Tatsuki looked at this blushing young woman, his gaze lingering on her strikingly familiar face for a second.
'Huh? Isn't this the future Momousagi? Look at this youthful little look, still a greenhorn recruit.'
Tatsuki was inwardly amused. This kind of potential stock must be invested in now.
An idea struck him.
He pulled out a piece of high-end chocolate he had casually pocketed from Sengoku's office earlier.
"Take it."
Tatsuki stuffed the chocolate into Gion's still trembling hand, then reached out and very naturally ruffled the smooth black hair on her head.
"Good eyes. Come work under me in the future."
With that, without the slightest hesitation, he turned and strode away with an extremely dashing back view.
Even after Tatsuki had walked far away, Gion remained frozen in that position, tightly clutching the piece of chocolate as if it were the most precious treasure in the world.
The warmth of his large hand still lingered on her head.
"Under... under his command..."
Gion felt her whole body steaming, her gaze gradually shifting from dazed to determined, even fanatical.
"I must become stronger. I must join Rear Admiral Tatsuki's unit."
Meanwhile, beside her, Tokikake, who had been completely ignored and relegated to a background character the entire time, watched her lovestruck state, feeling the whole world turn gray, the sound of his heart breaking clearly audible.
[Ding!]
Tatsuki, who had already walked far away, suddenly heard a crisp notification sound in his mind.
[Detection: Host's personal charm has caused "Future Admiral Candidate" Tokikake's mentality to collapse, indirectly damaging colleague relations.]
[Achievement Unlocked: As long as you swing the hoe well, no wall can't be toppled.]
[Violation Points +1000!]
Tatsuki's steps paused slightly, and he rubbed his chin somewhat bewilderedly.
'That works? I didn't even do anything? Tokikake... is he made of glass or something?'
However, free points were free points. No reason to refuse them.
Tatsuki was in an excellent mood, humming an unknown little tune as he headed towards his office.
"Ah, this is youth."
—
Tatsuki returned to the independent office assigned to him at headquarters.
It must be said, the benefits brought by this promotion wave were substantial.
A spacious one-hundred-square-meter area, a complete set of high-end rosewood furniture, a framed "Justice" calligraphy piece hanging on the wall, and outside the huge floor-to-ceiling window was the stunning blue ocean view of Marineford.
Compared to the sweaty, crowded dormitory of the Elite Camp, this place was simply heaven.
Click.
Tatsuki locked the door and casually drew the curtains.
He threw his entire body into the soft, oversized leather chair, propped his feet up on the desk with no regard for decorum, and the "noble and righteous" expression on his face instantly crumbled, replaced by a greedy and excited grin.
"Hehehe..."
'System, time to get to work.'
[Violation Points: 491,200]
Tatsuki stared at the long string of numbers on the light screen, his fingers tapping rapidly on the armrest, producing a rapid "tap-tap" sound.
'Tsk, last time I was dirt poor, scrimping and saving for that one draw had no sense of satisfaction at all.'
He licked his lips, his eyes gleaming with a gambler's excitement. With resources in hand, his mind was at ease, and the urge to splurge could no longer be suppressed.
'System, open the prize wheel.'
The light screen transformed, revealing a massive and ornate wheel. Each segment shimmered with tempting light.
Sun Breathing, Nine-Tails's Chakra, Limitless...
But Tatsuki's target wasn't these.
He needed offensive power.
Extreme, unreasonable offensive power.
While the Storm-Storm Fruit was a divine tool for large-scale destruction, it was somewhat lacking in ultimate single-target burst and finishing potential. Especially when facing monsters with ridiculously thick health bars, tickling them wouldn't solve the problem.
'Here goes. Fifty thousand a pop.'
'Let's start with... four draws.'
[Command received. Deducting 200,000 Violation Points.]
[Prize draw procedure initiating... Good luck.]
Whoosh—
The wheel instantly became a multicolored blur, the pointer spinning wildly upon it, with golden, purple, and blue lights flashing intermittently.
Tatsuki stared intently at the pointer.
First draw. The pointer slowed down and finally stopped on a... pink segment?
[Ding! Congratulations, Host! Obtained: Okamoto 0.01 (Family Share Pack) x10 boxes!]
"Pfft—"
A mouthful of water Tatsuki had just taken sprayed out.
With a flash of white light, ten enormous cardboard boxes materialized in the corner of the office. The words "Ultra Thin" and "Extreme Lubrication" printed on them looked particularly glaring in the sunlight.
"What the hell! Damn you, system! Am I that kind of person?!"
Tatsuki pointed at the boxes and cursed, "I'm a Marine Rear Admiral! A beacon of justice! What am I supposed to do with this?!"
Although his cursing was fierce, after finishing, Tatsuki didn't throw them into the trash.
He pinched his chin, his gaze turning somewhat subtle. "Tsk, even if I can't use them now, considering my irresistible charm... Hmm, better safe than sorry."
With a wave of his hand, he stored these ten boxes of "strategic supplies" into his system space.
'Continue, give me back my luck.'
Second draw. The pointer stopped on a vibrant, emerald-green area.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host! Obtained: Senzu Beans x3!]
A simple small cloth pouch appeared in Tatsuki's hand, containing three quietly resting green beans.
'Huh? Senzu Beans from Dragon Ball?' Tatsuki's eyes lit up.
"Not bad. Can save lives at critical moments, equivalent to three extra lives. Not a loss.'
His physique was already strong, but who would complain about having more lives?
'Next one.'
Third draw. The pointer spun wildly. This time, it bounced back and forth between several segments, refusing to stop. Finally, it settled amidst a dazzling golden light.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host! Obtained: Great Swordsman-level Sword Mastery Insights (Fused Version)!]
Without giving Tatsuki time to react, an immense, terrifying stream of information instantly flooded into his mind.
"Ugh..."
Tatsuki grunted, gripping the armrest tightly.
Countless images flashed through his mind.
Images of countless swordsmen training under waterfalls, attaining enlightenment on the brink of life and death.
How to adjust breathing, how to perceive the rhythm of all things, how to infuse Haki into the blade, how to cut through steel, cut through flames, even reaching the serene state of hearing the breath of all things...
Those supreme principles of swordsmanship that originally required decades of grinding and comprehension were now deeply engraved into the depths of his soul like a brand.
One minute later.
Tatsuki slowly opened his eyes.
A sharp glint of light seemed to flash briefly in his pupils.
"This... this is the power of a Great Swordsman?"
He felt that if he were given a sword now, he could cut through everything before him.
"Awesome!"
Tatsuki couldn't help but let out a low roar.
This draw had propelled him to the pinnacle. With a bit of practice, he would be a true Great Swordsman.