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Chapter 9: Mastering the Flying Slash Swordsmanship! Golden Lion Shocked
The system's current evaluation was quite accurate.
It also pointed out exactly where Lotte needed to improve next.
Once he mastered the three colors of Haki,
His strength would reach Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral level.
That was already a tier just below Admirals and Admiral candidates in the Marines.
In the entire Marine Headquarters, there were only a few dozen such powerhouses.
Vice Admiral-level combat strength
Was already quite respectable in the current New World.
After successfully joining the Rocks Pirates, Lotte didn't hesitate—he headed straight to his official crew member's quarters to rest.
After all, he had been diligently training Wood Release for the past month.
Now that he had joined the Rocks Pirates,
He could finally take a proper break.
...
Time flew by like a white colt passing a crevice.
Under the envious gazes of the other new recruits, Lotte spent the next few days living quite comfortably.
Thanks to his extraordinary talent,
Mastering the three colors of Haki required almost no effort at all.
With Rocks' favor, the cadres didn't dare bully him—instead, they treated him as a genius destined to become a cadre in the future.
After a short few days of rest,
Early one morning,
Lotte got up and left his room, planning to stroll around the massive pirate ship.
He didn't expect to run into a familiar face right outside the door.
"Lotte, interested in joining my division?"
"The benefits definitely won't disappoint you!"
Golden Lion Shiki spotted Lotte on the deck and walked over with a wide grin.
Of course, he had no intention of giving up so easily on recruiting Lotte. On the contrary, after the kid awakened Conqueror's Haki,
Shiki's interest in him had only grown more intense.
In his view,
A talent as terrifying as Lotte's wouldn't take long at all to become a cadre.
If he could win him over,
When the time came to form his own pirate crew, Lotte would undoubtedly become a major asset.
Lotte was well aware of Golden Lion Shiki's intentions.
After all, as one of the earliest to rise after leaving the Rocks Pirates, Shiki's ambition was obvious.
The pirate fleet he would eventually build could run rampant across the seas.
If not for protagonist aura,
Even Roger would have been completely crushed.
But while Shiki was scheming against him, Lotte was scheming for Shiki's swordsmanship.
As the only true great swordsman in the entire Rocks Pirates,
No one could match Shiki in pure swordsmanship.
Even Whitebeard, with his Supreme Grade Sword Murakumogiri, surpassed Shiki mainly because of his terrifying Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
"Shiki, if you want me to join your division, you should show some sincerity."
"For example, explain your two-sword style to me."
Lotte said with an amused smile.
At this hour, most of the drunk pirates wouldn't be awake yet—
Perfect time to have a proper exchange with Shiki.
This caught Golden Lion Shiki off guard for a moment.
He had assumed Lotte would ask about Haki training, not swordsmanship.
Given the kid's astonishing talent for Haki,
But if showing off his swordsmanship could win over such a genius, it was absolutely worth it for him.
Learning the basics of his swordsmanship
Would take ordinary people two or three years at minimum—even a genius like him had spent three full months just to barely grasp it.
"Kid, watch closely then."
"Let me show you what real swordsmanship looks like!"
Golden Lion Shiki grinned widely.
He gripped the hilts of the two famous swords at his waist and drew them.
Silver-white blade light sliced through the air as he swung them toward the sea.
"The difficulty between two-sword style and one-sword style is completely different."
"Whether it's the technique of generating force or coordinating moves, two-sword style is several times harder than one-sword, and the time required for training is also much greater."
Black Armament Haki coated the blades.
As Shiki's gaze sharpened, the swords trembled slightly.
"To learn my two-sword style,
The first requirement is perfect coordination in every aspect—only then can one unleash sufficiently powerful slashes. Starting from the hands..."
As Golden Lion Shiki explained,
Lotte's eyes gradually lit up.
With his top-tier swordsmanship comprehension talent,
Absorbing this knowledge came as naturally as breathing.
"Flying Slash!"
As Golden Lion Shiki's voice fell,
A slash enveloped in golden radiance roared out like a lion's bellow.
In an instant, it cleaved a section of the sea in two.
The violently churning waves surged wildly, showcasing the terrifying power of this great swordsman's slash.
[Ding! Proficiency maxed. Congratulations, Host has comprehended Flying Slash Swordsmanship!]
[Flying Slash Swordsmanship has reached beginner level! Proficiency increased!]
With Lotte's comprehension and a little help from the system,
He finally grasped the essence of the slash Shiki had just demonstrated.
A smile curled on his lips.
"Shiki, your swordsmanship is indeed quite powerful, but it's not that hard to comprehend."
"I've already mostly mastered it."
As the words fell,
Golden Lion Shiki whipped his head around, pupils contracting.
"What did you say? You've already mastered it?"
"Youngsters shouldn't talk big, or you'll end up embarrassing yourself."
Shiki snapped back with a cold laugh.
In his view, no matter how good Lotte's Haki talent was,
Mastering one of his signature techniques in such a short time
Was simply impossible!
Even for himself, with guidance, it had taken at least a month to get the basics down.
Lotte said nothing in reply.
He calmly shaped two sharp wooden swords from his palm.
Mimicking Shiki's earlier stance,
He swung without hesitation.
Whoosh!
A green slash—similar to Shiki's golden one—tore through the air.
Though it was far inferior in power and scale to Golden Lion Shiki's slash,
There was no doubt it was the exact Flying Slash technique Shiki had explained.
Shiki was left dumbfounded.
In his decades as a pirate,
He had never seen such a monster!
Even though Flying Slash was one of his simplest moves,
For this kid to copy it so effortlessly...
What kind of monstrous swordsmanship talent was this?!
If he could get Lotte to join,
His division would undoubtedly become the strongest in the Rocks Pirates!
And as long as Lotte kept growing...
Becoming a great swordsman was only a matter of time!
Just as Shiki was about to extend the invitation again,
A very calm voice echoed across the entire ship.
"Turn the ship southeast."
"The Marines have come knocking, offering themselves up to die."
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