Three seconds later.
"Ahhhhhhh!!!"
The stands erupted in screams loud enough to overturn Marineford. Countless female soldiers fainted on the spot from excitement.
"Is that freaking swordsmanship?!"
"He cut the clouds?! You've got to be joking!"
"So cool!"
On the high platform.
Borsalino's sunglasses slipped to the tip of his nose, and his expression became solemn.
"You're joking, right? A slash of this level..."
Kuzan's eyes were also full of shock. "This is trouble. His swordsmanship was clearly average when he was in the Elite Camp. When did he become even more of a monster in that than in his Devil Fruit ability?"
Sakazuki stared fixedly at the black sword in Tatsuki's hand, then looked at the split sky.
He turned to look at Borsalino, a fellow master of swordsmanship, his voice raspy. "Borsalino, did you see it clearly? His swordsmanship..."
Borsalino adjusted his glasses, his tone serious as never before. "I couldn't see it clearly, but... I know that strike has already stepped into the level of a Great Swordsman."
In the crowd, Gion stared blankly at the figure bathed in sunlight, her eyes dreamy.
She knew that for the rest of her life, she might never be able to erase this figure from her mind.
At this moment, the young girl's heart was completely conquered.
—
When Tokikake woke up, he thought he was having a nightmare.
Until a pink lace dress was ruthlessly slapped onto his face.
"Um... Rear Admiral Tatsuki, could you perhaps show some leniency?"
Tokikake held the dress, his face twisted, his eyes filled with resistance and mourning for his soon-to-be-lost dignity.
"If you bet, you must pay up. This is a man's romance, Tokikake."
Tatsuki sat on a nearby chair, a bright smile on his face.
"But... Gion is watching too." Tokikake made one last struggle.
Tatsuki sighed, walked up to Tokikake, and patted his stiff shoulder heavily.
He leaned in and, in a voice only the two of them could hear, spoke with earnest deception, "Idiot. Do you think girls like that kind of face-saving machismo? Wrong."
"What they like are tough guys who are flexible for the sake of justice and dare to break convention."
"If you can calmly pull off this dress in public, tell me, what difficulty on this sea could ever knock you down?"
Tatsuki paused, throwing out his trump card. "Besides, Gion is right over there watching. Do you want her to see a sore loser and a coward, or a warrior who dares to challenge himself to become stronger?"
Tokikake's gaze changed.
From initial despair, a tragic flame gradually ignited.
"I... I'll wear it."
Tokikake grit his teeth, grabbed the dress, and scrambled into the tight lace garment before tragically pulling on the fishnet stockings.
Though the image was still an eyesore, the expression on his face was so solemn it was almost moving.
A few minutes later.
When a burly man with a ferocious face and thick leg hair appeared on the track wearing a pink Lolita dress, the entire Training Ground fell into a dead silence for three full seconds.
Then came a landslide of explosive laughter.
"Pfft! My eyes! I'm blind!"
"Oh my god, that Tokikake... he actually wore it!"
Faced with the ridicule, Tokikake was dying of shame, wishing he could find a hole to crawl into.
Just then, a steady voice drowned out all the noise.
"Quiet!"
Tatsuki stood out with his hands behind his back, scanning the crowd with a solemn face.
"What are you laughing at? Are you laughing at a warrior who dares to face his inner shame to hone his will?"
"This is the trial of the 'Heart of the Strong'. If he can conquer your ridicule today, he can conquer this sea tomorrow. Applaud his courage!"
The Marines, who were ready to watch a joke, were dazed by this nonsense. They looked at each other, a sense of shame welling up spontaneously.
"So that's how it is. As expected of Rear Admiral Tatsuki, his level is too high."
"Tokikake... Though he looks wretched, this level of resolve... he's a real man."
Scattered applause broke out, which then turned into thunderous cheers.
"Run! Tokikake! You can do it!"
"This is a man's romance!"
Under the respectful gaze of thousands, Tokikake puffed out his chest and, with tragic strides, began his ten-lap "special training."
The moment he took his first step, tears of emotion welled up in his eyes.
'Is this the magnanimity of Rear Admiral Tatsuki?'
Tokikake shouted inwardly, his original jealousy and resentment vanishing at this moment.
'To possess such terrifying strength yet have a heart wider than the sea... He could have easily humiliated the defeated me, yet he chose this way to maintain my dignity and even help me reshape the Heart of the Strong!'
'In comparison, I, who challenged a superior out of petty jealousy, was as ugly as a clown! Rear Admiral Tatsuki... he is a truly gentle and good man!'
[Ding! Detected host performing deep mental manipulation on a colleague and forcing them into a social death behavior.]
[Achievement Unlocked: Turning Black into White.]
[Obtained Violation Points: 1500!]
Tatsuki looked at the numbers jumping on the panel and nodded with satisfaction.
...
Half an hour later, night fell, and a sudden rainstorm arrived.
Marineford was shrouded in a curtain of rain.
In Tatsuki's private office, the warm yellow light dispelled the chill of the rainy night.
"Come in."
As Tatsuki's voice fell, the office door was pushed open.
Gion, having changed out of her training clothes and into a brand-new Marine uniform, walked in. She had clearly groomed herself carefully. Her originally messy hair was combed meticulously, and she carried the faint scent of body wash.
"Rear Admiral Tatsuki."
Gion stood at attention and saluted, her voice trembling slightly from nervousness, her cheeks flushed under the light.
"Oh, it's Gion."
Tatsuki was sitting in a leather swivel chair, slowly wiping a pitch-black tachi with a soft cloth.
He didn't stand up, merely raising his eyes slightly. That lazy yet powerful aura made Gion's heart race once again.
"It's so late, is something the matter?"
"I..."
Gion's chest heaved as she gathered all her courage and took a step forward.
"I would like to ask you to guide me in swordsmanship. I also want to be able to swing a strike that cuts the sky."
After speaking, she nervously closed her eyes, terrified of being rejected.