The final Vice Admiral looked up.
Dorry turned in the air with the rebuilt sword angled downward while Armament Haki hardened the edge.
Watching through the visual relay, Zaraki was reminded of Kuraigana and Mihawk's repeated insistence that power thrown everywhere was not the same as control.
A cut became more dangerous when the swordsman decided exactly where that power belonged, and Dorry had eventually absorbed the same lesson in his own crude way through repetition, bruises, and practical combat rather than elegant swordsmanship.
The old giant drew one breath and compressed the swing until the force remained along the intended line of the blade instead of spreading across half the field.
"FIFTH! GIANT'S SPEAR!"
The sword descended, releasing a concentrated flying slash that was enormous by human standards but nothing like Hakoku Sovereignty.
The attack remained inside the reinforced field and struck the final Giant Vice Admiral's Armament-coated saber head-on.
BOOM—!
The training ground shook, ice cracked along Kuzan's barriers, and dust exploded upward, but the Marines outside remained on their feet and Marineford's windows stayed intact.
When the haze cleared, the Vice Admiral was still standing.
For about a second.
Then the upper third of his saber slid free and struck the ground with a metallic clang.
A shallow line marked the front of his breastplate, but nothing beneath it had been cut.
The Marine giant stared at the damage before looking toward Dorry, who had already landed several meters away.
"I surrender."
Marineford fell silent for a moment as everyone processed what they had just seen.
Five Giant Vice Admirals had challenged Dorry, and in five exchanges every one of them had been forced out of the fight without anyone being killed or crippled.
The training ground itself looked battered enough to keep the repair crews busy, but the damage ended at the reinforced boundary.
Then Headquarters erupted.
"FIVE!"
"HE ACTUALLY DID IT IN FIVE!"
"THAT LAST CUT STOPPED AT THE ARMOR!"
"HOW THE HELL DO YOU STOP A SLASH THAT BIG?!"
"THAT'S WHY WE'RE SUPPOSED TO LEARN, IDIOT!"
Garp's laughter rose above all of it.
John Giant stood outside the field with his arms folded and a bruise forming along one side of his chest.
He looked annoyed, but he also looked impressed.
Dorry rested the rebuilt sword against one shoulder. "Gegyagyagyagya! Not bad, youngsters."
John immediately pointed at him. "Don't start."
"You lost."
"We know."
"All five of you."
"WE KNOW!"
Brogy entered the edge of the training field with his axe over one shoulder. "Gababababa! Are you done praising him?"
Every defeated Giant Vice Admiral looked toward him.
Brogy's grin widened. "My turn."
Ronse went still.
John Giant stared. "You cannot be serious."
"I've been drinking while Dorry had all the fun."
Sengoku slowly removed his glasses. "No."
Brogy blinked. "No?"
"No second round."
Garp immediately leaned toward him. "Come on, Sengoku. It would be educational."
"No."
"One more?"
"NO."
Garp sighed as though personally betrayed, but before the argument could continue Sengoku entered the field and ordered the medical teams forward.
Ronse insisted he could walk, John Giant complained even louder, and Sengoku ignored both until every defeated officer had been examined and the doctors confirmed that the worst injuries amounted to heavy bruising, strained joints, and a few minor fractures.
Only then did he turn toward Dorry.
There was unmistakable excitement behind his glasses, but it was the interest of a commander who had just watched five experienced officers lose because their opponent consistently made better decisions rather than the feverish hunger of someone who had discovered a miraculous new shortcut to power.
"Magnificent."
Dorry grinned. "Gegyagyagyagya! Of course."
Sengoku's mouth flattened slightly. "What impressed me wasn't that you were stronger."
Some of the smugness disappeared from Dorry's expression.
"You read their formation before it closed, used Armament Haki only where it mattered, redirected attacks instead of meeting every strike head-on, and on the final exchange you cut the weapon without cutting the Marine holding it."
Sengoku turned toward the giant-unit officers gathered beyond the boundary.
"That is why this training agreement matters. Raw strength is something giants already possess. What I want our people to learn is how to use that strength without wasting it."
Garp slapped John Giant between the shoulders hard enough to make the younger giant stumble.
"Strength with enough control not to kill your own idiots!"
John Giant looked down at him. "Why am I included in the insult?"
"Because you're closest."
Sengoku pinched the bridge of his nose. "You are all idiots."
Brogy raised his axe slightly. "So when do I get five?"
Sengoku pointed toward the banquet. "You get food."
Brogy considered that for a moment before nodding. "Acceptable."
Laughter rolled across the training ground as the giant officers returned toward the feast, bruised and limping but already arguing over which exchange they wanted Dorry to explain first.
...
Aboard the Oni Slayer, Gion watched the feed for several seconds before turning toward Zaraki.
"You knew he'd do it."
Zaraki corked his flask. "I guessed."
"You held up five fingers before the first exchange."
"Good guess."
"That's an obnoxious answer."
"It is still true."
The visual Den Den Mushi suddenly shifted as Brogy apparently found the relay and leaned directly into its face.
"ZARAKI! WHEN YOU GET BACK, YOU'RE FIGHTING ME NEXT!"
Zaraki's grin appeared immediately, and Gion reached for the relay controls before he could answer.
"Don't."
"I didn't say anything."
"You were about to accept."
"I was going to answer him."
"Exactly."
She switched off the visual feed, leaving the command room quiet again.
Zaraki stared at the sleeping snail for a moment before looking toward her. "Right when it was getting good."
"We are less than a day from Kalles Island, Director Dapus has three Aegis operatives waiting for us, the harbor is fitted with seastone weapons, and Saint Nusjuro may be there personally. You can arrange your rematch with Brogy after we survive the trap."
Zaraki leaned back in his chair. "That's tomorrow."
Gion returned to the chart. "Unfortunately for me, tomorrow keeps getting closer."
Outside the command room, the Oni Slayer's paddle wheels continued driving the warship steadily through the Calm Belt toward Kalles Island.