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"Hehe, I'm just afraid that right when I'm about to do something to you, you'll back out again."
Ikki stopped joking the moment he finished speaking. He drew a slow breath and quietly gathered the power within his body, calling up the Love Breathing Kujaku had asked for.
Through the point where their skin touched, that breath flowed steadily out of Ikki and into her.
Kujaku's eyes widened slightly as a refreshing warmth spread through her, and she smiled without meaning to, her whole body loosening.
"Looks like you're in luck." Ikki nodded, watching a faint pink glow rise from her skin.
Kujaku snapped out of her daze at the sound of his voice. She looked up at his face, only inches from hers, and asked, "Ikki, from what you're saying, do I actually meet the requirements?"
"That's right," Ikki said with a smile. "You're in luck. Your body is perfectly suited to the kendo of Love Breathing, just as you hoped. Your talent for Love Breathing isn't quite on Sadi-chan's level, but it's still nothing to sneeze at."
Ikki's own strength had taken another step forward, and his grasp of Breathing Style Kendo had grown correspondingly sharper. He no longer even needed to compare the color and density of the breath the way he had with Sadi and Kujaku directly. By now, he could judge someone's compatibility with Love Breathing just from the purity of what they gave off.
"You're saying my talent isn't as good as Sadi-chan's?" Kujaku frowned, her pretty eyebrows knitting together as if she couldn't quite believe it.
"What, is there a problem?" Ikki asked.
"Isn't this a problem? You're saying my talent is inferior to Sadi-chan's?"
"It's a touch lower, but overall it's nothing to worry about. Keep working at Love Breathing and you'll master it just fine. Besides, your fighting style was never limited to Love Breathing alone anyway, was it?" Ikki shrugged and let go of her without much ceremony.
Even before learning any swordsmanship, Kujaku had already fought well. Ikki was confident that once she picked up a sword, she'd only get sharper. Setting everything else aside, her command of her Devil Fruit ability was genuinely impressive, a strength Sadi had never possessed at all.
"No, test me again properly, and see if my talent is really lower than Sadi-chan's. Besides Love Breathing, try me on the other breathing techniques too. Even Flame Breathing, if it means burning my clothes, is worth trying," Kujaku said, stepping forward to hug Ikki's waist and giving him a defiant look.
"I never knew you cared this much about it. Does personal talent even decide whether we win or lose?" Ikki asked, curious.
"Maybe it's because Sadi-chan and I both use whips. We're too alike in a lot of ways," Kujaku said.
'That's true,' Ikki thought, nodding. Setting the shared weapon aside, both women carried a certain queenly bearing. But where Sadi's queenly air came laced with a hint of masochism, Kujaku's seemed to be the genuine, unmixed article.
"Fine, I'll admit Sadi-chan has a lot in common with you. But that's no reason to cling to me and keep me testing you all day, is it? There's still the gathering waiting for us at Marine Headquarters Plaza. Why don't we head over there now, and you can come find me afterward if I'm free?" Ikki said.
"No. I want to test it now. If you won't test me, I'll just keep holding on like this." Kujaku gripped his hand firmly, her expression set.
Ikki didn't know what to say to that, and could only sigh helplessly.
"Aren't you worried Tsuru will give you trouble over this later?" he asked, shaking his head with a sigh. "Alright, alright, I'll spend a little more time testing you. Speaking of which, the kendo of Love Breathing actually descends from Flame Breathing. Want me to try Flame Breathing on you again?"
At that, Kujaku's eyes lit up. "The kendo of Love Breathing came from Flame Breathing? If I can learn it, would I be able to use two different breathing techniques in swordsmanship at once?"
The thought of wielding a soft blade wreathed in flame filled her with a private delight. In the end, the intimidating power of fire ran deep in this world, which was exactly why so many fighters chose to build their techniques around it.
"If you really manage to learn both styles, you might end up developing an entirely new form of swordsmanship, one built just for you. In the end, whether it's Flame Breathing or Love Breathing, both trace back to the old Breathing Swordsmanship."
"Breathing swordsmen, through their own understanding of the craft, each chose the path that suited their training best. Over time, that's how so many different methods of Kendo came to exist," Ikki said.
As he spoke, a red flame kindled suddenly in his right hand, the one Kujaku was still gripping. It was the fighting spirit given form by the aura he released whenever he called on Flame Breathing.
"Is this Flame Breathing? It feels so warm," Kujaku murmured, staring at the red flames. They licked at her hand without causing her any pain at all. If anything, the sensation felt oddly comforting.
"Feels warm?" Ikki raised an eyebrow. "Who knows, maybe you really are suited to Love Breathing after all."
"Really?" Kujaku looked up at him, surprised.
"At this point, why would I bother lying?" Ikki said, a little embarrassed, before continuing, "But you know how Flame Breathing works. Don't you want some protection for your clothes first? Don't end up like Hina did. And with a war on the horizon, you probably shouldn't be standing around looking this pleased with yourself, should you?"
"In that case, come with me." Kujaku grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the area where the female soldiers changed.
With the war against the Whitebeard Pirates about to begin, the space stood completely empty, clean and quiet.
"Alright, you can test me now. If you burn through my clothes, I won't be able to fight back properly, so I'll need to borrow something from the other soldiers to change into," Kujaku said, smiling as she looked at Ikki with anticipation.