Upon entering the classroom, after having Kyoya introduce himself, the sixth-year instructor said to him, "The sixth-grade training mainly relies on your own efforts."
"If you have any questions regarding your training, you can come to the classroom and ask the instructors directly."
At this point, the instructor paused before continuing, "Of course, if you don't have any issues with your training, you don't have to come to the classroom either."
"After all, the questions you might have are probably beyond my ability to answer."
This wasn't the instructor being modest… it was what he genuinely believed.
Kyoya's swordsmanship skills, capable of unleashing Kenatsu, far surpassed his own.
In fact, if not for the constraints of their roles, he would have wanted to ask Kyoya for advice on Zanjutsu himself.
"However, you must come for the assessments when they're held."
"Understood, sensei."
As the teacher had anticipated, after joining Class 6-A, Kyoya didn't interact much with his classmates.
On one hand, Kyoya's reputation as a 'genius' made the other students acutely aware of the gap between themselves and him.
Though Kyoya had been enrolled in the Shin'o Academy for less than a year, his fame as a 'Zanjutsu Prodigy' had already spread throughout the entire institution.
This was no exaggeration… he was the kind of talent who could unleash Kenatsu with nothing but basic Zanjutsu.
Kenatsu was something the students only learned about after witnessing Kyoya's slashes and asking the instructors for an explanation.
It wasn't that the teachers hadn't taught it… rather, some of them didn't even know Kenatsu existed.
Even among those who did, few had ever seen it in person.
According to the Zanjutsu Instructors at Shin'o Academy, to unleash Kenatsu, one needed either extraordinary mastery of Zanjutsu, a Zanpakuto with unique abilities, or Captain-level Reiatsu.
Of these, the first was the purest form of Kenatsu, while the latter two were more about brute force.
That wasn't to say Kenatsu was necessarily stronger than slashes enhanced with Reiatsu.
The strength of any ability depended on the user's skill.
The greater one's mastery of Zanjutsu, the stronger their Kenatsu.
Similarly, the stronger one's Reiatsu, the more powerful their spiritual-pressure-enhanced slashes would be.
Take Kurosaki Ichigo, for example… after regaining his Shinigami power, a casual slash of his Kenatsu was once mistaken by Ginjo Kūgo as a [Getsuga Tensho].
This was partly due to Ichigo's considerable Zanjutsu mastery, but when Ichigo clarified, 'That wasn't Getsuga Tensho, just a Kenatsu.' it became clear that his spiritual pressure was the greater factor.
If one's swordsmanship was truly exceptional, their Kenatsu should surpass slashes enhanced purely with Reiatsu.
Generally, geniuses had an air of arrogance about them.
Especially someone as prodigious as Kyoya.
The other students still remembered Gin from the previous year.
Kyoya was a genius on par with Gin, so they assumed his personality would be similar… they didn't want a repeat of last year's experience.
On the other hand, Kyoya was deliberately keeping his distance.
He had no interest in wasting time socializing with unfamiliar classmates, so whenever he sensed someone approaching him, he would subtly evade them, leaving no room for conversation.
Kyoya attended classes for three consecutive days, confirming that the sixth-year curriculum had nothing to offer him, and afterward, he never returned to the classroom.
Instead, he divided his time between the dormitory and the training grounds.
…
"Hah!"
"Hah!"
"Hah!"
Under the moonlight, Kyoya's figure flickered across the training grounds, the reflections of his Zanpakuto weaving a dazzling web of white light.
These flashes weren't from Kenatsu or Reiatsu, they were simply the moonlight glinting off his blade.
Although Kyoya had already comprehended [Breath of All Things] and become a great swordsman capable of unleashing flying slashes, his current swordsmanship was still limited to the basic Zanjutsu taught at the Shin'o Academy and the foundational swordsmanship from the Marine Training Base.
Shinigami's Zanjutsu emphasized power, while the swordsmanship of the One Piece World prioritized technique.
If Kyoya wanted to merge the greatest aspects of both worlds' swordsmanship, he would have to train and integrate them himself.
After all, the rewards from the One Piece Achievement System were all things from the One Piece World.
While concepts like [Breath of All Things] could be universally applied, and Devil Fruit Abilities had transformed into his Zanpakuto's powers, and relying solely on the One Piece Achievement System's rewards might allow Kyoya to reach a level comparable to Captain-Commander Yamamoto.
In the One Piece World, the Four Emperors and Admirals were the top-tier fighters.
Even the Five Elders belonged to this tier.
Imu, the 'god' of the One Piece World, was likely on par with Yamamoto.
However, in the Bleach World, Yamamoto was not the strongest.
The Leader of the Zero Division, Hyosube Ichibe, and the Quincy Progenitor, Yhwach, far surpassed Yamamoto in power.
Ichibe was the one who named all things in Soul Society, and his Zanpakuto, Ichimonji, could rewrite names themselves.
Yhwach's strength was built upon the Quincies, so the stronger they were, the more power would return to him upon their deaths.
With the thousand-year development of the Wandenreich, as well as the absorption of the Soul King's heart, left arm, and even the Mimihagi, Yhwach had become the being closest to the Soul King.
For Kyoya to reach such heights, he would need to fuse the strengths of both worlds to break through the limits of his soul.
Swordsmanship was the path he had chosen.
If Kyoya could merge the 'technique' of the One Piece World with the 'power' of the Bleach World, his swordsmanship would undoubtedly transcend its limits and become his greatest weapon.
"Hmm?"
Kyoya's movements came to an abrupt halt.
His gaze shifted to a corner of the training grounds.
"Ara, ara~ What sharp senses you have."
From the shadows, a figure of similar height to Kyoya emerged.
The black Shihakusho told Kyoya that this person was a member of the Gotei 13!
The short silver-white hair, the perpetually narrowed eyes, and the wide grin stretching nearly to his ears instantly revealed the visitor's identity.
Kyoya had expected to meet Gin Ichimaru eventually… but he hadn't anticipated their first encounter to be now.
"Ichimaru Gin-senpai?"
"Oh? You know me?"
"Hahaha..."
Kyoya chuckled.
"The instructors at the academy often compare me to you. How could I not recognize you?"