Tokikake had a rough time.
Sengoku kept him locked up for three whole days before finally letting him out. Of course, Sengoku didn't actually intend to charge him with desertion. After all, Tokikake was still a vital combat asset for the Marine; he just needed a wake-up call so he'd stop spending every waking moment daydreaming about Gion.
The moment he was released, Sengoku ordered him to return to the G1 Branch immediately, forbidding him from lingering at Headquarters. Sengoku even personally watched him board the warship before finally calling it a day.
'''
Time spent training always seems to fly.
Before he knew it, a year had passed since Sean arrived at Marine Headquarters. He had spent over three months living in Gion's villa. During this time, Sean's strength had far surpassed the other recruits in the training camp. In fact, with the exception of Zephyr, even the instructors were no longer his match.
Consequently, Sean decided to graduate early.
However, Sengoku arranged a special assessment for him. For one, it wasn't time for the official graduation exams yet; for another, those standard tests would have been utterly meaningless for someone of Sean's caliber.
"Listen, old man Sengoku, what's the point of an assessment? Just give me the rank of Captain and call it a day!"
"You brat! Do you think I can just hand out commissions without a proper evaluation?"
"Tsk... even if I beat a Vice Admiral, you're still only going to give me Captain. Why can't we just keep things simple?"
"Stop complaining. I've already arranged your opponent. Win, and you graduate. Lose, and you can crawl back to the training camp and graduate with the other recruits in two years!"
Standing on the training grounds, Sengoku spoke while waving his hand. A Vice Admiral stepped forward.
The elite Vice Admiral, Momonga!
"Old man, you're seriously pitting me against a Vice Admiral?!"
"Don't say I didn't give you a chance. If you can defeat Momonga, I'll make an exception and promote you directly to Commodore!"
"Heh, now you're talking! I'm suddenly feeling very motivated."
Standing to the side, Momonga looked slightly annoyed. 'Does this kid think I'm a pushover? I'm an Elite Vice Admiral, not some ordinary one!'
"Sean, even though you're my junior, I won't be holding back in this assessment!"
"Wait!"
"What's wrong? Scared?"
"No... there's just something I want to ask old man Sengoku!"
Facing Momonga, Sean looked back toward Sengoku on the sidelines.
"What is it?"
"If I wreck the place too badly, you're not going to make me pay for the repairs, right?"
"Keep it under control! That move you used last time is strictly prohibited!"
"Old man Sengoku, you..." Sean complained internally. 'This is a bit much, isn't it? Why am I being told to hold back my strength?'
Momonga's expression soured. 'What is the Fleet Admiral implying? Is he suggesting that if Sean isn't banned from using certain moves, I'll lose?'
Irritated, Momonga spoke up. "It doesn't matter. No matter how much you destroy, I'll cover the repair costs!"
Off-field, Sengoku sighed softly. 'Momonga, you idiot... you've never seen the slashes Sean unleashed in the training camp. And after several more months, heaven knows how much more powerful that move has become. If you take one of those hits full-on, you'll be spending the next few months in a hospital bed.'
But since Momonga had already volunteered, Sengoku saw no reason to argue.
"Alright, begin!"
With a final sigh, Sengoku gave the order.
In the next instant, a heavy pressure suddenly blanketed the entire training ground. Even Momonga's knees buckled slightly—perhaps only a degree or two—though it was barely noticeable.
"Oh? Little Sean is actually quite terrifying. Is his Conqueror's Haki already this strong?"
Kizaru had arrived at the grounds unnoticed and commented in his usual smug, drawling tone as he stood beside Sengoku. "Though, Fleet Admiral, something seems off, doesn't it?"
"It is off. I asked Gion about it previously. He said Sean hasn't awakened Conqueror's Haki; instead, this pressure is an application of Sword Energy. Apparently, it's called 'Sword Pressure'?"
"Eh? I thought I heard little Sean couldn't utilize Sword Energy?"
"Yes, Gion mentioned that while he can't project Sword Energy outward, he can convert it into Sword Pressure for release. The resulting effect is like this—very similar to Conqueror's Haki."
With the explanation coming from Gion, the only Great Swordsman in the Marine, Sengoku had no reason to doubt it.
"To think the system of swordsmanship can be used that way... how frightening!"
"Alright, be quiet and watch the assessment. Barring any surprises, this duel will be over quickly, and Sean will become the youngest Commodore in Marine history."
'''
Momonga's eyes narrowed. 'What exactly is this? This doesn't feel like Conqueror's Haki. It feels like pressure coming from the level of the soul!'
If Sean knew what Momonga was thinking, he would have shouted, 'Congratulations, you guessed it!'
After all, the essence of Reiatsu was exactly that: pressure exerted upon the soul.
Momonga knew he couldn't afford to keep waiting. He had to act. In an instant, he raised his blade, gripping it with both hands. It was clear that Momonga was taking Sean seriously.
"Soru!"
"One-Sword Style: Horizontal Slash!"
Using Soru to close the distance instantly, he swung his blade!
"Bakudō #8: Repel!"
A brilliant blue orb of light appeared to Sean's right, exactly where Momonga's blade was descending. In the next heartbeat, the momentum of the slash was halted; the blade could not advance a single millimeter.
While 'Repel' was only a basic Bakudō and not particularly powerful, it was extremely effective against pure physical attacks.
Shocked that his attack had been blocked so effortlessly, Momonga immediately leaped back, putting over twenty meters of distance between them. He then gripped his greatsword tightly, assuming a slashing posture.
As the greatsword swung down, a streak of azure light shot forward. This was the type of attack available to those who had reached the realm of a swordsman and mastered the external projection of Sword Energy. In the world of pirates, this was known by several names, such as Flying Slash or Slash Wave.
"Hekireki!"
'Boom!'
Shikai, followed by a direct clash!
Hekireki, cloaked in thunder and lightning, collided head-on with Momonga's Flying Slash.
Momonga's eyes nearly popped out of his head. When the slash wave contacted Hekireki, there was no stalemate—the attack simply shattered like glass.
Though it had been a standard Flying Slash, the fact that Sean had smashed through it without any resistance was completely absurd.
But Sean wasn't content with just blocking the attack. Using the momentum of shattering the wave, he immediately unleashed a crescent-shaped, deep-blue slash back at his opponent.
Momonga felt a surge of stubbornness. Gripping his blade tightly with both hands, he mirrored Sean's previous movements and launched a counter-slash directly at the incoming slashing wave.
He didn't expect to shatter the attack completely like Sean had, but he was certain that as long as the attacker wasn't a Great Swordsman, he could at least block the blow.
Momonga had that much confidence.
But...
At that exact moment, Sengoku's thunderous roar echoed across the training grounds.
"Momonga, dodge!"
Momonga's heart leaped. 'Is there something different about this slash?'
But it was too late to pull back now!
Left with no other choice, he gritted his teeth and pushed forward.
The moment they collided, Momonga's expression shifted violently.
'This crushing weight... what on earth is this?'
'I can't... how can it be this powerful?!'
In the next instant, Momonga was sent flying, his body carving a crimson arc of blood through the air.