Chapter 22: Defeated Again

**

"Didn't I already beat you last time?"

"Last time was last time. This time is different. How can you mix them up?"

Seeing Gion persistently nagging for a swordsmanship duel, Ryuusaki had no choice. However, he was not about to spar with her inside the smithy.

Ryuusaki casually grabbed two ordinary swords hanging on the wall, opened the Air Door, and unlocked the tunnel door.

"Follow me."

Gion glanced curiously at the situation and, intrigued, followed Ryuusaki eagerly.

As the Air Door closed behind them, Ryuusaki sighed, "Gion, aren't you afraid I might harm you by following me in here?"

"I'm not scared at all! Sister Tsuru said she could squash you like a bug if she wanted to."

Alright, Tsuru, that clever woman, definitely has the power to do so.

"This is amazing! Sister Tsuru mentioned you have the Door-Door Fruit ability. I didn't expect you to have a mysterious alternate space too!"

"Enough talking. Let's spar here. Here's your sword."

The two stood facing each other, swords in hand.

"Gion-Sister, be careful. I'm coming at you!"

"Hmph, go ahead. Let's see how strong you really are!"

Gion smirked confidently as she watched Ryuusaki charge at her. She swung her sword, and a slash in the air forced Ryuusaki to retreat.

"A Swordmaster?"

"That's right. I've already reached the level of a Swordmaster! Surprised?"

Gion twirled her sword with a flourish, clearly pleased with herself, leaving Ryuusaki somewhat speechless.

"Don't get cocky. If I had the time to train, I'd already be a Great Swordmaster!"

"Yeah, right!"

Ryuusaki couldn't be bothered to argue further. He quickly assessed Gion's abilities.

Gion's overall talents were indeed impressive. No wonder she was considered a candidate for Admiral.

**Talents:**

- Basic Stamina (96)

- Basic Strength (92)

- Basic Martial Arts (93)

- Basic Swordsmanship (109)

- One-Sword Style (106)

- Shingetsu One-Heart Style (102)

- Navy Six Styles: Shave (95)

- Navy Six Styles: Moonwalk (93)

- Navy Six Styles: Iron Body (92)

- Navy Six Styles: Finger Gun (92)

- Navy Six Styles: Paper Art (94)

- Navy Six Styles: Tempest Kick (91)

- Armament Haki (92)

- Observation Haki (93)

All her stats were impressive, with everything above 90, and her swordsmanship even exceeded 100.

In a way, she had no real weaknesses, which was a good thing.

As long as she continued to train within the Navy, she was bound to reach Admiral-level strength eventually. Even if she didn't reach full Admiral power, she'd definitely become at least a Vice Admiral.

However, she didn't have any particularly outstanding traits. For example, Fujitora's Observation Haki was extraordinary, and Garp's strength, martial arts, and Armament Haki were all exceptionally high.

Of course, talent is just talent. It requires training to convert it into actual strength.

Even the greatest talent is useless without training.

Ryuusaki stroked his chin, noting Gion's Shingetsu One-Heart Style talent.

It seemed that Gion had learned swordsmanship from this style. Ryuusaki didn't have this talent yet, so he considered whether it was worth learning from her to unlock it.

After a brief moment of consideration, Ryuusaki decided it was worth it. After all, if they were going to spar, he might as well gain something from it.

Ryuusaki was always open to acquiring more talent points—the more, the better.

"Gion, use your strongest sword technique and attack me," Ryuusaki challenged.

"Are you sure? I might end up killing you!" Gion replied with a teasing tone.

"Heh, Gion, don't underestimate me!"

As Ryuusaki spoke, he transferred all his talent points to his basic swordsmanship. His goal was to learn Gion's Shingetsu One-Heart Style during the battle.

Indeed, Gion had grown stronger since their last encounter. Breaking through to level 60 was a significant milestone, marking the entry into the ranks of Swordmasters.

A swordsman often faces several critical checkpoints: cutting steel, becoming a Swordmaster, and reaching the level of a Great Swordmaster.

Gion had already stepped into the realm of Swordmasters, while Ryuusaki was just shy of that level.

Despite Gion's clear progress in swordsmanship over the past few days, surpassing Ryuusaki in some aspects, he wasn't worried. With 194 talent points to his name, Ryuusaki was confident he wouldn't lose the fight.

*Clang, clang, clang…*

"Shingetsu One-Heart Style: Return Heart Slash!"

The air made a crisp popping sound as if it had suddenly burst open, followed by an invisible slash speeding toward Ryuusaki.

"So that's an ultimate technique, huh?" Ryuusaki mused, a mysterious smile playing on his lips. He remained unperturbed.

After all, he had 194 talent points invested in basic swordsmanship. In terms of pure swordsmanship talent, even a top-tier Great Swordmaster like Mihawk only had around 127.

"Shingetsu One-Heart Style: Return Heart Slash!"

To Gion's astonishment, Ryuusaki unleashed the same Return Heart Slash technique from the Shingetsu One-Heart Style.

Though his execution was only a rough imitation, it was close enough to be convincing.

Gion was completely stunned!

The two slashes collided, and while Ryuusaki was forced back a few steps, he managed to block the attack—barely.

"How... How is this possible? You... you actually…"

Ryuusaki grinned as he checked out his new talent—Shingetsu One-Heart Style (6).

"Six points? Not bad at all."

With this new addition, Ryuusaki's total talent points reached an impressive 200.

"Why? How do you know the swordsmanship of the Shingetsu One-Heart Style?" Gion demanded.

"Eh? Didn't you just show it to me?"

"Are you telling me you can mimic a technique after seeing it once? That's impossible!"

"Uh—if you don't believe me, there's nothing I can do about it."

"Damn it, Shingetsu One-Heart Style: Six Gods Slash!"

"Shingetsu One-Heart Style: Divine Air Strike..."

Gion kept unleashing various techniques from the Shingetsu One-Heart Style, and Ryuusaki not only countered each one but also picked them up in no time!

In the end, Gion, filled with humiliation, was half-kneeling on the ground, defeated by Ryuusaki's Return Heart Slash—an attack that was part of her own sword style.

Gion was utterly shaken. What on earth was going on?

"Wait a minute! Could it be that this guy already knew the Shingetsu One-Heart Style?" Gion suddenly entertained this possibility, nodding to herself. *This young lady is really too clever,* she thought, convinced she had uncovered his trick. *Hmph, trying to fool me? No way!*

Standing up, Gion sheathed her sword and flicked her hair. "Next time, I'll be back. You better be ready!"

"Coming back again?"

"What, are you scared?" Gion taunted. "If you are, you can admit defeat now."

"And who was it that I just defeated?"

"You..." Gion huffed in anger. "Hmph, I won't stoop to your level. Don't think I don't know. You must have already mastered the Shingetsu One-Heart Style!"

"You just wait. Next time, I'll defeat you using a different sword style."

With that, Gion stormed off in a huff.

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