Down on the field, Tokikake stood in the center of the arena, his solitary figure looking somewhat thin.
He looked at the crowd cheering like mountain torrents and tsunamis, his head buzzing. Cold sweat dripped from his forehead past his comical slanted eyebrows and onto the ground.
He regretted it.
He truly regretted it.
Why did he let jealousy cloud his mind? Why did he agree to such a perverted bet?
Just as he was about to be crushed by the pressure, the crowd erupted into a thunderous cheer.
"Rear Admiral Tatsuki is here!"
At the tunnel entrance, Tatsuki had changed out of his officer's uniform and was wearing a simple, slim-fitting white outfit.
His shirt collar was slightly open, revealing lean, powerful muscles.
On his right shoulder, he carried a weapon wrapped in long strips of black cloth.
His calm and composed aura formed a tragic contrast with Tokikake, who was drenched in sweat and acting as if he were facing a mortal enemy.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
Tatsuki walked to the center of the field and casually unwrapped the black cloth, revealing an eerie, pitch-black tachi to the sunlight.
The pupils of every swordsman present who knew their blades constricted. That sword, just by looking at it, sent a chill through one's heart.
High above, the trio of monsters frowned simultaneously.
"To show you respect, I specifically brought a new blade."
He glanced at the pale-faced Tokikake and smiled gently. "By the way, have you picked out a dress yet? I think pink lace might suit your temperament quite well."
"You..."
Tokikake's face turned dark.
"You make the first move."
Tatsuki held his sword with one hand, the tip pointing diagonally at the ground. He turned his head to look toward a certain section of the audience, where Gion was nervously clenching her fists.
This posture, which showed he didn't take him seriously at all, completely detonated Tokikake's last shred of sanity.
"You said it!"
Tokikake took a starting stance and let out a loud roar to bolster his courage. "I'll show you the results of my hard work to become stronger every day!"
"Hard work?" Tatsuki smiled.
He didn't want to discourage Tokikake, but in the world of One Piece, there are some gaps that you can't cross even if you throw your life into it.
Tokikake roared and stomped his feet against the ground. The solid rock arena was actually stomped into two deep pits.
Though his looks were messy, the future Admiral Candidate's reputation was definitely not for nothing.
In this moment, Tokikake displayed astonishing explosive power. He was like a cannonball fired from its barrel, instantly crossing dozens of meters. His heavy fist, wrapped in the flames of jealousy, slammed fiercely toward Tatsuki's chest.
"Get down!"
Bang!
A dull thud echoed throughout the arena.
However, the expected image of Tatsuki flying backward did not appear, he didn't even sway.
That fist, capable of punching through steel plates, landed solidly on his chest, and then... it just stopped there.
Tatsuki retracted his gaze and looked down at the fist print on his chest, an unnoticeable flash of disappointment in his eyes.
"Is this your full strength?"
"Scattered power, wrong point of exertion—aside from your loud voice, you're practically worthless."
Tokikake's pupils vibrated violently. It wasn't just because the attack was ineffective, but because he felt a despair-inducing pressure emanating from Tatsuki.
"I don't believe it!!!"
Tokikake's mental state collapsed. He swung his arms frantically, launching a storm of attacks at Tatsuki like a pile driver.
Bang... Bang...
Fists fell like raindrops—chest, abdomen, shoulders...
Tokikake used every ounce of strength he had. Every punch created a sonic boom as they frantically smashed into various parts of Tatsuki's body. But Tatsuki was like a towering mountain, remaining unmoved.
Thirty seconds later.
Tokikake was exhausted, gasping for breath. His fists were swollen and bleeding, and his eyes were filled with confusion and fear.
The gap... was it so large that he didn't even have the qualification to break through Tatsuki's defense?
Tatsuki sighed inwardly.
He was too hasty. With his terrifying physique of 85 points, an attack of Tokikake's level was really no different from an itch.
He thought Tokikake would be a sandbag he could test his sword on, thinking he'd at least have to parry a few times.
Turns out, he thought too much.
With this level of power difference, he didn't even have the qualification to make him draw his sword.
His sense of anticipation quickly cooled.
"Are you done playing?"
Tatsuki's voice rang out eerily, carrying a hint of boredom.
Tokikake looked up sharply, meeting Tatsuki's eyes which had instantly become indifferent, even somewhat pitying.
Crack.
In that moment, Tokikake heard the sound of his own mental state completely shattering.
"In that case, let's end this."
Before he finished speaking, Tatsuki's right hand, covered in black Armament Haki, struck out nonchalantly.
Although he had held back ninety percent of his power, it was still not something the current Tokikake could withstand.
Boom!
A straightforward punch without any frills landed right in the center of Tokikake's face.
"Pfft—"
Tokikake's nose bled profusely, his features distorted, and he was sent flying backward.
In the instant his body was still tracing a tragic parabola through the air, Tatsuki moved.
Since the sword was already in his hand, he might as well give it a try. He flicked his wrist, lifted the pitch-black long sword, and gave a casual swing in the direction Tokikake was flying.
"Getsuga..."
A low murmur vibrated in the air.
"...Tensho."
Buzz—
A crescent-shaped slash, woven of black and red and compressed to the extreme, instantly erupted from the blade. It shot up into the sky, brushing right past Tokikake's falling body.
The terrifying wind pressure shattered Tokikake's comical top hat.
Tokikake, still in mid-air, rolled his eyes. This time, he was scared unconscious by that aura of death so close at hand, and he fell straight to the ground.
But the slash did not stop. That black-red crescent moon was like a raging dragon, roaring as it shot straight into the clouds, domineeringly crashing into the skies.
Rumble!
A dull, massive explosion echoed from the sky.
Everyone in the arena looked up in terror.
The thick layer of clouds overhead had actually been sliced in two by this single slash.
The sky had split open.
The gloomy clouds receded to both sides, and golden sunlight spilled from that massive crack, shining right onto the figure standing with his sword in the center of the arena.
Tatsuki casually performed a sword flourish, letting the long blade hang naturally at his side as he watched it all with indifference.
The entire training ground was deathly silent.