The party continued on for days as the whole island joined the festivities. The rise of a new World's Strongest was enough cause for celebration, but the appearance of a new, unrivaled, weapon? That only added fuel to the fire.
However, all festivities must end eventually. After a couple of days, Whitebeard and his crew returned to the sea above as some pirates were causing a ruckus in his territory.
"Hey, Ryu, I just remembered something," Yoruichi said with a thoughtful expression, seemingly recalling something.
"Yeah?" Ryu asked, leaning against one of the coral buildings.
"You promised you'd train me so that I'll be able to beat that weird swordsman guy," Yoruichi reminded him.
Ryu's eyebrows lifted at the reminder. A faint, unsteady smile traced his lips as he crossed his arms over his muscular chest.
"Right, I remember that. Are you sure, though? You know how grueling my training is," he teased, his eyes twinkling with a playful light.
"Really? I remember it being easy. Maybe you'll actually give me a tough time now," Yoruichi shot back with a mischievous smile.
"Alright, I did promise you that, didn't I?" Ryu conceded, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly. "But after saying those words... You're gonna discover what it's like to eat sand."
"Ha, bring it on!" Yoruichi's eyes sparkled in response to the challenge, a triumphant smirk adorning her face.
"Alright, we'll begin tomorrow morning. May this world's god have mercy on you, 'cause I sure won't," Ryu said with a sadistic smile as he vanished from his spot, leaving Yoruichi with a shiver going down her spine.
---
As the first hues of dawn flooded through the water down towards Fishman Island, casting soft shades of pink and orange into the vibrant underwater world, Yoruichi and Ryu found themselves at the very edge of the protective bubble that surrounded the island. Beyond the bubble's translucent surface, the expansive sea teemed with early morning marine life, their silhouettes dancing rhythmically with the sea's currents.
Yoruichi's brows furrowed in contemplation, a thin line of worry etching itself onto her usually confident expression. "So... Why here?" she asked, her voice carrying a tinge of worry. Her instincts buzzed with a peculiar unease, and she didn't like the feeling.
Ryu simply offered a seemingly tranquil smile, the corners of his eyes crinkling in amusement. "No deep meaning. Just enjoy the view for now," he suggested.
"What, are you gonna push me outside?" Yoruichi asked sarcastically as she stepped closer to the bubble's boundary. Her fingertips hesitated, then grazed the translucent barrier. A sudden firm nudge from Ryu sent her sprawling beyond the bubble's boundary and into the open sea.
A gasp of surprise turned into a bubble of air escaping her mouth, but panic subsided when she realized she could breathe... Underwater? Her startled eyes darted back to Ryu.
"Ryu I was joking!" Yoruichi's outraged shout echoed through the water, turning into a sequence of furious bubbles. Yoruichi attempted to swim back to the bubble, only to realize that she couldn't. Her limbs felt as heavy as mountains. Now that the adrenaline from Ryu's surprise wore off, she realized how heavy her body felt.
Ryu's nonchalant voice cut through her frustration. "So for the first part of your training, I want you to regain your usual agility while under the water pressure here. I don't really care how you do it, this is just strength training, but get it done until next week, alright?" With that, he turned his back on her, leaving Yoruichi alone amidst the vast expanse of the open sea.
Yoruichi stared dumbfoundedly at his retreating figure. Her shoulders tensed, and she clenched her fists. Though he could've gone about it a bit more gently, this was what she wanted.
"Fine, let's do this," she managed to grit out, her words manifesting in bubbles that swirled up to the surface.
Her first few attempts to move were clumsy and slow, her usual grace and speed hampered by the sheer force of the water pressure. Each movement was like pushing against a wall.
Yoruichi spent the rest of the day struggling against the mighty sea, doing her best to adapt to this entirely alien environment. Walking with the fishes was far more complicated than she'd ever imagined.
She had to learn how to anticipate the currents, leverage her strength against the water's resistance, and balance the weight of her body so she didn't sink or float away. Not to mention each movement needed to be done with the weight of an entire sea coming down on it. It was a grueling process, to say the least.
As the sun began to set, painting the sea in a mesmerizing array of colors, Yoruichi was exhausted and nauseous. Her muscles screamed in protest, her body ached from the repeated exertion, but she remained stubbornly resolute. With a deep breath, she mustered all her remaining strength and attempted to swim back toward the bubble.
Her movements were still slow, hindered by fatigue and the lingering unfamiliarity of the water, but there was a noticeable improvement. She was starting to get the hang of this. Her heart hammered in her chest, not from exhaustion, actually yes from exhaustion, but also from the thrill of the training.
It was at that moment she saw Ryu, watching her progress from the edge of the bubble. She didn't miss the slight upward tilt of his lips, a silent acknowledgment of her perseverance.
"I did it, you sadistic bastard! How'd you even come up with this anyway?!" Yoruichi called out in a tired tone, collapsing face-first into the sandy ground.
"I mean, creativity is literally an aspect of my divinity. Also, how'd you like eating sand?" Ryu teased as he snapped his fingers, healing Yoruichi's exhausted and aching body.
"Huh, this sure is handy," Yoruichi commented as she examined her restored body.
"I know. Now, get back in the water. I healed you completely, even made your fatigue disappear, so you don't need to sleep," Ryu said as he kicked Yoruichi back into the sea.
"You bast-" Yoruichi began to curse as her shout turned into a stream of harmless bubbles, causing Ryu to burst into laughter as he watched Yoruichi continue her training.
---
In the next couple of days, Yoruichi had to work on the basic challenges of moving in the water. Pushing against the sea's resistance to do the simplest of movements was a herculean task. But each day, she showed monstrous improvement, her stubbornness proving stronger than the sea's relentless pressure.
Every day was filled with trial and error. Each failed attempt was replaced by a successful one. Every stumble that Yoruichi had only happened once, never repeating.
By the end of the first week, Yoruichi had managed to adapt herself to the sea's pressure just as Ryu had hoped, moving around underwater almost as effortlessly as she did on land. But mastering her surroundings was only the first part of her training, now the real fun would start.
With her agility regained, Yoruichi's sword training began under Ryu's watchful eyes. This time, instead of going into the sea empty-handed, she was allowed to take her Zanpakuto with her. However, the sword felt different in her hands underwater; it felt lighter and heavier at the same time as the currents pushed it up and down, left and right, making a secure grip seem impossible.
The first few days were frustratingly tough. Each attempt to swing the sword felt like fighting against the world itself. The sea's current disrupted her movements, turning her precise, swift strikes into clumsy, sluggish gestures. It was maddening to see her usually flawless technique falter under the unseen force of water.
"You have incredible speed, that much is clear, but it caused you to rely on swift movements. Normally that would be fine, but as you noticed, you don't have a steady hand. Your strikes are swift and precise, but fairly weak compared to what you can actually do. Unless you develop a steady enough grip to push through the currents, you won't be able to execute a fluid strike," Ryu explained the purpose of the exercise while examining Yoruichi's movements closely, taking mental notes for improvements.
Yoruichi let out a frustrated huff, glancing down at her Zanpakuto which was being pushed around by the sea's current. "I hate it when you're right," she grumbled.
"That's fair, I'd hate it too," Ryu replied with a smirk, causing Yoruichi to adopt a grin.
As Yoruichi continued, each day brought her closer to her goal. Slowly but surely, she was able to control the movement of her sword, even under the relentless push and pull of the sea. Her grip on the hilt of her Zanpakuto became unyielding, her swings started cutting through the water with less resistance, her movements gaining an additional layer of solidity and power in addition to their swift grace.
"That's good," Ryu commented as he examined Yoruichi's swings closely. "I think you're ready to move on now. Next up is your sword style. You have more controlled and powerful movements now, it's only right we change some things up to fit it," Ryu said as Yoruichi flashed an excited smile.
---
Two months went by with Yoruichi mastering the new and improved sword style Ryu made for her. She had progressed tremendously, developing an entirely new level of proficiency and power.
Her swift and solid movements became a seamless dance of speed and power. She became a whirlwind of flawless precision, leaving anyone who saw her in awe. Although Ryu wasn't sure if she could take on Mihawk, it was sure to be an interesting fight.
One afternoon, as Ryu was overseeing Yoruichi's training, a seagull encased in a coating bubble flew overhead. With a loud squawk, the bird dropped a coated newspaper right into Ryu's outstretched hands. Ryu unfolded the paper, his eyes scanning over the headlines before resting on a particular piece of news.
His fingers stilled over the paper, his expression growing slightly somber as he read the details. His black eyes flickered with a tinge of guilt.
Seeing Ryu's serious expression, Yoruichi paused her training and moved to his side. "What is it?" she asked, trying to catch a glimpse of the article that had caught Ryu's attention.
But Ryu simply folded the newspaper, a faint smile tugging at his lips as he met Yoruichi's gaze. "Nothing to worry about right now," he assured her, "I just have to take responsibility for something"