Of course, the former used a double-edged sword—a true sword.
As for the latter, although it was also called a sword, it was actually a tachi.
However, this was another world where swords and blades were not clearly distinguished, so mixing the two up was not really a problem.
"Was that sword energy just now something you unleashed?" Kuina asked again.
Shirou looked at her in confusion. Following her gaze, he soon noticed the long, narrow crack and suddenly understood.
That was not sword energy. It was probably an aftershock accidentally produced when his finger sliced through the air during his battle with Dragon.
"Did it cause any casualties?"
"Probably not. That direction is forest and farmland. It's so late now, no one should have gone there."
"That's good."
So that slash really had been her doing! Otherwise, she would not have asked whether anyone had been hurt.
With that thought, Kuina raised her bamboo sword and said seriously,
"Can we have a match? I want to see what true swordsmanship looks like."
"Your courage is commendable, but the gap between us is too great. You won't be able to see anything," Shirou warned her.
"It's fine!" Kuina shook her head slightly. "I want to know how far I still am from being the world's greatest."
"I see. Then make your move."
"Ha!"
Kuina swung her bamboo sword in a beautiful downward slash.
"No. Women are naturally at a disadvantage in physical strength compared to men. This kind of direct approach doesn't suit you."
Shirou extended the index finger of his right hand and pressed it against the tip of the bamboo sword, shaking his head slightly.
Then he added his middle finger, pinched the blade between two fingers, and applied a little force. The bamboo sword immediately flew from her grasp.
Shirou caught the bamboo sword by its hilt, faced the sea, and gave it a light swing.
In an instant! The sea split in two, forming two enormous waterfalls.
Kuina stared at the sea in shock. After waiting several seconds and seeing no sign of it returning to normal, she could not help asking,
"Um, how long will it take for the sea to recover?"
"Five or six minutes, I suppose."
"How far are you from the World's Greatest Swordsman?"
"If I told you that I was the world's greatest, would you believe me?"
"I believe you!"
Kuina nodded with utmost seriousness.
So this was the standard of the world's greatest—splitting the sea with a sword and keeping it from recovering for five minutes.
No, that was not all. She had looked so casual the entire time; perhaps she had not even used her full strength.
"Before, I always doubted whether I, as a woman, could truly become the World's Greatest Swordsman."
"But with someone like you as my example, I will definitely train desperately and catch up to you as soon as possible."
"One day, I will challenge you with equal strength!"
Uh...
Shirou was rendered speechless. Suddenly, he felt a little embarrassed to say that he was male.
"Sorry, but you may have misunderstood. I'm male."
As he spoke, Shirou canceled his mimicry and returned to his original eight-year-old appearance.
"Huh...?"
Dumbfounded, Kuina circled around him once, then asked in a flustered voice,
"Y-you're a boy?"
"Sorry to disappoint you."
"You look about the same age as me. Are boys outside all this strong?"
"No. There are differences between people."
"So girls really can't become the World's Greatest Swordsman?"
Kuina sighed in disappointment and stared blankly at the sea, not knowing what she was thinking.
Seeing this, Shirou shook his head slightly and said with great seriousness,
"I don't know whether girls can become the World's Greatest Swordsman, but I do know an absolute way to become the World's Greatest Swordsman."
"No matter who uses my method, they can become the world's greatest swordsman."
Kuina's eyes lit up. She quickly turned toward him and looked at him expectantly.
"What method?"
"Before that, I need to ask you a question. What is a sword?" Shirou pondered.
Kuina thought for a moment before answering tentatively,
"A sword is a combat technique, and an extension of one's fists and feet."
"That's not entirely wrong, but it isn't right either!" Shirou smiled slightly. "A sword is a weapon of murder, a means of killing. Keep challenging swordsmen stronger than yourself, rack your brain for ways to defeat them, and grow stronger step by step. As long as you never give up, after enough years, you will become the world's greatest swordsman."
At that moment, Kuina suddenly understood.
Ever since she was young, she had defeated one swordsman after another in the dojo, each stronger than herself.
But recently, her rate of improvement had slowed. Meanwhile, Zoro had been improving rapidly, and the gap between them had steadily narrowed.
Faced with that situation, she could not help doubting her own resolve and once again contemplating whether girls could become the World's Greatest Swordsman.
In truth, objectively speaking, the reason she had improved so quickly before was because all the dojo's disciples had been stronger than her.
Only by defeating one powerful opponent after another could she continue improving.
But now, she had no powerful opponents or goals. Every day, she only sparred with Zoro, who was weaker than her.
Without realizing it, she had become like those opponents she had once faced.
"I understand! I'm going to sea."
Shirou looked stunned. What kind of mental journey had led her to such a conclusion?
"How do you plan to go to sea?"
"Father definitely won't agree, so I plan to use my allowance to buy a small boat and set out alone."
"Uh... if you do that, you'll probably end up in a fish's belly very soon."
An eight- or nine-year-old girl rowing alone out to sea—even if her swordsmanship was decent, she would be unable to deal with a Sea King or even a small pirate crew.
Moreover, a navigator was essential for going to sea, and Shirou did not think she had learned any navigation knowledge.
"It'll be fine! Before I become the World's Greatest Swordsman, I absolutely won't die," Kuina said sternly.
"Don't say something so baseless. Not everyone has the luck of that rubber man."
Shirou sighed softly and looked Kuina over once more.
That determined look in her eyes did not seem like a spur-of-the-moment decision or a passing whim.
Even if he could stop her for a while, he could not stop her forever.
"I'm traveling through the East Blue, and my ship isn't far from here. Do you want to come with me?"
"Okay."
"When do you plan to leave? I'll have the ship come pick you up."
"I'll go back and pack some clothes, then leave tonight."
"You're not saying goodbye to your family?"
"There's no need. Leaving a letter is enough."
Because Father would definitely not agree.
The Best Opponents Were Everywhere
Section 67: The Best Opponents Were Everywhere
Early morning, Isshin Dojo in Shimotsuki Village.
"Kuina! I challenge you..."
Before he could finish, Zoro stopped in his tracks and stared at the dojo in astonishment.
Kuina, who was usually always the first to arrive for sword practice, was absent for the first time in a long while.
"Daruma, where did Kuina go?"
"I don't know. Kuina didn't come today."
"What's going on? Did Kuina get sick?"
Zoro looked around, picked up a bamboo sword, and began his daily sword-swinging practice.
After an unknown amount of time passed, Koshiro entered the dojo and began instructing the disciples in swordsmanship.
He had arrived much later than usual.
When Koshiro came before him, Zoro quickly put down his bamboo sword and asked,
"Where's Kuina? Why didn't Kuina come today?"
"Kuina won't be coming anymore."
"What? What happened to her? Could it be..."
"Kuina left a letter and went to sea."
As he spoke, Koshiro took a letter from his robes and handed it to Zoro.
There was only one sentence written on it:
Father, I've gone to sea. I'll come back to see you once I become the World's Greatest Swordsman.
Zoro looked at the letter in his hand and fell silent.
He really wanted to say that he wanted to go to sea too.
But he knew very well that he could not go to sea yet. First, he was not capable enough, and second, he did not have a ship he could use to go to sea.
"I'm going to train."
Seeing Zoro swing his sword with even greater seriousness, Koshiro could not help sighing.
Last night, not long after Dragon, leader of the Revolutionary Army, departed from the harbor, Kuina had left a letter behind and run away from home.
Judging from that, Kuina had probably left with Dragon.
Although joining the Revolutionary Army was dangerous, with Dragon looking after her, there probably would not be much of a problem.
Still, challenging the World's Greatest Swordsman as a woman was undoubtedly an even more difficult and uncertain path.
Kuina, is this the choice you made?
"Please teach me, Saint Saragni."
On the deck, Kuina tightly gripped a fine-grade sword Shirou had given her with both hands and looked at him solemnly.
Around them, the CP0 members all watched tensely.
"I'm not skilled with swords, and the gap in strength between us is too great. Even if we spar, you won't gain much from it."
At a thought from Shirou, a long, slender double-edged ice sword instantly appeared in his right hand.
"But you're stronger than me, so please teach me," Kuina said seriously.
Before you continue