The rain continued to fall.
Clang—!
A crisp sound of clashing blades erupted on the main street of West Town!
Tashigi's seemingly certain straight thrust was deflected by Giyu using his scabbard at an angle that appeared casual yet was precisely calculated.
Instead of relying on his superior strength for a direct confrontation, he employed a flexible guiding and redirecting force, making Tashigi feel as though her full-powered strike had plunged into flowing water. Her body staggered uncontrollably to the side.
She quickly steadied herself, her eyes behind her lenses filled with astonishment. His movements were extremely simple, almost casual, as if he were merely swatting away a fly that had flown into his face.
"Don't just stand there! Attack together!" Suppressing her shock, Tashigi ordered her surrounding subordinates, then raised her blade and charged forward again.
"That guy only has one arm, don't be afraid!!"
"Charge!!"
The more than ten Marine soldiers surrounding them finally began to roar, brandishing their long swords and damp rifles as they assaulted Giyu from all directions simultaneously.
The next twenty seconds became Giyu Tomioka's solo performance.
Giyu's figure resembled true flowing water. He moved calmly through the flurry of blades, sidestepping with ease, as if the raindrops falling on him were sliding away by an invisible current.
His Nichirin Blade remained sheathed.
Against Tashigi, he merely used his scabbard to parry, effortlessly neutralizing all her attacks. The more fierce her slashes became, the more powerless she felt, as if she were opposing the entire ocean.
When dealing with the other charging Marine soldiers, his movements abruptly accelerated.
"Water Breathing: Second Form - Water Wheel."
He uttered lowly, gripping his blade with his single arm, his body spinning forward like a raging torrent. The scabbard and hilt became countless afterimages, striking each soldier's neck or wrist.
"Ugh!"
"Ah!"
Cries of pain and the sound of weapons clattering to the ground followed one after another. In merely the span of a breath, all the surrounding Marine soldiers had fallen to the ground, some even briefly unconscious.
Only the sound of the urgent rain and Tashigi's heavy panting remained.
Witnessing her subordinates all fallen, her grip on Shigure tightened until her knuckles turned white. "You... aren't you going to your comrades?" she said, trying to mask the shock and a trace of fear in her heart with words. "Aren't you going to use that move you did at the execution platform? If you don't defeat me, I won't let you pass!!"
Giyu finally spoke, his voice naturally cold and hard. "That technique is for dealing with Demons, not humans."
"Demons? Humans? Don't speak so righteously, you mere pirate!" Enraged by this almost pitying distinction, Tashigi mustered her courage again, channeling all her strength into a diagonal slash aimed at Giyu!
Giyu didn't move his feet, merely flicking his wrist to upwardly deflect with the tip of his scabbard!
Clang!
Another crisp sound rang out. Tashigi felt an irresistible force transmit through her blade, a sharp pain in her tiger's mouth, and Shigure instantly flew from her grasp, spinning through the air before clattering to the ground several meters away.
"Is this your full strength?" Giyu looked at her, now defenseless, his eyes deep and icy blue.
Such an obvious disparity in strength left Tashigi feeling utterly chilled.
Despair and bitterness surged in her heart, her voice trembling slightly: "You wouldn't understand... someone strong like you... I'll never possess power like what you just showed, and you weren't even using your full strength, just toying with me... If only... I wish I were a man... Then perhaps..."
She walked over in a daze, picking up Shigure from the ground as if seeking final solace.
"Just let me catch a glimpse, let me feel the true gap between us, would you?"
These words struck a deeply buried nerve in Giyu.
His gaze toward Tashigi was no longer indifferent but sharpened with severity.
"In my view, the gender you speak of is merely an excuse to escape grueling training." His voice wasn't loud, yet it cut through the rain like a whip.
"From what I've observed these past few days, the peace in Loguetown relies entirely on that man called Smoker. Without him, could any of you have dealt with the pirate's atrocities on the execution platform today?"
Tashigi jerked her head up, ready to retort, but Giyu's next words completely stunned her.
"You envy my power? Think it's some innate privilege of the strong?" Giyu took a step forward, his presence becoming oppressive. "Among those I know, there are at least two women who could easily defeat me."
"One may not match my raw strength, but she excels with hook swords—her techniques are as dazzling and deadly as poisonous butterflies. The other possesses physical power beyond reason, her monstrous strength capable of splitting mountains." He stared at Tashigi, each word landing with weight. "Their reason for growing stronger is singular: the world they inhabit is fraught with peril, where weakness is a sin and a moment's lapse means death. Thus, they waste not a second on useless self-pity."
His eyes swept over the blade in Tashigi's hand, his tone growing sharper: "Nor do they squander time in street-side weapon shops, watching others test blades!"
"So your wish to be a man, in my eyes, is nothing but a disguise for your unwillingness to push beyond your limits!"
Giyu's voice rose further, filled with scolding frustration: "I will never allow someone like you to use gender as an excuse to shirk the responsibility of becoming stronger!"
"If the path of swordsmanship seems endless, then temper your body! If your body hits its limits, then hone your skills! If both reach bottlenecks, then develop other ways to grow stronger!!"
"Perhaps even if you strive your entire life, the gap between us will remain unchanged! But that is no reason for you to curl up in the comfort zone called 'weakness' and evade your duty with complacency!!"
As his words faded, Giyu took a deep breath.
"Total Concentration: Water Breathing."
The sound of rain seemed to vanish instantly, swallowed by the overwhelming aura erupting around him. Visible ice-blue mist surged wildly toward the black scabbard!
Tashigi saw the vapor coalescing around Giyu, feeling the deep-sea-like pressure of his presence.
The next moment, the Nichirin Blade was finally drawn!
Not aimed at Tashigi, but at Shigure gripped tightly in her hands!
"Water Breathing: First Form - Water Surface Slash!"
A condensed arc of blue light flashed and vanished!
Crack——!
A crisp snapping sound rang out. Tashigi couldn't even see the movement clearly, only feeling her hand suddenly lighten.
Her beloved treasure sword Shigure had been cleanly severed! The front half of the blade clattered to the ground with a ringing sound, splashing tiny droplets of water.
Tashigi stood completely frozen in place, her pupils dilated as she stared in disbelief at the broken Shigure in her hand.
"This is reality." Giyu sheathed his sword, his voice returning to an icy calm that carried more impact than any roar.
"The strong possess the right to decide the fate of the weak. If the one standing here today weren't me, but a real pirate, what would be severed wouldn't just be your sword, but your body."
"You cherish this sword deeply, I can tell." He turned to leave, his final words striking Tashigi's heart like a heavy hammer. "But I believe your inner desire to become stronger should far surpass your attachment to the blade."
"So stop making excuses. Grow stronger."
"Carry this regret and resentment born from loss."
"Use your own hands to seize the power you desire!"
"Become stronger!"
"Weakling!"
With these final words, Giyu didn't linger. His figure flashed and disappeared into the vast curtain of rain, speeding toward the harbor.
Only Tashigi remained, collapsing weakly to the ground as she stared blankly at the broken Shigure in her hand.
Rainwater mixed with tears streamed down her cheeks. Giyu's words echoed repeatedly in her mind, shattering the beliefs and excuses she had clung to all along.