The Gap Between Me and a Great Sword Master—Seeking Recommendations and Collections

Koshiro's true strength had always been a mystery, but one thing was beyond doubt—he was strong, very strong!

The chance to cross swords with a powerhouse like Koshiro made Mu Yu incredibly nervous.

But even more than that, he was thrilled!

Inside the dojo.

Mu Yu held White Deer in his hand, while Koshiro gripped a Bamboo Sword. Every disciple held their breath and focused intently.

Honestly, after studying at the dojo for so many years, this was their first time seeing Master Koshiro personally take the field.

At that moment, Mu Yu's body suddenly vanished. When he reappeared, he was already at Koshiro's side.

The sword in Mu Yu's hand was already slashing down above Koshiro's head.

Kuina, Zoro, and the others widened their eyes. None of them had expected Mu Yu to be so fast.

They had not even seen Mu Yu draw his sword, yet he had already closed in on Koshiro, his blade nearly striking Koshiro's head.

Their naked eyes could not even follow him. Had Mu Yu's strength already reached such an unfathomable level?

Everyone found it unbelievable!

Zoro in particular felt his pride shatter into pieces.

Is this the power of the Tree Planting Fruit? That's way too unfair!

But in the next second, everyone's eyes flew open as they stared in disbelief at what they saw.

Mu Yu, who had just seemed divinely aided, suddenly bent over like a shrimp. Koshiro's Bamboo Sword had lightly struck his abdomen.

"That hurts!"

Mu Yu curled into a ball, feeling his stomach churn violently. The pain nearly suffocated him.

Koshiro was too strong. It was only natural to lose to him, but Mu Yu was still deeply shaken!

With the Swordsmanship Tree grown to LV6 and the boost from Heroic Spirit Miyamoto Musashi's Soul Tree, Mu Yu had considered himself a fairly skilled swordsman. Yet he had not even seen Koshiro move before being instantly defeated!

If Koshiro had been holding a real sword, Mu Yu would have already been cut in half at the waist.

The dojo was silent enough to hear a pin drop.

Not only the disciples, but even the Instructors in the dojo were dumbfounded.

Master Koshiro was actually this strong?!

Zoro's eyes shone, and both his hands trembled faintly.

So even Mu Yu, with his cheat-like ability, was not invincible!

"One point. That's enough."

Instructor Sosuke raised a hand and called out.

"Wait."

Mu Yu spoke up, hurriedly stopping Instructor Sosuke.

Instructor Sosuke frowned. Victory was victory, defeat was defeat. Being unable to accept a loss was what was truly shameful.

Mu Yu naturally understood that as well and quickly explained, "Master Koshiro is too powerful. I accept this loss wholeheartedly. But I have one ultimate move, and I hope Master will guide me."

"Oh?"

Koshiro immediately became interested.

To be honest, Mu Yu's strength had already earned his recognition.

The reason he had defeated Mu Yu in one move was to give him a warning and temper his character.

Failure was not frightening. What was frightening was never recovering after failure!

In that regard, Koshiro had no concerns about Zoro at all.

But Kuina and Mu Yu...

What Koshiro had not expected was that Mu Yu still had an ultimate move.

Interesting!

Clang!

With the sound of metal scraping, Mu Yu slowly sheathed his sword.

"Iaijutsu?"

Koshiro instantly recognized Mu Yu's stance.

Mu Yu said, "This move of mine is a little unusual. Master, be careful!"

Koshiro remained smiling with squinted eyes, calm and unruffled.

"With this sword, I will slash Master's bamboo sword."

"Wait. Why the bamboo sword instead of my vital points? Mu Yu, if you lack even the resolve to strike at my vital points, then you are not worthy of receiving my true teachings!"

Mu Yu took a deep breath, his eyes growing ever calmer. "Understood! With this sword, I will slash Master's neck. Master, excuse me!"

The instant Mu Yu made that decision, his eyes changed.

In his world, everything began to disappear—the dojo floor, the walls, the furniture, even the Instructors kneeling within the dojo.

In the end, only Koshiro remained in Mu Yu's world.

More precisely, only Koshiro's neck remained!

Countless threads appeared in Mu Yu's vision, but they vanished one after another until only that "one" remained.

The instant he saw that thread, Mu Yu's eyes suddenly lit up.

"I see it! The 'one' designated by the Causal Magic Eyes [Eyes of the Thiên Nhãn]!"

At that moment, Mu Yu felt a mysterious force controlling his body, as though that causal thread were dragging him forward.

Koshiro had initially been quite casual, but as Mu Yu continuously entered the zone...

Koshiro felt an unprecedented sense of danger. Through his Observation Haki, he even "saw" the scene of his neck being severed.

It was truly astonishing!

Koshiro opened his squinted eyes, and they were filled with delight.

One-Sword Style: Iaijutsu!

Gale Whisper~~~

A sword cry rang out, and a streak of white light flashed past.

Everyone in the dojo felt an icy gust sweep through them. It was as though they had fallen into an ice cellar, their minds utterly captivated.

Was this the ultimate move Mu Yu had mentioned?!

An instant felt like ten thousand years.

When everyone came back to their senses, they were stunned to find that Koshiro and Mu Yu had not moved. It seemed as though nothing had happened.

The only difference was that Koshiro held Mu Yu's White Deer in his hand!

What had happened?

Mu Yu's eyes were somewhat vacant.

The [Eyes of the Thiên Nhãn] inherited from Heroic Spirit Miyamoto Musashi were Causal Magic Eyes, yet...

Sword Snatching!

Koshiro had actually taken his sword away in an instant!

The gap was simply too vast, so vast that Mu Yu nearly despaired.

Koshiro adjusted his glasses and carefully examined White Deer. "A fine sword, truly a fine sword. Mu Yu, this sword suits you very well. Cherish it."

After taking White Deer back from Koshiro, Mu Yu still felt as if his mind were a muddle.

"Yes, Master!"

Seeing how badly Mu Yu had been struck, Koshiro remained smiling with squinted eyes.

"Your strength has indeed reached a level where ordinary training is no longer useful, but your sword is still too light, too slow."

Too slow was easy enough to understand, but what did too light mean?

Had he failed to make the light heavy?

Or had his sword failed to carry any weight—any conviction?

Honestly, Mu Yu did not understand at all.

However, Koshiro had no intention of explaining.

"Mu Yu, listen carefully. When a swordsman wishes to cut, he can cut anything. When he does not wish to cut, he cannot even cut paper. You must learn to sense 'breath'!"

As a One Piece fan, Mu Yu was very familiar with those words.

In his previous life, he had even seen all sorts of interpretations of them.

But when he truly heard Koshiro instruct him like this, he could not understand them at all.

From a scientific perspective, if speed reached a certain level, cutting through steel was entirely possible.

In his previous life, Mu Yu had seen a news story about a falling condom punching a hole through a speeding car.

If one swung a sword quickly enough, not only could one cut through steel, one could even stir the airflow and achieve the level of a Flying Slash.

The clearest example of a Flying Slash was the airflow generated by fighter jets breaking the sound barrier at high speed, which could even shatter tall buildings.

But the human body had limits!

Not only were there limits to strength, there were also limits to the distance a sword could be swung. All of these restricted a move's power.

How could one cut through everything?

What was "breath"?

Haki?