Chapter 496: Becoming an Instructor Again
Marine Headquarters Marineford was a naturally excellent harbor, featuring a crescent-shaped inner bay where a large number of Marine warships were moored along the curved shoreline. Along the inner perimeter of the bay, the Marines had built formidable defensive fortifications, with cannons of various calibers distributed among these structures. It could be said that this place was entirely a fortress that was easy to defend and difficult to attack.
After Ian left the dormitory, Aokiji silently followed him. Sengoku only wanted Ian to stay at Marineford; it wasn't that he wasn't allowed to move around, but someone needed to accompany him at all times to monitor him and prevent him from seizing an opportunity to leave. Ian pretended to wander aimlessly, taking in the layout of Marineford while mentally verifying his plan. In the crescent-shaped harbor, he also spotted his ship, the Ark Maxim.
"Admiral Aokiji!" Ian pointed at his ship and said, "I have no problem staying here, but as you can see, my ship is made of gold. If it gets lost, the Marines will have to compensate me!"
"How could it get lost?" Aokiji, despite his usual lazy demeanor, couldn't let that slide. He shot Ian a glare and said, "How could it possibly get lost!?"
Ian shook his head and clicked his tongue. "That's hard to say. What if you guys guard the treasure and steal it yourselves?"
"Shut up!" Aokiji said displeasedly. "This is Marine Headquarters. Don't think a few taunts will work."
Ian shrugged and stopped provoking him, instead saying, "Speaking of which, you're a full-fledged Marine Admiral, and you're stuck following me around all day. Isn't that a bit of a waste of talent?"
"It's Fleet Admiral Sengoku's order!" Aokiji replied. "And in my opinion, using a Marine Admiral to tail you is hardly a waste of talent."
Ian pretended to be frustrated. "But what about when I need to use the bathroom? Are you going to come in and pee with me too?"
Aokiji's forehead was covered in black lines. Not knowing how to answer that, he simply activated the power of his Ice-Ice Fruit, emitting intense cold air around him, and said to Ian, "If a person freezes solid, they won't need to use the bathroom..."
"Oh, you have no sense of humor!" Ian chuckled, patting Aokiji on the shoulder. "Don't be so serious. We're practically friends after that fight. You even mooched food and drink off my ship back then, and I didn't say anything, right?"
With that, Ian stopped joking with Aokiji and pointed to a place ahead where many Marines were gathered, asking, "Why are so many people there? What is that place?"
Aokiji glanced ahead and answered, "That's the base training ground. Maybe someone's having a duel."
"A duel?" Ian rubbed his hands together. "That's just a spar, right? I noticed a lot of Marine officers from other branches have come to Headquarters recently. Is this a competition or exchange?"
Aokiji nodded, confirming it.
Ian's heart stirred. He felt that if he wanted to find Kuina, this might be his chance. So he asked Aokiji excitedly, "If I spar with a few of your officers, that's fine, right?"
"You!?" Aokiji looked at him in surprise. "Even Marine Vice Admirals can't beat you. What are you planning by sparring with them?"
"Don't say that! You're here, aren't you?" Ian spread his hands. "It's not like I can hurt them right under your nose, can I?"
Aokiji thought for a moment and nodded. "Alright. In that case, it wouldn't hurt for you to help train them a bit."
In truth, Aokiji also wanted to take this opportunity to gauge Ian's current level of strength.
So Ian walked toward the training ground. The Marine officers who had been gathered around watching immediately made way as they spotted Ian and Aokiji approaching, saluting Aokiji as they did. But Ian, shamelessly, waved to the assembled officers, shouting, "Hello everyone! You've worked hard!" This earned him strange looks from the Marines.
In the middle of the training ground, two Marine Captains who had been sparring with swords stopped and looked curiously at Aokiji, wondering why he had brought Ian, a Warlord, here.
Ian, however, acted as if he owned the place. Cracking his knuckles, he said to the officers, "Oh, sword fighting? I love it! Who wants to go a few rounds with me?"
Hearing this, the officers' stares grew even more peculiar, and they all turned to look at Aokiji. Aokiji scratched his head and said, "What are you looking at me for? If you want to go, go!"
The officers understood Aokiji's meaning. They exchanged glances, and then a Marine Captain carrying a massive greatsword stepped forward, drawing his blade. "I'll go! It's not every day I get to spar with a Warlord!"
Ian looked at his sword—a heavy Western-style blade suited for slashing. The Captain was tall and burly, clearly a strength-type fighter. Without a word, Ian crooked his finger, beckoning him to attack.
Ian's face was young, and the Captain was obviously much older. Ian's gesture carried a hint of disdain, which irritated the Captain. The taunt was highly effective.
"Raaaah!!"
The Captain gripped his greatsword with both hands, roared, veins bulging on his neck, and charged at Ian, bringing the sword down with all his might. This strike was powered by his full strength, the blade turning into a flash of white light as it descended with swift ferocity.
Though no one said it aloud, the surrounding officers silently cheered for the Captain's thunderous blow, thinking this show of force would succeed.
But Ian just stared at the descending blade, not moving until it was almost upon him. Then, he suddenly drew his sword!
Gripping the hilt of Thousand Cherry Blossoms with one hand, Ian swung with equal force.
Clang!! The two swords collided, producing a deafening sound. A powerful gust of wind erupted from where they stood, blasting the nearby officers and making them stagger.
Ian stood firm, his feet unmoving, but the Captain was unlucky. He felt an irresistible force from Ian's sword, and the next moment, he was sent flying.
Bang! The Captain crashed to the ground far away, kicking up a cloud of dust. As he landed, a broken blade spun through the air and stuck into the ground with a thud.
Ian had only struck once, and he had shattered the Captain's sword!
This overwhelmingly powerful blow stunned the officers present, leaving the entire training ground dead silent.
"Come on, keep going!" Ian said with a smile. "This reminds me of when I was a swordsmanship instructor at the Loguetown Marine Base. Good times! Oh, by the way, you can all come at me at once. I don't mind."
The officers looked at each other. What a joke—if they all attacked together, where would the Marines' pride be? But they also understood that Captain-level officers probably couldn't beat him. So, the few Captain-level officers who had been eager to try now kept quiet.
"I'll go!" At that moment, a Rear Admiral stepped out of the crowd. He had a toothpick in his mouth, which he spat out with a puff as he drew a long sword from his waist. Ian noticed that when the Rear Admiral drew his weapon, the blade turned black. It seemed this Rear Admiral could use Armament Haki, though Ian didn't know how advanced it was.
Seeing the Rear Admiral step up, the officers perked up.
But Aokiji shook his head from the sidelines. He knew this Rear Admiral would also lose to Ian. In fact, among the Marines, only Vice Admirals could exchange a few moves with Ian now; anyone below that was no match. However, Vice Admirals were unlikely to come to the training ground to fight Ian.
Aokiji felt he was beginning to understand Ian's intentions. He was probably using this method to vent his frustration at being confined by Sengoku.
So Aokiji hesitated, wondering if he should let the officers continue challenging Ian.
Sure enough, the Rear Admiral charged in, and his fate was similar to the Captain's. Ian struck once and shattered his weapon too. There was no helping it—though the Rear Admiral could use Armament Haki, it wasn't as strong as Ian's. In the clash, Ian overpowered him the same way.
This left the officers feeling awkward. It seemed that in Ian's hands, there was no difference between a Captain and a Rear Admiral.
Though only two exchanges had occurred, the officers no longer judged by appearances. Despite his youth, Ian's strength clearly qualified him as a Warlord.
Though it was a bit embarrassing, the officers—being elites from various branches—weren't fools. They realized this was a great opportunity to spar with a strong opponent. They might learn from the fight and identify their weaknesses, which would benefit their growth.
So, surprisingly, after Ian defeated the Rear Admiral, the remaining officers eagerly stepped forward to challenge him.
Aokiji was surprised but also pleased. He set aside his earlier hesitation and focused on watching Ian handle the challenges.
Ian accepted everyone who came. Though these officers were weaker than him, defeating them still earned him experience. With so many officers, it added up to a substantial amount.
But what Ian didn't expect was that as the sparring continued, the officers became more respectful. At some point, each challenger began by saluting Ian and saying, "I am [Name] from [Branch], please enlighten me!" before starting the fight.
It felt like Ian had become the Marines' swordsmanship instructor again.
Seeing this, Ian couldn't help but reflect. The Marines weren't as bad as he had imagined. Though they all lost to him, they didn't feel humiliated; instead, they humbly sought guidance. With such a group of grassroots officers who knew shame and strove to improve, it was no wonder the Marines were strong.
Ian had been at sea for a long time and had encountered many Marines. He could now view the organization objectively. Yes, there were scoundrels and heartless people in the Marines, but not all of them were like that. There were good people among them too.
Just as Ian was thinking this, a familiar voice rang out beside him. "Marine Staff Headquarters Lieutenant Commander Kuina, please enlighten me!"
Hearing this voice, Ian's spirits lifted. He looked closely and saw Kuina standing not far in front of him.