Kuina

It did not take long before a kind-looking middle-aged man with glasses approached with a girl about Locke's age.

After arriving, he first nodded to Dragon, then said to Locke, "Are you two the ones who came here to learn swordsmanship?"

"No, I'm the only one here to learn swordsmanship," Locke explained.

"All right. You can go wait inside the dojo with Kuina first. I'll come assess your swordsmanship later." After speaking, Koushirou glanced at Kuina beside him.

"Follow me!" Kuina said to Locke before heading inside.

Locke hurriedly followed with Carmen.

After following Kuina for a while, they arrived at a large courtyard surrounded by wooden posts meant for training. Several students were practicing with wooden swords in the yard, but after looking around, Locke did not spot a single green-haired brat among them.

But judging by the timeline, that moss-head should have already been studying here by now. Why wasn't he around?

While Locke's thoughts wandered, a figure who had appeared at some point blocked Kuina's path and said, "Come on, Kuina! Accept my 1,888th challenge!"

Kuina did not answer. Instead, she glanced at Locke and Carmen behind her.

The moment the person blocking the way appeared, Locke recognized him. This was the young Roronoa Zoro he had just been wondering about.

Seeing Kuina look over, Locke made a go-ahead gesture and stepped aside, leaving them a wider space.

"Come on!" Kuina said to Zoro after seeing Locke move aside.

The two stood facing each other.

Zoro let out a roar and charged at Kuina with two wooden swords raised.

Yet Kuina did not move at all. Holding her wooden sword, she merely gave a light parry and easily blocked Zoro's attack.

Then, with a light hook of her foot, she sent Zoro straight to the ground. She pointed her wooden sword at his face, freezing Zoro in place just as he was about to get up.

"All right! 1,888 battles, 1,888 losses." After Kuina moved her wooden sword away, Zoro got to his feet and said those words.

"I'll definitely defeat you!"

After sheathed her sword, Kuina ignored Zoro's words and said to Locke, who had been watching from behind, "All right, I'm done here. Follow me."

Hearing Kuina, Locke nodded and followed behind her. But Zoro, who had just lost the challenge, looked at Kuina with a face full of indignation and said, "Kuina, are you even listening to me?! And who's that kid behind you?"

Kuina showed no reaction to his words and continued maintaining her aloof demeanor, but Locke, walking behind her, spoke up.

"What did you just call me, brat? Who are you calling a kid? You should be calling me big brother!"

Looking at the short Zoro, Locke, who had already grown to around five feet tall, spoke without any courtesy.

"Tch, you're just a little taller!" Zoro said, rolling his eyes at Locke.

"..."

"We're here!"

Kuina led the way until they reached a spacious room, only then stopping. Meanwhile, Locke and little Zoro had bickered all the way there.

Hearing Kuina's voice, Locke stopped trading barbs with Zoro and began carefully examining the room.

The room was extremely spacious. A large section in the middle was covered with wooden flooring, while both sides held numerous weapon racks neatly lined with wooden swords.

So this was the dojo's training hall. As for the courtyard from earlier, it was probably a place specifically for the students to practice.

After arriving, Locke and Carmen found a place to sit in the room under Kuina's arrangement and waited for Koushirou's assessment.

When little Zoro heard that their master would be assessing Locke shortly, he stayed as well. He wanted to see just how capable this brat who had acted so arrogantly in front of him really was. If Locke was strong, Zoro would definitely fight him later.

Locke and the others did not have to wait long before Koushirou arrived. Locke did not see anyone from the Revolutionary Army behind him, so it seemed they had finished talking.

After Koushirou entered the room and took his seat, he said to Locke, "You are Locke?"

After seeing Locke nod, he continued, "A few months ago, I received your letter saying that you wished to come study swordsmanship at my dojo."

He glanced at Locke seated nearby and continued, "Then how did you learn of my small dojo?"

"I..." Locke had just begun to answer when Koushirou raised a hand and interrupted him.

"Of course, that isn't important. Since you've come, I'll certainly do my best to teach you!"

After a pause, Koushirou continued, "Now tell me, why do you want to learn swordsmanship?"

"To become stronger!" Locke answered seriously.

"Why do you want to become so strong?"

"When I was very young, I understood that in this world, only the strong can control their own fate and live better. Besides, does wanting to become stronger really need a reason?" Locke asked in return.

Hearing Locke's answer, Koushirou nodded in satisfaction.

"You mentioned in your letter that you practiced swordsmanship on your own for some time. Can you demonstrate it?"

Hearing Koushirou's words, Locke stood up immediately and took out the wooden practice sword from his luggage. He had made it himself in the style of a Tang saber. In his previous life, Locke had loved the appearance of Tang sabers so much that he had not forgotten them even after transmigrating. He had specially made one out of wood, then asked the town blacksmith to forge him a blade from a piece of cold iron he had found in the sea. He had even had the words "Thousand Chill" engraved on it in Chinese, as a remembrance of his previous life.

"Kuina, go test him," Koushirou said. His pupils contracted slightly when he saw Locke take out the Tang saber, but he quickly recovered.

Hearing this, Kuina picked up the bamboo sword beside her and stood opposite Locke.

Looking at Kuina standing before him, Locke felt a little nervous. After all, this girl was a swordsmanship genius in the anime! Could his self-taught swordsmanship really beat her?

But this was not the time to think about such things. She was already standing before him in an attacking stance. If he backed down now, would not everything he had just said become a joke?

With that thought, Locke tightened his grip on his wooden sword, stepped forward, and slashed at Kuina.

His sword draw was smooth, and his speed was extremely fast. After all, for five years, he had swung his sword like this more than 5,000 times every day.