Under the weight of Sean's Reiatsu, Ain found at least thirty percent of her strength suppressed. This left her in an incredibly passive position during her duel with him.
However, she had no idea that Sean hadn't even been using his full power.
In the next instant, Sean, who had been clashing blades right in front of her, suddenly vanished.
Ain was stunned.
Through their exchange, she already knew that Sean was faster than her, but she believed there was a limit to that speed—one she could still track.
But now...
He had vanished completely. She hadn't been able to keep up with the movement at all; she couldn't even tell which direction he had gone.
It didn't take long, however, for Ain to realize where he had gone.
The blade of a standard Marine saber slid in from behind, coming to rest firmly against her neck. The icy touch of the steel sent a sudden shiver down her spine.
"You lose!"
"No, I haven't lost yet!"
A sphere of pink light manifested instantly in Ain's left hand, quickly transforming into a flame-like state that enveloped her palm. But just as she spun around to strike Sean...
"Ain!!"
"Tea... Teacher Zephyr!"
"What do you think you're doing?"
"I..."
Sean stared at her wounded expression, a vein popping on his forehead. 'If someone who didn't know better saw this, they'd think I'd done something terrible to her.'
With a slight pout, Sean withdrew his saber.
Zephyr stepped forward. "Who taught you Soru?"
"Old man Garp taught me on the way to Marine Headquarters!"
"He can actually teach?"
Hearing this, Sean suddenly found Zephyr much more likable.
"Exactly! The old man just used Soru once in front of me and then told me to figure it out on my own," Sean complained. "When I asked him about the principle behind it, he actually asked me... 'What's a principle?' It's absolutely infuriating!!"
Zephyr nodded in agreement. Indeed, that was exactly Garp's style.
Then, it clicked.
"Wait... you're saying Garp demonstrated Soru once, and in the time it took to get to headquarters, you learned it?"
"Ah, no, not exactly!"
"Not exactly? Did Bogard teach you later?"
"I mean, after Garp used it, I just played around with it for a bit and learned it. Time-wise... probably about a minute?"
'Pfft...'
A minute? Are you serious?
Zephyr nearly spat out a mouthful of blood. Even the most talented students he had ever taught couldn't have achieved that. This kid had to be bragging!
However, a reckless voice suddenly rang out from behind them.
"Bwahaha! Zephyr, don't be so skeptical! He really did it in a minute, although he slammed straight into a wall the first time he tried it!"
"Garp, you're not lying to me?"
"Why would I lie about that?"
"Wait, let me get this straight," Zephyr said, rubbing his temples. "You demonstrated Soru once, didn't explain a single principle, and a minute later he had mastered it?"
"Exactly!"
Zephyr let out a sharp intake of breath. This was simply too exaggerated.
"Sean, let me ask you then. That movement you used to defeat Ain—what was that?"
"That? I just figured it out on my own while I was alone on that deserted island. I called it Shunpo!"
"Shunpo... but it looked like you just took a normal step. What's the principle?"
"Principle? What's a principle?"
Zephyr was almost laughed into a rage. 'Good grief, you were just complaining about Garp, and now you're doing the exact same thing?'
But then again, there were plenty of people with incredible innate talent who were simply terrible teachers. Just because someone could learn a skill didn't mean they could explain how they did it. Garp was a prime example of this.
And now, apparently, Sean joined the club.
Zephyr didn't dwell on it. The boy was his student now; he would likely see that movement often enough that he'd eventually figure out the logic himself.
If Sean could have read Zephyr's thoughts, he would have told him that he would never figure it out.
Because Shunpo was activated using Spirit Power. Since they didn't possess Reiryoku in their bodies, they could never learn it.
"Right, what was that about the deserted island you mentioned?" Zephyr asked, recalling Sean's earlier words.
"Oh, that... well, it went like this..."
After listening to Sean for several minutes, Zephyr's gaze softened significantly. Like Zephyr himself, Sean was the last one left of his family.
"From now on, call me Teacher. I'll be your family," Zephyr said, patting Sean on the shoulder.
It was supposed to be a touching moment, but Garp wasn't having it. According to his plan, he wanted to take Sean under his wing as a grandson, much like he had with Ace.
But Zephyr had beaten him to the punch.
Then, Garp's eyes flickered, and a bold idea formed in his head.
"I say, kid! Since Zephyr already said you're family, why don't you just recognize Zephyr as your godfather?"
Garp continued quickly, "And since you're around the same age as my eldest grandson, I'll take you to meet him next time we're in the East Blue. If you hit it off, you can become sworn brothers!"
'You sly old dog, Garp!!' Zephyr thought.
Zephyr hadn't felt much when Garp mentioned the godfather part—in fact, he was actually somewhat open to the idea. Having Sean as a godson was perfectly fine.
But Garp's next sentence made Zephyr's face turn black.
If Sean became sworn brothers with Garp's grandson, wouldn't Sean also have to call Garp "Grandpa"?
So, Sean would call Zephyr "Father" and call Garp "Grandfather"?
Garp was trying to climb the family tree to claim a higher rank of respect!
"Garp, you old bastard!"
With a roar, Zephyr swung his massive, crushing fist toward Garp with full force! (T/N: Garp played both Roger and Whitebeard LMAO! Ace called him Grandpa and the other two were Ace's fathers!)
'''
Half an hour later.
Sengoku arrived at the Elite Training Camp. The commotion had become so loud that he had no choice but to come and see what was happening.
However, when he looked out, all he saw was a training ground riddled with holes of all sizes, looking more like a lunar landscape than a courtyard.
Instantly, he flew into a rage.
"What the hell are you two doing?!"
"Don't ask me! Zephyr started it!" Garp shouted.
"Hmph! If you weren't trying to take advantage of me, would I have attacked?" Zephyr countered.
Listening to them, Sengoku felt a massive headache forming. Not a single one of them ever let him have a moment of peace.
"Come here and tell me exactly what happened. If I catch you in a single lie, you can pack your bags and get the hell out of the Marines!"
Rubbing his temples, Sengoku beckoned a random student over.
The student was absolutely terrified. One lie and he'd be kicked out of the Marines?
'Sorry, Instructor Zephyr! Sorry, Vice Admiral Garp! I... I have to tell the truth!'
Driven by fear, the student provided an incredibly detailed account, even mimicking Garp and Zephyr's tones and expressions with uncanny precision. It took a full ten minutes before he finally finished.
"So, you two nearly demolished the Elite Training Camp over something this trivial?"
Sengoku felt another headache coming on.
Standing nearby, Sean's focus was on something entirely different. He stared at the student in amazement.
'Why are you in the Marines instead of acting? You've seriously limited your career potential!'