In the blink of an eye, six months passed.
Late at night, at the private training ground on the mountain behind Marineford, moonlight spread across the open field, lighting up two figures clashing at high speed.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The clear sound of metal striking metal rang out again and again.
Gion's sword, Konpira, kept slipping toward Aiden's openings, sometimes striking, sometimes holding back.
CLANG!!
Another heavy blow came down.
Aiden "barely" caught it on the spine of his blade, but the force still sent him staggering back seven or eight steps before he managed to steady himself.
The arm holding his sword trembled slightly.
Damn it... Aiden cursed inwardly.
Is this woman doing this on purpose? She toys with me like this every night... has she really noticed something?
"Stop."
Gion slowly sheathed her sword and stood still.
She was still wearing her usual casual clothes, but at that moment, a faint trace of irritation flashed through her eyes.
Over the last six months, she had tried all kinds of methods, yet she had never been able to force out the same reaction Aiden showed that night.
The man in front of her was like a lump of slippery mud.
Push him an inch, and he gave an inch, looking "pathetic" the whole time.
He was always right on the edge of "collapsing," making it impossible to tell what he was really hiding.
"Your Rokushiki has already reached the level of the top students in the elite class," Gion began her summary for the night, her calm voice hiding her frustration.
"And under my guidance, your swordsmanship has finally started to take a bit of shape."
Shape, my foot... she thought to herself.
She paused, and a trace of playfulness entered her tone.
"I don't have much left to teach you for now. What you lack most is real combat experience."
"Yes! I'll work twice as hard!" Aiden answered loudly, looking as if he had been deeply encouraged.
This kind of acting is exhausting...
Aiden let out a silent yawn in his mind.
For the past six months, playing the role of a hardworking commoner while she played the role of a teacher had put quite a bit of pressure on him.
Whatever.
At least I get to eat great food the proper way now.
Aiden's gaze swept over Gion's figure, which looked even more striking under the moonlight.
And having such a beautiful teacher as a daily sparring partner wasn't exactly a bad deal either.
"Alright, today's training ends here."
Gion stretched, and her curves showed faintly beneath her silk robe.
"Tomorrow night... I want something extra fancy."
"Yes! I promise it'll be delicious!"
Late that night, in Dorm 307.
Smoker was already lying on his bed, snoring like thunder.
Aiden sat cross-legged on his own bed, his eyes closed in meditation.
He had lived an extremely low-key life during these six months.
Aside from acting like a hardworking ordinary person in front of Gion, he had performed very average in all the public tests at the recruit camp.
For example, during last month's combat assessment, a simulated hostage rescue exercise, Aiden's performance was mediocre.
Even so, he still received Zephyr's approval.
Zephyr's evaluation of him was: "Solid foundation, standard tactics, but lacks initiative and aggressive drive."
This was exactly the result Aiden wanted.
Right now, he was like the perfect piece of background scenery, not standing out, but not falling behind either.
His [Sin Index] had barely grown at all during this peaceful half-year, and that made him feel a little restless.
During this time, besides Smoker and Hina, he had also become quite close with someone else: the "Great Golden Retriever," Rosinante.
Although they were not in the same dorm, as fellow elite class students, Rosinante and Aiden saw each other often.
Rosinante's kindness and his constant clumsy mistakes made Aiden think he was a very interesting guy.
"Zzzz... BOOM!!"
Smoker's snoring suddenly got even louder.
Aiden's meditation was interrupted.
He opened his eyes, and his brows furrowed slightly.
He reached for the nearby table, tore off a small piece of paper, and casually rolled it into a tiny ball between his fingers.
Hum...
A trace of nearly invisible, pitch-black Armament Haki coated the tiny paper ball for an instant.
Without even looking, Aiden flicked his finger.
Swish!
The paper ball cut through the air with a faint whistle and flew straight into Smoker's wide-open mouth.
"Urgh?!"
Smoker's snoring stopped at once.
His whole body jerked, as if someone had suddenly grabbed him by the throat.
Then he rolled over, muttered a few annoyed words in his sleep, and finally... the room went quiet.
Aiden lay down with satisfaction and closed his eyes.
The next morning.
At the largest training arena in Marineford, every single recruit was present.
The atmosphere was sharp and solemn.
Zephyr stood on the high platform, with a group of officers behind him.
"Eight months!"
Zephyr's powerful voice echoed across the entire plaza.
"Eight months ago, you were a bunch of trash! Failures! Brats!"
"But today," his gaze swept across every person, "you stand here looking at least... a little like Marines!"
"For the past half-year, all of you have gone through systematic training!"
Zephyr looked over the ranks, and a trace of pride that was hard to notice entered his voice.
"Some of you went from being unable to use Soru to being able to use Rokushiki with skill! Some of you have even touched the threshold of Haki, earning the right to stand tall on the sea!"
"But more importantly!"
Zephyr suddenly clenched his fist, and his voice rose.
"I see the change in your eyes! From the confusion and weakness at the beginning, to the determination and fearlessness you have now! This is a Marine's most precious treasure!"
"You are no longer brats. You are true Marines!"
Standing in the back, Gion looked at the calm figure in the ranks, and a proud smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.
"However!" Zephyr's tone changed.
"The real test begins now!"
"Your training at the recruit camp ends here! Your final test..."
Zephyr suddenly pointed at the rows of majestic warships docked at the harbor.
"...will be a three-month shipboard internship!!"
"You will truly set foot on the sea! You will face vicious pirates face-to-face! You will witness true 'Justice' and 'Evil'!"
"This will be your first real lesson as true Marines!!"
Across the plaza, every recruit instantly felt their blood heat up.
Aiden stood in line, his head slightly lowered.
No one could see the cold smile at the corner of his lips.
Pirates...
I'm coming.