The next day.
Golden light spilled from the horizon.
Clear skies stretched endless and bright. White clouds drifted lazily overhead. The ocean below was vast and blue without end.
Clang!
Clang!
Steel screamed against steel, sparks bursting in dazzling flashes.
The sharp, grating impact of blades rang out across the warship's deck, and the shockwaves of each collision kicked up gusts of air that swept the surrounding space.
On the deck—
two figures were locked in a rapid exchange, trading blows again and again.
The fight was fierce.
All around them, marines held their breath, staring with intense focus at the two combatants in the center.
Among them, Koby and Helmeppo watched the hardest—eyes wide, bodies tense, not daring to blink.
"So strong…" Koby muttered, voice trembling with awe.
"Raifeng's swordsmanship… it's gotten even more terrifying."
"Yeah…" Helmeppo agreed instinctively.
Truthfully, he couldn't even track their movements. He only caught blurred afterimages—brief, frozen moments whenever the blades met.
Too fast.
Both of them were monsters.
The gusts from their exchanges surged outward, slamming into the onlookers like pressure.
Koby and Helmeppo felt it clearly—an oppressive weight bearing down on them, like a mountain pressing onto their shoulders, making their bodies stiff and heavy.
One of the fighters was Raifeng.
The other…
was Bogard.
Yes—Marine Headquarters Colonel Bogard, Vice Admiral Garp's trusted right-hand man.
A swordsman with formidable skill.
And now, Raifeng was clashing with him head-on.
Of course, Bogard wasn't going all-out.
He was deliberately restraining his strength—acting as a moving target, a training partner, a whetstone meant to sharpen Raifeng's blade.
This wasn't a duel to determine who was stronger.
It was sparring. Pure practice.
"Not bad. Very not bad."
Garp watched from the side with obvious enjoyment, grinning like a kid at a festival.
And the more he watched, the clearer it became—
Raifeng was absorbing everything.
Like a sponge thrown into the sea, he was devouring Bogard's combat habits, timing, and experience in real time.
His growth was visible.
"Just as I thought."
"Using Bogard as this brat's sparring partner was the right call."
"Bogard holds back and keeps the pressure high—Raifeng gets real combat rhythm, real fighting instinct."
"And in the middle of it, he picks up sword techniques too."
Garp nodded to himself, pleased.
The results were immediate.
Raifeng's combat sense—initially a bit like a beginner—was rapidly morphing into something else entirely.
Something closer to a veteran who'd survived real life-and-death fights.
And no one felt that shift more clearly than the man fighting him.
"What a monster…" Bogard thought, staring at Raifeng's focused face as the boy kept pressing forward.
At first, Raifeng's practical fighting technique had been slightly raw.
His sword skill was undeniably solid—but battle application and technique under pressure were not exactly the same thing.
But after this single session…
Raifeng seemed to undergo a transformation.
From "a bit rough" to "seasoned," step by step—until Bogard started feeling like he wasn't sparring the same person anymore.
Raifeng's changes were too dramatic.
So dramatic that Bogard couldn't help thinking:
Am I fighting Raifeng… or someone else entirely?
The growth speed was absurd.
Borderline unbelievable.
In the end, Bogard could only conclude:
Raifeng was gifted beyond reason.
Monsters simply didn't follow normal rules.
"Even now… he's already putting pressure on me," Bogard admitted inwardly.
"If this keeps up, it won't be long before he surpasses me completely."
Bogard sighed.
Of course.
The things he hated most in this world were geniuses and monsters.
Because their strength grew in ways that didn't make sense.
A lifetime of effort—
and to them, it was just a stepping stone they'd casually crush underfoot.
Eventually, the spar ended.
Bogard took a breath, forced down his disbelief, and spoke frankly:
"If you keep growing at this rate…"
"Then within half a year, your strength and swordsmanship will surpass mine completely."
The deck exploded into shock.
Even Koby and Helmeppo froze like statues.
"Half a year?!"
"He'll surpass Colonel Bogard in six months?!"
"No way…"
The problem was—
how old was Raifeng again?
Nobody could ignore the terrifying fact:
He was only seven.
That meant…
A seven-and-a-half-year-old who could surpass a Marine Headquarters colonel?
The thought alone made scalp and spine go numb.
The ship's atmosphere was instantly ignited.
A monster who would be stronger than a colonel at seven and a half…
Just imagining it was enough to make people shiver.
Raifeng wiped sweat from his forehead and smiled—an oddly meaningful expression—as he looked at Bogard.
Half a year?
Colonel Bogard… you're still overestimating how long it'll take.
That timeline was too generous.
Raifeng didn't have the patience to wait that long.
In reality…
Bogard had no idea just how wrong he was.
Surpassing him wouldn't take six months.
At most—one month.
No.
Half a month would be more than enough.
Raifeng didn't say any of that out loud.
Because honestly?
That would be too cruel.
Bogard was still a proud Marine colonel.
Raifeng could at least leave him some dignity.
Then Raifeng tossed those thoughts aside.
Because something more important was calling.
His eyes lit up with anticipation.
"The third sign-in should be ready soon…"
"Finally… it's sign-in time again."
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