Bamboo swords lay scattered across the ground as Zoro hurriedly picked them up.
Austin naturally knew that this was Zoro's first time holding a sword in his life. It would have been strange if he had won.
At most, he was an ordinary brat with a bit of brute strength.
Against an opponent like Kuina, who had undergone systematic swordsmanship training and was also older, it would only take one strike to defeat him.
But...
Austin looked at Kuina with interest.
To be honest, female swordsmen were still quite rare out at sea. There were not many female powerhouses overall, either.
As for those who could be considered powerful swordsmen, setting Big Mom aside, Austin could only remember Smoothie and Gion. Their upper limits were certainly restricted.
But with the "fated bonus" of being Zoro's lifelong rival, Austin felt that she might become very strong someday.
After all, in the Pirate World, whether someone became strong really did depend quite a lot on luck and destiny.
At that thought, Austin curled his finger, briefly taking over Zoro's body.
This was not direct control, but rather a kind of...
Fine control.
For example, Zoro's strikes would naturally always land in the theoretically best positions, whether for defense or attack.
Picking up a sword in each hand, Zoro suddenly felt that holding them was incredibly smooth, as though this was how he had been born to hold swords. His stance was exceptionally standard.
Kuina had practiced swordsmanship since childhood and knew her craft well. Seeing Zoro's two-sword stance, she frowned.
"Have you... learned Two-Sword Style?"
But Zoro merely gritted his teeth and replied,
"Of course not! Today is my first time holding a bamboo sword!!!"
His first time?
His first time, yet his posture was already so standard and imposing. Was this