Shanks Pov:
' Hmmm, It's been five days since we set sail from Boomecks island. Life on the sea has been peaceful and kinda boring so far. The only entertainment I get these days is watching Kenny and Levi spar.'
The occasional encounter with pirates also kinda helped, in the beginning at least. Now?I just let Kenny and Levi handle it under the pretext of gaining combat experience, which is not exactly a false excuse'.
As that thought crossed my mind, I was brought back to reality as I heard Kenny panting while counting from 495 and up, during his daily dose of push ups. Levi was next to him doing pull ups while also panting slightly as some sweat engulfed his head.
" Say captain, I've been wondering, how strong are you really? I mean i think i speak for everybody when i say, not just any rookie fresh from paradise or the blues can defeat a vice-admiral without much struggle.'' I looked at Levi as he said that before i took a sip of rum from the cup as i said,
" Strong enough. Don't worry your little head about things like that Levi, just focus on getting strong enough to awaken haki. Remember, having some proficiency is a must haki in these parts of sea''
He nodded at that while continuing to do his last set of sit ups. I looked at Kenny who was sitting on the wooden floor taking a rest in preparation for his next part of training. I continued to sip the rum from the wooden cup and as it was empty 5 minutes later which was just on time as Kenny stood up and used Geppo to appear in the air the next second.
I was up a second later as I unsheathed my saber and unleashed a barrage of slashes at him which he dodged with impressive agility and movements as he moved from the side and up and down.
A proud smile was on my face for a second before I got slightly serious as I was next to him the next second in a cutting motion, ready to separate his head from the rest of his body.
He turned around not a second late and pushed himself backwards by a couple of meters, avoiding the wind slash that would have left him headless. I nodded in approval and I attacked at slightly faster speeds than he was used to the next second. He seemed to have anticipated it, but could only react by blocking with both of his hands crossed as he used Tekkai.
He was sent flying as some blood spurted from his arms. He stayed calm though as he kicked the air with his feet at fast speeds as he caught himself and attacked by raising his leg and slashing the air in a manner most swordsmen used to attack with flying slashes as in the next second, a wind slash was soaring in my direction. I cut the slash while releasing one of my own in the same instance ,but he seemed to have sensed it as he bent his body in a weird manner as it passed him ,narrowly avoiding injuring him.
I hummed as I continuously kicked the air to stay afloat while observing him as he shot multiple [Finger Pistols], aimed at my head in a relentless manner. I tilted my head multiple times while keeping my eyes on him as he moved around me in a circle while releasing the finger pistols.
While dodging one of his finger pistols, he took the opportunity and released a wind slash from his right leg. I cut in half as I had done to multiple ones he sent, before I sensed him move high above me using Geppo to move at impressive degrees of speed.
I looked up as I sensed him start spinning in the air while building heat and momentum in preparation to attack me.' It's like he's doing Sanji's Diable Jambe'. As that thought passed my mind, i sensed him falling downwards at crazy speeds for someone of his level as he shouted,
[Rankyaku: Flame Emblem]. A large flaming wind slash was released from his leg as he neared me. ' looks like i didn't choose wrong. He's truly talented and if i'm not wrong about him and his brother, this is not even a fraction of the potential they possess as hybrids'. As that crossed my mind, i got into a stance reminiscent of Zorro as i took a page from his book with a slight twist,
[One Sword Style: Bird Dance Of Destruction]. A large sword slash shaped like a crescent moon composed of pure compressed air intercepted his [Flame Emblem] and destroyed it a second later before dispersing the next second before it could harm Kenny in any way.
I spotted Kenny's form as he fell downwards, his face marred with exhaustion after the last attack. I flash-stepped to his position the next second as I caught him and brought to the ship's deck where Levi was still doing his sit ups, thinking I hadn't seen him slack off during the spar as he watched instead of continuing his training like I told him multiple times in the last 3 days.
As i laid him down on the side of the ship, i heard him mutter in a tone filled with exhaustion,
" Was that good enough captain?Did I meet your expectations?". I took my straw hat from my neck and put it on his head as i said,
" No''. He seemed to sigh in disappointment at that as frown almost made its way onto his face, disappearing the next second as he heard me continue to say,
" You did even better and went beyond my expectations Kenny. So take some rest, you deserve it''. He nodded at that and took a deep breath that I sensed indicated his relief and satisfaction, as he drifted to the dream lands the next second. I smiled at that ,before that smile vanished as I turned to Levi who was looking at his brother with a determined look. He looked at me as he said,
"I've healed enough at this point, captain. So can we turn up the intensity?''. I looked at him for the next ten seconds, something that made him nervous,before a hint of pride passed through me as i sighed before looking at him with warm smile as i said,
" Sure. But remember, you asked for this so no complaining and there's no quitting halfway."
He nodded like a chicken , his face filled with a hint of resolve and excitement as he said,
" Wouldn't dream of doing that , captain".