A soft breeze brushed across the sea, carrying a faint drizzle as the curtain of June quietly lifted.
At just twelve years old, Tsugikuni Yoriichi officially became a student of the Marine Academy. Within only three days of enrollment, he had already "fought" his way into the hearts of his senior classmates and was getting along with everyone surprisingly well.
Life at the academy was busy and structured. Mornings were devoted to theory—world history, navigation, and the fundamentals of marine law. After lunch and a brief rest came the grueling afternoon combat training sessions.
Afternoon courses rotated through a variety of subjects: the Six Powers of the Navy, swordsmanship, firearms, and hand-to-hand combat. Each day, instructors selected two areas to focus on, drilling the cadets until dusk.
Through these training days, Yoriichi gradually gained an understanding of his fellow students.
Most of them were elite recruits drawn from the Four Seas, with only a handful having served directly on the Grand Line. Their ranks ranged from Third Class Seaman up to Captain. Among the two hundred cadets, the highest-ranking were Captain Smoker and two others from the West and North Blue, both around thirty years old.
The age range within the academy was wide—aside from Yoriichi, the youngest at twelve, there were recruits as young as sixteen and veterans as old as thirty-two, some with years of battle experience behind them.
Because Yoriichi had caused quite a stir on his first day, everyone in the academy knew his name. Even the instructors couldn't avoid hearing about him.
In fact, his reputation quickly spread beyond the academy itself. Thanks to a few gossip-loving officers, word traveled fast: a twelve-year-old prodigy had entered the academy and flattened an entire class of upperclassmen within his first week.
Some even dug deeper and discovered that Yoriichi had been personally brought from the East Blue by Vice Admiral Garp. A few particularly well-informed marines uncovered another story—that he had single-handedly annihilated a pirate crew with a combined bounty of over 11 million berries.
However, no one outside Garp's ship knew the full truth—that Yoriichi had accomplished that feat together with Aokiji. Garp had deliberately kept that detail under wraps.
Yoriichi's daily life quickly fell into a steady rhythm. Mornings were for study with his peers, and afternoons for combat training.
During the practical sessions, he was often roped in by the instructors to serve as a sparring partner—essentially a live training dummy to "help his classmates improve."
Of course, the skill gap between Yoriichi and the other cadets was enormous. Sparring with them offered him little real benefit.
Still, he used the sessions productively. While fighting, he would deliberately coat parts of his body with Armament Haki to refine his control and defensive endurance.
After three days of this, his Haki coverage improved slightly—not dramatically, but steadily.
Since learning the "Life Return" technique from Zephyr, Yoriichi's physical growth had become even more pronounced. Combined with his Sun Breathing techniques, his body was strengthening day by day. Each morning, he could feel himself becoming stronger, every fiber of muscle, every current of life energy subtly shifting—and his transparent-world vision allowed him to perceive even the faintest changes within.
Though the power levels in this world were vague and difficult to measure, Yoriichi was certain of one thing: his full-force strike now exceeded the upper limit of the testing monolith's power gauge. In other words, his Douriki—combat power—had surpassed 7,000.
Day by day, he continued his training. After completing his academy lessons, he often spent nights sparring with Zephyr himself. Each match left him with new insights and refinement.
And as the months passed, his Armament Haki coverage expanded, growing increasingly refined and stable.
Three calm months slipped by in a blink.
By early September, Yoriichi had achieved full-body Haki coverage, able to maintain it at full output for an entire hour of continuous combat.
Clack! Clack! Clack!
The autumn night in Marineford was still and serene.
But within the home dojo of Chief Instructor Zephyr, the sharp sounds of bamboo swords colliding broke the silence.
Inside the dojo, Yoriichi stood dressed in a black training uniform, its inner lining soaked through with sweat. Unbothered, he gripped his sword tightly in both hands. After a brief pause to steady his breathing, he launched forward—his blade cutting through the air in a clean arc aimed straight at Zephyr's waist.
A soft breeze drifted by, carrying a fine drizzle. Time quietly drew open the curtain of June.
The young Kokuō Yoriichi had officially enrolled in the Naval Academy. It had been only three days since he joined, yet he had already "fought" his way into camaraderie with his fellow cadets—both seniors and peers alike—and got along rather well.
Life at the academy was demanding. Mornings were filled with lessons on world history and navigation, and after a short nap following lunch came the grueling afternoon combat training.
The training courses varied widely—ranging from the Navy's Six Powers, swordsmanship, marksmanship, to close-quarters combat. Each day, the instructors would pick two disciplines from the list to drill the cadets on.
After a few days of this routine, Yoriichi had also gotten to know his classmates better.
Most cadets here were elite soldiers chosen from the Four Seas, while only a handful were seasoned marines who had already served along the Grand Line.
Among the two hundred trainees, ranks ranged from Third-Class Seaman up to Captain. The highest-ranked among them was Captain Smoker, along with two others of equal standing—veterans around thirty years old who had been transferred from the West and North Blues respectively.
The age range was wide—excluding Yoriichi, the youngest was sixteen, while the oldest were in their early thirties. Some were new recruits with promising talent, while others were battle-hardened veterans.
Because of the commotion he'd caused during enrollment, everyone at the academy already knew Yoriichi's name. Even the instructors had heard of him—the twelve-year-old prodigy who'd flattened a bunch of senior cadets the very day he arrived.
Word of his exploits spread quickly, and before long, nearly the entire Marine Headquarters had heard that the academy had gained a monster of a student: a twelve-year-old genius who had entered and immediately beaten up the veterans.
Some curious officers even dug into his background and learned that Yoriichi had been brought from the East Blue by Garp himself. Others, with sharper sources, unearthed his annihilation of a pirate crew worth a total bounty of 11 million berries.
However, the part where Yoriichi and Aokiji had wiped out the Nuke Pirates together—Garp had deliberately kept that detail hidden.
Yoriichi's life after joining the academy was quite disciplined. He attended the morning theory classes like everyone else, but when it came to afternoon combat training, he was often "volunteered" by the instructors to serve as a live practice dummy for the other cadets—to help them "improve."
Naturally, those spars were of little use to him. The gap in strength was too vast. Still, since his current focus was on refining the coverage of his Armament Haki, the drills weren't a total waste. He would coat his body in Haki during these practice bouts, using the opportunity to train his defense and control.
Over the next three days, his Haki's coverage expanded slightly—though the progress was slow.
But ever since learning the technique of Life Return from Zephyr, Yoriichi's physical condition had been improving at an astonishing rate, especially when combined with his Sun Breathing. Each morning, he could clearly feel himself growing stronger. Through the lens of the Transparent World, he could perceive even the subtlest changes in his body.
Though the power scaling in this world was ambiguous, Yoriichi knew one thing for certain—his full-force combat power had already exceeded the limits of the testing stone. In other words, his "Douriki" value had surpassed 7,000.
Time slipped by in quiet repetition.
During those three months of peaceful routine, Yoriichi trained relentlessly. He completed his academy coursework by day, and at night, he would sometimes spar with Zephyr himself—an experience from which he always emerged stronger.
Gradually, his Armament Haki's coverage expanded until, by early September, he could fully coat his entire body and maintain that state in battle for over an hour.
Smack!
Smack!
Smack!
The autumn night in Marineford was calm and still.
But inside Zephyr's home dojo, the sharp sound of bamboo swords clashing rang out again and again.
There stood Yoriichi, clad in a loose black training robe, his inner shirt soaked through with sweat. Ignoring it entirely, he held his bamboo sword in both hands and charged forward, slashing toward Zephyr's waist in a fierce swing.
At that moment, his entire body was coated in Armament Haki. The air trembled with the pressure of his strike.
Zephyr, gripping his own bamboo sword, watched his pupil rush in. His expression turned serious as he quickly raised his weapon to parry.
The two bamboo blades collided with a crisp crack!
Instantly, a surge of force burst through the closed room, blowing outward in a gust of compressed air.
"Not bad," Zephyr praised, nodding slightly. "You're improving fast."
He exerted strength through his arms, knocking Yoriichi's sword aside, then immediately reversed his grip to strike at Yoriichi's chest.
Yoriichi's eyes sharpened—he could now clearly read Zephyr's movements. Against an attack of this level, his body could respond naturally.
With a swift motion, Yoriichi lifted his sword vertically, intercepting the blow. The clash of Haki-infused weapons sent another shockwave through the dojo, scattering the bamboo swords leaning against the wall.
The impact pushed Yoriichi back two meters, but he landed firmly, feet steady on the floor.
"You can now barely withstand seventy percent of my strength," Zephyr said with satisfaction. "Yoriichi, that's impressive. With the power you've got now, you can hold your own out there on the seas."
"That's enough for me to rest easy."
Zephyr's eyes softened with pride.
In just three short months since Yoriichi had returned to Marineford, he had mastered full-body Armament Haki. His body, too, had grown far stronger. Sparring against Zephyr now, the veteran instructor could no longer afford to go "barehanded."
Yoriichi's speed, power, and both types of Haki had advanced tremendously. In normal training bouts, Zephyr no longer had the luxury of holding back.
In his teacher's eyes, what Yoriichi lacked now compared to true top-tier fighters was only the density of his Haki—and the raw durability of his physique. As for experience, his instincts in battle had already earned Zephyr's full approval.
"Master Zephyr, please don't praise me so much. I still have a long way to go," Yoriichi replied, shaking his head.
He knew his own limits. Though he'd never crossed blades seriously with Zephyr, countless sparring sessions had made him aware of the gap between them. His Armament Haki was still far from Zephyr's level—perhaps only slightly stronger than Vergo at his peak.
Of course, if he were to actually fight Vergo head-on, Yoriichi was confident he could finish it within five exchanges.
"Yoriichi," Zephyr said as he set his bamboo sword aside, "the headquarters has arranged internships for all cadets."
"I held yours back before—but now that you've reached this level, I can finally let you go."
"Your assignment will be in the West Blue. With your strength, you shouldn't face any real danger."
"In a week, Colonel Cain from the 133rd Branch will be coming here for debriefing. When he returns to the West Blue, you and Kyros will be going with him."
At that, Yoriichi's eyes lit up. But then he frowned slightly and asked, "Just the two of us? What about the others?"
Zephyr chuckled.
"You two are the only Third-Class Seamen—the true rookies here. The others are seasoned elites from the Four Seas. Their internships will be on the Grand Line."
(End of Chapter)
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