Itchy for a Beating

The sun beat down without mercy. Marines, shirtless and sweating, swung wooden swords over and over. Their instructors watched with sharp eyes, making sure no one slacked off.

"Haa!"

Roya moved with intense focus, his right foot stepping forward. He lifted the wooden sword high above his head with both hands. A fierce roar escaped his lips as he swung the sword down with all his might.

"Crack!"

The wooden sword blurred as it sliced through the air. It slammed into the practice dummy's head with a loud thud. The impact left a noticeable dent in the hard wood.

The whole thing happened in one smooth motion.

"Hoo..."

Roya stepped back, taking a deep breath to steady himself. His eyes locked onto the dummy, his hands gripping the sword tightly.

Charge, swing straight down!

This is what swordsmanship is all about, he thought. Simple, but so important.

Around him, the other Marines kept up their hard work. Sweat dripped down their faces, showing how much effort they were putting in. No one dared to slow down. For a Marine, knowing how to use a sword wasn't just a skill--it was how they stayed alive.

And it was what pirates liked to use, too.

Most pirates didn't have fancy weapons. They depended on being strong and having lots of people to attack with. They would fight the Marines up close and dirty.

Even if these Marines never used a sword again, knowing how swords worked was important. It meant knowing how to defend themselves against pirates. That knowledge could be the difference between living and dying.

Three long, hard hours passed.

Roya lowered his wooden sword, sweat shining on his face. His arms felt heavy and sore.

One thousand sword swings done.

It had been a month since he became a Marine. Besides doing normal duties, Roya spent his afternoons practicing swordsmanship and fighting hand-to-hand at the training field.

It was boring, sure, but it felt good, too.

He used to not even know which end of the sword to hold. Now, he could do a thousand swings in the time he was supposed to. He knew he was getting better fast, way ahead of the other new guys.

But he couldn't shake this feeling of worry.

"Yo, Roya."

During a short break, Fullbody strolled over. He casually put his arm around Roya's shoulder, wiggling his eyebrows. "Why the sad face, buddy? Did the instructor forget to tell you how great you are today?"

"Heh."

Roya just rolled his eyes. He wasn't impressed.

After they finished the required sword swings or hand-to-hand drills, they could practice whatever they wanted. Most Marines used this time to work on what they weren't good at.

And so did he.

He had spent so many hours at it, both at the training ground and in that weird place, "The World." He had learned all the sword moves the instructor had to teach.

They're just teaching the most basic swings, he thought, feeling annoyed. It's not hard at all; it's just about making your moves perfect, and that just takes time.

He was bored because there was nothing new to learn.

It wasn't that he thought he was better than everyone else. It was just that the instructor didn't know enough. Cut Iron? The guy didn't even have any cool moves.

Lately, the instructor had stopped giving Roya advice. Instead, he was using Roya as an example for everyone else.

"Look at New Recruit Roya!"

This had earned him some jealous looks from the other new recruits.

Roya didn't care about making enemies, but with no one to guide him, he started to feel restless.

What good is praise if it doesn't help me get better?

He missed the instructor pushing him hard, giving him tough feedback!

For Roya, having a clear goal was the most important thing. He knew that finding his weaknesses and working on them was the best way to improve.

But the 153rd Branch didn't have much to offer. If Marine Headquarters was like a fancy university, then the 153rd Branch was like a small, forgotten elementary school.

Any swordsman who was really good would never stay in a place like this. The instructors were just old officers who were past their prime.

If only I could get advice from that famous teacher in the New World, 'Teacher Kai,' he thought, a little daydreaming. One hit to learn Advanced Haki, two hits to learn Conqueror's Haki Coating, three hits...

Yeah, he'd probably be dead.

Roya shook his head, pushing away the impossible thoughts. He spread his hands, giving up. "It is what it is."

"..."

Fullbody's face changed, looking like he was both confused and amused.

"Are you a pervert?" he asked, joking around.

"Maybe!"

Roya agreed right away.

He was itching for a fight.

Maybe he liked pain a little bit. Maybe he needed a girlfriend who liked to use whips. That would be a strange, but maybe good, match.

"Tsk, tsk, I'm jealous, buddy. I wish I had your drive."

Fullbody sighed dramatically, pointing towards the nearby warehouse. He had a sneaky look in his eyes as he chuckled.

"Let's go, let's try something new today!"

"Something new?"

Roya's heart jumped. He quickly gave Fullbody a warning look, his voice serious. "Let's get one thing straight: no dancing today!"

Dancing awkwardly on the training field would be a disaster.

He actually cared about what people thought of him, you know.

"Don't worry."

Fullbody waved his hand dismissively and headed towards the warehouse. He came back a few moments later with two pairs of beat-up boxing gloves, one red and one blue.

"Catch."

He tossed the red gloves to Roya.

Roya caught them, his eyes shining with excitement.

"Combat training?"

"That's right. I don't really like swordsmanship, so let's do some hand-to-hand combat."

Fullbody took off his Iron Fist Gauntlet and put on the blue boxing gloves. He swayed his body a little, throwing a few punches in the air with a satisfying 'whoosh.'

The moves looked pretty impressive!

They found a corner of the training field and drew a rough square in the sand, making a makeshift ring.

"It's been a while," Fullbody said, cracking his knuckles. He licked his lips, looking happy and a little evil. "Roya, you used to be too weak for combat training. You would get hurt too easily. But I've noticed you heal really fast, so let's go all out."

"Alright, bring it on!"

Roya's face lit up with excitement.

He had been wanting to do proper combat training for a while.

For one thing, pirates could attack at any time. Getting experience in real fights would help him stay calm and not freeze up when things got dangerous.

The Branch wouldn't send them on super dangerous missions yet, but it was always good to be ready. You never knew what could happen.

But he also had a very important personal reason.

"The World" had recorded Fullbody's embarrassing dance, so it could also record the combat.

If that were the case, he could improve his fighting skills in that virtual world.

Roya stared intently at Fullbody, carefully moving his heels forward. When his opponent got close enough, his left foot shot forward. He twisted his waist to give his punch more power, sending his right fist towards Fullbody's face.

Straight Punch!

"Haha, good!"

Fullbody dropped into a squat, the punch flying harmlessly over his head.

Before Roya could react, Fullbody shot up from the ground, his left fist arcing upwards from below!

"Hadoken!"

The whistling uppercut slammed into Roya's chin!

"Bang!"

Roya's skull vibrated with pain, and he felt dizzy. His eyes rolled back, and his heels lifted off the ground because of the force of the punch.

Then, his whole body flew through the air before crashing to the ground three meters away.

K.O.!

The whole thing took less than ten seconds.

"Hey, Roya? You still with us?"

A gentle pat on his face broke through his confusion.

Roya's eyes slowly focused. He saw Fullbody's worried face getting closer, like he was about to give him mouth-to-mouth.

"Stop, I'm fine!"

Roya raised a hand to stop Fullbody. He struggled to sit up, holding his throbbing forehead, trying to remember what had just happened.

He had been knocked out with one punch?

He had seen Fullbody dodge and punch, but he couldn't adjust his body to defend himself because the punch was too strong.

Was his attack too obvious, letting Fullbody take advantage and knock him out so quickly?

I need to hold back a little, ready to change moves at any time, add some fake-outs, he thought.

He had gotten too comfortable. He was nowhere near being a real fighter!

"Bro Fullbody, let's train again tomorrow!"

---

Late at night, twelve o'clock.

"The World."

Next to the familiar Training Field, a boxing ring appeared. Fullbody stood in the center, looking like a champion waiting for someone to challenge him.

"Just as I thought."

Roya clenched his fists, a big grin spreading across his face.

"The World" could record the combat!

Not just Fullbody, but all the Marines and Officers could be his sparring partners.

Maybe even pirates.

Maybe, someday, he could even get Kaido's "Thunder Bagua" tutorial in "The World"!