Eye, heart, and knive!
In the past, he simply swung his knife, but now his mentality has changed, bringing forth different feelings.
A simple knife, honed to perfection, reaches the pinnacle of the Ultimate.
Ron narrowed his eyes slightly as the overwhelming bloody slash suddenly concentrated at one point.
Swish!
A knife fell, silently.
It was as if an aurora flashed.
Click!
In the next second, half of the martial arts arena shattered, reduced to ruins.
"With this knife, there is no one beneath Vice Admiral that I can't kill!"
Confidence radiated from Ron's face.
In this knife, he poured ten years of will and state of mind.
Ten years of penance, all summed up in this one strike.
Regardless of his superb sword skills, he could cut through anything with a single blow.
With this knife, he was confident that even if he faced a swordsman of equal caliber, the outcome would be a toss-up.
One move would decide life and death.
A single sword strike to break through the formation and change the tide of battle.
In addition to sword style, Ron also masters some of the Marine Six Style techniques.
The Marine Six Styles include Iron Body, Shaved, Paper Arts, Moonwalk, Tempest Kick, and Finger Pistol.
Among them, the only techniques he had mastered more proficiently were Shave and Moonwalk; the others were only slightly learned.
Human energy is limited.
With his aptitude, mastering all six techniques would be a waste of effort. As a swordsman, why would he focus on Tempest Kick and Finger Pistol?
It was better to specialize in one or two And their mastery is at the top
This approach is superior to being mediocre at everything and not standing out.
"I still can't figure out Returning Life at all," Ron sighed. The Marine Six Styles represent just the most basic skills; ordinary Marines can grasp several of them as long as their combat power reaches a certain level.
Merely mastering the Marine Six Styles will cap one's potential as a Naval Headquarters Colonel.
To achieve Rear Admiral-level combat power, one must understand more advanced techniques like Returning Life .
For a Naval Headquarters Vice Admiral, one must also master at least one form of Haki.
The power of evolution granted him a higher starting point, but his ultimate destination depends on his own efforts.
Ron practiced late into the night, unintentionally destroying the Training arena.
"I'm afraid I won't be able to return to this place in the future."
Gazing at the arena, which lay in ruins as if ravaged by a tornado, Ron clenched his teeth.
The Naval Headquarters practice field is made from special materials, and constructing such a large arena costs at least a billion or even billions of peles.
Causing this much damage overnight could cost nearly as much as a few warships.
If he continued to train here, the Marine would struggle to support such expenses.
Moreover, with his current combat strength, it was not suitable for him to keep practicing here.
Otherwise, Vice Admiral Tsuru, who oversees the logistics department, would likely come to confront him.
Thinking of Vice Admiral Tsuru, a In her thirties woman with long black hair reaching her waist came to Ron's mind.
When she was younger, she was stunning, with a temperament that captivated many.
She deserved her reputation as the Marine's number one beauty.
However, this woman is not easy to deal with; despite the non-aggressive nature of her Wash-Wash Fruit, it is quite troublesome to have someone turned into clothing, washed, and dried.
Time passed, and the atmosphere in the Naval Headquarters remained peaceful.
Aside from the daily noon rush, the most stressed out might be the chefs in the cafeteria.
Since a few days ago, Ron had been arriving early for lunch.
The leisurely mood of the chefs in the back kitchen became heavy, and they donned pained expressions as they embarked on their busiest day.
Fortunately, Ron was considerate of his subordinates and limited himself to three lunches daily.
In addition, the headquarters had transferred over a dozen cooks from who knows where.
Prepared in advance, the back kitchen was not as overwhelmed as before.
Finally, the long-awaited award ceremony commenced.
Promotions to Rear Admiral are not comparable to those for Marine Vice Admirals or Admirals.
There was no fuss or throng of media.
However, the scene was still quite spectacular. All high-ranking officers and generals of Naval Headquarters were present, with countless Marines watching the ceremony.
Standing on the stage under the scrutiny of many Marines was a first for Ron.
He recalled that when he was promoted to Colonel of Naval Headquarters, he was simply handed an appointment letter and a certificate of commendation.
Everything else was negligible.
In contrast, the promotion to Rear Admiral was an elaborate affair; the ceremony for Colonel felt like a stepmother's treatment.
After a clichéd speech and obligatory platitudes, the Marshal distributed ranks and medals to those on the list.
Surprisingly, Ron spotted Sakazuki among them.
Though he had not been directly promoted to Rear Admiral like Ron, he was rewarded with the rank of Commodore.
After inquiring further, Ron learned that Sakazuki had confronted a pirate with a bounty 100 million and attacked a World Government transport ship recently.
He was promoted to Commodore by special citation.
"Ron Rear Admiral, you must work harder in the future. Vice Admiral Garp and I are very optimistic about you," Marshal Kong said, patting Ron on the shoulder with kindness.
He presented Ron with the rank medal, Rear Admiral uniform, and medal of honor in turn.
Ron smiled gracefully.
The old man may be charming, but I don't believe him!
If it weren't for Sakazuki's efforts, Ron suspected his Rear Admiral rank would have gone to Sakazuki instead.
In the end, Marine is a place where strength is revered.
If he had been a Logia Devil Fruit user, would anyone have needed to recognize his contributions?
It's absurd!
After the ceremony, Ron returned to his room and changed into a brand-new Rear Admiral uniform.
Though he was honored and promoted in rank, his fleet was not yet complete.
It would take at least half a month for sailors to be dispatched from various Marine divisions and for warships to arrive.
Once the fleet was reorganized, he would be deployed to a Marine Base on the Grand Line as the highest command.
After all, the Naval Headquarters is home to the Marshal and Admirals, so there's no need for so many warships to remain stationed there.
It is unrealistic for a fleet to sail the seas indefinitely.
Boom!
Marineford, by the coast.
Thunder roared, and raging waves surged!
The storm whipped up the sky and slammed against the sturdy pier.
Ron, dressed in his Rear Admiral uniform, stood amid the wind and rain, holding his sword calmly and slashing at the oncoming waves.
The violent pressure felt like a mountain pressing down on him.
Ron swung a bloody slash, pushing against the massive waves with all his strength, yet was still overturned and sent flying.
Every bone in his body felt like it was shattering.
He fought against nature again and again, only to face failure each time.
But through this struggle, he sensed his sword skills growing at an unimaginable speed.