The three day recuperation period passed in the blink of an eye, and the paused Young Officers Training Camp officially restarted.
Standing on the training field once again, the group of young officers looked solemn, lining up in straight and orderly formation, completely tamed by Borsalino. That total defeat three days ago remained engraved deep in everyone's hearts. No one dared to look down on the strikingly beautiful girl, not even for a single moment.
According to the original plan, the first order of business on the restart day was to complete a full assessment and ranking of everyone's strength. After three days of rest and recovery, the recruits had fully healed, bringing forth their absolute best to compete.
The final rankings came as no surprise.
Sakazuki firmly secured the top spot. Even after suffering a crushing defeat against Borsalino, his raw physical power and the sheer destructive capability of his Devil Fruit remained unmatched among this year's class, easily suppressing all his peers.
Right behind him in second place was Momonga. Compared to the aggressive style of the others, Momonga possessed a steady, composed approach with balanced offense and defense. His swordsmanship earned praise even from Zephyr, and he had already awakened Observation Haki.
Third through sixth places were claimed by Strawberry, Onigumo, Yamakaji, and Doberman. The gap in strength among them was narrow, with each officer possessing his own distinct specialty.
With the rankings settled, the year long systematic training officially got underway.
As Chief Instructor, Zephyr personally stepped forward each morning to break down the core mechanics and force exertion techniques of the Six Powers, demonstrating the application and coating of Haki step by step in a clear, accessible manner suited for every recruit. Whether explaining the subtle force points of Soru, Geppo, Rankyaku, Kami-e, Tekkai, and Shigan, or the fundamentals of dual-color Haki, Zephyr held nothing back.
Once group instruction concluded and the recruits transitioned to individual practice, Zephyr stepped back to observe from the sidelines. Meanwhile, detailed, targeted coaching fell entirely to Borsalino.
Compared to Zephyr's patient teaching, Borsalino's instruction was blunt and direct. She had initially resisted taking on the role, finding it far too troublesome, but Zephyr had promised her a grand reward upon the camp's completion.
Whenever someone misapplied force during Rokushiki practice or misused Haki, she corrected their posture directly and identified the core issue in a single sentence. This straightforward approach produced rapid progress, yet it also caused the recruits to hold the young Captain in even greater awe and fear.
Daily life on the grounds unfolded in this manner day after day. No one dared to slack off during drills, and even in private conversations, gossip about Borsalino vanished entirely. Whenever her relaxed figure strolled across the field, the noisy training grounds fell silent as everyone buried their heads in intense practice.
In private, excluding Sakazuki, these proud Headquarters officers reached a silent consensus, respectfully addressing her as Big Sister Borsalino.
What Borsalino did not realize was that her time as an instructor would prove invaluable to her future endeavors within the Revolutionary Army.
Time flowed quietly, and six months of training passed in the blink of an eye. Over those six months, intense training sparked rapid growth, elevating everyone's mastery of Rokushiki and Haki to a whole new level. Read this novel at novelping dot com for the best experience.
Yet among them all, the one making the most astounding progress remained Borsalino herself. Combining world class talent with rigorous discipline, her dual-color Haki grew increasingly refined and concentrated. Having long since mastered the complete set of Marine Rokushiki, she stood on the verge of unlocking its ultimate secret technique, Life Return, requiring only a single breakthrough opportunity.
At the same time, Sakazuki's growth astonished everyone. Treating Borsalino as his ultimate rival, he trained with obsessive intensity, far exceeding the workload of his peers. Tempered by both Rokushiki and Haki, his overall combat power surged across every metric.
Throughout those six months, he never stopped challenging her. Every ten to fifteen days, Sakazuki approached Borsalino to initiate a one-on-one spar. Each time he was defeated, he refused to sink into discouragement, instead absorbing the lesson and preparing for the next match.
Watching this ongoing cycle caused Onigumo and the others to wince in sympathy.
"Does Sakazuki have some kind of masochistic streak?"
At first, Borsalino overwhelmed him effortlessly using raw physical strength and Haki alone. Yet through continuous battles, Sakazuki steadily broke through his limits, stubbornly narrowing the gap between them.
That afternoon, another routine spar commenced.
In the center of the open grounds, the two stood facing one another. Sakazuki's expression was cold and composed, stripped of the rashness he possessed upon joining the camp, his aura sharp and formidable. Dense, pitch-black Armament Haki coated both his arms.
"Captain Borsalino, please guide me!"
With those words, Sakazuki launched his attack without hesitation.
Soru exploded beneath his feet, and his body surged forward at speeds far exceeding his former self, leaving a blur in his wake. Boiling magma coated his fists as rising heat waves distorted the air. He no longer squandered energy on wide area bombardments as he once had. Having mastered refined control, he condensed the magma onto his fists, compressing its explosive power into an intense, focused strike.
A swift punch surged forward at close range, bearing searing heat and a tricky angle that sealed off her standard evasion routes.
Watching from the sidelines, the recruits held their breath in shock. Sakazuki's current power far surpassed the rest of their class; even if Strawberry and several others joined forces, they would struggle to withstand him.
Facing this focused onslaught, Borsalino remained unruffled. Her Observation Haki mapped out every attack trajectory in advance, and with a subtle sway, she utilized Kami-e to weave through the magma strikes, effortlessly diffusing their momentum.
"Sakazuki, your speed and control have improved significantly," Borsalino remarked casually, her tone carrying genuine approval.
"Still not enough!" Sakazuki's gaze hardened as his attacks intensified. "I am still far from catching up to you!"
Before his voice faded, he pivoted and drove a magma coated Rankyaku horizontally across the floor, sending a surging wave of red flames to trap Borsalino's lower body. Simultaneously, he closed in again, charging his fists for a follow up strike and leaving no gap between offense and defense. Through relentless combat, his practical fighting skills had advanced by leaps and bounds.
Borsalino nodded slightly, no longer relying solely on movement to dodge. Pitch-black Haki coated her palm as she caught his magma Rankyaku head-on. Her dense Haki neutralized the superheated blast, leaving her completely unscathed amidst tumbling heat waves.
Sakazuki was prepared. Utilizing Observation Haki to anticipate her counters, he pushed his reflexes to their absolute limit, engaging in intense close quarters combat. He absorbed several of Borsalino's rapid strikes, stubborn enough to uncover occasional openings for counterattacks. Read the latest chapters at novelping.com.
Through dozens of exchanges, Sakazuki held his ground without giving an inch.
The onlookers watched in utter disbelief. Six months ago, Sakazuki could not survive ten moves against Borsalino before being overwhelmed, yet now he was maintaining an even clash through dozens of exchanges.
Looks like I need to get serious, Borsalino thought, watching the young man fight with unyielding resolve as a faint smile touched her lips. As her opponent grew stronger, she adjusted her effort accordingly. Raw physical force and Haki alone were no longer enough to completely suppress the current Sakazuki.
The next instant, a flicker of light gleamed at her fingertips, and a brilliant golden radiance enveloped her form as the power of the Glint Glint Fruit activated. At the same time, Qingyue slid from her sheath, pitch-black Haki wrapping around the blade. Light and Haki intertwined in seamless harmony.
Seeing this, Sakazuki's pupils contracted. Far from feeling disheartened, an intense surge of motivation ignited within him.
Finally. After six months of relentless effort, Captain Borsalino was drawing upon her Devil Fruit power and swordsmanship to fight him.
"Again!"
Sakazuki roared as magma erupted around him. Pouring every ounce of his remaining strength into the charge, he lunged forward, his eyes burning with a single obsession: to reach the figure standing ahead of him.
A few minutes later...
Sakazuki lay exhausted at the bottom of a fresh crater. He had lost once again, yet a sense of genuine triumph filled him, for this time he had forced Borsalino to unleash both her Devil Fruit power and her blade.
"Hahaha!" Sakazuki burst into wild laughter.
The surrounding recruits stared awkwardly at his laughing form in the pit.
Did I accidentally awaken some bizarre trait in Akainu?
Borsalino shuddered slightly, deciding then and there that she could not spar with him like this again in the future.
Next, they were about to enter the second phase of the training camp.