me Kuzan. That's my name."
Kuzan seemed relaxed and friendly toward Yorichi.
Admiral Zephyr had also been Kuzan's teacher, and Kuzan could tell that Yorichi got along well with Garp. Given Yorichi's remarkable strength and talent, Kuzan saw no need to treat him like a subordinate or act high and mighty.
"As for why I became a Marine—"
"Isn't it obvious? To pursue justice, of course!"
"Isn't that why you're here too?"
As Kuzan spoke of "pursuing justice," his eyes shone with a determined light. This young Marine officer had joined the Navy with genuine passion and idealism.
"Pursuing justice… that sounds incredible."
"I'm not as noble as you are. I just don't want to see towns lying in ruins, or good people dying senseless deaths."
Yorichi let out a soft sigh, his hands never stopping their steady work. But Kuzan paused mid-hammer, glancing over at Yorichi with a serious expression.
"What you're trying to achieve… that's far more incredible than anything I'm doing."
"This world is huge, Yorichi."
"The things you want to accomplish won't be easy. Without immense power, it's impossible. And even with power, it'll still be a difficult road."
"I never imagined that someone your age could harbor ambitions like that."
Then Kuzan suddenly laughed. "Hahaha! I think I finally understand why they brought you aboard this ship."
"Yorichi, you and I… we're both pretty lucky to be on Vice Admiral Garp's ship!"
But just as Kuzan finished speaking, Garp's voice thundered from a distance:
"You two! Quit slacking off and get back to work!"
"… …"
"Okay. Forget I said anything."