Chapter 8: He’s Still Too Weak!

"Breath of Mist - Flowing Slash!"

Yoriichi Tsugikuni's strike was powerful enough to effortlessly sever the heads of any Upper Rank demon. Even Kibutsuji Muzan himself would have no choice but to bow his neck to the blade.

The bamboo sword carried a terrifying momentum as it slashed toward Zephyr.

Clack!

The clash of bamboo echoed sharply as Zephyr raised his own bamboo sword and, astonishingly, blocked Yoriichi's horizontal strike with ease.

"Heh!"

"Kid, that was an interesting attack!"

Zephyr, having effortlessly deflected Yoriichi's slash, curled his lips into a bright grin.

Though Yoriichi had unleashed a technique from the Breath of Mist, his slashes, which could sweep through the Demon Slayer world unhindered, had been so casually stopped. Watching Zephyr's nonchalant demeanor, Yoriichi realized the gulf between their strengths was immense.

"It seems that when facing opponents of this level, probing attacks are meaningless."

"If I want to stand a chance, I have to go all out from the very start."

He held his bamboo sword firmly, maintaining his stance, then took a deep breath. Every muscle in his body tightened like drawn wire. Tilting the bamboo sword to release Zephyr's force, Yoriichi suddenly pushed off the floor with both legs and closed the distance in an instant.

"Breath of the Sun - Third Form - Raging Sun!"

In the blink of an eye, Yoriichi slipped right up to Zephyr. With a flick of his wrist, he reversed his grip and slashed again. Although it was merely a bamboo sword, at that moment, flames seemed to blaze along its surface.

"What an intense, killing aura behind that sword technique!"

Seeing the bamboo sword sweeping toward his neck, Zephyr couldn't help praising it, then suddenly thrust out his left hand and seized Yoriichi's bamboo blade.

"What?!"

Yoriichi froze, astonished. He had anticipated Zephyr might dodge or parry with his own sword, but he had never expected him to simply grab the bamboo sword with his bare hand.

And Zephyr was frighteningly fast. Yoriichi hadn't even had time to evade.

Even though it was only a bamboo sword, under the power of Yoriichi's swordsmanship, its strikes carried lethal force. No ordinary flesh and blood could possibly withstand it. Yet here Zephyr was, catching it in his hand.

Through his Transparent World, Yoriichi could see a concentrated "aura" coiling around Zephyr's grasp. He guessed that must be Armament Haki.

"Kid, you let yourself get distracted!"

Before Yoriichi could react, Zephyr shouted and launched his right hand straight at him. Though he still held a bamboo sword, Zephyr struck with his fist instead.

A fist as large as a boulder barreled toward Yoriichi's face. With no other option, Yoriichi leapt lightly backward to dodge. Using the force of Zephyr's grip on the sword, he twisted in mid-air and lashed out with a sharp kick at Zephyr's face.

"Heh heh heh heh!"

Zephyr chuckled, making no effort to dodge. He simply tanked Yoriichi's kick with his face. Meanwhile, Yoriichi swiftly released his hold on the sword and used the recoil to flip himself back several meters.

Landing on the ground, Yoriichi braced himself on his right hand and stared silently at Zephyr, who was still clutching his bamboo sword.

It had only taken a single exchange, and he had already been disarmed.

Even if Zephyr's tactics were a bit unorthodox, there was no denying that his strength far surpassed any swordsman or demon Yoriichi had ever faced.

They were simply… on two entirely different planes of power.

"Yoriichi, how much strength did you put into that slash just now?"

Zephyr casually tossed the bamboo sword back to Yoriichi and beckoned him closer, signaling for him to continue.

"I was using my full strength."

Catching the bamboo sword, Yoriichi replied quietly. Then, without any fancy sword techniques this time, he charged straight at Zephyr, swinging the bamboo sword with all his speed and force. He slashed, thrust, and cut with blinding quickness, pushing his body's capabilities to the absolute limit.

In an instant, countless sword arcs danced in front of Zephyr.

Yet Yoriichi's slashes weren't wild or random. Each strike was calculated, aimed at vulnerabilities he could see through the Transparent World.

However, the moment a weakness appeared, as Yoriichi's blade came slicing toward it, Zephyr's bamboo sword would snap into place to block the attack precisely, neutralizing the supposed "weakness" as if he had seen it coming all along.

Within the empty dojo, the rapid, rhythmic thwack thwack thwack of bamboo swords rang out.

Even as Yoriichi unleashed a veritable storm of attacks, Zephyr wore a relaxed expression. He even had the leisure to comment:

"Mm! Very impressive."

"Your sword angles are cunning and precise. Purely in terms of technique, I'd say you're even better than I am."

"But of course, your shortcomings are equally obvious. Your strength is too small. Your speed is too slow. You'd have no trouble handling minor pirates."

"But against anyone a little stronger, you'd be in trouble."

As he spoke, Zephyr, who had been purely defending until now, suddenly exploded into motion. He swung his bamboo sword with tremendous force, striking Yoriichi's blade with pinpoint accuracy. The devastating power poured through the bamboo sword, jarring Yoriichi's wrist. He lost his grip, and the bamboo sword was sent flying.

It spun several times in the air before slamming into a distant wall with a deafening boom, punching a hole as wide as a washbasin straight through it.

Yoriichi turned his head, staring at the gaping hole in the wall in speechless silence.

He'd heard Zephyr's evaluation loud and clear. And he understood it.

He didn't know precisely what Zephyr meant by "slow speed" or "small strength." But he did know that the "small strength" Zephyr spoke of could easily lift the leg of a fully grown tiger. As for speed, just moments ago, he had unleashed several hundred slashes all in the space of a single breath.

Seeing Yoriichi standing there in stunned silence, Zephyr's grin only widened. He strolled over, patted Yoriichi on the shoulder, and chuckled warmly:

"Kid, you've got a long road ahead of you."

"You're too weak. Far, far too weak."

"In the days to come, you'd better train hard. Don't you dare slack off!"

Zephyr's hearty laughter boomed through the dojo.

At that moment, the dojo's large doors swung open, and a young Marine officer in uniform hurried inside. Spotting Zephyr, he blurted anxiously:

"Master Zephyr, what just happened in here?!"

"There was a bamboo sword that suddenly"

Before he could finish, Zephyr waved him off, smiling.

"Oh, Victor! It's nothing, nothing."

"I was just sparring a bit with my disciple."

"Let me introduce you. This kid here is Yoriichi Tsugikuni, my disciple!"

"Yoriichi, that young man is Victor. He's one of our swordsmanship instructors at the Navy Academy."

Zephyr beamed as he made the introductions. Yoriichi, hearing this, politely nodded toward Victor.

Victor, however, froze for a moment. His brow furrowed as he glanced at the gaping hole in the wall.

Zephyr might not have realized it, but that bamboo sword had flown right past Victor's face before crashing into a huge slab of granite outside. The granite had split apart, and the bamboo sword itself had shattered into splinters.

Victor had very nearly been killed by Zephyr's little "sparring session."

Even now, Victor was still rattled. Just a hair's breadth more, and his family would be collecting his death benefit.

"Master Zephyr! Please… in the future, could you not just 'spar' so casually…" Victor grumbled under his breath. His eyes lingered on Yoriichi, studying him intently.

He didn't know who Yoriichi was. Only the higher-ups knew about Garp bringing Yoriichi back. As a busy sword instructor at the Navy Academy, Victor had neither the time nor the inclination to follow such news.

However, that bamboo sword's flight alone made Victor realize that Zephyr's new disciple was no ordinary kid.

Unlike Yoriichi, Victor knew exactly how terrifying Zephyr's strength was. If just "playing around" could cause this kind of destruction, then Yoriichi, the one sparring with him, must be extremely powerful.

"Master, is your new disciple planning to study at the Navy Academy?"

Victor gave Yoriichi a once-over, then turned to Zephyr and asked.

"Study? Oh, no need. You wouldn't be able to uh, I mean, I'll handle his training myself!"

"He's still far too young. And far too weak. Maybe in the future! Ha ha ha ha!"

Zephyr laughed as he gave Yoriichi another hearty slap on the shoulder.

Victor, hearing Zephyr say "still too weak," felt his cheek twitch involuntarily. His eyes shifted once more to the gaping hole in the wall. By now, he could pretty well guess what had gone down inside the dojo.

Since Zephyr had said as much, Victor merely nodded. Seeing that Zephyr had no further instructions, he turned and quietly left the dojo.

"Come on, Yoriichi. Let's go get your Doriki tested."

"Once I have a clearer picture of your level, I can draw up a proper training plan for you."

After Victor's departure, Zephyr didn't linger in the dojo. He led Yoriichi out, heading directly toward the testing grounds.