Bane VS Zoro!

In the spacious sword dojo, two figures were sparring.

One was Bane, while the other was Zoro.

Bane held a long sword in both hands, rapidly blocking in front of him. Zoro, the attacker, pressed forward with an imposing aura, wielding Three Sword Style with one hand, suppressing Bane until he could barely find any opening to counterattack.

Bane was naturally strong and sturdy. Though Zoro was not as powerfully built as Bane, his strength was equally astonishing. Their weapons clashed again and again, sending sparks flying from time to time.

In one instant after dozens of exchanges, one of Zoro's swords suddenly slid forward and flew from his hand, its blade whipping toward Bane's neck.

Bane clearly had not expected that move. In his haste, he instinctively raised his sword to block, but that motion exposed an opening in his chest.

"It's over!" Zoro roared. With his free hand, he pulled Wado Ichimonji from his mouth. His aura surged sharply as both arms briefly drew back to gather strength.

His already muscular biceps seemed to inflate, swelling by a whole size!

Two Sword Style: Rhino Cycle!

The two swords in Zoro's hands shot forward like the horns of a rhinoceros, stabbing fiercely toward Bane's chest.

At that moment, Bane understood that he had lost the contest of Sword Arts.

That was right. Half a year ago, Bane had successfully become Koushiro's disciple and joined Isshin Dojo.

At first, Koushiro had not wanted to teach Bane anything about Haki. He seemed to be deliberately concealing his past. But Bane was shameless enough to pull the dirty move of, "Mr. Koushiro, you wouldn't want others to know that you're friends with the Revolutionary Army leader, Mr. Dragon, would you?" He successfully convinced Koushiro, turning him from a teacher into a master.

Bane had originally thought that after forcing Koushiro's hand like that, Koushiro might make things difficult for him during training. But reality proved that Bane had been too narrow-minded. After accepting him, Koushiro had never made things difficult for him. He had always diligently taught him the fundamentals of Sword Arts and Haki.

That was right, only the fundamentals of Haki. As for Ryuo and the like, Koushiro said they would be taught only at the very end.

Unexpectedly, Bane also possessed considerable talent in Sword Arts.

Combined with his naturally powerful physique, there was currently only one person in the entire Isshin Dojo who could suppress him in Sword Arts: Zoro.

After all, Bane might have some talent in Sword Arts, but Zoro was truly extraordinarily gifted and had practiced for many years. In terms of swordsmanship alone, Bane was no match for Zoro.

Just as Zoro's two swords were about to pierce Bane's chest, Bane decisively tossed his own sword aside. That action carried a certain meaning: from this point onward, the fight would no longer be a simple contest of Sword Arts.

And clearly, Zoro had long grown accustomed to this style of sparring between them.

"Soru!" Bane's feet slid, and his figure vanished from the spot with a flash, causing Zoro's two swords to miss entirely.

The next second, Bane's tall figure appeared behind Zoro. Dense Darkness Element swirled between his fingers as he formed one hand into a claw and grabbed at Zoro's shoulder.

Zoro reacted just as quickly after missing with his swords. Without even looking back, he sensed the danger and shouted, "Soru!"

His figure likewise disappeared from Bane's sight in that instant.

That was right. Since Bane had entered the dojo with preexisting skills, he had not hidden anything from Zoro and the others. He had asked Smoker beforehand, and Smoker had not objected to Bane teaching others Rokushiki, only telling him to judge people carefully and not entrust the techniques to the wrong person.

Thus, not long after arriving at Isshin Dojo, he began teaching Zoro how to learn and master the power of Rokushiki.

Zoro had originally planned to leave the dojo and go out to train, but Bane's arrival brought something entirely new that he had never seen before. This sparked his interest in Rokushiki, and he had spent the past half year training in it as well.

However, unlike Bane, who studied all of Rokushiki, Zoro was interested only in five techniques: Soru, Geppo, Rankyaku, Tekkai, and Kami-e. After getting a basic understanding of Shigan, he had not bothered to study it further.

The instant Zoro vanished from his sight, Bane did not even pause to think. He immediately spun and lashed out with a roundhouse kick behind him.

Sure enough, Zoro landed right there. Facing Bane's incoming kick, he raised both swords to block without a word. The next moment, Bane's foot slammed into the blades.

Unexpectedly, flesh striking steel produced a ringing metallic clang, as if two metals had collided.

A closer look would reveal a faint black aura around Bane's leg. This aura was not his ability, but Armament Haki!

That was right. Over the past half year, Bane had mainly trained in Haki. He could not be called proficient yet, but he had at least crossed the threshold into Armament Haki!

Holding down Zoro's two swords with one leg in an incredibly difficult posture, Bane brought his hands together before his chest and said in a low voice, "Black Annihilation: Tidal Surge!"

As his words fell, he seemed to transform into a dark abyss in an instant. Endless Darkness Element surged from his body in all directions like raging waves, swallowing everything around him along with the ground itself.

On the small two-story building outside the sword dojo, Koushiro held a cup of tea as he watched the sparring match inside.

But now, the entire dojo within his field of vision had been engulfed in darkness. He could see neither Bane nor Zoro.

"A Logia user is still as terrifying as ever," Koushiro said with a warm smile after taking a sip of tea.

In Sword Arts, Zoro could utterly crush Bane. That was the outcome every time, without exception. Likewise, once Bane set down his sword, Zoro had no room whatsoever to resist Bane's overall strength.

Just as Koushiro finished his remark, the Darkness Element in the dojo receded like a falling tide, contracting toward the center. Soon, Bane and Zoro reappeared in his sight.

Bane stood motionless where he was, his hands pressed together before his chest like a devout monk.

Zoro, on the other hand, was in an awkward position. His entire body was wrapped in Darkness Element, forming a pitch-black sphere. Only his head protruded from the ball as he floated in the air, unable to struggle or move.

"Bastard, put me down already!" Zoro cursed.

"Giving up?" Bane asked with a cheerful grin.

"If you admit defeat first, then I'll admit defeat!" Zoro replied through gritted teeth, clearly unwilling.

Bane understood the boy's competitive nature very well and had no intention of tormenting him. He readily admitted, "In a contest of Sword Arts, I'm weaker than you. I concede."

Zoro's face twitched slightly, but after a moment, he resigned himself and said, "In terms of overall strength, you're far stronger than me. I concede."

After both admitted defeat, Bane withdrew his power and released Zoro from the Dark Water Prison.

"That's practically cheating. Your Darkness Power wraps up the entire space. There isn't even a single source of light, so vision is completely obstructed. If someone can't master Observation Haki, they have no chance of winning at all." Zoro picked up his swords from the ground and spoke helplessly.

Since Bane was learning Haki, Koushiro naturally would not neglect Zoro. Thus, Zoro was also learning the power of Haki.

However, whether it was Zoro or Bane, both had considerable talent for Armament Haki. Their Observation Haki, though, was merely mediocre.

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

"That's the strength of Devil Fruits. Interested? When we head out to sea and train someday, want me to get one for you too? Don't say your senior brother doesn't look after you." Bane laughed heartily.

"I'm the senior brother, all right?" Zoro snapped angrily.

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

"I thought you meant Sword Arts at the time!" Zoro said, his face full of irritation.

"What a joke. Strength is strength. How can you judge it based only on Sword Arts? Do you think every opponent you meet in the future will only know how to swing a sword?" Bane mocked him without mercy.

Zoro gritted his teeth in fury, wishing he could slash Bane with a sword. But considering the enormous gap in strength between them, he ultimately swallowed his anger and said unwillingly, "When I become stronger than you someday."

"Then I'll call you senior brother. I'm a man of my word, unlike someone." Bane deliberately needled him.

"Who isn't a man of his word!?" Zoro immediately bristled.

"Then what should you call me?" Bane raised his chin and put on an arrogant expression.

Zoro's face twitched, and veins bulged on his forehead. But in the end, he lowered his voice and muttered, "Senior brother."

On the small two-story building in the distance, Koushiro watched the way the two martial brothers got along and could not help but smile. Whenever he saw moments like this, he felt that taking Bane in as a disciple might have been a good thing after all.