Garen had always thought that truly kind-hearted people only existed in books—until now.
Tashigi was kind, strong, brave, upright, and selfless. She wasn't afraid to fight evil pirates, yet she didn't blindly follow the Navy's doctrine of "absolute justice," either. Her only hobby was collecting famous swords, and even then, she kept herself in check—never giving in to greed.
Garen couldn't help but sigh in admiration. So, this is what they call a natural airhead, huh...
And Tashigi fully embodied that trait. She was completely absorbed in a deep meditation, contemplating swordsmanship, oblivious to her own so-called "evil level" or to the surprised stares from Garen, Nami, and the others.
Ever since she'd been bathed in that beam of sword energy, she had entered a mysterious state of enlightenment.
Smoker was starting to grow impatient and busied himself with directing the Marines to escort prisoners and clean up the battlefield.
Meanwhile, Nami had thrown herself into her sister Nojiko's arms. The long-separated siblings whispered excitedly to each other, occasionally sneaking glances at Garen. Judging by the playful smile on Nojiko's lips, the faint blush on Nami's face, and Genzo's darkened expression, it was clear their conversation likely involved the "knightly protagonist" of some romance story—namely, Garen himself.
Garen, however, was focused intently on the silent and dazed Tashigi. While marveling at her pure heart, he also couldn't help feeling a little curious.
After quite a while, he finally couldn't hold back and leaned toward her.
"Tashigi," he asked. "Did you come to some kind of realization?"
How could Garen not be curious? He was the one who unleashed the technique, and he didn't feel anything special—yet this female swordswoman had been standing there dazed, seemingly comprehending something profound for several minutes.
"Huh?" Tashigi suddenly yelped, startled, completely shattering the previously mysterious and enlightened atmosphere.
As she came back to her senses, she looked extremely flustered. She fumbled to adjust her glasses and, face slightly flushed, muttered, "I—I didn't realize anything…"
"Then what were you standing there spacing out for?" Garen asked in disbelief.
"I'm sorry!" Tashigi looked frightened by Garen's unconsciously stern tone and quickly gave a slight bow. "Senior Garen…"
"It's my lack of talent. I couldn't understand the profound sword technique that integrates the belief in justice."
Her eyes were filled with visible disappointment.
"Uh…" Garen didn't even know how to respond—mainly because he didn't understand the principle behind that so-called "secret technique" either.
Tashigi, meanwhile, had slowly clenched her fists, as if making a tough decision. Her brows furrowed as her fair cheeks flushed red, finally summoning the courage to speak.
"Senior Garen!"
"I have a bold request…"
Tashigi looked at him seriously.
"What is it?" Garen suddenly felt like something was off about the mood.
"Please teach me your sword technique!" she said earnestly.
"Ha?" Garen's face turned red as he instinctively blurted out:
"You're a girl…"
"That—it's not appropriate…"
"Just because I'm a woman, I can't?" Tashigi's expression collapsed, her voice full of disappointment and despair.
"Are female swordsmen doomed to never achieve anything in the way of the sword?"
"Ahem…" Garen suddenly remembered one of his well-known nicknames and quickly tried to recover.
"That's not what I meant at all," he said.
"Then what do you mean, Senior Garen?" Tashigi's dejected expression brightened slightly, her eyes cautiously hopeful.
"..." Garen fell silent, scrambling to piece together a proper response.
Before he could string together the mix of motivational quotes, martial philosophy, and Taoist musings he had in mind, Tashigi's eyes suddenly lit up as if she had realized something:
"You mean—"
"The way of the sword cannot be taught with words, only understood through intent?"
"Uh?" Garen was startled, and he even dropped his greatsword by accident.
"This…"
Tashigi furrowed her brows, muttering to herself, "You laid your sword on the ground…"
"Is this your way of warning me not to obsess over famous swords, but to focus on honing my sword skills?"
"..." Garen was speechless and could only sigh and facepalm.
"I see!" Tashigi exclaimed, fired up by his gesture. "My understanding of swordsmanship was far too shallow before!"
"The way of the sword isn't about the sharpness of a famous blade or the strength of one's body—it's about the beliefs born in our minds!"
"No wonder… No wonder you could channel your belief in justice and righteousness into your sword techniques, Senior Garen!"
With that, she bowed deeply to him.
"Thank you for the lesson!"
"Uh…" Garen looked at the excited Tashigi with a strange expression.
"Well, as long as it helped you, that's good."
"That self-righteous knight really is no good!" Genzo muttered darkly from the side as he watched Garen and Tashigi interact. "He already has a girlfriend, yet he's still openly flirting with a pretty Navy officer!"
"Genzo!" Nami snapped, arms akimbo. "I told you already—he's not my boyfriend!"
"That only makes me more worried," Genzo said, looking at Nami with concern in his eyes, as if she were his own daughter.
"Those noble knights are all wolves in sheep's clothing!"
"Stop imagining weird stuff!" Nami sighed and facepalmed.
She knew Genzo was probably spinning some tragic tale in his head about a poor girl sacrificing herself to save her hometown, only to be used and abandoned by a heartless noble knight...
Just as Genzo was about to launch into a speech about how girls needed to protect their dignity, the stern-faced Smoker approached, puffing on a large cigar.
Seeing the fierce Navy officer, Genzo immediately tensed up.
The worldly-wise Genzo looked at Smoker's fierce, imposing face and had already started calculating how much "appreciation money" he'd need to prepare.
"Everyone," Smoker said calmly, "since the Arlong Pirates have been eliminated, we'll be withdrawing now."
"Huh?" Genzo was surprised. "You're not staying a bit longer, sir?"
Nami, who had become quite familiar with Smoker by now, wasn't nearly as nervous. She smiled warmly and said, "Smoker, what's the rush?"
"If it weren't for you, my village wouldn't have been saved. I was planning to properly thank you."
"Taking down pirates is the Navy's duty. No need for thanks," Smoker replied indifferently.
"If you really want to thank someone, thank Garen. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have realized how much filth was hiding in the East Blue."
"But…" Nami hesitated. "You're really not taking anything with you?"
She had been deeply moved by this branch Navy unit's conduct and had started to change her previously biased view of the Navy. For once, she didn't act stingy in front of others.
"No need." Smoker firmly declined. "If I accepted gifts for simply doing my duty, I'd be no different from that scum Nezumi."
"Speaking of which, even though I've dealt with that tumor Nezumi, the East Blue's 16th Division probably still hides many hidden crimes. I need to get going and clean up the rest of the rot."
"Alright then," Nami nodded sincerely. "Thank you."
"Oh!" She suddenly remembered something and smiled at him. "Wait a bit before you go."
"I'll grab you some oranges from home to eat on the road."
…
AN: Just to clarify in advance to avoid misunderstandings later:
That big sword of Garen's can be considered a high-damage weapon against human enemies—but it does not have any "instant kill" effects.
There won't be any over-the-top feats like "one slash to kill a full-health Kaido" or "one slash puts Big Mom in a wheelchair."
No matter how much bonus damage the enemy provides, the base damage still matters.
Remember how even with 1000% boost from the Kaio-Ken, Goku still got crushed by Lord Frieza?
(End of Chapter)