Sea Circle Calendar, August 25, 1526.
Shimotsuki Village, the back mountain.
The afterglow of the setting sun dyed the sky a warm orange-red, casting a soft halo over the green grass. Two figures stood opposite each other on the lawn.
Without any superfluous pleasantries, or even a single exchange of glances, just as a wind-blown leaf was about to touch the open space between them, the figures of Koshiro and Dawn suddenly blurred.
Clang, clang, clang!
The crisp, sharp sounds of blades clashing echoed across the back mountain like a sudden rainstorm. Infused with ultimate speed and power, the trajectories traced by their blades practically merged into a seamless curtain of light, covering every inch of space in front of each other.
Every collision of the blades burst with dazzling sparks, and that continuous sound of impact struck not only against the weapons, but seemed to beat against the heartstrings of the onlookers.
As Dawn intentionally restrained most of his power to leave his teacher with plenty of dignity, the match temporarily appeared evenly matched, making it hard to tell who was better.
Not far away, two small figures held their breaths, their eyes wide open, terrified of missing a single detail.
Zoro swallowed hard, the sound of his throat moving barely audible amidst the intense ringing of the swords. His face was painted with incredulous shock:
"S-so strong! Whether it's master or s-senior brother, their swords are just too fast. My eyes completely can't keep up..."
He had originally wanted to address him as "junior brother", since based on who entered the dojo first, he Zoro was the one who came first.
Yet Dawn, this guy full of a mischievous streak, stubbornly used the twisted logic of "whoever is stronger is senior brother", forcibly making Zoro change his address.