Of course, Xayuki didn't particularly enjoy the Eighth Set of Broadcast Gymnastics. Even if Boa Hancock, the most beautiful woman in the world, performed it just for him, he wouldn't find it entertaining.
Before his transmigration, back in middle and high school, every time he heard the music for the Eighth Set of Broadcast Gymnastics over the school speakers, his head would buzz with annoyance.
Especially during morning exercises—he would avoid them whenever possible. If he couldn't, he'd stand in the middle of the student formation, lost in thought.
Having endured the torment of the Eighth Set himself, he figured the Seven Warlords might as well experience it too.
Since there was still some time before lunch, Xayuki didn't return home. Instead, he headed straight to the Fleet Admiral's office on the top floor of Headquarters.
As soon as Xayuki stepped into the office and hadn't even had a chance to sit down, Mihawk came striding in at an unusually brisk pace.
Before Xayuki could react, Mihawk got straight to the point. "Xayuki, I want out! If you insist I stay, fine—but I refuse to participate in the Eighth Set of Broadcast Gymnastics!"
"Eh?"
Standing by his desk, Xayuki blinked and asked, "Is it too hard? You can't learn it?"
"This isn't about difficulty or whether I can learn it!"
Mihawk waved his hand dismissively and continued, "It's about principle—I simply cannot accept it!"
"Calm down, calm down!"
Xayuki pulled a bag of walnuts from his desk drawer, walked over to the coffee table, and sat down. "Have a seat, crack a few walnuts, and let's talk this through."
Saying this, Xayuki placed a few walnuts on the table. Looking around for something to crack them with, he realized there wasn't a proper tool. Without hesitation, he stood up, walked over to the wall, and took down one of the 12 Supreme Grade Swords hanging there. With a swift motion, he used the back of the blade to crack the walnuts open!
"Hey, hey, hey! Is that the Supreme Grade Sword you subdued?"
Seeing Xayuki casually using one of the Supreme Grade Swords to crack walnuts, Mihawk's eyelid twitched uncontrollably. He quickly stepped to the coffee table, visibly agitated. "As a swordsman, how can you use your blade to crack walnuts? That's disrespectful to the sword!"
"Oh, relax."
Xayuki picked up a cracked walnut, extracted the kernel, and popped it into his mouth. Completely unfazed, he replied, "To you, a sword might be a second life. But to me, it's nothing more than a tool."
"Mihawk, do you know why your swordsmanship hasn't progressed much recently? It's because you rely too heavily on whether or not you have a sword in your hand. You place too much importance on the sword itself. Your understanding of the way of the sword is still in its early stages—you've only just qualified to meet me."
"In my view, the ultimate truth of swordsmanship is this: 'When the heart holds the sword, all things can become the sword.'"
Mihawk's expression shifted. He stared intently at Xayuki, the matter of using a Supreme Grade Sword to crack walnuts momentarily forgotten. He murmured thoughtfully, "When the heart holds the sword, all things can become the sword?"
Xayuki smiled and nodded. "Now that's the true romance of a swordsman!"
"Go on and reflect on it. You're excused from participating in the Ideological Remolding Program, but in exchange, you must train those sword-wielding officers who've been clamoring to challenge you."
Hearing that he no longer had to participate in the program, Mihawk's eyes lit up.
However, he didn't let his excitement show too much. Instead, he walked over to the coffee table, sat down across from Xayuki, and picked up a few walnuts. Crushing them effortlessly in his hand, he placed the shells conspicuously closer to Xayuki, as if to show off.
Xayuki pretended not to notice and continued cracking walnuts with the Supreme Grade Sword.
Watching this, Mihawk couldn't help but feel a mix of agreement and unease. While he found Xayuki's theory of the ultimate swordsmanship compelling, he couldn't ignore the fact that Xayuki was using a Supreme Grade Sword—once wielded by the Pirate King Roger himself—to crack walnuts!
Though Roger's Conqueror's Haki had been subdued by Xayuki, and the lingering presence of its former master had been thoroughly erased when Xayuki straightened the blade, it was still a Supreme Grade Sword!
Many swordsmen spent their entire lives striving to wield such a weapon. To them, the 12 Supreme Grade Swords were treasures beyond compare. But in Xayuki's hands, it was just a tool!
"Don't feel bad~"
As if reading Mihawk's thoughts, Xayuki spoke nonchalantly. "Forget Roger's old sword. Soon, whether it's Whitebeard's Murakumogiri, Shanks' Gryphon, Kaido's Hassaikai, or any of the other Supreme Grade or Great Grade Swords, they'll all end up hanging on the walls of this office."
Hearing this, Mihawk instinctively moved to guard his own Supreme Grade Sword.
At that moment, the office door suddenly swung open.
Gion walked in briskly, her expression grave. "Fleet Admiral—"
"What's happened?"
Xayuki picked up two more walnuts and said, "Speak freely. Mihawk's not an outsider—he's now the swordsmanship instructor for Headquarters."
Hearing this, Gion hesitated no longer and got straight to the point. "We've just received word from the East Blue. Colonel Stoke, who was en route to assume command of the 16th Branch, was ambushed by the Arlong Pirates while clearing pirates from his jurisdiction."
She paused briefly, her gaze lowering as her expression darkened. In a soft voice, she continued, "The entire crew... perished."
Crack—
The sound of walnuts being crushed echoed sharply. The two walnuts in Xayuki's hand turned to powder, sifting through his fingers.
As the walnut dust fell, a heavy, oppressive silence filled the office. Neither Mihawk nor Gion dared to make a sound.
Gion, in particular, felt a deep unease. She knew Xayuki well—knew how much he valued his subordinates, especially those who had loyally followed him for years. To him, they were more than comrades; they were family.
Colonel Stoke had been one of them.
After a long, tense silence, Xayuki suddenly stood and walked toward the door without a word.
After taking a few steps, he stopped as if remembering something, then turned back. His voice hoarse, he said, "Gion... I... I think I've lost something. Help me find it."
Hearing this, Gion quickly picked up the Supreme Grade Sword Justice from the coffee table and cradled it in her arms.
"Yes, my sword!"
Xayuki nodded, his voice still rough. "Let's go. To the East Blue."
Meanwhile, at the Seven Warlords' dormitory.
Doflamingo swaggered into the room, carrying a meal tray from the cafeteria. His tone carried a hint of excitement as he announced, "I just heard some news in the cafeteria. Colonel Stoke of the East Blue's 16th Branch was ambushed by the Arlong Pirates during a pirate-clearing operation. Not a single officer or crew member survived!"
Before anyone could respond, Doflamingo's gaze swept over Crocodile and Moria before finally settling on Jinbe.
"Jinbe, if I'm not mistaken, you have a subordinate named Arlong, don't you? Quite the coincidence—the captain of the Arlong Pirates is also a shark Fish-Man named Arlong!"
"Oh, and I also heard that Colonel Stoke wasn't just personally assigned to the East Blue by Fleet Admiral Xayuki—he was one of the earliest officers to follow him!"
"What do you think Fleet Admiral Xayuki will do when he hears this news?"
"Fufufufufu~"
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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