"Enough talk…"

  "Three days from now, the exge will happen at Franca Isnd on Route H2!"

  "Franca Isnd, huh? You've really phis well, moving further from Navy Headquarters with each location."

  "The Wover won’t sera personnel, but this had better be the final exge. Dragging this out won’t be either of us."

  "Of course. I’m a man of my word—looking forward to a smooth transa."

  "Hmph!"

  In an isoted sea region, on an unknowed isnd…

  Having firmed the arra, El let Moss and the others stay on standby outside. He’d just ended his call with Saint Mars when he looked over and saift figures collide with a resounding ot far away.

  'g!'

  Sparks flew as a sharp metallic csh echoed through the air, sending a chill down one’s spine. A t figure, agile as a warrior with flowing green hair, wielded a massive katana and cshed repeatedly with Linlin, who swung Napoleon with fiertent. Surprisingly, the figure had a striking, sapphire-like eye on their forehead, with hints of Tsuru, Lily, and Lillian in their features.

  No matter how fierce the attacks came, Linlin skillfully held her ground, meeting each strike with finesse. She wasn’t relying on her natural defenses but parried each strike smoothly, showg her advanced swordsmanship.

  "Tsuru’s swordsmanship has improved rapidly," El observed with a smile.

  These past few days, El had left the ma of Atntis to Nef and Rock, letting it patrol high above at tens of thousands of meters while they supervised the training of new recruits. Meanwhile, he had taken Tsuru, Linlin, Lily, Gerd, and Lillian to this secluded isnd for interaining.

  Not only was he refining his own queror’s Haki teiques, but he was also guiding them in swordsmanship and haki mastery.

  Initially, El assumed that Tsuru, who’d just turned 21 and was already profit in the Six Powers and two forms of Haki, would lean more toward hand-to-hand bat. To his surprise, she showed an impressive aptitude for swordsmanship. Now, with her new Mythical Zoan powers of the Okuo-Makami, her progress was tremendous.

  "She really has," said Gerd, with a chuckle.

  With Lily’s Pile-Pile Fruit ability as a near-uable training aid and Lillian’s unique sensory skills from her Three-Eye lineage bined with her Gre-Gre Fruit, Tsuru’s progress had beeraordinary. Through tinual shared training sessions, Lillian’s abilities evolved to include advanced perceptions, effectively creating a “five senses in one” advantage.

  Through the bined effect of Lily’s shared sensations and El’s guidasuru had refined her use of her Zoan powers, increasirength and mastery over her Devil Fruit abilities signifitly. Her Observation and Armament Haki had also grown, and she had even picked up teiques from El’s swordpy.

  Naturally, the key to Tsuru’s progress was the fusion of Lily’s abilities, Lillian’s heightened perception, and El’s expertise, eahang her rapid development.

  "Lillian’s swordsmanship is also astonishing," El noted, clearly impressed. "With dedication, I’m fident she’ll bee a renowned swordsman across the seas."

  "Rose Dance!"

  At that moment, Tsuru—t and agile—moved with surprising grace, her katana fshing as she unleashed her attack. A storm of rose petals burst forth, beautiful yet lethal, creating arang dispy of power.

  'Whoosh!'

  Sharp slices filled the air as the petals flew toward Linlin with deadly i.

  'g! g!' With her honed Observation Haki and refined sword skills, Linlin deflected each strike, not yielding a siep.

  "Mamamama~! With Lily’s support, your strength and Haki have grown substantially. But I suggest using your Okuo-Makami form," Linlin teased, swinging Napoleon to unleash a powerful ssh. "Otherwise, even with Lillian’s fht and ability to read my i, it won’t be enough te the gap in power."

  'Soru!' Lillian’s third eye glowed, her gaze prophetic.

  "Thrust!"

  A t figure moved with astonishing speed, narrowly evading the attack.

  'Boom! Boom!' The terrifying ssh just missed, tearing past her. The nearby hillside was sliced off, leaving a shog sight that would send chills down anyone’s spine.

  "As you wish!"

  Tsuru, who was leading the fight, let out a fierce shout. Her body began to sprout white fur, her eyes gaining distinct markings, with elongated ears, razor-sharp fangs, and cws suited for hunting.

  Around her, wisps of cold air swirled. The Mythical Zoan Okuo-Makami ability was indeed unique. Unlike Iron Cw Hark's dark cloud-like aura, this was not a maion of awakened Devil Fruit power but rather an i freezing effect.

  'Swish…'

  The surrounding air grew signifitly colder, sending a chill through anyone nearby.

  "Shukuchi!" With chilling energy emanating from her sword, now surrounded by queror’s Haki, Tsuru’s transformed white figure, brimming with primal energy, lunged forward with a fsh. Her speed now exceeded her prior limits, appearing almost like true teleportation, flitting from one spot to a inprehensible speeds.

  This move, though not quite like Soru, was a teique El had developed over years of honing his bat skills, utilizing his monstrous physique. It was a high-speed movement teique that was faster than Soru, appearing as near-instantaneous movement to others. However, it demanded extraordinary physical prowess.

  Even for Tsuru, mastering Shukuchi required many shared training sessions with Lily and El, using Lily's special “shared perception” ability from the Chaos Fruit. Through relentless practice, El guided her step-by-step until she could finally utilize the teique, though only iransformed state.

  Suddenly, Tsuru’s third eye fshed red as she sensed a shift.

  'Swish!' Without hesitation, she pivoted, moving like a white phantom to evade.

  "Mamamama~! Night Demon Assault!"

  At that instant, Linlin ughed wickedly, her rge swleaming with a sinister red light, ready to strike.

  'Buzz!' A massive blood-red ssh tore through the air, but with her fht, Tsuru had already dodged the attack.

  'Boom! Boom!' The massive, killing-i-filled ssh raged on, crashing into the ground behind her and leaving a deep scar that seemed endless—an awe-inspiring dispy of power.

  'Swish… swish…'

  Now fused with Lily and Lillian, Tsuru moved like a swift giant, nearly matg El in size. Her movements were incredibly fast, zigzagging from left tht in ways that were nearly impossible to track.

  "So fast…"

  Linlin’s eyes narrowed. Without using her Devil Fruit ability, she found herself uo keep up with such speed.

  'Swish!'

  In an instant, the giant with three eyes rushed straight behind Linlin. Her bde, brimming with freezing power capable of freezing everything in its path, ripped through the air with relentless force, aiming for Linlin.

  "Phantom Bde!"

  Linlin’s hair stood on end. Though her Observation Haki couldn’t foresee the future, it had been fiuned under El’s guidance, allowio sense danger instinctively.

  'g!' Linlin barely mao turn and block the freezing blow, grittieeth against the sheer cold.

  'g!'

  The impact rang in their ears as shards of ice scattered. Frost crept dooleon’s bde, spreading toward Linlin and eng her in a frigid shell, turning her into an ice sculpture.

  "Of course, I doubt this could hold you for long," Tsuru muttered, her third eye already glimpsing a fsh of the future thanks to Lillian’s unique abilities. She opened her maw wide.

  "Gcial Fang!"

  'Swish—'

  A terrifying n of freezing energy, visibly pressed and sharp, shot toward the frozen Linlin with explosive force.

  'Crack!'

  But in the instant, the ice shattered as Linlin broke free, her massive sword swinging fiercely. Yet, all she faced was an onsught id energy barreling toward her.

  'Boom!'