"So, you both survived. Good! That means you have what it takes to do what needs to be done. Hence, until we reach our destination, you'll be training under my tutelage." Catherine told us while we stood before her at attention, just like the proper little soldiers that we were being raised as.
"But mam, didn't we train under your supervision already? What's the difference?" Rob asked from my left and I could see, from the corner of my eye, that he had a small sheen of sweat on his forehead. I wonder why. He never was all that nervous before when talking to the chick in commander robes.
"The difference is that I never took an active part in your training and only observed to make sure you never made any irrevocable mistakes. That changes from now on! We will start with a quick check up on what you can do so far. Afterwards I'll grind you through the ringer!" Catherine said with a small sadistic smirk on her face. I hope she knows what she's talking about when it comes to fighting and hasn't just bought her rank somehow…
Turns out she kinda knows what she's on about. Well, I've never actually fought the woman before or seen her fight someone else, which makes it a little harder to gauge her abilities, but from the things she's shown us so far, she is no pushover.
Why? Well, she introduced us to the Rokushiki. A skillset I had completely forgotten about. Luckily, Catherine was now here to remind me of it.
Contrary to what I thought, after she told us about the Rokushiki, she and the rest of our instructors are not masters of all the Rokushiki skills but of only one each. Of course, they know a little bit about the other skills of the Rokushiki as well but nonetheless possess 'complete' mastery of only one of them, each. Ye, right.
That fact alone was somewhat baffling to me. I mean, it is understandable that people have different affinities for the different skills and more talent for some than for others. And yet I couldn't help but draw the conclusion from those facts that the people in the world government were fucking lazy!
I mean, how? How can you be incredibly good at only one of the Rokushiki but suck ass at the rest?! If you suck at one, more than the others you train until you reach a satisfyingly high enough level at it, don't you? Ye, you would think so, right? Turns out that isn't how it works in this world.
For some fucked up reason people don't train their asses of in an institution that is practically screaming to the world their dominion over the realm through nothing but martial skill, or at least not anymore! Bloody idiots, the lot of them…
Anyway, I went of on a tangent there for a second. Now, where was I? Oh yes, Catherine. She, besides five other people, is one of the instructors at the secret training base meant for the future Cipher Pol agents and specialises in Kami-e. Ye, surprised me a little as well. Was thinking more on the lines of the Shigan or something alike.
Anyway, Kami-e is kinda freaky, not gonna lie. To see someone warp and twist out of the way of an attack like a piece of paper is really something you don't see every day and I'm feeling giddy only thinking about learning stuff like that!
Besides Kami-e, Catherine showed us the other powers of the Rokushiki as well. I would be lying when I said I wasn't a teeny tiny bit excited at her performance.
After her initial introduction of Kami-e she followed up with the Tekkai, pretty much the opposite of Kami-e. Where you evade an attack with Kami-e, like a piece of paper in the wind, with Tekkai you tense your muscles so strongly that you practically become an unmovable piece of iron and tank the attack head-on. Ye, not gonna need to practise that one much I reckon.
Next we had two skills that I instantly knew were an absolute must for me to learn. Kami-e and Tekkai not so much in comparison. Soru and Geppo. What do they do? Well, Soru is practically a high-speed movement technique, to put it mildly. In fact, Catherine moved so fast I didn't even see the moment she disappeared from before my very eyes which, not gonna lie, sent quite the shiver down my spine.
Soru definitely was a must for me and I would master this technique like I boss if I had anything to say about it!
Besides Soru there was Geppo, as I said already. It is a skill that would no doubt safe my ass someday and was imperative for somebody like me who has eaten a devilfruit and will pretty much drown like a stone the second he touches the ocean. Thus, I decided that both Geppo and Soru would be the first two skills I would master!
Of course, there was still the Shigan and the Rangyaku, also known as the finger pistol and wind sickle, a kind of projected blade made to cut from the distance, but I don't think I will be hard pressed with learning those two. After all, if my thoughts on the matter are correct, then you train the Shigan by strengthening you fingers until they are each strong enough to punch through concrete, which I can do already and the Rangyaku by kicking the air fast enough. Once the trainee is able to do so I bet you would simply employ Soru for your fingers and legs to receive the Shigan and Rangyaku as end result.
If I was right then I truly wanted to learn Soru. After all, my whole body was made of steel! I wonder, would it be possible to do a full body Shigan? Something to think about for the future.
Anyway, after Catherine's little demonstration we were promptly enlisted for a nice and juicy training regime by the woman and thus started our little own easy-going adventure into the depths of the Rokushiki! Heh, who am I kidding. It was brutal.