Challenging a Legend to a Duel

"Hmm... he didn't say anything." He sounded more certain with every word, nodding solemnly as he looked at Yifu.

Yifu's hands trembled around his oar. He stared at him in astonishment, then sighed. "You really are shameless."

"Thanks for the compliment."

"Both of you, shut up."

"Yes, Lord Ivan."

While the two bickered, Ivankov had already noticed Kuta. He frowned slightly.

"Is everything all right, Lady Ivan?"

"It's fine, Inazuma. I just spotted an interesting boy."

A woman stepped out from behind Ivankov, also wearing a black robe. Orange-and-blue glasses rested on her head, and her hair resembled the club suit on a playing card, orange on the left and white on the right. A lightning-shaped scar ran from her forehead to her right eye.

She gazed calmly ahead, her right hand held straight with its palm facing down. Elegantly swirling the wineglass in her left hand, she spoke.

"How impressive. He really can run on water."

She raised her glass and took a small sip. "Lady Ivan, that boy seems to be coming for us."

"What do we do... what do we do? He's coming for us!"

Ivankov suddenly bent his knees and trembled all over in an exaggerated display, opening his mouth wide as he cried out.

"Lord Ivan, are you all right?" Seeing him like this, Yifu shouted in concern.

"I'm, I'm, I'm..."

Ivankov's swaying body suddenly spun a full hundred and eighty degrees. He threw both hands up. "Not scared at all!"

Yifu and the others aboard burst into wild laughter and applause.

"So you weren't scared!"

"You fooled us again!"

"Hahaha..."

Inazuma stood to one side, watching them with a smile.

She wasn't the least bit nervous about Kuta's approach. After all, this was the East Blue, the Weakest Sea.

Challenging a Legend to a Duel

An excited clamor rose from the docks in Shimotsuki Village's harbor.

"Whoa! What's little Kuta doing?"

"H-he's not going to fight that giant, is he?"

"No way! Just look at their sizes. The difference in strength must be huge!"

"Hard to say. It is little Kuta, after all."

"Exactly! Little Kuta's really strong!"

Everyone on the docks watched the pair facing off on the sea with curiosity. Although they had all seen Kuta training by the shore with a Mountain-Sized Barbell Plate on his back, they couldn't help worrying about him a little.

The difference in their sizes alone was just too great!

Kuta blocked the little boat's path. Looking at Ivankov and his wildly laughing companions, he curled his lips into a grin and shouted excitedly.

"Emporio Ivankov!"

Ivankov turned around and leaned forward, extending his head over the bow.

His enormous head blocked the sunlight, casting a vast shadow over the sea.

Kuta happened to be standing right in that shadow.

Ivankov looked down at Kuta and asked in surprise, "Cute boy, do you know me?"

"I'm only here to spar with you. Please take this seriously, or you might die."

Looking at Ivankov's face looming close, Kuta didn't answer his question. He simply stated why he had come.

Then he bent his left leg, stepped back with his right foot, and leaned forward. Raising his sword, he fixed his eyes on Ivankov and slowly closed his right hand around the hilt, assuming an attacking stance.

Ivankov looked as though Kuta's presence had genuinely frightened him.

He hastily pulled his head back, cold sweat pouring down his face. Waving both hands in front of him, he stammered incoherently.

"P-please stop! Don't pull out a weapon like that! It's dangerous, dangerous! Someone could die! If that cuts me, I'll die, die, die..."

He backed into the middle of the boat, then suddenly straightened up and threw both hands high, shouting, "I won't die at all!"

"So you won't die!"

"You fooled us again!"

Another burst of wild laughter followed.

Kuta's mouth twitched uncontrollably. This guy really wasn't taking him seriously at all!

He tightened his right hand around the hilt, and his entire arm swelled. A faint black aura spread from the hilt and coiled around the blade.

His Armament Haki was still fairly weak and limited in quantity. This was all he could manage for now.

Raising his head, he locked his gaze on the back of Ivankov's neck. In a single instant, his feet stamped against the sea dozens of times at high speed.

"Shave!"

Whoosh!

The sea beneath his feet suddenly caved inward, and his entire body shot toward Ivankov at incredible speed.

As though sensing something, Ivankov suddenly turned and winked his left eye at the space ahead.

"Hell Wink!"

A shock wave surged forward.

Kuta appeared directly in its path and swiftly drew his sword.

"Shave: Iai Slash!"

Boom!

A blast of air swept outward from the point of impact.

Kuta held against the shock wave for only a few seconds before its tremendous force sent him hurtling backward.

His body skimmed rapidly across the sea, plowing a long furrow through the water. He slid dozens of meters before finally stopping.

Watching the distant boat drift away on the blast, Kuta's excited expression grew a little more serious.

So strong! Even a casual attack has this much power. Looks like I'll have to go all out.

He rose out of the sea and stood suspended above its surface, without a single drop of seawater on him.

Meanwhile, everyone aboard the little boat shouted excitedly, "There it is! Lord Ivan's incredibly ordinary wink, Hell Wink!"

Inazuma stood calmly to one side, showing none of their excitement.

Although her body rose and fell with the rocking boat

, her legs remained firmly planted on the deck, not moving an inch.

She elegantly raised her glass, sipped her red wine, and looked up at Ivankov.

"Lady Ivan, you can't keep fighting at sea. This little boat won't withstand it."

"Hmm! I can sense that cute boy means no harm. It looks like he really does just want to spar."

Ivankov looked at the boat, which was creaking nonstop, and thought for a moment.

He raised his head and called out to Kuta, "Hey! Cute boy!"

"What?"

"If you want to spar, let's do it on land! If you want me to take you seriously, you have to give me room to fight."

Kuta looked sheepishly at the little boat Ivankov was pointing to. He gripped his sword, gave it a graceful flourish, and sheathed it.

He glanced at the boat, then turned and walked toward the docks.

"Follow me!"

"Kuta, are you all right?"

When he returned to the boat at the docks, everyone gathered around him.

Kuta smiled and waved a hand.

"Of course I'm fine. I was just testing him. Once they come ashore, we'll fight again."

"You're still going to fight? The blast from that last hit nearly blew me away!" Ahua exclaimed with an exaggerated expression.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Just then, a string of greetings came from the village.

"Good morning, Mr. Koshiro!"

"Good morning, sir."

"What brings you out today, Mr. Koshiro?"

"Oh, I heard the commotion and decided to take a walk."

Smiling broadly, Koshiro nodded to each fisherman in greeting, occasionally offering a few words in reply.

Hearing his voice, everyone aboard turned toward the dock. Seeing Koshiro approaching, they hurried off the boat.

The dojo stood halfway up the hill behind the harbor, not far away. The entire harbor was visible from there at a glance.

Koshiro walked up beside the boat and waited for everyone to disembark before asking Iku, "Uncle Iku, what happened here? I could hear the commotion from a long way off."

Iku gave him a rough account of events. Only then did Koshiro turn his gaze to Kuta, who stood behind Iku.

"Kuta, that was far too reckless!"

Kuta shrugged at Koshiro and muttered, "That's because every time I've asked you to spar this past year, you've just gone through the motions, Master!"

He raised his eyebrows and continued excitedly.

"Now that I've finally run into someone strong, of course I want a proper fight! Then I can find out exactly where I stand!"

A trace of embarrassment crossed Koshiro's calm face.

He had simply grown sick of Kuta pestering him. In previous years, Kuta had asked to spar almost every few days. Over the past year in particular, after reaching the swordmaster realm, he had started coming to Koshiro noticeably more often.

That simply wouldn't do. Koshiro stayed at Isshin Dojo precisely because he disliked trouble.

With his easygoing nature, he had only grown more perfunctory about their matches.

In truth, once someone reached the swordmaster realm, simple sparring offered little room for improvement. What they needed was a battle fought with everything they had.

But neither he nor Kuta could possibly go all out against the other.

A Swordmaster's attacks were far too lethal. One careless moment could result in a serious injury.

Thud!

Koshiro turned toward the sound and met the gaze of Ivankov, who had just come ashore.

He pushed up his glasses, putting away his habitual smiling expression.

"Why would someone of your stature appear in the East Blue, let alone come to a remote place like Shimotsuki Village?"

"I could ask the same. To think the East Blue had someone as strong as you."

Ivankov regarded Koshiro gravely. He could remain relaxed around Kuta because he hadn't felt much of a threat from him. But this narrow-eyed man was another matter.

Unless a powerful person deliberately let their presence show, ordinary

people would find it very difficult to sense.