The points scramble was forced to a halt.
Faced with the storm, humanity's tit-for-tat slaughter wasn't worth a mention.
In a dark corner of the hold, the weirdo's signature nail-studded face slowly surfaced. The instant his eyes opened, he scanned everywhere for a certain figure.
He'd shut his eyes for a moment to save Nen—and the next moment, big brother was gone…
Illumi didn't find Roy in the wheelhouse. He turned his hollow gaze to the window—hesitated not even a second—
bared a knife-hand and ripped up the deck. Under the crew's baffled stares, he dove headfirst; the next heartbeat he burst up by Gotoh's feet, having torn open the planks. A head poked out, silently watching the storm ahead.
"Master Illumi?" Gotoh jumped, nearly stepping on him. Thank heaven for sharp eyes—otherwise he'd be observing his own memorial a year from now.
The wind tightened with a howl. The sea heaved, making the Kaijinmaru creak and shriek…
Roy danced into the teeth of the squall. It was like he carried a mountain—every cut cost him dearly. This was nothing like a toy waterfall.
"Fourth Form—Striking Tide… Fifth Form—Blessed Rain After the Drought… Sixth Form—Whirlpool…"
Seawater gathered at his blade tip into pillar after pillar, beating back the storm's eroding force. Now and then a flash of steel—blazing bright in the black…
You could see it even through the windows.
"Where's that blade-light coming from?" Two minutes after ducking inside, Yusuke and Kite rushed out again, vaulted up to the roof of the hold—and stared. A boy, one-handed on his sword, fighting a storm without fear… too shocking for words.
"Is he even human?"
"So that's how he trains his sword…"
Yusuke's mouth hung open. Kite's hand closed tight on his katana.
He remembered Ging's lesson, word for word: "Humans are born of nature—no matter how strong, it's hard to challenge nature's force.
"A flood… a drought… a wildfire… an earthquake… each can bring disasters beyond imagining.
"So respect nature. Don't fantasize about beating it. Only then can you find your place in the world."
But… Master—some bullets just won't take a curve…
Kite's eyes, deep and dark, fixed on Roy. He couldn't help wondering—had he heard Ging say that back then, he'd surely have scoffed.
Sword-light and water surge hammered the gale; the pelting rain raised welts where it hit skin—and Roy had been skirting the storm's rim the whole time.
His stamina was dropping fast. His breathing grew heavier. Each cut weighed more than the last.
But his spirit sharpened. The twin suns in his eyes burned brighter.
His mouth moved without thinking, whispering: "Just a hair… a little more…"
Seventh Form—Drop Ripple Thrust… Eight Form—Waterfall Basin… Ninth Form—Splashing Water Flow…
One after another—
He almost had it. His fingers clenched—and the spark slipped through again…
He refused to accept it. Another cut—Water Breathing: Tenth Form: Constant Flux—draw water on the spot; a water dragon roared up into the sky!
Hiss— The endless black canopy ripped; a hole opened…
A stripe of dawn leaked through. The red sun climbed the horizon—half above, half below—a mirror on the water. The scattered glow washed Roy's face. The boy's mouth tipped up. "Caught it."
He loosened his grip and let the cane blade fall straight, point-first to the sea. The instant steel kissed water—concentric ripples rolled from his center—
and flashed outward. Wherever they passed, all things stilled—as if a pause button had been hit—movement gone in an eye-blink—
[Water Breathing: Eleventh Form: Illusory Sword: Sun-on-Sea Mirror]
Wind and rain froze. The Kaijinmaru's sway hiccuped—and went silent.
Gotoh and Illumi at the bow; Yusuke and Kite on the roof; the old Captain gaping from the deck; Kurajing, the mummy, the snake handler, the bow boy—and even the rats hiding in the bilge—all of them, in that moment, were pinned.
The world winked, then peeled away its colors—leaving only a red sun and a mirrored sea that refused to fade.
[Note: "Illusory Sword: Sun-on-Sea Mirror" — a self-made illusion domain from sensing the fusion of sun and water. A cut that numbs foes for 0.1s, plunging them into a "Sea-and-Sun" mirage and briefly robbing their ability to think.]
Pop—
One-tenth of a second later—
the ripple ebbed. The dream shattered. Wind and rain roared back.
A breaker slapped the hull; the Kaijinmaru lurched; several candidates pinwheeled across the planks.
Only then did the crowd snap back—something was off.
"What was that just now?"
"I think I blacked out for a second!"
"You too? I thought it was just me—scared me half to death. I almost saw my great-great-grandma!"
"Grandma my foot—wasn't it the sun and the sea?"
Noise surged back. Kurajing crouched in a shadowed corner, frowning at the squall outside…
The storm still raged—only the cloud deck had a single wound, spilling a faint light… man-made?
"No doubt—it was him!" Yusuke found his voice; his eyes nailed Roy.
A ninja by birth, he'd come to the exam to seek the Hermit's Scroll.
Clan elders had said: the scroll described outlandish arts—among them illusions that cloud the mind.
Yusuke had no doubt—given his strength, a sudden blackout meant only one thing: a genjutsu.
Tap… tap… The boy sheathed his blade and walked the crest back, unhurried.
The gale tossed his black hair to a wild snarl—but no one dared belittle him for it.
Gotoh, Illumi, Kite—every gaze drew to him.
Roy hopped to the bow, cut a glance at Captain. "Keep staring and we will sail right into it."
"Oh—oh!" The old captain jerked to life and bellowed, "Katzo, hard to starboard!"
"The rest of you—on the sheets!"
"Aye!"
The Kaijinmaru's canvas thundered; the hull slewed right, edging the squall and slipping around…
Moments later, wind and rain eased. Illumi tipped his chin, staring at Roy. When Roy's gaze brushed him, he flinched—and vanished into the crawlspace below the planks.
No land in sight; at sea, perhaps only under the deck could he feel a shred of safety.
Roy noticed—and let it pass. He took the branch Gotoh handed over and went back to fishing—to temper Nen. The panel chimed—
["Swordsmanship" +70 · "Water Breathing" +50]
[Current]
[Swordsmanship: Lv3 (160/10000 → 230/10000)]
[Water Breathing: Proficient (Beginner 78/100 → Proficient 28/1000)]
A modest harvest.