Chapter 119: Nagi vs. Phantasmal Sword x Mark Seam's Kind Warning
What is water?
It is a raging wave, a small river, the great ocean. It is the porridge we eat, the source of life that sustains our bodies. Everyone's understanding of it is different, but without exception, all thoughts about "water" ultimately point back to one's own perception.
Sakonji Urokodaki sat on a stump, carving a mask. The rough bark was gone, the edges smoothed, faintly revealing the shape of a fox. He carved with focus, his mind simultaneously picturing Giyu Tomioka and Eiichiro. One was cold and taciturn; the other was vibrant and sharp. He had fantasized more than once: if anyone could evolve the Water Breathing further, surpassing himself... it used to be Giyu. Now, there was also Eiichiro.
Why? Because the boy learned at a speed that defied all logic.
By the waterfall.
Giyu Tomioka stood on the treetop, facing Roy. When he heard Roy also had a form to show, his cold eyes flickered, visibly stunned for a moment. He looked back at Roy. The boy leaned on his training blade, a faint, calm smile on his face. Giyu knew he wasn't joking.
'He just learned the Breathing Style yesterday, and today he's already created a new form?' It felt like his perception of reality had been thrown on the ground and stomped on. Giyu Tomioka struggled to find a shred of logic in the absurdity.
A rare smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
"Did... did Giyu-senpai just smile? That's too weird. The sun must have risen in the west today!" Shinsuke noticed, yelped, and leaned in closer, only to get smack, smack, smack—slapped several times by Fukuda.
Confirmed. Not a dream! That was... a real smile!
"Senpai said that Giyu-senpai never smiled again after his sister died... so what's going on now?" Makomo tilted her head, looking at Sabito.
The fox-masked boy was clearly stunned as well. He watched the two intently for a moment, then his brow slowly relaxed, and he too smiled.
Makomo: "Senpai, what did you see?"
"Happiness," Sabito said, filled with emotion. "The happiness of meeting a true rival, and of seeing a worthy successor."
He didn't say more. He knew in his heart that Giyu had always believed he hadn't passed the Final Selection on his own merit, and thus was unworthy of being a Hashira. This was why, in the original story, he always kept to himself, refusing to mingle with the other Hashira.
But now... "He feels that someone worthy of the 'Water Hashira' title has finally appeared."
"Eiichiro?"
"Yes. Eiichiro."
All eyes turned to Giyu Tomioka. Giyu was truly happy today. He looked at Roy, his eyes blazing, and simply said, "Good."
His blade tip pointed down. Drip. A drop of water fell. The space around the tip of his Nichirin Blade rippled, expanding unhurriedly towards Roy.
At first, Shinsuke and Fukuda didn't notice. Then, they saw a sparrow fly over Giyu's head and abruptly get sliced in two. They suddenly realized... the wind had stopped. Even the sound of rustling branches was gone. A chill ran down their spines. When they looked again...
Giyu was walking on the ripples towards Roy. Everything in his path was instantly, silently, sliced in two by high-speed sword movements!
"Water Breathing, Eleventh Form: Lull..."
Closer... Roy could already feel the deadly stillness, an aura that silenced all things!
Fwoosh! Two suns ignited in his pupils. He narrowed his eyes. Giyu was weaving an absolute defense network with his unparalleled slashes. This was how he had so easily nullified Lower Moon Five Rui's "Cutting Thread Rotation."
But unfortunately, a "calm" created by physical means was not true "stillness."
True "stillness" is when... the heart itself is no longer disturbed. Drip. A single drop of water fell.
Roy leaned on his training blade, letting the tip touch the treetop. He recalled the scene from the storm—the sun rising in the east, reflected perfectly, split in two by the sea's mirror. He activated [Phantasmal Sword]. Voom...
A ripple exploded outwards, instantly covering the world, enveloping everything—Giyu Tomioka, who was just meters away; Sabito and Makomo, watching from the trees; Shinsuke, Fukuda, Shimizu, and Watanabe, who were still completely baffled—all of them were trapped.
In that instant, everything, as if frozen in time, lost its ability to move. They could only stare, wide-eyed, as a red sun slowly crested the sea's horizon. And then... the image of the boy calmly placing his blade on Giyu Tomioka's shoulder.
Whoosh. Nine o'clock in the morning. The mountain wind scattered the mist, casting down a ray of sunlight.
Sakonji Urokodaki paused his carving knife and looked up. Giyu Tomioka, wearing his red, yellow, and green haori, was walking slowly towards the cabin, a faint smile on his cold face.
The old man paused. "You're back."
"I'm back."
"How did it go?"
Giyu Tomioka sat down next to Sakonji. His lake-blue eyes were clearer than ever. He looked at his master seriously. "You were right, Master. Eiichiro will be the answer."
Sakonji Urokodaki froze for a moment, then picked up his carving knife again, murmuring, "Then I'd better hurry. Otherwise, I won't finish this before he leaves the mountain..."
Scrape... scrape... The knife sent wood shavings fluttering to the ground.
In a parallel timeline, after his battle with his senior brother Giyu Tomioka, Roy completed six more 'Ten Thousand Swings' sessions that day. Before bed, he chatted idly with his master and brother, then lay down on the bed and fell into a deep sleep.
Hss... Faint snores drifted on the air.
When he once again used "deep sleep" to leave the Demon Slayer world and return to the Hunter world, the sky outside the airship's window was already bright. A red sun was in the midst of showcasing a brilliant dawn, painting the vast sea a beautiful crimson.
"Young Master, breakfast is here."
Six o'clock in the morning. Kurapika, just like yesterday, pushed the cart to the bow and handed it to Gotoh. The girl's blonde hair was tied back, and she had dark circles under her eyes from frantically "cramming" Nen-related knowledge. Roy didn't even have to think to know that Gotoh must have put her through a brutal, "cram-style" teaching session.
In the young butler's words: "If you can't learn, you should look for the fault in yourself. Were you listening? Were you thinking? You say it's 'hard'? What's 'hard' about it? There are so many Nen users; didn't everyone learn this way?"
In short... as long as Gotoh was around, Kurapika was not going to have an easy time.
"Young Master, your meal." Gotoh took the cart and began shelling shrimp for Roy.
Roy admired the dawn, stretched his arms, and glanced over. In the shadows, the strange man peeked out, then flinched and ducked back down through a hole in the deck. Faintly, Captain Mark Seam's furious shouting could be heard: "Which bastard did this?! Learning nothing good, just digging holes like a rat! You'd better hope I don't catch you, or I'll revoke your exam eligibility!"
It had been days. He'd find a hole here, a hole there. He'd patch one up, and it would be clawed open again. It had almost driven Mark Seam mad! And the hole-digging "rat" was too good at hiding. The moment he used Zetsu, he was impossible to sense, popping up when you least expected it. It was infuriating enough to drive a man to death.
Thankfully, after ten days of sailing, Dolle Island was finally in sight. The old captain pinched his nose and endured for one more day. In the distance, a stretch of land slowly emerged where the sea and sky met. Tooooot! The ship's horn blared.
After the long, rough journey, the anchor was dropped, the ship secured, and the gangway lowered. The ten candidates who had survived the point battle emerged from various corners of the ship: the man in bandages, the snake charmer, the boy with the bow, the bald ninja Yusuke... and the strange man, Kite, Kurapika, Gotoh, and Roy.
They gathered by the gangway, but no one moved, all stealing glances at the bow.
Gotoh spoke at the right moment. "Young Master..."
Roy casually tossed the branch to him, picked up the cane sword that had been resting on his lap, and stood up. He walked over, unhurried, followed closely by Gotoh and Kurapika.
The sun was shining brightly. Perhaps out of awe, no one dared to disembark before Roy. As he approached, they automatically parted, clearing a path for him.
Since that was the case, Roy didn't hesitate, stepping onto the gangway and leading the way off the Sea God.
Phew! A collective sigh of relief was heard from behind him. Then the strange man, then Kite... one by one, they stepped onto the gangway. In a moment, only Captain Mark Seam was left. He stood, pipe in mouth, silently watching them go, his gaze lingering for a moment on Roy, Gotoh, and Kurapika. He took a phone from his pocket and dialed a number.
Ring ring... The call was answered by the sound of a child's voice.
"Grandma, it's Grandpa Mark from the Sea God..."
"Mark?"
"Kekeke... has the kid arrived?"
An old woman, leaning on a cane, a string of green prayer beads around her neck, smiled, revealing a few sparse teeth. She took the phone. Sure enough, the old captain's rough voice came through.
"Bachan, you're not dead yet?"
The old woman's eye twitched. "Kekeke... what a pity. This old woman is tough. I won't be dying anytime soon. Sorry to disappoint you."
"Hahaha..." Mark Seam knew he was being teased. He blew a smoke ring. "Not dead, but you will be soon." His voice turned serious. "This year's candidates are different. You'd better take it easy, old woman. When the time comes, go easy on them."
Having just sent that boy off, and remembering how a few slashes had nearly dismantled his ship, Mark Seam couldn't help but sigh. He was just thankful the kid had some decency and held back.
"Kekeke~ This old woman may be old, but I'm not as weak as you think. I've still got enough strength to teach you a lesson with one hand." The old woman thumped her cane on the ground. A group of children in white robes and masks gathered around her, chanting incomprehensible words. A powerful Nen aura emanated from them.
"Tage... tage..."
"Which is heavier, a ton of iron or a ton of cotton?"
"Iron."
"Wrong. They are the same, both one ton."
"Which is older, the big brother or the little brother?"
"The correct answer is, we don't know. Because they are twins."
"It's those 'kids'!" Mark Seam, hearing the "noise" on the other end, wasn't surprised. He took another drag from his pipe, frowning. "Old woman, I've warned you."
"Don't be too stubborn!" At the very least... Mark Seam's voice dropped. "When you see a boy with a cane sword, accompanied by a male and female servant, you'd better just let them pass. After all..."
"That boy is a monster who practices his sword in the middle of a storm. I've never seen a candidate like him. It's like nothing can stop him. Forget you, even the whole Kiriko family would have a hard time."
Wait... what storm? The old woman may be old, but she wasn't blind or deaf. "Mark, don't you try to scare this old woman."
Can't you understand plain language? Mark Seam said flatly, "In any case, I've given you my warning. Remember... a boy with a cane sword."
Beep. The call ended.
The old woman, surrounded by the children, stood frowning, still holding the phone. At that moment, her ears twitched. Faintly, she heard approaching footsteps, and a heartbeat.
Thump... thump... thump... It was getting closer.
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