Time passed quickly.
For anyone past middle age, a month slips by in the blink of an eye.
And for Tsugukini Yoriichi, that was even more true.
November—late autumn.
Yet the waters around the Boin Archipelago felt like the height of summer.
Today was especially hot. Thick clouds pressed low over the sky, and the humid air clung to the lungs, stifling and heavy.
Across the wide, shimmering sea, a marine battleship suddenly appeared, speeding toward the eastern island of the archipelago.
At that same moment, a deep hum reverberated from the distant island. A massive slash shot skyward from the island's central region, piercing straight into the clouds. Within seconds, a thousand-meter rift tore open across the heavy cloud layer. Blazing sunlight poured through, spilling onto the island below.
At the bow of the battleship, a tall man in his early thirties stared at the sight, shock written plainly across his face.
Only after a long moment did he smack his lips and murmur:
"That's… terrifying…"
Deep within the Boin Archipelago, Tsugukini Yoriichi looked down at the corpse of a giant bear that had been cleaved cleanly into two halves. With a smooth motion, he slid his blade back into its scabbard.
He glanced up at the massive rent in the sky and allowed a faint smile to tug at his lips.
In this one month, his strength had skyrocketed—an explosive surge reminiscent of the days when he had first learned Haki and Rokushiki.
And the thrill of growing stronger at such a rapid pace…
It was intoxicating.
Training could become a kind of addiction.
"Every day I can feel myself improving. My physique is far stronger than before."
"But I can't get complacent."
"Out on the sea, the top-class monsters are far beyond this level…"
His smile faded slightly.
Yes, becoming stronger was exhilarating. But then he thought of those pinnacle battles—the kind where the mere clash of Conqueror's Haki could scatter the clouds from the sky. The thought alone was enough to clear his head instantly.
Just as Zephyr often scolded him—
He still had a long, long way to go.
Stepping over the giant bear's corpse, Yoriichi headed back toward his shelter.
After a month on this island, he had mapped its general structure. His makeshift dwelling occupied the cliff at the island's edge, facing the sea.
He had carved a cave into the cliffside himself. At night, he sealed the entrance with a slab of sturdy timber, leaving only a small vent to breathe through.
That way, even if the "Stomach Baron" fed during the night, he wouldn't fall into its maw and become another snack.
He had chosen the seaside cliff for two reasons:
First, the vegetation was sparse and far from the "Forest of Temptation," reducing the risk of bizarre creatures ambushing him.
Second, being close to the ocean let him train freely—after all, the endless sea could endure any attack he unleashed.
He trained by the ocean, rested only to raid the Forest of Temptation for food, then returned to training again.
For an entire month, his life had been a straight back-and-forth routine.
The Boin Archipelago had nine islands, yet he had explored only one.
And until the food on this island was depleted, he had no intention of visiting the others.
But as he returned to the cliff where his shelter lay, he froze.
A marine battleship was rapidly approaching.
Narrowing his eyes, he looked toward the ship and saw the marking on its sails:
G-18.
"G-18? A warship from the New World?"
"Now that I think about it… I've been on this island for a month.
Did Teacher Zephyr send them?"
Marine ships always bore identifiers.
In the Four Seas, they used simple numbers or the letters E, W, N, S.
But ships from the New World bore the "G" prefix.
Though, of course, certain high-ranking officers didn't follow these conventions—Garp's ship, for example, bore the distinctive dog-head prow and the code HQ-3.
Normally, a G-18 ship would never appear in the first half of the Grand Line.
Purururu~
Purururu~
His Den-Den Mushi rang.
Yoriichi pulled it from his chest and lifted the receiver, a smile tugging at his mouth.
"Teacher Zephyr?
Calling me in the middle of the day—things slow at the academy today?"
Over the past month, Zephyr had checked in every few days, asking about his health and progress.
But calling at this hour was unusual.
Yet what came through the receiver was not Zephyr's familiar voice—
"Moshi~ moshi."
Lazy.
Playful.
Almost mocking.
Yoriichi blinked, startled. He glanced down at the Den-Den Mushi—and realized it no longer resembled Zephyr's face. Instead, its features had shifted into something lecherous and smirking.
"Moshi~ moshi."
The same voice echoed again.
Before Yoriichi could respond, a blinding beam of light flared from the bow of the distant battleship.
"Juuuu~~~"
A pillar of light fired from the ship, striking the ground behind Yoriichi.
At the same time, a languid voice spoke directly behind him:
**"Moshi, moshi~
This is Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral—Borsalino."**
"Can you hear me? Moshi moshi?"
Yoriichi stiffened, turning his head.
A tall marine in a yellow pinstriped suit stood behind him—no one knew when he had appeared. One hand held a Den-Den Mushi bearing a red-patterned face, the other held the receiver. He spoke lazily into the snail…
…but his gaze was fixed squarely on Yoriichi, sizing him up from head to toe.
"Hello. My name is Tsugukini Yoriichi."
Yoriichi spoke into his own receiver, then calmly tucked the Den-Den Mushi into his coat.
He turned fully to face Borsalino, offering a polite smile.
But the next instant—
His blade flashed from its sheath.
Yoriichi vanished from sight and reappeared directly in front of Borsalino, bringing his blade down toward the vice admiral—striking with the back of the blade rather than its edge.
Armament Haki coated his arms and sword.
In one breath, the sword's spine hovered inches from Borsalino's throat.
"Tsugukini Yoriichi is so scary~"
Borsalino's body dissolved into glittering particles of light, slipping away just before the blow could land. He reformed two meters to the side, letting out a seemingly frightened murmur.
"So he dodged…
Faster than Kuzan.
If it were Kuzan, he'd never avoid that strike."
Yoriichi appeared where Borsalino had just stood.
Turning his head toward the vice admiral, he gave a small smile.
"Hello, Vice Admiral Borsalino."
"Sorry—that was an instinctive reaction."
"I don't like people standing behind me."
(End of Chapter)
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