“Of course.
Getting your first bounty is a moment worth celebrating.” Zhuyun smiled and looked toward Shirou.
“Shirou, I’ll leave the banquet preparations to you.”
“You really do love ordering people around, Master.” Shirou sighed.
“Aren’t we holding banquets a little too often?
And all of you eat so much.
It’s exhausting.”
“Would a Heroic Spirit really get tired from cooking a few extra dishes?” Zhuyun clearly didn’t believe him.
“Keep it up.
Maybe we’ll find a chef to share the workload with you someday.”
Zhuyun patted Shirou on the shoulder in consolation.
“It’s not my body that’s tired.
It’s my heart.” Shirou walked toward the kitchen as he spoke.
“I’m starting to think my true class isn’t Archer, but Chef.
By the way, does the Chef class even exist among Heroic Spirits?”
“It does, it does.
And you’re the Grand Chef.
Hahaha.”
Zhuyun teased him.
***
“Ah, no matter how many times I eat it, food made by Shirou never disappoints.”
Zhuyun sat back in his chair with a toothpick between his teeth.
“Indeed.
I’ve never had food this delicious before.
When sailing, having a good chef really is essential.
I never received treatment this good during my voyages around the world.”
Drake looked into the distance, recalling her past voyages.
“If I keep eating like this, I’m going to get fat.”
Musashi stood up.
“No, I need to exercise.”
“If you want to exercise, how about teaching me your swordsmanship?” Zhuyun also stood up.
“After obtaining your Noble Phantasm, I gained a decent understanding of swordsmanship, but I’m still far behind you.
My comprehension is nowhere near enough.”
“Hahaha, if my Master is interested in my swordsmanship, I’ll naturally teach you everything I can.”
Musashi drew her sword and looked at Zhuyun.
“Then, Miyamoto Musashi, reporting for duty.”
“Then, Master Musashi, I’m coming at you.”
Zhuyun drew the katana they had confiscated from the Arlong Pirates and stood opposite Musashi.
“Clang!”
“Slash!”
Knowing that he was far inferior to Musashi in swordsmanship, Zhuyun didn’t hold back and launched the first attack.
Blades flashed as the sword techniques of the same school clashed against each other.
***
“Clang!”
“Uh…”
Zhuyun stared speechlessly at the two broken blades in his hands.
“Hahaha, Master, don’t be discouraged.
This time, it’s simply because my sword is better than yours.
Once you get a good sword, we can have another match.”
“Even with a good sword, I’d probably lose before long.”
Zhuyun knew his own limits.
“Instead of looking for a Supreme Grade sword or something similar, I should put learning Projection Magecraft on the agenda.
With the insights I gained from Unlimited Blade Works, I should be able to learn Projection Magecraft quite quickly.”
“Teacher Shirou, I’ll be counting on you.”
Zhuyun looked toward Shirou.
“Since it’s my Master’s request, of course I’ll teach you properly.”
Shirou raised an eyebrow.
“Master.”
Musashi walked up behind Zhuyun.
“Do you know of any powerful swordsmen nearby?
After sparring with you just now, I suddenly really want to see what swordsmanship is like in this world.”
“Hmm.
Speaking of powerful swordsmen, Shimotsuki Village’s Isshin Dojo master, Koushirou, might be one.”
Zhuyun stroked his chin.
“We shouldn’t be far from Shimotsuki Village.
Drake, let’s head there next.”
“Of course, Master.”
Drake turned the helm, directing their course toward Shimotsuki Village.
“Come to think of it, Koushirou’s daughter should still be alive at this point.
We might as well save her.
It would be a shame for such a young girl to die.”
Zhuyun looked toward the direction of Shimotsuki Village.
***
Night descended, and countless stars filled the night sky.
By the time the Golden Hind arrived near Shimotsuki Village, it was already night.
“Excuse me, sir.
Could you tell me where Koushirou’s Isshin Dojo is?”
Zhuyun stopped an elderly man who was out for a walk.
“Isshin Dojo?
It’s over there.”
The old man pointed in a direction.
“You’re here to learn swordsmanship from Koushirou, aren’t you?
Let me tell you, Koushirou is a truly skilled swordsman.
Many people in the village don’t know it, but I do.
I once personally saw him cut apart a pirate ship that came to the village with a single slash.”
“Really?
Then Koushirou must be quite formidable.”
After listening to the old man, Zhuyun and the others walked past him.
“However, we’re not here to become his disciples.
To be precise, we’re here to challenge the dojo.”
“Eh?!”
***
“You’ve got to be kidding me!
You’ve beaten me so many times, yet you’re worried that a woman can’t become the world’s greatest swordsman?”
Zoro glared angrily at Kuina.
“Listen carefully.
Let’s make a promise.
One day, one of us will become the world’s greatest swordsman.”
“Zoro!”
Kuina stared at Zoro in surprise.
“Yeah.
Definitely!”
“Looks like we made it in time.”
From a distance, Zhuyun watched Kuina head back toward Isshin Dojo after making her promise with Zoro.
He thought to himself, We made it in time.
“Everyone, wait here for me.
I’m going to check on that girl.”
With that, Zhuyun bypassed Zoro and quietly followed Kuina.