Adams rolled his neck and loosened up, his joints letting out soft, crisp pops as though driving away the last traces of travel fatigue.
He adjusted himself and was about to respond to Zoro's enthusiastic "welcome ceremony," but his gaze fell upon the real swords in Zoro's hands.
He had intended to say that he needed to find a suitable real sword in the dojo first. Fighting barehanded, he was worried he would not be able to control his strength properly, and it would be bad if he accidentally inflicted serious injuries.
During the final days of the one-month period, he had been taking turns receiving instruction—or beatings—from the Gold-Silver-Copper Trio and a certain Marine hero's replica. Even he now had to carefully control the power contained within his body.
Kuina, who had been watching him all along, keenly caught the fleeting hesitation in his expression.
The girl simply assumed that her senior brother was troubled by having no sword in hand. Without a second thought, she grabbed the famous sword her father treasured beside her—Wado Ichimonji—and threw it over without hesitation.
"Senior Brother, catch!"
Hearing her, Adams raised a hand and precisely caught the flying longsword. It felt heavy in his grasp, carrying a faint chill. Its scabbard was ancient and unadorned, yet it held an extraordinary aura.
Kuina beamed at him and said brightly, "Senior Brother, teach that Zoro a good lesson! Let him know there's always someone stronger!"
Adams did not look at Kuina immediately. Instead, he first turned his gaze toward Koushirou, who sat quietly beneath the dojo eaves with a gentle smile.
Koushirou pushed up his glasses, looking somewhat helpless, but he still gave Adams a slight nod, indicating his approval of the spar.
Only after receiving his teacher's assent did Adams turn his eyes