Chapter 76: Peach Rabbit
After talking with Tsuru for a while and finally understanding the general situation, Axel had asked the one question that mattered most.
Who would be teaching him swordsmanship?
Tsuru, however, had only smiled faintly and left him hanging with two maddeningly vague answers.
"I won't disappoint you."
"And the other party just happens to be free."
That was all she gave him.
Axel did not keep pressing. If Tsuru wanted to keep something to herself, prying it out of her was harder than dragging a Sea King onto land by hand.
So he left the room.
To be honest, he had no particular resistance toward learning the sword.
Fighting barehanded and crushing someone from a distance certainly sounded more impressive on paper, but this was the world of One Piece. Style came second. Strength came first.
Besides, he did not need some legendary blade to make swordsmanship useful.
A good sword, a great grade blade, even one of the Supreme Grade swords, all of those things were meaningful to ordinary swordsmen. But to him, the real deciding factor was never the blade itself. If his vector control reached a high enough level, he could reinforce the structure of an ordinary weapon, alter the flow of force through it, turn blunt weight into sharp lethality, and make even a wooden sword cut like a real one.
In his hands, even a training sword could become the One Piece equivalent of Lake Toya.
But if he was going to walk the path of the sword, then one thing was non negotiable.
His body had to keep up.
What kind of swordsman was skinny and frail?
Yes, he could imitate sword pressure and even fake certain slashing effects through his ability, but any increase in his physical strength would also amplify the output of his techniques. The stronger his body became, the higher the ceiling of everything else.
While he was thinking about that, the days passed.
Fast.
Marine life did not stop for anyone, and rumors spread even faster than warships moved.
Vice Admiral Tsuru's fleet was especially lively in that regard.
There were whispered stories about Tsuru supposedly having a mysterious younger lover, about her suddenly becoming much happier lately, about secret meetings, subtle changes, strange moods, and all manner of things that became more outrageous the further they spread.
The female Marines aboard her ship had a terrifying talent for gossip.
And because of that, the clothesline had witnessed many unforgettable sights.
By the time the warship completed its patrol and began the return trip, Axel had already learned that trying to stop those rumors was pointless.
The ship first went to Impel Down to hand over the captured pirates.
Because security there was absurdly strict, Axel only saw part of the process. He caught glimpses of the handover, the towering gates, and the suffocating atmosphere that seemed to swallow sound itself, but that was all. After the transfer was complete, the warship once again set sail, rode the triangular current, and swiftly returned to Marineford.
This time, Tsuru did not give her subordinates time to scatter and rest.
She simply told them to wait.
Under the reluctant stares of the female Marines, Axel followed Tsuru away.
They walked in a direction he had never gone before.
Or more accurately, in a direction opposite to the main town.
Although Axel had only been in Marineford for a relatively short time, his memory had already mapped most of the routes he had personally taken. He had gone through nearly every accessible street, alley, and training path on the island. So the moment Tsuru led him into a different area, he noticed.
There were checkpoints he had never been allowed near before.
Restricted sections.
Quiet corners.
The kind of places recruits were not meant to wander into.
But under Tsuru's lead, no one stopped them.
After several turns, they finally arrived.
It was an open area with a newly built house standing by itself.
The structure was clean, simple, and obviously temporary. Outside were brooms, dustpans, and a few cleaning tools placed neatly by the wall.
Axel stared at it for a second, then his mouth twitched.
This looked far too much like the residence of some reclusive master who spent his days sweeping leaves before casually drawing a blade and cutting mountains in half.
It felt deeply unreliable.
Before he and Tsuru even reached the door, it opened.
"Tsuru!"
The voice was warm and bright.
A woman stepped outside with obvious delight on her face.
Her features were exquisite. Her eyes sparkled with life. Her hair was styled in an elegant bun, with a pair of loose strands framing her cheeks. There was a natural grace to her, but it was not soft in the weak sense. It was the composure of someone who knew exactly how capable she was. She was tall, beautifully proportioned, and every movement of hers carried both refinement and danger.
Axel only truly placed her identity when she came closer.
The sword at her waist.
The spider patterned mark near her leg.
Then it clicked.
Momousagi.
No wonder Tsuru had said she would not disappoint him.
In the real world, people did not look exactly like they did in anime stills, so Axel could not identify everyone at a glance. But once he pieced together the details, there was no mistaking her.
He naturally did not dare underestimate her.
Among the Marines' strongest monsters, Momousagi was absolutely one of the most terrifying. Years later, she would be a genuine Admiral candidate. In terms of raw ability, she was already standing in that realm. The only thing she lacked was the seat itself.
Learning swordsmanship from someone like that was not just acceptable.
It was luxurious.
Tsuru's expression softened slightly as she spoke.
"Gion."
The intimacy in her tone was rare.
Gion warmly ushered them inside, sat them down, and personally prepared tea and snacks.
Tsuru lifted the teacup and took a sip. "Long time no see. Your tea is still excellent."
Gion smiled. "It is not tea ceremony. The tea leaves are simply good. If you like them, I can give you some."
Tsuru shook her head. "No need. Even if I had good tea, I spend all day running around. I would not be able to bring out the flavor the way you do."
"You really know how to flatter people, Tsuru."
While the two women spoke, Axel picked up his own cup and tasted it.
Then he silently concluded that Tsuru was lying.
This was not some miraculous tea brewed by the hands of heaven. It was just slightly better than what Tsuru usually drank.
Still, he wisely kept that opinion to himself.
Watching them, he could tell this was not formal politeness.
These two were genuinely close.
Not simply colleagues.
Something closer to sisters.
After the tea was served and the small talk ended, Tsuru finally got to the point.
"I mentioned the reason for my visit before. This time, I need you to take care of this troublesome brat for me."
Axel immediately shot her an unfriendly look.
Tsuru looked back without blinking, calm as ever, though there was a hint of amusement buried in her eyes.
Axel lowered his head, took another sip of tea, and endured it.
If he could not beat her, then for the time being, the correct strategy was patience.
Gion glanced between them and smiled. "Do not worry. I will train him properly while he is here."
The first half of the sentence made Axel feel genuinely relieved.
The second half ruined it.
Gion added, in a perfectly pleasant tone, "Do not worry. I guarantee the brat will not die."
A chill instantly ran down Axel's spine.
Tsuru, on the other hand, seemed far more reassured after hearing that.
Still, perhaps because she knew exactly how much trouble this favor was, she said, "I have taken up your rare days off right after your transfer. I really do owe you one."
Gion waved it off casually. "A few months pass in the blink of an eye. Besides, I was only killing time. Perhaps teaching this little brat will give me some new inspiration."
Tsuru knew she was lying.
The Marines had been incredibly busy lately. Ever since the implementation of the Seven Warlords of the Sea system, the workload had only grown heavier. Gion had been buried in work for ages. Even if she had just gotten a break because of her reassignment, that did not mean she truly had the luxury to rest as much as she pleased.
Tsuru looked at her and said sincerely, "There were other candidates. But among them all, I trusted you the most. Thank you."
Gion's expression softened.
"With our relationship, why would I refuse something this small?" she said. "Besides, this is the first time you have ever asked me for a favor. No matter the reason, I was never going to turn you down."
From her point of view, Tsuru was the sort of woman who could solve almost anything on her own.
For someone like that to personally come and ask for help even once, how could she possibly make excuses?
.....
[If you don't want to wait for the next update, read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon.]
[[email protected]/FanficLord03]