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Ikki himself was a swordsman in the Iron-Cutting Realm.
Moreover, he vividly remembered the sensation when he first ascended from an entry-level swordsman to the Iron-Cutting Realm.
Therefore, with his Observation Haki, he could sense the familiar advanced aura emanating from Tashigi.
"This could be interesting. If you've truly entered the Iron-Cutting Realm, then these ten days in Loguetown were not spent in vain."
A smile tugged at the corner of Ikki's mouth as he stood still, continuing to observe the battle between Tashigi and Nojiko.
As for whether Tashigi would manage to cut through the sword in Nojiko's hand now that she had entered the Iron-Cutting Realm, Ikki wasn't concerned at all.
Although the sword in Nojiko's hand outwardly resembled Shigure, it was in essence the Zanpakuto Minazuki.
If someone wanted to cut through such a sword, Ikki believed that even if Dracule Mihawk himself appeared, success would be questionable.
Of course, Ikki was confident that Nojiko could handle Tashigi's next attack skillfully.
After all, while Tashigi might have entered the Iron-Cutting Realm, Nojiko's current life force was significantly higher than Tashigi's.
On the field, Tashigi murmured under her breath, using her Yubashiri to effortlessly slice through the surrounding rocks.
A flash of understanding gleamed in her eyes.
Then, she raised Yubashiri high above her head with both hands, her eyes suddenly igniting with determination.
"Water Breathing, Twelfth Form: Dancing Blade Cascade..."
"What? Twelfth Form?"
Nojiko, who had been executing the 3rd form Flowing Dance, frowned and immediately halted three meters away from Tashigi.
She took a deep breath, causing the water surrounding her blade to dissipate and gradually be replaced by a layer of scorching flames.
"Rise, Yubashiri!"
As soon as the words left her lips, Tashigi stamped her foot on the ground.
Yubashiri cut through the thin layer of water as she rushed toward Nojiko with thunderous speed.
'Her speed has increased dramatically!'
Nojiko's eyes narrowed, and she slightly raised the sword in her hand.
"Sun Breathing, Fourth Form: Burning Bones, Summer Sun!"
Nojiko quickly twisted and spun her body, suddenly vanishing just as Tashigi's sword drew near.
Only an afterimage remained in her place.
Tashigi's blade passed through Nojiko's afterimage, and the lack of resistance made her momentarily stunned.
Just as she was about to turn around, Nojiko had already positioned her flame-enveloped sword beside Tashigi's neck.
"You lose, Tashigi."
…
[Ding! Your partner Nojiko has defeated Tashigi, the 'Iron-Cutting Swordsman'.]
[Congratulations to Host for acquiring the swordsmanship technique 'Water Breathing, Twelfth Form: Dancing Blade Cascade (Incomplete)'; congratulations to Host and your partner Nojiko for attaining the 'Iron-Cutting Realm'.]
['Swordsman Tashigi challenge authority' acquired!]
[The rewards received by Nojiko will be distributed by the Host.]
[Host can now claim Tashigi's famous sword 'Yubashiri' in exchange for lottery draws.]
[Note: Host and partners challenged and defeated Tashigi, a swordsman of the Iron-Cutting Realm. They will be able to obtain the "Iron-Cutting Realm Swordsman Tashigi challenge permission" but will not obtain Tashigi's knowledge of sword techniques.]
'Interesting! So I've actually gained the permission to challenge the Iron-Cutting Swordsman Tashigi?'
'Training Tashigi this time has been incredibly profitable.'
'The system has even classified the "Dancing Blade Cascade" technique that Tashigi just used as part of Water Breathing, though the "Incomplete" status is unfortunate.'
'And Nojiko didn't receive this reward. Does this mean that a partner who defeats an enemy swordsman might not always receive the reward?'
'Will I get rewards like "Swordsman Challenge Permission" every time I defeat a swordsman of a particular realm in the future?'
Questions flashed through Ikki's mind, but unfortunately, the system provided no answers.
Shaking his head, Ikki walked toward Tashigi while analyzing the 'Water Breathing, Twelfth Form: Dancing Blade Cascade (Incomplete)' technique he had just received from the system.
Since this version of Dancing Blade Cascade was only a semi-finished product, Ikki hoped to help Tashigi perfect it before leaving.
After all, Ikki had a better understanding of breathing techniques than Tashigi.
Moreover, he had already mastered the 'Water Breathing, Eleventh Form: Dead Calm that Tashigi didn't know. With this new technique, Ikki had more background knowledge to perfect the Water Breathing series.
…
"I lost. As expected, Miss Nojiko, you are incredibly strong."
Tashigi shook her head and turned to look at Nojiko.
There was no trace of frustration on her face at having lost. On the contrary, she appeared quite excited about having developed a new swordsmanship technique.
"No, Miss Tashigi, you are the truly strong one," Nojiko replied earnestly. "It's astonishing that you were able to develop your own Water Breathing technique in such a short period of time."
'If it weren't for the nutrition potion given to me by Captain Ikki, I would definitely be far behind you,' Nojiko added mentally.
Clap, clap, clap!
Ikki approached them, applauding.
"Well done, Tashigi. Your swordsmanship just now truly impressed me," he praised. "I didn't expect you to actually develop your own Water Breathing technique. As I thought, you have remarkable talent."