Seeing Koushirou so serious, Kuina froze.
It was the first time she had ever seen her father like this.
She didn’t realize that Koushirou was currently gripped by fear, the fear of losing his only daughter.
Seeing this scene, Ban glanced at Wado Ichimonji and then turned to leave.
If Kuina doesn’t die, will Zoro still ask for Wado Ichimonji and inherit Kuina’s will?
Through his Observation Haki, he could sense Zoro training like crazy.
Zoro had two ropes in his hands, with a stone tied to the other end of each rope, and a dumbbell clamped in his mouth.
“Well, not bad!” Ban walked into the yard, bent his knees slightly, and leaped onto the roof.
He placed En beside him, lay down, and squinted at the bright, scorching sun in the sky, with both Observation and Armament Haki fully active.
“Alright, time to get strong.
Koushirou probably won’t hold anything back.”
Ban closed his eyes, thinking to himself.
In the following days, Kuina seemed like a changed person.
Even with Ban’s presence before, Kuina would often seem preoccupied.
But now, her personality had become cheerful and outgoing.
Perhaps this was more like how an eleven-year-old girl should be.
Zoro, though curious about Kuina’s change, continued to compare himself to her.
Then, a few days later, Ban found himself looking at a serious Zoro, who was using his three-sword style and staring intently at him.
“Did you beat Kuina?”
Ban asked, eyes still closed.
“Kuina willingly conceded.
Now, my goal is you.”
Zoro was very serious.
Ban turned his head toward where Kuina was.
“Yep, I lost!”
Kuina said with a cheerful smile.
“So, you’re just casually dumping this problem on me?”
“That’s none of my business!”
Kuina shook her head, then looked at Zoro.
“But my goal is still to be the world’s strongest swordsman.”
Kuina said, then stopped talking and sat down on the ground, propping her chin on her hand, ready to watch the fight unfold.
“I’m not a problem, Ban.
Accept my challenge!”
Zoro’s eyes widened, looking at Ban with anticipation, waiting for Ban to agree.
“Alright, alright!”
Ban sighed.
Seeing Zoro about to charge, he raised a hand to stop him.
“But you’ll have to wait.
I haven’t even started my training today yet.”
Zoro, who was about to charge, stumbled and almost fell.
After regaining his balance, he looked at Ban with confusion.
Koushirou, carrying a sword, slowly walked over, unfazed by the scene before him.
“The island isn’t suitable for fighting.
The boat is at the pier, and there’s a small, uninhabited island nearby.”
With that, Koushirou turned and walked towards the pier, and Ban followed directly behind him.
Kuina followed without hesitation, and Zoro, though bewildered, was driven by curiosity to follow them as well.
The small island was indeed not far; it took only about half an hour by boat from Shimotsuki Village.
“Master Koushirou!”
After stopping the boat, Zoro couldn’t hold back his curiosity and asked Koushirou.
“Kuina, Zoro, you two wait on the boat.
Don’t come near.”
Koushirou turned to face them, instructing them.
Ban’s next training session would involve actual combat.
This was something he had agreed upon with Ban earlier, and from now on, they would have such spars daily.
Ban was also very much looking forward to it.
Glancing at Kuina and Zoro, who were quietly waiting, Ban bent his knees slightly and leaped up forcefully.
The immense force caused the small boat to rock violently, clearly indicating the power with which he had pushed off the deck.
Zoro swallowed hard.
He suddenly wondered if challenging Ban was just asking for a beating.
The small island wasn’t large and was quite desolate.
The part that was above sea level consisted entirely of broken rocks, with not a single blade of grass visible.
Traces of water could still be seen on these rocks.
After landing, Ban looked at Koushirou, who had also leaped and landed nearby.
“From now on, you can try to learn my swordsmanship.”
Koushirou looked at Ban with a peaceful expression and spoke calmly.
“Although the swordsmanship you develop through your own combat experience is best suited for you, learning more is never a bad thing.”
Ban nodded in response, naturally not refuting his words.
It’s always good to learn from the strengths of many different masters—that’s easy to understand.
“The swordsmanship I teach is inherited from my father, the Frost Moon family’s traditional style.
Frost Moon swordsmanship focuses heavily on powerful cleaving and slashing attacks.
When cleaving, we adjust our breathing and let out a loud roar to enhance the power of the strike.”
Koushirou drew his weapon and began to explain.
“Like this.”
Koushirou held the sword with both hands, adopting a stance.
In the next instant, he appeared in front of Ban as if teleporting, raised his sword high, and brought it down with a heavy cleave.
“Hah!”
A roar accompanied the cleave.
Clang!
Ban swung his sword to parry, and was sent flying backward.
After adjusting his posture, Ban landed.
Looking at the sword cleaving down at him, a smile appeared on Ban’s face.
He held his sword with both hands and swung it upward in an upward slash.
Clang!
The sound of metal clashing rang out, and Ban’s legs bent slightly, the ground beneath his feet suddenly cracking.
“What immense strength!”
Koushirou retreated, using the recoil force, and exclaimed in surprise after he regained his footing.
He had long known that Ban’s growth far surpassed ordinary people, and that he was getting stronger at a rapid pace.
And now, he had used seventy percent of his strength and still hadn’t gained the upper hand.
He knew he wasn’t among the top powerhouses on the seas, but he had been diligently training in swordsmanship for decades.
But what about Ban?
Of course, neither party in the exchange was using any power beyond pure swordsmanship and physical strength.
“My turn!”
Ban paid no attention to Koushirou’s exclamation.
He suddenly exerted force with his legs, causing the ground to crack open.
Just like Koushirou earlier, Ban was in front of him in the blink of an eye.
He swung his right hand, unleashing a horizontal slash with his sword.
As their weapons collided, Ban distinctly felt that the force of Koushirou’s sword was being guided—or rather, deflected—from his own.
Ban smiled.
The sword he had swung with full force could actually be retracted, and after retracting it, he swung it horizontally again.
With this strike, Koushirou was directly sent flying backward, performing several flips in the air before landing.
“Crude!
You are merely using your strength in a very rough manner!”
Koushirou said, his face dark, clearly annoyed.
“But it’s very effective.”
Ban didn’t mind Koushirou’s tone and replied with a smile.
“But on these seas, you will always encounter people who are stronger than you, such as the giants, and those true monsters of the sea.”
Koushirou felt that Ban relied too much on his own brute strength.
Can you truly suppress every opponent with pure strength?
“This is only the first day.
I just wanted to make sure Master Koushirou understands that I’m actually quite capable.”
Ban said cheerfully.
“Are you showing off your strength to me?”
Koushirou paused, then understood Ban’s meaning.
Ban was telling him to just go all out.
In that case, Koushirou’s eyes took on a dangerous glint.
It seems I’ve been underestimated by Ban.
“Monday to Friday – Update 3 Chapters a Day”
“Saturday and Sunday – Off”