"Burp... I'm so full..."
Sitting on a chair with a backrest, Aurelius rubbed his stomach and let out a burp.
He had eaten an exceptionally large amount for breakfast today. It might be because the Mythical Zoan fruit had enhanced his physique, or perhaps because he had consumed a lot of energy last night.
In short, the amount of food for breakfast today was several times more than usual, and all of it was high-energy sea beast meat.
Sitting on the stool and resting for a while, once his stomach didn't feel so bloated, Aurelius left the dining area and headed towards the training ground.
...
Standing in the center of the training ground, Aurelius held the Great Grade Sword Sea Burial and fell into deep thought.
"Although the Vampire Fruit doesn't provide a powerful physique like the Azure Dragon Fruit,"
"The super speed and other abilities possessed by the Vampire Fruit are also quite good."
"For me, the physical enhancement and strength enhancement provided by the Vampire Fruit are currently sufficient. Next, I just need to develop the Vampire Fruit properly."
"Perhaps I can reach the standard physique earlier, allowing me to cultivate Armament Haki."
In his mind, he briefly sorted through his own information.
Then, Aurelius slowly closed his eyes and began today's training.
Holding the Great Grade Sword Sea Burial and standing in place with his eyes closed, Aurelius gradually entered a state of comprehension.
Whoosh~
A cold light flashed. Aurelius, with his eyes closed, suddenly swung the Great Grade Sword Sea Burial in his hand.
Under the sunlight, it was as if a ray of light had flashed and disappeared.
In his mind, accompanied by the release of the Noble Phantasm Sea Burial, endless kendo experience continuously merged into Aurelius's brain.
One-Sword Style · Sea Parting... One-Sword Style · Wave Breaking... One-Sword Style · Torrent... One-Sword Style · Raging Waves...
As the Sea Burial sword danced, the air within the training ground seemed to become increasingly humid.
Vaguely, the maids standing outside the training ground seemed to hear the sound of tidal waves.
However, when the maids listened carefully, they found they couldn't hear anything; it was all like an auditory hallucination.
Buzz~
After a long time, the training ground fell into silence again.
Aurelius slowly opened his eyes, and a gleam seemed to flash in the depths of his eyes for an instant.
Golden ripples reappeared, and the Noble Phantasm Sea Burial in Aurelius's hand slowly merged into the King's Treasure.
"The swordsmanship of a Great Swordsman cannot be mastered in a single day."
"Comprehending a little bit each day, slowly. Haste makes waste."
Shaking his head, Aurelius felt the dense kendo comprehension filling his mind and couldn't help but take a light breath.
He had been careless... He didn't expect that after releasing the Noble Phantasm Sea Burial, the lifelong kendo comprehension of a Great Swordsman would flood into his mind all at once.
In this way, if he couldn't understand the kendo comprehension, the content constantly rolling in his mind during cultivation would actually hinder his progress.
Therefore, currently, Aurelius could only digest it bit by bit, slowly turning it into his own use.
Moreover, Aurelius frowned as he recalled the feeling when wielding the Great Grade Sword Sea Burial earlier.
That feeling gave Aurelius an illusion of awkwardness.
Perhaps it was the habits of his previous life at work, or perhaps the cognition of his previous life at work.
Aurelius always felt a bit strange calling the use of a katana-like weapon "swordsmanship" (Kenjutsu).
Although in the One Piece world, there was no distinction between sabers and swords, and everything was collectively called swordsmanship, Aurelius was still somewhat unaccustomed to it.
"Tsk..." Shaking his head slightly, Aurelius suppressed that bit of discomfort.
Now that he had embarked on this path, he had to persist even if he wasn't used to it.
However, Aurelius remembered that there was an Aska Kingdom in the Grand Line, where a true double-edged sword existed.
After setting out to sea, he would make a trip to the Aska Kingdom and take that Seven Star Sword for his own use.
Next, Aurelius paused today's swordsmanship training and began cultivating other content.
Physique training... Observation Haki tempering... Devil Fruit development...
As time passed, Aurelius could clearly feel the changes happening in his body every day.
With the powerful Vampire Fruit, Aurelius found his physique growing day by day.
Repeating swordsmanship training, physique training, Haki tempering, and fruit development every day.
Unknowingly, two months passed quietly.
One day, just as Aurelius finished his swordsmanship training, the sound of footsteps interrupted his subsequent cultivation.
Stopping his movements, Aurelius turned to look outside the training ground.
He saw King Ilo walking towards his location with four young boys.
"Greetings, Father."
Seeing King Ilo, Aurelius put down the Sea Burial sword in his hand and bowed to King Ilo.
"Mn."
Hearing this, King Ilo smiled slightly.
Nowadays, the entire Helios Kingdom was constantly undergoing qualitative changes.
As the King, watching the kingdom change day by day made him incredibly happy.
Even King Ilo's face would occasionally show a smile.
During this period, Aurelius had converted a large number of Dual Haki and Basic Swordsmanship Training Manuals into Noble Phantasms.
Before the schools were built, all these manual Noble Phantasms were distributed by King Ilo to the Kingdom's Army.
After a period of fermentation, a large number of high-ranking officers and elite soldiers within the entire Kingdom's Army had mastered Dual Haki and profound basic swordsmanship.
The overall strength of the Kingdom's four armies had multiplied several times.
Consequently, when the Kingdom's Army patrolled the kingdom's waters, they could more easily deal with pirate crews that mistakenly entered the area.
Not only that, but the casualties of Kingdom Army soldiers performing various missions in the Calm Belt were also greatly reduced.
"Aurelius, these four are the sons of the four Legion Commanders."
Looking at Aurelius, King Ilo pointed to the four boys behind him.
"Previously, you said you wanted to cultivate a few talents, so your father launched a kingdom test."
"These four have been with the Kingdom's Army since childhood and have experienced some training."
"They stood out in the kingdom test and are the talents your father has selected."
As King Ilo's voice fell, the four boys quickly bowed to Aurelius.
"Dylan greets Your Highness."
"Eli greets Your Highness."
"Hio greets Your Highness."
"Orton greets Your Highness."
Listening to the four boys, Aurelius sized them up slightly and nodded imperceptibly.
Aurelius had heard more or less about these four people.
These four were born in the same year, all four years older than Aurelius.
Moreover, during his few years of growth, Aurelius didn't just spend every day in anxiety.
Occasionally, he would also learn about various matters within the kingdom.
Therefore, Aurelius knew something about these four boys.
Dylan, 9 years old, born in January, the eldest son of Dinol, Legion Commander of the East Army.
Eli, 9 years old, born in March, the only son of Abner, Legion Commander of the South Army.
Hio, 9 years old, born in June, the third son of Hiber, Legion Commander of the West Army.
Orton, 9 years old, born in September, the second son of Austin, Legion Commander of the North Army.
These four were born in the same year and showed remarkable talent from a young age.
Furthermore, starting last year, the four of them began interning within the Kingdom's Army.
"Rise."
Aurelius smiled gently, looking at the four who were still bowing.
"Thank you, Your Highness."
Hearing this, Dylan and the other three straightened their backs, looking at Aurelius with slightly nervous but somewhat fanatical expressions.
The four of them had gained a great understanding of Aurelius during this period.
They knew that the changes within the kingdom and the Kingdom's Army were largely due to Aurelius.
Those magical manual Noble Phantasms—Dylan and the others had used them too.
At that moment, after experiencing those magical Noble Phantasms, Aurelius, whom they had never met, became incredibly mysterious and lofty in their eyes.
Especially after knowing that the top four in the kingdom test would be able to meet the mysterious Aurelius.
Dylan and the others all used all their skills, constantly defeating one opponent after another.
Finally, the four took the top four spots and finally met the mysterious Prince Aurelius today.
When they were at the training ground, Dylan and the others felt the sharp aura emanating from Aurelius while he was practicing swordsmanship from a distance.
That aura, even from a distance, made their skin feel a slight stinging sensation.
Children of soldiers worship the strong from a young age.
Towards Aurelius, who possessed both strength and mystery...
Unknowingly, the respect in the hearts of Dylan and the others gradually turned into adoration.
"Aurelius, your father has other affairs to handle. I leave these four to you."
Seeing that Aurelius and the four boys had been introduced, King Ilo said a word and left the training ground.
Watching King Ilo's figure disappear, Aurelius turned his gaze to Dylan and the others.
Feeling the gaze on them, Dylan and the others stood even straighter.
"No need to be nervous."
Smiling gently, Aurelius could feel the nervousness of the four people before him.
"You should also know the purpose of this kingdom test."
Hearing this, Dylan, as the elder brother by a few months among the four, quickly answered.
"Yes. His Majesty the King said that from now on, we will follow Your Highness to study."
Aurelius nodded gently and spoke.
"Mn, Father is right. From now on, you will follow by my side."
"As long as your strength improves, the positions of the four Legion Commanders of the Kingdom will be inherited by you."
"You should know that the position of Legion Commander is not hereditary."
"Without the strength to convince the masses, even the son of the current Legion Commander cannot inherit the position."
"Now, you have stood out in the kingdom test."
"This also proves the talent you possess."
"Therefore, you have this opportunity."