After they finished eating, Momousagi's face had turned a bit red, and she looked visibly uncomfortable.
"…Could it be you need the bathroom?" Clover said, realizing her predicament. It had been a full day since she last had a chance to go, yet if he simply untied her, there was a chance she'd try something tricky. "How about I bring you a bowl?"
Momousagi's face flushed completely. "Get out of here!"
"Come on, I'm just trying to help you, Momousagi-san. How about this—I'll untie you for a moment so you can go, but I'll keep watch. Be cooperative," Clover said, starting to undo the ropes.
Momousagi gave him a glare, but once free, she went directly to the restroom. Clover, however, knew better than to expect she'd simply obey once done. He readied himself for a confrontation, knowing her skill in swordsmanship would make for an intense match—and perhaps a chance for him to improve.
True to form, Momousagi rushed out, seizing the closest object—a bathroom plunger—and wielding it like a sword.
"Baka! I'm going to make you pay!" she yelled, swinging the plunger.
Clover immediately unsheathed his sword, Ryū no Ha, blocking the "strike" with a smirk. The clash forced him back, sending him flying through the cabin doors and onto the lower deck.
"You'll regret looking down on me!" Momousagi shouted, following him onto the deck and slashing the air with the plunger, sending a wave of air slicing toward him.
"Oi, that's just disgusting," Clover muttered, countering her slash with his own. The two attacks met midair, canceling each other out.
"If you're serious about fighting, then use this," he said, holding out Kinpira, her own sword—a supreme-grade Meito known as the Sea God's Blade. [T/N] yeah imma change that from surpreme grade to unknown grade blade like Gryphon, Bamboo, Oto and Kogarashi.]
Momousagi hesitated briefly but then furrowed her brow, insulted. "Are you mocking me?"
She took up Kinpira and leaped, slashing downward with a power that forced the deck to crack under Clover's feet. As a candidate for Admiral, Momousagi had faced doubt after doubt, hearing again and again that women had no place at the highest levels of the Marines. She had fought every inch of the way to prove herself.
The two blades clashed, releasing sparks as they locked together. The strain of the impact sent vibrations through the deck and split the nearby railings.
"I'm not mocking you, Momousagi-san. I just want you to accept your defeat fairly," Clover said calmly. He pulled back, launching a rapid series of strikes. Momousagi managed to deflect each one with skill, then launched her counterattack.
Her first strike sent a ripple through the sea, intensifying with her next blow. Clover blocked each attack, but the waves rose around the ship, as though they were under Momousagi's command.
"You must have eaten a Devil Fruit to manipulate the sea this way!" she said, leaping to the upper railing, her voice filled with suspicion. She raised Kinpira, and a towering wave rose in response, surging toward Clover.
"So this is the power of Kinpira," Clover mused, watching the wave rise before him. He then swung Ryū no Ha in a similar fashion, releasing a force that echoed like a dragon's roar, instantly calming the waters and returning the sea to a glassy calm.
"Nani!?" Momousagi stared in disbelief. "Only Kinpira is supposed to command the sea! What's going on with that blade of yours?"
In reality, Clover's exceptional learning ability allowed him to mimic Momousagi's technique, even without Kinpira's unique power.
"The reason I could reach the level of Admiral candidate is because I have complete mastery over the sea," Momousagi said, gaze wandering to her own attire as she balanced on the railing, slightly distracted.
Still stunned, Momousagi glanced down at her own weapon, questioning whether it was even authentic.
"Tch." She shook her head in frustration and leapt at him again, slashing down with all her might. Clover dodged, catching her by the collar mid-air and lifting her gently but firmly. "Enough, Momousagi-san. It wouldn't be right to take this any further."
"How…how are you so strong?" she muttered, struggling slightly. To be overpowered so easily—it shook her confidence. She was a candidate for Admiral, a Marine Vice Admiral, considered the strongest of all but a select few.
Clover released her, and she dropped to the deck, letting Kinpira fall by her side as she stared at the floor in thought.
"It's not that you're weak, Momousagi-san. It's that I'm just a little too strong," Clover offered, in a mild attempt at comfort.
Momousagi's eyes narrowed. "You…You're unbelievable!" She gave him a light punch on the chest in irritation, but her strength had waned.
"Still, could you try to be more careful?" Clover said, glancing around at the aftermath. "In a single day, you've left three holes in my brand-new ship. The railings and door are wrecked. You even destroyed the plunger!"
"That was new!"
"…I'll pay you back," Momousagi replied with an exasperated sigh.
"Forget it. I'm not that stingy," Clover responded, a smirk lingering on his face.
"You are impossible!" she huffed, but this time, there was a hint of a smile in her voice.