Chapter 48 - 48: West Blue

A soft breeze stirred, fine rain drifted like threads, thus began the curtain rise of June. Still young in years, Yoriichi Tsugikuni had officially joined the Navy Academy. It had been only three days since his admission, yet he had already "fought his way" into the hearts of his senior peers, earning their respect and blending in with ease. Life at the Navy Academy was rigorous for its cadets. Mornings were devoted to lessons in world history and navigation. After a brief rest following lunch, the afternoons were reserved for intensive combat training. The afternoon curriculum was diverse and demanding, including, but not limited to the Navy's signature Six Styles, swordsmanship, firearms handling, and close-quarters combat. On any given day, instructors would select two of these disciplines to drill the cadets. Over the course of these days, Yoriichi had begun to gain a clearer understanding of his peers. Most of the cadets here were elite selections drawn from the Four Blues, with only a small handful coming from the more perilous Grand Line. Their ranks ranged from Seaman Third Class to Lieutenant, with the highest among them being Commander Mouseman. Only two others shared this top-tier rank, both around thirty years of age, one from the West Blue and the other from the North Blue. The cadets' ages spanned a wide range from as young as sixteen to as old as thirty-two. Some were gifted newcomers, while others were grizzled veterans who had survived countless battlefields. Because Yoriichi's enrollment had caused quite the stir, every cadet knew who he was—even the instructors had memorized his name. And his reputation had already spread well beyond the walls of the Academy. Thanks to a few gossip-loving officers, it took just three days for word to travel throughout Marine Headquarters: a twelve-year-old prodigy had arrived at the Academy and thrashed a group of veteran students on his very first day. Some curious souls even dug into his background and discovered that Yoriichi had been brought from the East Blue by none other than Vice Admiral Garp. Those truly in the know even unearthed that he had single-handedly wiped out an entire pirate crew with a combined bounty of eleven million Berries. However, no one knew the full truth, that Yoriichi had eradicated the Nuke Pirates in tandem with Kuzan. It seemed Garp had deliberately kept that detail under wraps. After joining the Navy Academy, Yoriichi quickly settled into a steady routine. Each morning, he attended theory classes alongside his fellow cadets. But come afternoon combat drills, the instructors would often rope him in as a sparring partner—a "volunteer" to help his classmates improve by giving them a target leagues beyond their level. The disparity in strength was vast; for Yoriichi, sparring with these cadets did little to advance his own skills. Still, since his current focus was on expanding the reach of his Armament Haki, he used the sparring sessions to train his body by maintaining Haki-coated defenses throughout. In that regard, the practice wasn't a total waste. In just three days, he managed to slightly broaden the range of his Haki, though the progress was limited. However, ever since learning the ability of Life Return from Zephyr and combining it with his Breathing Techniques, Yoriichi's physical constitution had begun to improve steadily, day by day. Every morning, he could feel the tangible growth in his strength. Through the lens of the Transparent World, even the most minuscule changes in his body did not escape his notice. That said, with the power hierarchy in the world of pirates being so ambiguous, Yoriichi couldn't quite gauge where he currently stood. But one thing he did know for certain—his full-strength "Douriki" output had already exceeded the upper threshold of the Academy's testing wall. In other words, his Douriki score had surpassed 7000. The days passed in this rhythm—training without fail, attending his courses, and sparring with Zephyr at home in the evenings. Every session with Zephyr, a master in his own right, offered new insights. Gradually, his Armament Haki continued to expand, enveloping more and more of his body. Three months of peace slipped by in the blink of an eye. By the beginning of September, Yoriichi had finally reached the milestone of coating his entire body with Armament Haki, and could now sustain that full-body coverage in combat for an hour at maximum output. Clack! Clack! Clack! It was an autumn night in Marineford, hushed and serene. But inside the home of the Navy Headquarters' chief instructor, Zephyr, the air was filled with the sharp, rhythmic strikes of bamboo swords echoing from the private dojo. Within the dojo, the training continued. Clad in a loose-fitting black training uniform, Yoriichi Tsugikuni stood drenched in sweat—his inner garments soaked through long ago. Yet he paid it no mind. Gripping his sword in both hands, he launched forward after a brief pause, blade arcing fiercely toward Zephyr's midsection. His entire body shimmered with the sheen of Armament Haki. As he attacked, the intensity of his aura surged like a crashing tide. Zephyr, holding a bamboo sword of his own, met the incoming strike with a focused expression, swiftly raising his weapon to intercept. The bamboo swords collided with a sharp crack! In an instant, a burst of wind exploded outward from the enclosed dojo, despite the tightly shut windows. The shockwave spread in every direction, rattling the bamboo swords stacked against the wall. "Hmm! Not bad. You've made impressive progress!" Zephyr praised, voice steady but forceful. With a sudden burst of strength, he knocked Yoriichi's blade aside, then twisted his stance and slashed back toward the young man's chest in a fluid counter. Yoriichi's eyes tracked the movement precisely. By now, he had grown capable of reacting to attacks even from someone of Zephyr's caliber. With a sharp movement, Yoriichi raised his bamboo sword, intercepting the counterstrike. Their Armament Haki clashed again, this time with enough force to scatter the bamboo swords nearby, sending them tumbling against the wall in a chaotic mess. Yoriichi absorbed the force of the strike, sliding back two meters before landing steadily on his feet. "You're already able to withstand seventy percent of my full strength. That's no small feat, Yoriichi," Zephyr said, nodding approvingly. "With the strength you have now, you'd barely qualify as a real player on the grand stage of the seas." "At least now, I can rest a bit easier." Zephyr's face softened as he looked at Yoriichi from across the dojo—genuine pride shining in his eyes. In the mere three months since Yoriichi returned to Marine Headquarters, his Armament Haki had advanced to the point where it could coat his entire body. At the same time, his physical condition had undergone remarkable improvement. Their sparring sessions had evolved beyond the old days—Zephyr no longer dared to take him on barehanded. Yoriichi's speed, power, and mastery of both types of Haki had seen tremendous leaps. In normal combat drills now, Zephyr no longer had the luxury of going in unarmed. In Zephyr's view, the only things separating Yoriichi from the elite fighters of the world were the sheer density of his Haki and the limits of his physical endurance. As for combat instincts, Yoriichi had already proven himself. His performance in battle had long since earned Zephyr's recognition. "Master Zephyr, please don't praise me like that. I've still got a long way to go," Yoriichi replied, shaking his head earnestly. He was well aware of his limits. Though he had never crossed blades with Zephyr in a real fight, months of sparring had shown him clearly: his Armament Haki was still too weak to match someone of Zephyr's level. If he were to estimate, his Haki was just marginally stronger than Vergo's at his peak. Of course, if he faced Vergo head-on, Yoriichi was confident he could bring him down within five exchanges. "Yoriichi, Headquarters had originally planned to send all cadets out for field experience at sea," Zephyr said, setting his bamboo sword aside as he walked toward the wall. "I held off on your assignment for a while. But now that you've come this far, I can let you go with a bit more peace of mind." "Your destination is the West Blue. With your current strength, you shouldn't encounter much danger there." "In one week, Colonel Cain from the 133rd Marine Branch will be returning to Headquarters for a report. When the time comes, you and Cyrus will travel back to the West Blue with him." Zephyr turned and addressed him plainly. Yoriichi's eyes lit up at the news of his deployment, but a moment later, a question formed on his lips. He frowned slightly. "Just Cyrus and me? What about the others?" Zephyr chuckled. "You two are the only ones still at the rank of Seaman Third Class. Raw recruits, through and through. The others? Most of them are elite cadets from the Four Blues." "Their internships are taking place in the Grand Line." ********* Hey everyone! I'll be dropping an extra 1 chapter once we hit 200, 400 power stones! If you're enjoying the story, don't forget to spend some power stones. I'd really appreciate the support. Thanks a bunch! For advance chapters, please do visit and consider joining me on Patreon, it really helps me out and I'd love to have you along for the journey! p(a)treon.com/Lnee *remove () to open it