'Yes, Vice Admiral Tsuru!', Seraphilia stood at attention, her voice steady, but her fingertips betrayed her inner turmoil.
'Your ability', Tsuru began, each word clear and heavy, 'is not just about creating Cloud Mist and simple restraints. You are trying to alter the local environment, disrupt his actions, and even... affect the instantaneous burst of his power?
Seraphilia was shocked. Monster! This Vice Admiral, known for her wisdom, had an eerily perceptive gaze.
'Yes!', Seraphilia took a deep breath, forcing herself to respond calmly, 'I believe that the nature of clouds lies in their formlessness and adaptability. Entrapping, distracting, and creating a favorable 'momentum' for our side can sometimes be more effective and energy-efficient than direct confrontation.
Tsuru nodded, a faint, almost appreciative gleam in her deep eyes. 'Not a bad idea. Your understanding and application of your abilities show promise.
This brief acknowledgment made Seraphilia's heart race.
But Tsuru's tone shifted, still calm, yet precise as a scalpel, 'However, your foundation is weak. Your physical technique is crude, relying solely on the flexibility and instantaneous bursts granted by your fruit abilities. Your movements, though agile, lack any discernible pattern and are full of flaws. As for Haki...', she paused, her gaze saying it all—you haven't even begun to grasp it.
'What a waste of this insight into your abilities.', Tsuru concluded, her voice devoid of emotion, as if stating a fact.
These words struck Seraphilia like a thunderclap!
'What a waste...' These three words hurt more than any harsh criticism.
It wasn't disdain, but a precise observation—a strong figure at the peak, lamenting that a rough gem had not received better cultivation!
Behind this lament was an acknowledgment—she could have been so much more!
With that, Tsuru turned away, giving the Branch Leader a few low instructions before leaving the field, surrounded by her entourage.
Seraphilia stood there, watching Vice Admiral Tsuru's upright figure disappear around the corner of the barracks, her palms slick with cold sweat.
That brief encounter, those words 'What a waste', stirred a storm within her. A surge of defiance and burning desire welled up from deep within her.
She understood that she had been noticed by one of the Marine's top figures.
This could be an opportunity or a crisis. Vice Admiral Tsuru had seen her potential and her fatal flaws.
Did that 'waste' imply... some possibility?
From that day forward, Seraphilia keenly sensed subtle yet real changes in her daily life at the branch.
During training, the notoriously strict combat instructor, known for reducing new recruits to tears, stopped after seeing Seraphilia knocked down by an opponent. He frowned, then shouted, 'Idiot! Seraphilia! Your clouds let you float, but they don't root you! A weak stance means a cloud won't help if the enemy sweeps your legs! When you punch, your core must engage smoothly, not just your arms! Again!
Though his tone was rough, his critique was spot-on, addressing her exact weaknesses. Seraphilia got up, adjusted her stance as instructed, and felt a smoother flow of power with her next punch.
In the branch's small library, she found a rare notebook on the principles of the Six Powers''Shave', placed conspicuously. Opening it, she found concise yet insightful pencil annotations by an unknown hand, their insights piercingly accurate.
Even in a mock urban warfare exercise, the commanding officer's tactics eerily echoed her own untested ideas on using narrow spaces and Cloud Mist to create 'visual mazes' and'sensory disruptions'.
After the exercise, the officer glanced at her, saying nothing, but the look was not coincidental.
All of this was too coincidental to be mere chance.
Seraphilia knew this was Vice Admiral Tsuru's subtle, unobtrusive way of observing and guiding her.
This wise commander wasn't intervening directly but testing her comprehension, character, and the potential she deemed 'wasted', to see if it was worth further investment.
Her faint hope began to burn brighter, driving her to train even harder, incorporating every 'coincidental' piece of advice into her system.
She started to blend the development of the Cloud-Cloud Fruit with the Marine's Six Powers, aiming to surpass human limits.
No longer content with simple form changes, she sought to understand the principles behind 'power flow','spatial control', and'sensory deception', using Cloud Mist to achieve them.
Her strength began to evolve, not just accumulating but transforming. Her control over Cloud Mist became more precise, even mimicking the 'Paper Art' effect of redirecting force or creating brief visual afterimages. Though far from mastering the Six Powers or Haki, her direction was clear.
She kept all this to herself, not even sharing with Robin.
At night, she turned the emotions of being'seen' and 'guided', along with the fatigue from training, into tighter embraces and longer gazes.
She knew, more than ever, that protecting her precious one required more than just a smart mind and a fruit. She had to seize any opportunity that came her way, no matter what it meant.
On the evening before Vice Admiral Tsuru left the Black Iron Town branch, Seraphilia had just finished extra training when a messenger found her.
'private first class Seraphilia, Vice Admiral Tsuru wants to see you alone in the temporary office.',
The moment had finally come. Seraphilia straightened her sweat-soaked uniform, took a deep breath, and her ice-blue eyes calmed like an iceberg. She walked towards the door that could decide her and Robin's future, each step firm and resolute.
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