Swordsmanship

"Mosen, the swordsmanship I learned in the Navy is the most common style on the seas: Iaido, also called Iaido Slash. Among ordinary people, it's known as Quick Draw Slash.

"The core of this sword style is killing with a single strike. Put simply, you defeat your opponent in the instant you draw your sword.

"That's why this sword style demands exceptional speed and Observation Haki.

"They say Iaido Slash was passed down from the samurai of Wano Country 800 years ago. It's known as the simplest, yet most powerful, swordsmanship.

"My swordsmanship instructor once told me that Iaido Slash has no upper limit. As long as you're strong enough, the slash you unleash will grow stronger and stronger.

"However, this sword style has its drawbacks, too. To kill with a single strike, you have to focus all your energy and spirit into that one slash. If you miss, it'll have a serious impact on your condition.

"Now I'll demonstrate Iaido Slash for you. Paddy, sorry for the trouble."

Paddy nodded and stepped in front of Michael.

Michael hung his standard-issue Navy longsword at his waist, took a bow stance, and gripped the hilt tightly with his right hand.

In the next instant, Michael's entire presence changed. The moment before, he'd looked like a dispirited middle-aged man; now he was as sharp as a drawn blade.

With his Observation Haki, Mosen could clearly sense Michael's life aura growing stronger by the moment. At the same time, Michael was channeling all his energy and spirit into his right hand—no, into his sword.

"Iaido: Instant Kill!"

With a furious shout, Michael sent a white slash cutting through the snow toward Paddy.

Watching from a short distance away, Mosen suddenly felt a sting on his cheek. He reached up and found a small cut there.

Mosen was stunned. He was at least ten meters away from Michael and Paddy, watching from the side. Michael hadn't aimed his strike at him at all, yet his cheek had still been cut.

The mere sharpness from Michael's slash cut my face from this far away. Is swordsmanship really that terrifying? Mosen thought.

But in the next instant, Mosen was dumbfounded. Paddy made no attempt to dodge the seemingly unstoppable strike.

She coated her fist in Armament Haki and punched straight into Michael's slash.

With a clang like metal striking metal, Michael's slash was scattered by Paddy's punch.

"Phew..." Mosen sucked in a breath at the sight.

"That stung a little." Paddy released her Armament Haki and slowly unclenched her fist.

Mosen hurriedly looked at Paddy's fist. Given how powerful Michael's attack had been, Mosen didn't think she could have taken it without a scratch.

Sure enough, he spotted a streak of blood on the back of Paddy's hand.

But before Mosen could get a good look, the wound had completely healed before his eyes.

Only then did Mosen fully understand what Paddy had meant earlier when she said the prisoners couldn't hurt her.

Michael was nothing like those prisoners. He'd spent this whole time in a little house, without having to worry about food. He hadn't had much to eat, but he'd been sheltered from the cold, so his strength should have recovered quite a bit.

Michael had at least half the strength he'd had at his peak.

And his slash just now had concentrated all his strength. Mosen knew he couldn't have withstood that strike, yet Paddy hadn't even dodged. She'd taken it head-on and ended up with nothing more than a cut on the back of her hand, which healed in the blink of an eye.

That showed just how vast the gap between Michael and Paddy was.

Mosen had been pretty pleased with his progress lately. He'd thought that any pirate with a bounty under a hundred million was easy pickings for him.

He believed he could hold his own against the likes of Michael and Ian. As for Mia, without Observation Haki, he could beat her however he pleased, couldn't he?

But after seeing Michael's attack, Mosen realized he still had some catching up to do. And Paddy was far stronger than Michael by an unknown margin.

It made sense, really. Paddy could go toe-to-toe with Kuzan. Kuzan at this point was certainly weaker than he'd be as a Marine Admiral, but even so, no ordinary Vice Admiral could hold a candle to him.

Saulo was a giant, with strength far beyond that of an ordinary human. Yet Kuzan at this point was strong enough to kill Saulo instantly.

By rights, Paddy ought to be able to do the same.

Michael was roughly at the level of a Marine Headquarters Rear Admiral, close to a Vice Admiral. Thinking of it that way, it wasn't hard to understand how Paddy had so easily stopped his full-power strike.

Mosen wasn't the only one stunned by Paddy. Michael, who'd just launched the slash, was also questioning everything he knew.

"Paddy, how old are you?" Michael asked after a long silence.

"Me? I'm thirty-two!"

"Thirty-two? I'm twenty-seven. We're practically the same age. I knew you were strong, but I had no idea you were that much stronger than me," Michael said with a wry smile.

"Paddy, you really are a monster. The Navy should be glad you were captured. With your potential, you might be able to go toe-to-toe with a Marine Admiral twenty years from now," Ian said.

"Hehe!" At everyone's praise, Paddy gave a bashful grin, then said, "Shiki once said I had a lot of potential, and that I might become a pillar of the Flying Pirate Group someday.

"But he also said my Devil Fruit Ability wasn't very good and would hold back my growth. If a Zoan isn't a Mythical Zoan, all it really does is make you tough and able to take a beating."

"An Ancient Zoan isn't good enough? A single Ancient Zoan Devil Fruit would fetch at least 300 million gold at auction. These big shots sure have high standards," Mia couldn't help saying.

"Enough, enough! Let's drop it. Mosen, did you follow my demonstration just now?" Michael asked.

Mosen nodded.

"Good. Now copy my stance, Mosen. Draw and sheathe your sword a thousand times every day. Keep it up for a month, then we'll see how proficient you are."

"Got it. Oh, Paddy, I'll also have to ask you to help me with the next stage of Armament Haki training. So far, I've only mastered Hardening. I've just started to get the hang of Emission, and I want to master it as soon as possible."

"Won't learning Armament Haki and swordsmanship at the same time be too much?" Paddy asked hesitantly.

"Don't worry! I'll be fine. What I need most right now is intense training. That's how I'll improve my physical strength and stamina."

"Then I'll teach you Armament Haki properly, too," Paddy promised.

Iaido Slash was a common sword style in the world of pirates, and Zoro mainly used it as well, so the protagonist had chosen this popular style.