Alex and Ryuuma have been training for weeks now, and Alex has had a ton of fun fighting him. The man is a powerhouse and a wealth of knowledge when it comes to the blade and Haki, or well, he called it Ryuo, since he was mostly in Wano Kuni.
Under the swordmaster's tutelage, Alex flourished, reaching 39% of the fusion and, once again, Bottleneck, but this time Alex knew how to breach it, and he took precautions for his plan as well.
Alex was now capable of cutting steel and perceiving the breath of all things; in other words, his technique was getting better and better, and his Haki and ability to imbue his sword with it were almost flawless.
As for Observation Haki, well, he got so good that he could sense a few moves ahead, and his Conqueror's Haki reached a stage where he could emit it continuously for about 6 hours straight.
Returning to what Alex was planning to do, Alex wanted to fight Ryuuma in earnest, sparring till either one of them was at death's door.
Unsurprisingly, Ryuuma agreed, and so they made their way to a wide area and unsheathed their swords, Alex going for a type of longsword, nearly his height in length, and Ryuuma unsheathing the blade that made him the Sword God he was, Shusui.
They stared at each other, and then they vanished, only to collide in a blinding clash, their swords binding and grinding against each other.
They jumped back, and the moment they landed on the ground, they dashed at the other again.
They both smiled as the killing intent in the area ramped up to the extreme; it's truly magnificent.
Haki flared out raw and intense; Ryuuma's side glowed a deep blue, and Alex's Haki was a rich purple and black.
They put their swords into a swinging position, about to swing, and yet, flying slashes were already slicing through the air, many in quantity, deadly in technique.
Alex attempted to use something akin to Mihawk's unnamed Slash, and it actually worked, and the moment it did, he heard a sound in his mind:
[System Notice]➔ The user has entered the Supreme Domain of Swordsmanship. No further bottlenecks shall impede your path with the blade.[Notice End]
Alex grinned even wider than before; his swordsmanship could now grow more and more, and he was all for that.
He focused his Haki into his blade once more as his eyes saw the near future, and his conqueror's Haki exploded in a show of force, and then he condensed it, letting himself be enveloped in it. He broke through in Haki as well, using an imperfect version of Conqueror's coating on his body and sword.
"One last attack, Ryuuma-Sensei?"
"Fine by me, Kid."
They rushed at each other, Power Haki clashing as they roared with fury and intent to kill.
Alex swung in the same moment his teacher did, and an explosion of force exploded out from the point of impact.
They were flung back with immense force, yet Ryuuma stopped after 5 steps and Alex did after 6, making Alex the loser of this battle.
"Aww man, I lost."
"Don't beat yourself up about it; we all do."
"Next time I'm beating you, best believe me, Sensei."
"You better not break that promise of yours then."
With that, the spar was over, and Alex simply lay down on the destroyed land and stared at the sky as he reviewed his progress.
[System interface]
Alex
Job: Marine (Rear Admiral)
Status:
Fusion Rate: 45%
Next milestone: 50%
Haki:
Arm: 4/10
Obs: 5/10
Con: 7/10
[System close]
Seeing his immensely fast progress in such a timeframe made him smile as he commented on his achievement, "Heh, nice."
Over the next few weeks, Alex kept up his diligent training, going above and beyond actually, trying to do the same as Garp did: punch shit until his Haki and body were as strong as possible.
His training under Ryuuma helped in the swordsmanship and Haki regards also, and he learned more and more about the two things by the day.
Eventually, his time off-duty came to an end, and so he was called to Kong's office once more as he was needed to complete another mission.
"Greetings, Fleet Admiral, sir."
"Hello to you as well, Rear Admiral Alex."
"I need you and your crew to go out and eliminate some pirate crews who have been stirring up trouble. Can you do that?"
Alex nodded and waited for the man to give him the names and details on the Crews.
Kong slid a folder over to him as he resumed talking, probably to give him some final news and send him off.
"You have to bring the following 10 crews to justice. By the way, you will be navigating familiar waters; the new world will be your hunting grounds. Be cautious and safe travels; you will move out as soon as possible."
"Understood, Fleet Admiral Kong."
Alex left and made his way to his office. It wasn't anything special, considering he was hardly in there. He had a table with a view of the port of Marineford, some shelves with books and records of his missions, which totaled a grand total of one mission till now, and the rest was kind of bland and unremarkable.
Alex sat in his comfy chair and opened the folder while rotating in his chair like a wild spinner.
{Mission Details:}
Hunt down and eliminate or apprehend the following 10 crews:
Rumbar Pirates (easy-level threat): A cheerful crew of wandering musicians who are better at throwing parties than throwing punches.
Walter Pirates (easy-level threat):
A lazy group of bounty hunters-turned-pirates, more interested in drinking and gambling than actual fighting.
Gang Gang Pirates (easy-mid-level threat):
A rowdy band of ex-mafia thugs who specialize in ambushes and dirty tactics.
Harpy pirates (easy-mid-level threat):
A crew made up almost entirely of speedsters, using lightweight ships and fast hit-and-run attacks.
Loveduck pirates (mid-level threat):
A bizarre romantic cult sailing the seas, led by a charismatic, love-obsessed captain who brainwashes enemies into joining.
Shade pirates (mid-level threat):
Silent, stealthy raiders who attack only at night, specializing in sabotage and assassinations.
Demon Pirates (mid-hard-level threat):
Savage, bloodthirsty fighters who use brutal strength and monstrous Zoan devil fruits to overwhelm opponents.
Robo-pirates (mid-hard-level threat):
A crew obsessed with technology and cybernetic enhancements; part pirate, part machine.
Cook pirates (hard-level threat):
A vicious group of cannibal chefs who believe in "cooking what you kill" and are infamous for hunting enemy crews and civilians like prey.
Whitebeard Pirates (Rocks Pirates branch) (impossible-level threat):
An elite branch of the Rocks Pirates, commanded by the rising monster known as Edward "Whitebeard" Newgate, each member a terrifying powerhouse in their own right.
PS: They are all in the New World; most are in the beginning, and the Whitebeard and Cook Pirates are more in the middle. They are all powerful; make sure to engage with caution!
{Details over}
Alex just sighed as he read over the Rumbar and the Whitebeard pirates; apparently, he would be the one to make Brook become a skeleton, and he would probably get clapped by Whitebeard. Man, what's up with Marine HQ and the government sending him on death missions?
"Guess now I'll find out how hard my skull is when it meets a seaquake punch."