Castle Wall Flame

Luo Ya found himself once again in a space filled with black, scorched earth.

"So this is what the depths of my mind look like? It must be the effect of Ryujin Jakka.

"Can I enter this space just by exhausting myself? I'll have to look into that." Luo Ya murmured.

In the distance stood a black Stickman. Yes, just like the Stickmen from the games in his previous life, made of a few lines and a circle.

It held a pitch-black long sword. Looking closely, the entire blade was made of flowing black flames.

A bead of cold sweat trickled down Luo Ya's face. "No way. Hey, can we call a timeout? Let me rest for a bit before we keep fighting!"

Before he could finish speaking, the Stickman sheathed its "sword" and charged at Luo Ya. In an instant, Luo Ya saw a familiar figure from behind. "That looks like my body, but why doesn't it have a head?"

A chill enveloped him, and darkness surged over Luo Ya's vision like a rising tide.

Luo Ya jerked upright, gasping for breath, his pupils contracting. His hands fumbled over his neck. "Phew, my head's still here. That's good. Phew."

Then he spotted the Stickman nearby, standing with its sword at the ready.

"So this Soul Space is basically no different from a dream! All Things in the Universe, Turn to Ashes!"

Luo Ya gripped a long sword with a deep purple hilt in both hands. Its scabbard hung diagonally at his waist.

A Pine Tree! Hot flames curled around the blade as it slashed toward the Stickman's left shoulder with a sizzling hiss.

Clang! The Stickman blocked Luo Ya's strike with a single slash. The impact rang out, numbing Luo Ya's arms and sending him flying.

Luo Ya was shocked by how strong the Stickman was. He was still in midair when, before he could recover his bearings—

The Stickman swept its blade upward at an angle. Flames burst from the sword like a giant hand and instantly engulfed Luo Ya.

The searing pain of the flames on his skin made Luo Ya scream in agony, as if he were being cut by knives. The terrifying heat burned him to ashes.

In the blink of an eye—

Luo Ya opened his eyes on the scorched earth, still immersed in the pain of his previous death. His body was trembling slightly.

He lay on the ground, then kicked hard with his hands and feet and sprang upright. Grabbing the hilt at his waist, he shouted, "Geneva! Nadeshiko Slash!"

Luo Ya roared as he unleashed an orange-red arc of flame toward the Stickman. He charged after it and swung horizontally at his opponent.

Seeing the Stickman facing the vertical arc of flames, with Luo Ya about to close in, Luo Ya was overjoyed. "I'll just hit you with a combo cross slash and cut you into four pieces!"

With a clang, the Stickman angled its long sword to block Luo Ya's attempt to cut it in half. Their blades met with a sizzling sound.

Luo Ya braced one hand on the ground and slid backward.

Luo Ya panted heavily, but the Stickman hadn't come away unscathed either.

Most of Luo Ya's fiery sword energy had been deflected, but it had still damaged the Stickman around its waist and abdomen—

If that thing even had an abdomen. A clear portion of the flowing black flames there was missing.

Before Luo Ya could get up, his vision blurred. "Kid, you sure can sleep. Time to get up!" Wham! A huge lump popped up on Luo Ya's head.

"Argh!" Luo Ya roared, swinging his sword at Maynard with his right hand. Hot flames formed the shape of a hand and wrapped around Maynard.

Sizzle, sizzle. Maynard emerged from the flames, his entire body pitch-black, his clothes reduced to ashes by the high temperature.

"You've got quite a temper when you wake up!" As soon as he finished speaking, Maynard punched Luo Ya with a fist clad in Armament Haki, sending him flying. The wall caved in, leaving a hole shaped like the character for "too."

Luo Ya staggered to his feet, dizzy. "Armament Haki? You're using a nuke on an elementary school kid? You're something else, Maynard."

"Enough talk! From now on, get up at four every morning and make breakfast. At five, run a hundred laps along the beach!

"Then swing your sword a thousand times every day. Start right now!" With that, he turned and walked off, completely naked.

Luo Ya watched Maynard's bare backside recede and laughed so hard he doubled over. Then he saw smoke rising from Maynard's head at the sound of his laughter, and ran for his life.

Whoosh!

The wooden sword cut through the air and smacked into the wooden post. Though it was only a wooden sword, it still left a shallow mark.

Whether it was the strength of a transmigrator's soul or the original body's talent, Luo Ya—who had never touched a sword three days ago—was already swinging it with some skill.

Swordsmanship in the One Piece World was simple and brutal. As Luo Ya saw it, it came down to two things: the body and conviction.

The body was forged through daily practice. Only after more than a decade, perhaps even several decades, of perseverance could one glimpse the secrets of swordsmanship.

Conviction, on the other hand, was a little like the power of "I figure it works, so it does."

As Luo Ya saw it, swordsmanship in the world of One Piece came down to one thing: believing in the power of belief, and trusting that the sword in your hand could cut through anything.

That was also why Great Swordsmen—or, for that matter, the strong in the One Piece World—could never be talked around by others.

Once Luo Ya entered the zone, he was completely focused, with only the sword in his hand on his mind.

Smack! Smack! Smack! A steady stream of impacts rang out from the wooden post.

The sword flashed like a waterfall as Luo Ya struck the post from every angle, his movements growing increasingly skilled and precise.

Maynard watched from the side and couldn't help giving a slight nod.

"A weapon on par with a Supreme Grade Sword, and sword intent ablaze with tremendous heat. His physical strength is a little lacking, though.

"But with this kind of work ethic, he'll catch up in no time. I might be able to let Luo Ya join in soon."