"Wait! What do you mean by 'handling my situation'?!"
Yahn flinched slightly, startled by the statement, and was just about to protest.
"Hold on, old man—"
Unfortunately, before he could finish, Sengoku seemed to strike back with petty vengeance. Without hesitation, he grabbed Yahn by the scruff of his neck and hurled him straight toward the center of the training field.
With Sengoku's overwhelming strength, resistance was futile. Yahn flew through the air in a parabolic arc like a ragdoll.
"Damn you, old geezer!"
Yahn cursed loudly, then quickly acted to avoid face-planting into the ground. He stomped forcefully against the air with both feet.
With two sharp thuds, he barely managed to use "Navy Six Styles – Moonwalk," leveraging the air to regain control and land smoothly.
"What the hell are you trying to do, old man?!" Yahn asked, sensing that something was very wrong.
"You said you wanted a strong woman as your partner, didn't you? I'm just granting your wish," Sengoku replied calmly.
…Huh?
Yahn's eyes widened. Was this old man seriously setting him up on a blind date—at sixteen?
Suddenly, his Observation Haki picked up a hostile presence. His instincts screamed, and he quickly dodged to the side.
Whoosh!
A golden flying slash sliced through the air, narrowly missing Yahn and carving a deep scar into the ground.
He turned toward the source of the attack—and saw a tall girl who had previously stood quietly beside Vice Admiral Tsuru.
She was slender and elegant, wearing a peach top and a Justice cloak, holding a golden longsword as she stepped toward Yahn and spoke.
"Navy Captain Gion. Let's spar."
Gion?!
Future Navy Admiral Candidate—"Momousagi" Gion?!
Yahn was momentarily stunned, then realized why she had seemed so familiar earlier.
However, the Gion standing before him now was quite different from the future glamorous beauty with long legs and a traditional Japanese hairstyle.
Well… her legs were still as long and shapely as ever.
At present, she wore her long black hair straight, and looked more like the big-eyed girl-next-door type. But her expression was calm, tinged with barely concealed displeasure—she clearly held a grudge against Yahn.
"Wait, Captain Gion! Let's talk this through, okay? There's no need to get violent!"
Yahn waved his hands in surrender, hoping to buy some peaceful negotiation time instead of clashing swords right away.
"There's nothing to talk about. Admiral Sengoku accepted Sister Tsuru's proposal. You and I will fight. If you lose, you'll become my husband—and join the Navy."
Gion's tone was cold and matter-of-fact.
"…What if I win?" Yahn asked reflexively.
That question made Gion's expression sour even more.
In the distance, Sengoku wore a smug look, clearly enjoying the show. He laughed and shouted, "You brat! If you can beat Gion—one of the Navy's rising stars—it'll prove you're strong enough to protect yourself. In that case, I'll allow you to join the Navy on your own terms."
"Bullshit! This whole thing is rigged and unfair—I refuse to accept it!" Yahn shouted back.
"Sorry, rejection denied," Sengoku said flatly.
The moment the words left his mouth, Gion vanished from sight with a single step, reappearing in front of Yahn in an instant. Her golden blade gleamed with icy sharpness as she slashed down at him.
"So fast! She used Navy Six Styles – Shave!"
Yahn's eyes narrowed in shock. Activating his Observation Haki, he barely dodged her slash, which had been aimed precisely at a vital spot.
Hair standing on end, Yahn shouted in exasperation, "Hey, hey, hey! You're not trying to defeat me—you're trying to kill me, aren't you?!"
Gion didn't answer with words—just a cool, elegant smile as her blade continued to chase him.
Each strike was merciless, aimed only at lethal or—worse—very specific vital areas.
"Cut it out! I'm a victim here too!"
Yahn stumbled and twisted to dodge again, barely avoiding her next slash as he leapt and dashed across the training grounds. His breath came quick, but he kept calling out, trying to explain.
Oddly enough, even though Gion's blade attacks came with the ferocity of a storm, even though her famed sword Konpira danced with overwhelming force and speed, Yahn somehow managed to dodge them—just barely—every single time.
It was as if a black butterfly was dancing on the edge of a blade.
And Gion—like a peach rabbit—relentlessly chased after that butterfly.
At the edge of the field, Vice Admiral Tsuru couldn't help but comment.
"Sengoku, he's just as you described. His weaknesses are obvious, but he's definitely a talented one."
Sengoku didn't take his eyes off the match, ready to intervene at any moment if things went south. But his tone remained relaxed as he replied.
"Yeah. His physique is his biggest flaw. Because of that, his Armament Haki and Navy Six Styles barely scratch the surface—he can't progress much further. But when it comes to Observation Haki, he's already stronger than most Navy vice admirals."
"Then why not have him specialize in firearms? With his exceptional Observation Haki, he could be a deadly sniper at range. His physical weakness wouldn't matter then—it would actually let him maximize his strengths," Tsuru asked.
"He refused," Sengoku sighed. "Said something like, 'If I have to spend my whole life alone just stroking my gun, I'd rather fence.' Weird logic, but I let him be."
Tsuru didn't quite understand, but chalked it up to personal preference.
Back on the field, Gion's gaze grew sharper with every slash Yahn dodged—over a hundred by now.
Suddenly, Yahn's eyes behind his glasses narrowed—his Observation Haki had picked up something.
"Single Blade Style – Asura Dance!"
In that instant, a torrent of wild flying slashes exploded outward from Gion, flooding the entire battlefield. Yahn, along with everything else in the area, was engulfed.
Boom!
A massive cloud of dust rose from the blast.
"You have impressive Observation Haki, Yahn," Gion praised coolly, standing tall with her blade at the ready.
"Thanks for the compliment," came Yahn's voice from within the smoke.
A breeze swept through the field, revealing his silhouette.
The ground around Yahn's was covered in countless sword marks—so dense they seemed almost inhuman.
Gion tilted her head slightly, scanning him. "You're the first person to withstand that technique without brute-forcing it—and come out unscathed."
Yahn's raised a tattered sleeve and gave a sheepish smile. "Not exactly unscathed. My clothes are ruined. And I almost lost an arm."
---
Currently at chapter 35 on Ko-Fi
https:// ko-fi.com/sami27