33 Chapter 33 - Terumi VS Mura

A/N: I got sick :(

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"The third and final round of today will be commencing now! First up, Terumi from the Elite Camp versus Mura from Charlie Camp!"

Terumi got up from his seat and started walking towards the stage.

"Do your best Terumi-chan!"

"Good luck, Terumi."

Gion and Hina saw Terumi off with a cheer. Terumi smiled and gave them a thumbs-up before jumping onto the stage with Asahi in hand.

Landing on the stage, Mura was standing firm with his Odachi sheathed in his hand.

Craven confirmed the two combatants and raised his hand.

"Begin!"

Terumi drew Asahi and held it in front of him.

Mura gazed at Terumi with a mysterious look in his eyes.

"You're Kenzaki Terumi?"

Terumi raised an eyebrow at the question but nodded.

"That's right. Though I don't think we've ever had a chance to meet."

"My sensei told me that you're one of the strongest swordsmen of our generation. Frankly, I was rather impressed by your first fight, but I wonder if you're truly worth such an evaluation."

Terumi chuckled confidently.

"Heh, I don't know what Vice-Admiral Soujiro told you about me, but there's something I'd like to correct."

Terumi's expression then changed to fully serious.

"I am the strongest swordsman of our generation."

A heavy pressure erupted from Terumi's body. The aura itself almost caused Mura to take a step back and kneel down, but he stopped himself by drawing his Odachi and stabbing it into the ground.

***

Meanwhile, up on the center stands.

"Oh? That kid has grown in the half a year I haven't seen him. Bwahahaha."

"I can see that Gion's boasts about him have not been lies. I look forward to his growth."

Garp and Tsuru were impressed upon feeling the Haoshoku Haki slightly radiating from Terumi's body.

Sengoku nodded happily above them and then spoke to Shubashikou to the left of him.

"Jin, that's the kid I told you about. What do you think?"

Jin, codename Shubashikou, smiled slightly and continued gazing at the young man standing tall on stage.

"He lives up to his name. Let's see if he can beat Soujiro's prize pupil."

"Drake has been getting fired up ever since he joined the Elite Camp, I'm quite pleased with the current generation of Trainees. I'm sure they'll be replacing us in no time. Especially Kuzan, Borsalino, and Sakazuki. In a few more years they'll be ready to take up the mantle."

"It would be nice if they could take it over now. I only agreed to this position because of you, Sengoku. I'd much rather like to retire in peace."

"Che, you're starting to sound like Garp, Jin. Why don't you become an instructor like Zephyr? I'm sure there are many who would be honored to be trained by you."

Jin stared at the stage with the two young swordsmen and pondered for a moment, but didn't answer.

***

Back on the main stage, Terumi lifted his Haoshoku Haki and took up a combat stance.

Mura had a nervous sweat roll down his neck, but he quickly calmed down and took a deep breath. Then he drew his long Odachi and prepared for combat.

"Your presence seems to back up your claim, but we'll see who the winner will be. Are you sure you don't want to take off your leg weights?"

"If you want me to take them off..."

Terumi then suddenly dashed forward.

"Then make me!"

Terumi sent an upward swing toward Mura's Odachi.

Mura's reaction was a little slow, causing him to stagger slightly as the force from Terumi's swing slightly opened him up.

Terumi then stabbed directly forward, landing a hit on Mura's shoulder. However, the moment Terumi's sword touched Mura's skin, he felt all the power from his thrust fade.

Mura then tried counter by swinging his Odachi directly down, Terumi backstepped immediately to avoid a counterattack.

Mura's swing missed as he continued to slam his Odachi into the ground, causing it to slightly crack.

Terumi noticed Mura's strange commitment to the swing, even after he saw Terumi evade it.

'Hm, so that's what's going on. I need to test my theory to be sure.'

Terumi rushed in and started raining down sword slashes, each one skillfully aimed towards Mura's Odachi in order to break his guard.

Mura gripped his Odachi tightly and carefully defended, but with each strike, he feels his wrists get more and more numb.

Soon, the moment arrived, and Mura's grip with his left hand loosened ever so slightly.

Terumi took the opportunity and cleaved his sword with a two-handed strike from right to left, breaking Mura's left-hand hold on the Odachi and sending his right hand whipping back.

'Now!'

Terumi used the momentum of his swing to twirl around and then send another slash towards Mura's chest from his now exposed left side.

As soon as the diagonal slash landed on Mura's chest, Terumi pushed all his power into his legs and backstepped.

'So, what happens now?'

After Terumi backstepped, Mura showed a panicked expression and immediately stomped down with his leg, cracking the ground and breathing heavily.

Terumi smiled upon seeing his actions.

"So that's your fruit. You can redirect the force of attacks when it makes contact with your skin, but you can't store it, at least not without a heavy stamina cost. The force that you redirect must be released."

Mura frowned through his heavy breathing as he struggled to regain his stamina.

"Even if you know, it matters not. That's right, I ate the Aiki Aiki no Mi (Redirect-Redirect Fruit, made up based on the principles of Aikido). Soujiro-sensei already warned me that you might figure it out. This is well within expected parameters. Don't think you've got me all figured out just yet."

Mura then shook his left hand and regained his grip on his Odachi.

"I admit that you have me bested in swordsmanship, but nevertheless, I will win."

Mura raised his Odachi to his eye level and calmed himself. His breathing became steady and his eyes focused solely on Terumi.

'Good concentration. He has the makings of a great swordsman, but I won't be bested.'

"Show me what you've got."

Terumi raised Asahi high above his head and swung down, sending a flying slash forward.

Mura held his Odachi with his left hand and with his right he reached forward, grabbing the flying slash as he reached him and dissipating all of its energy and redirecting it. He focused all of the power from Terumi's slash into his right hand and swung upwards, sending a flying vertical slash right back at Terumi.

'Are we going rally now? Let's see who lasts longer!'

As Mura's flying slash approached, Terumi arched his right arm holding Asahi back and his muscles bulged.

Boom.

A small shockwave was created as Terumi met Mura's attack head-on, breaking it, and sending a horizontal flying slash that was even larger than his previous one right back at Mura.

Mura clicked his tongue in annoyance, understanding what Terumi is trying to do.

"Your strength or my stamina, huh? I accept your challenge."

Mura grabbed the flying slash once more, and as soon as he does, he begins to feel a moderate amount of fatigue as he redirects the energy once again into a return attack. This time he added his own strength to it as well.

Terumi doesn't falter against the increase in power and meets it head-on once again.

This rally continued for a few more rounds.

Although Mura's swordsmanship is not precise enough to fully utilize all of the energy he's redirecting into the flying slash, with each rally his swings became increasingly sharp.

However, which each rally his breathing also became increasingly haggard.

Soon, the tipping point arrived.

"Haaa!"

Terumi gripped Asahi with both hands and swung down with all his might. The power of the two flying slashes struggled against each other for a split second before Terumi's slash won free and flew toward Mura.

Mura accepted the energy once more with staggered breath, but this time as soon as the slash made contact with his hand, Mura nearly puked from exhaustion, forcing him to immediately slam the redirected energy into the ground instead.

"Haa...haa..."

Mura knelt down on one knee. His body struggled to stay conscious as his mind willed it.

Terumi saw this and in respect for his opponent, did not take advantage of his downed state.

"Do you surrender?"

Mura chuckled upon hearing the question.

"You must think me so foolish to challenge you as someone who's barely trained in the sword."

Terumi's expression didn't change as he shook his head.

"No. Your swordsman spirit is strong, I can feel it in every clash. I am honored to have sparred with you."

Mura raised an eyebrow at Terumi's words and smiled.

"Then, please indulge me once more."

Mura struggled to stand up and then assumed his unorthodox iai stance.

"Please, show me your true strength."

Terumi stared into the fires within Mura's eyes and nodded.

"Very well."

Terumi unstrapped all four of his bracers and threw them off the Arena. A loud thud resounded as they dug into the dirt.

Terumi then gripped Asahi tightly and closed his eyes.

"What...is this?"

A mysterious aura radiated from Terumi. It wasn't Haoshoku Haki, but it was suffocating all the same.

"Everything I have, I will show you in one strike. Prepare yourself."

***

"This pressure..."

"Hmm? Something wrong, Jin?"

"No, nothing. I was just reminded of the past."

Sengoku raised an eyebrow at Jin's words but turned his attention back to the fight. If something went wrong, he would signal one of the Vice-Admirals to step in and stop the fight.

"Borsalino, be ready if happens."

Borsalino, code name Kizaru, was sitting just below Sengoku and answered.

"Yes yes, I got it. So troublesome. Overtime work once again."

Sengoku huffed in amusement and then looked to the two people sitting next to Borsalino.

"What do you guys think of him?"

Kuzan, codename Aokiji, lifted his eye mask and looked down at the field.

"Garp-san brought him right? I'm sure he'll do fine."

Borsalino nodded in agreeance.

"Look at that fiery gaze, very cool."

Sakazuki, codename Akainu, stared intently at Terumi with his arms folded.

"He'll be nothing but trouble if that old man is the one who recruited him. Let's just hope we don't have a repeat of 'that man' or else..."

Sengoku's eyes darkened at the mention of 'that man' otherwise known as Monkey D. Dragon. He sighed and shook his head before turning to look at Terumi.

"This time, it'll be different. At least, I hope so..."

Sengoku muttered.

***

Mura shuddered under the pressure radiating from Terumi's body. His hands started to shake and his grip on his sword almost loosened. Nevertheless, he couldn't help but feel somewhat captivated by that aura.

Terumi raised Asahi up high as he breathed out.

Hisssss

Mura stared in awe at what he saw behind Terumi, a shining bright star.

Terumi did not say anything, he did not use prepare any special moves. He is simply focusing all of his soul into his next strike.

Then, as Terumi's arm began to move, the whole world around him seemed to melt away and disappear. Nothing was left except for himself, his sword, and his target.

One heavy step forward, and one swing.

From that one swing, all Mura could see was a giant speeding comet flying straight at him, he had no time to move or even swing his sword. Before he could react to what happened, he felt a cut on his chest.

Mura looked down, wondering if he had died and gone to heaven and what he saw brought him back to reality.

A huge crevice in the ground, extending from Terumi's sword, straight through him to the end of the Arena platform. But he was not cut.

His shirt was sliced down the middle, but he was not cut.

Seeing this, Mura had a resigned smile on his face.

"I surrender, you win."

Craven raised his hand.

"Winner! Terumi from the Elite Camp!

Cheers erupted from the crowd.

Terumi sheathed Asahi and bowed.

"Thank you for the match."

Just before Terumi could turn around and head back, Mura called out to him.

"I'll reach you one day, next time, I won't lose."

Terumi smiled and gave him a wave.

"Feel free to challenge me anytime."

With that remark, Terumi jumped off the platform, picked up his bracers, and headed back to his dugout victorious.