Chapter 15 – The Six Powers of the Navy: I Only Need One Look!
"You also… like the sea?"
Hearing the voice, Yoriichi turned his head and saw a tall man standing beside him.
The newcomer stood close to three meters tall, wearing a pair of round sunglasses. On his head was a blue cap, and right at its center was embroidered a pure white seagull. A long black cloak draped over his shoulders, and at the chest of that cloak—another white seagull insignia.
Though every piece of his attire bore the symbols of the Navy, his outfit was unlike the formal suits and "Justice" capes worn by officers like Garp or Zephyr, nor the sailor uniforms of lower-ranked marines.
There was something sharp and austere about him—an air of cold precision.
A man dressed like this on a naval vessel stood out as strange… just as strange, in fact, as Yoriichi himself, standing there in a loose kimono.
"Kuzan…" Yoriichi instantly recognized the man before him, silently noting his name in his mind.
Kuzan turned his head slightly; seeing Yoriichi remain silent, he didn't press the matter. Resting both hands on the railing, he kept his gaze on the sea and spoke in his calm, languid tone:
"My codename is Aokiji."
"I'm a colonel of Navy Headquarters."
Yoriichi blinked, faintly puzzled. A colonel? On Garp's ship?
Normally, an officer of that rank could command his own fleet—there was no reason for him to be following someone else's orders.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Yoriichi Tsugikuni… uh, a civilian."
Yoriichi replied honestly. After all, he wasn't even officially a marine yet.
"Haha, I know."
"It was Vice Admiral Garp who called me over."
"He asked me to teach you how to fight during this voyage."
Aokiji said it with a light smile, hiding nothing.
Yoriichi looked at him in surprise.
So Garp brought me aboard just to hand me over to someone else?
He had assumed the vice admiral intended to instruct him personally—but apparently, he'd just been handed off to Kuzan.
Well, at least Kuzan was straightforward. If Garp had chosen someone more sly, Yoriichi might've been stuck learning from a mere lieutenant instead.
Still, he didn't object to the arrangement. If it had been anyone else, perhaps he would've, but since it was Aokiji, he accepted it easily enough.
After all, even though Kuzan was only a colonel at this point, Yoriichi knew that in time he would become one of the Navy's most formidable powers. Having someone like him as an instructor was more than sufficient.
Yet Yoriichi couldn't help but be curious—why would a colonel of Aokiji's caliber not be leading his own fleet, but instead be drafted to sail under Garp?
"Colonel Aokiji," Yoriichi asked, "why are you on Vice Admiral Garp's ship? I've learned a little about the Navy's rank structure—someone of your position should be able to command their own squadron, shouldn't they?"
Aokiji chuckled softly and answered without hesitation:
"I just got the notice—I'll be promoted to rear admiral later this year. Headquarters wants me to learn directly from my mentor: Vice Admiral Garp."
He called Headquarters "home," a habit from his previous assignment. For a time, Aokiji had served in a special unit of the Navy—one where everyone used codenames and never revealed their real names. There, he was known simply as "Aokiji," the Blue Pheasant.
It was a funny thing—most of the others in that unit had animal codenames too: dogs, monkeys, and the like. None of them sounded particularly impressive.
As he spoke of his upcoming promotion, a grin broke out across Kuzan's youthful face. Though he'd tried to appear composed, the excitement of advancement was hard to hide.
And to study under Vice Admiral Garp—few officers in all the Navy ever earned such a chance.
Yoriichi couldn't help but feel a pang of awe… and mild envy.
Aokiji was only in his early twenties—barely more than a youth—yet already a colonel, and soon to be a rear admiral.
By comparison, Smoker had been thirty-four when he became a mere colonel stationed in Loguetown. It took him two more years and some borrowed glory from the Straw Hat Pirates before he finally reached vice admiral. Without that, he might have stayed a colonel until forty.
But Aokiji? At just over twenty, he was about to surpass that rank entirely. His rise through the Navy's ranks was the fastest in its history.
For a long moment, Yoriichi fell silent. The beauty of the ocean suddenly lost all its charm.
"Colonel Aokiji," he said at last, his hand resting lightly on the hilt of his sword, eyes alight with determination, "are you free right now?"
"Since Vice Admiral Garp asked you to instruct me, then let's not waste any time."
He had no interest in idling about. The sea breeze and the scenery could wait—improving his strength could not.
Some instinct deep within him whispered that once Garp returned to Headquarters, he might lose his chance to fight or train seriously.
"Oh?" Aokiji raised an eyebrow, amused. "In such a hurry already?"
"Well, I don't see why not. Since you're that motivated—let's begin."
"Vice Admiral Garp asked me to teach you the Navy's Six Powers," Aokiji began, his tone casual, almost apologetic. "To be honest, I'm not exactly a master of them myself."
"But since he told me to do it, I'll do my best."
He turned his head slightly, his calm eyes shifting toward Yoriichi.
"Do you know what the Six Powers are?"
"I don't."
Yoriichi's reply was crisp and direct. He shook his head.
Aokiji nodded slightly. "I figured as much. If I just explained the theory, you probably wouldn't get it."
"So let's do this the simple way—through combat. Feel the Six Powers for yourself."
With that, Aokiji walked toward the middle of the deck.
The dog-headed battleship under Garp's command was massive, and since the other sailors were busy at their stations, the deck was open and empty—a perfect place for a spar.
"Alright."
Yoriichi responded without hesitation, drawing the long blade from his hip.
He was genuinely curious about these "Six Powers." He had some vague memory of their principles, but "principles" were one thing—reproducing the actual techniques from theory alone was as good as reinventing them. That was far beyond realistic.
To learn them properly, he'd need a teacher. And Aokiji seemed like a suitable one.
"Then I'll begin, Colonel Aokiji. Be careful."
Yoriichi spoke politely, though his tone carried a quiet seriousness.
Aokiji waved a hand dismissively, smiling lazily. "Nah, don't worry about it. Come at me."
It wasn't that Aokiji underestimated him—but Yoriichi looked far too young. And being a Logia user, Aokiji wasn't exactly afraid of injury in a normal sparring match.
Yoriichi gave a small nod. Without another word, his legs tensed—then he exploded forward, the wooden deck splintering slightly beneath his feet.
The sudden burst of speed made Aokiji's eyes widen in surprise.
In the blink of an eye, the tip of Yoriichi's blade was already at his chest.
Sun Breathing – Seventh Form: Sunflower Thrust.
The blade shot forward, sharp and direct, aimed cleanly at Aokiji's heart.
Aokiji hadn't expected such speed—certainly not from a boy who couldn't be more than a teenager.
The tip of the sword was already upon him. Instinctively, he triggered his Devil Fruit power—his chest instantly crystallizing into ice.
The steel met frost—there was no sensation of steel piercing flesh.
The next moment, Aokiji stepped back sharply—then vanished.
His voice came from behind Yoriichi.
"This is one of the Navy's Six Powers—Soru."
Just as Aokiji was about to elaborate on the technique, a flash of silver streaked toward his waist.
The attack was so sudden that Aokiji's eyes widened again.
He reacted already? And countered?!
Yoriichi's blade cut through the air in a perfect horizontal arc, aimed directly at Aokiji's flank.
Though Yoriichi didn't know the Six Powers himself, his combat intuition was extraordinary. He'd read Aokiji's movements and predicted his new position almost instantly.
Clang!
The sword connected with a clear, ringing sound.
Aokiji's waist was encased in ice so dense it gleamed like crystal, and Yoriichi's blade stopped dead against it. The hardness of the frozen armor easily surpassed steel.
"Hmm… even Tekkai couldn't completely block that strike."
"My Six Powers really aren't as good as they should be," Aokiji muttered under his breath, lowering his gaze briefly to the frost at his waist.
He was about to explain his use of Tekkai when he suddenly realized—Yoriichi was no longer in front of him.
"What—?!"
His pupils contracted sharply as he twisted around.
And from behind him came Yoriichi's calm, almost curious voice:
"So that was Soru, huh? Not that hard to grasp."
"A fine technique indeed."
(End of Chapter)