Bane VS Zoro!

In the spacious Isshin Dojo, two figures were locked in combat.

One was Bane, and the other was Zoro.

Bane held a long blade in both hands, parrying rapidly in front of him. As the aggressor, Zoro possessed an imposing momentum; his Three Sword Style pressed Bane so hard that the latter could barely find an opening to counterattack.

Bane was naturally robust, and while Zoro's physique was not as imposing, his strength was equally astonishing. As their weapons clashed, sparks flew continuously.

In the moment after dozens of exchanges, one of the blades in Zoro's hands suddenly slid forward, slipping from his grip. The blade whipped toward Bane, aimed directly at his neck.

Bane, seemingly caught off guard by this move, instinctively raised his sword to block in his haste, exposing a flaw in his chest.

"It's over!" Zoro roared. He took the Wado Ichimonji he had been biting in his mouth with his free hand, his aura surged violently, and his arms tensed for a brief moment of power.

His already sturdy biceps seemed to inflate, swelling a size larger in that instant!

"Two Sword Style: Rhino Cycle!"

The two blades in Zoro's hands, like the horns of a rhinoceros, thrust fiercely toward Bane's chest.

At this moment, Bane knew he had lost the duel in terms of Sword Arts.

Indeed, half a year ago, Bane had successfully apprenticed himself to Koushiro, becoming a member of the Isshin Dojo.

In truth, Koushiro had not wanted to teach Bane Haki at first; he seemed to be intentionally hiding his past. However, Bane was shameless. He used a despicable tactic: "Mr. Koushiro, you wouldn't want others to know that you are close friends with the Revolutionary Army leader, Dragon, would you?" This successfully persuaded Koushiro, turning him from a teacher into a master.

Bane had originally thought that by forcing Koushiro this way, the subsequent training would be difficult, but facts proved his perspective was too narrow. After accepting him, Koushiro never made things hard for him, always conscientiously teaching him the foundations of Sword Arts and Haki.

That's right, only the basics of Haki. As for Ryuo and the like, according to Koushiro, they would only be taught at the very end.

Unexpectedly, Bane also possessed great talent in Sword Arts.

Coupled with his reliance on his own physical strength, nowadays, Zoro was the only one in the entire Isshin Dojo who could suppress him in a sword fight.

After all, while he might have some talent for the sword, Zoro was truly gifted and had been practicing for many years. Purely in terms of swordsmanship, Bane was no match for Zoro.

The moment Zoro's two blades were about to pierce Bane's chest, Bane decisively tossed his sword aside. This action carried a clear meaning: the battle from this point on would no longer be a pure test of Sword Arts.

Clearly, Zoro was already accustomed to this mode of combat between them.

"Soru!" Bane's feet slid, and his figure vanished from the spot, causing Zoro's two blades to strike empty air.

The next second, Bane's tall frame appeared behind Zoro. Dark elements swirled between his fingers as he clawed toward Zoro's shoulder with one hand.

Zoro, having missed his strikes, reacted with extreme speed. Without even turning around, he sensed the danger and let out a low shout: "Soru!"

His figure vanished from Bane's line of sight in that very instant.

Indeed, since Bane had joined the dojo with prior training, he did not hide his skills from Zoro and the others. He had asked Smoker before, and Smoker had no objections to Bane teaching others the Rokushiki, only requiring him to be a good judge of character and not entrust these techniques to the wrong people.

Therefore, not long after arriving at the Isshin Dojo, he began teaching Zoro to master the power of the Rokushiki.

Zoro had originally intended to leave the dojo to travel and train, but he hadn't expected Bane to arrive with a brand-new version of techniques he had never seen before. This sparked his interest in the Rokushiki, and he had been practicing them for the past six months.

However, unlike Bane's comprehensive study of the Rokushiki, Zoro was only interested in five: Soru, Geppo, Rankyaku, Tekkai, and Kami-e. As for Shigan, he had only gained a rough understanding before deciding not to pursue it at all.

The moment Zoro vanished from his sight, Bane didn't think twice, spinning and kicking backward with a roundhouse whip kick.

Sure enough, that was exactly where Zoro had landed. Faced with the incoming kick, Zoro didn't hesitate to cross his two blades to block. The next instant, Bane's foot slammed into the blades.

Unexpectedly, the collision of flesh and steel produced a metallic clang, as if two pieces of metal were striking each other.

If one looked closely, they would see a faint black aura on Bane's leg. This aura was not his ability, but Armament Haki!

Indeed, for the past six months, Bane had primarily focused on training his Haki. While he couldn't call himself a master, he had certainly mastered the basics of Armament Haki!

Holding Zoro's two blades down with one leg in a high-difficulty posture, Bane clasped his hands together in front of his chest and let out a low shout: "Black Annihilation: Tidal Surge!"

As his voice fell, his entire being seemed to transform into a dark abyss. Endless dark elements, like a surging giant wave, erupted from his body and spread in all directions, swallowing everything in the vicinity, including the ground itself.

On the small second-floor balcony outside the dojo, Koushiro held a cup of tea, watching the duel inside.

However, in his view, the dojo was now completely shrouded in darkness; he could see neither Bane nor Zoro.

"A Logia user, as terrifying as ever," Koushiro said with a chuckle as he sipped his tea.

In terms of Sword Arts, Zoro could crush Bane—this was a recurring outcome, without exception. Likewise, once Bane put down his sword, Zoro had no room to resist Bane's comprehensive strength.

Just as Koushiro finished his remark, the dark elements in the dojo began to recede like a retreating tide toward the center of the room. Soon, the figures of Bane and Zoro reappeared in his sight.

Bane stood motionless, his hands clasped in front of his chest like a devout monk.

Zoro, however, was in an awkward position. He was encased in a pitch-black sphere of dark elements, with only his head exposed, floating in the air, unable to struggle or move.

"Bastard, let me down!" Zoro cursed.

"Do you admit defeat?" Bane asked, looking at Zoro with a smile.

"If you admit defeat first, then I will!" Zoro gritted his teeth, responding with clear reluctance.

Bane understood the boy's stubbornness well and had no intention of torturing him, so he admitted generously, "In a contest of Sword Arts, my skill is inferior to yours. I admit defeat."

Zoro's face twitched slightly, but a moment later, he resigned himself to his fate. "In terms of overall strength, you are far stronger than me. I admit defeat."

After both had conceded, Bane withdrew his power and released Zoro from his Dark Water Prison.

"That's basically cheating. Your dark power wraps around the entire space, leaving no light source. My vision is completely blocked. If I can't master Observation Haki, I have no chance of winning," Zoro said helplessly as he picked up his swords from the ground.

Since Bane had learned Haki, Koushiro naturally wouldn't neglect Zoro, so Zoro was currently learning the power of Haki as well.

However, both he and Bane possessed considerable talent in Armament Haki, though their Observation Haki was merely passable.

As for Conqueror's Haki, neither of them had mastered it yet.

"This is the true power of a Devil Fruit. If you're interested, I'll get you one when we set sail for experience in the future. Don't say your senior brother doesn't look out for you," Bane laughed.

"I'm the senior brother, okay?" Zoro retorted, annoyed.

"Didn't we agree? Whoever is stronger is the senior brother," Bane countered as if it were only natural.

"I thought you meant in Sword Arts at the time!" Zoro said with an angry look.

"Don't joke around. Strength is strength; how could it be limited to just Sword Arts? You don't think every opponent you meet in the future will only know how to swing a blade, do you?" Bane mocked him without hesitation.

Zoro gritted his teeth, itching to slash Bane, but considering the vast gap in their strength, he swallowed his pride and said reluctantly, "Wait until I'm stronger than you."

"When that time comes, I'll call you senior brother. I'm a man of my word, unlike some people," Bane goaded him on purpose.

"Who isn't a man of their word!?" Zoro bristled instantly.

"Then what should you call me?" Bane lifted his chin, feigning arrogance.

Zoro's face twitched and veins bulged on his forehead, but he eventually lowered his voice and muttered, "Senior brother."

From the small two-story building in the distance, Koushiro watched the two brothers interact and couldn't help but smile. Whenever he saw moments like this, he felt that taking Bane in and teaching him might have been a good thing after all.