Pirates: Seeing Proficiency, I Became a Legend

"Huh?"

The second-in-command had apparently never expected the kid before him to dodge such a swift blow.

Refusing to believe it, he struck again.

This blow was even faster than the last. A faint sonic boom rang out, but once again, he missed.

Enraged, the second-in-command swung his spiked club faster and harder, as though he meant to pound Dongze into pulp.

Eating a Zoan Devil Fruit changed more than a person's body when they transformed. It affected their mind as well. The man before Dongze had become irritable and quick to anger, prone to solving problems through brute force.

Dongze still did not strike back. He took his time adjusting to the rhythm.

Even a soaring dragon had to descend. Nothing could remain at its peak forever. Such was the natural order.

After that furious barrage, the second-in-command gradually began to slow.

Dongze sensed it and tightened his grip on his sword.

Silver light burst forth as a Full-Moon Arc swept across the air.

The second-in-command started. He had grown so used to Dongze dodging that he thought the kid had no chance to counterattack. He had not expected a strike so fierce, fast as thunder and sudden as lightning.

This was the Sword-Draw Technique, a move built around killing with a single swift strike. Dongze had held back until now, gathering momentum. This blow far surpassed his previous ones.

Yet after striking, Dongze did not linger. He sprang away, putting distance between them.

Something had felt wrong. He had met an immense resistance.

He's hard as rock!

As if he had heard Dongze's mutter, a cruel look crossed the second-in-command's face.

"Hah! I ate the Black Ape Devil Fruit! I'm a Black Ape Man! That attack barely tickled me. Keep defending and sooner or later you'll slip. I don't fear your attacks, but one hit from me will decide this fight!"

"You're not getting away today. I'll eat you alive!"

Dongze's gaze turned colder. Killing intent poured from him. In chaotic times, parents had traded children for food—a human tragedy. He had not expected the man before him to be monstrous enough to do the same.

Just then, Dongze narrowed his eyes. On the screen before him, his Sword-Draw Technique proficiency had jumped by fifty points to 551/10000. He looked at the Black Ape Man and licked his lips.

To Dongze, the man was more than an enemy. He was a tool.

A tool for raising proficiency.

A handy one at that.

In fact, he was the best Dongze had encountered so far: fifty points from a single strike.

"Heh."

"You sure about that?"

Dongze gave him a cold smile.

After all, the sword in his hand was no ordinary blade. It was one of the Twenty-One Great Grade Swords, a famous sword rarer in this world than a Devil Fruit.

"Bwahaha! Bwahahaha!"

The second-in-command laughed arrogantly at Dongze's question.

"Die!"

Having adjusted to the second-in-command's rhythm, Dongze began his counterattack. Arc after arc of light grew wider, each crescent curving closer to a full moon.

His grip grew steadier, and the force behind his Sword-Draw Technique deepened.

At last, an arc came full circle. Beneath the night sky, two moons appeared at once—and a scream rang out.

A wound deep enough to expose bone opened across the second-in-command's chest. Blood spilled everywhere.

"Impossible!"

The Black Ape Man could not understand how the kid had pierced his defenses. The same move had barely hurt him before. How had it suddenly...

Dongze, however, was not surprised. His Sword-Draw Technique proficiency had reached 5000/10000. He had gained a solid grasp of the move, and with Wado Ichimonji's added edge, he had every reason to break through. If he still could not, he might as well give up swordsmanship and go home.

Dongze pressed his advantage. Zoan users were famously tough and healed at an astonishing rate. The man looked badly wounded now, but he might recover before long.

Realizing the kid was no easy opponent, the second-in-command's eyes darted about. He decided to retreat.

"Kid, I take back what I said. You can hurt me. But I'm a Zoan user, and you can't match my stamina. How about we both stop and go our separate ways?"

Dongze ignored him. He knew he could not outscheme this wily veteran. The more he said, the more chances he had to make a mistake. Silence was best.

He kept up his relentless assault. His Sword-Draw Technique proficiency soared as Wado Ichimonji traced ring after ring through the air, like full moons appearing one by one. Beneath their beauty lay a chilling threat of death.

Several more wounds opened across the second-in-command's body.

The kid's silence filled him with resentment. He had tried to sound Dongze out so he could decide whether to stay or flee.

If Dongze stopped, he would stay. That would mean the kid was running out of strength, and he could wear him down with his Zoan endurance.

If Dongze answered but kept attacking, he could still use words to unsettle him and seize a chance to escape.

Who would have thought he would run into someone who said nothing at all?

He watched the full-moon arc overhead, dread creeping through him. Unless he blocked it, every hit would leave another wound deep enough to expose bone.

Dongze suddenly frowned. His Sword-Draw Technique proficiency had reached 8500/10000, then stopped rising. He could not understand why.

He soon made a new choice. His gaze changed, and he threw Wado Ichimonji.

The second-in-command froze, then broke into a delighted grin.

He licked his lips, eager for blood. Without a weapon, the kid would be at his mercy.

His delight vanished before he could savor it. Wado Ichimonji was moving so fast he could barely comprehend it.

Even swinging his spiked club with all his strength, he could not match that speed.

The kid followed close behind the flying sword, his right hand poised as though gripping its hilt.

The second-in-command instinctively tried to raise his spiked club and stop the attack. But the closer the sword came, the faster it flew, and his panic mounted. In the end, all he could see was a single glint of cold steel. He found himself unable to move.

"What the hell kind of sword move is this?!"

Then coldness brushed his throat, and the strength slowly drained from his body.

"Impossible!"

It was none other than Dongze's second unlocked sword technique: Hundred-Pace Flying Sword, the ultimate move of Vertical Swordsmanship!

Another Full-Moon Arc flashed, and the Black Ape Man's head flew high into the air.

Dongze sheathed his sword with a sigh. Hundred-Pace Flying Sword might be Vertical Swordsmanship's strongest move, but his proficiency was still too low. He had needed another Sword-Draw Technique to finish the second-in-command.

Once the fight was over, Dongze dropped to the ground, utterly spent. Even he could not sustain such intense use of advanced sword techniques.

He leaned against a large rock and drew deep, unrestrained breaths.

Looking up at the moon, he murmured to himself, Four years, five months, and six days. My path to vengeance has finally reached its end.

Then he checked the proficiency figures on his panel.

Sword-Draw Technique: 8500/10000;

Hundred-Pace Flying Sword: 1500/10000;

Taiji Sword: 150/10000;

"Today, your fortune was drawn. I send you to the grave!"

But in the next instant, Dongze's pupils contracted.

"What's this...?"

At the foot of the mountain, a man in round glasses let out a long sigh. Then his lips curved into a smile, and he turned and disappeared into the deep night.

Returning the Sword, an Unfathomable Fate

As the sun rose on a new day, Dongze returned from the Bandit's Lair in the first light of dawn.

"Master, I've come to return your sword!"

"Well, well!"

"You're back."

"I forgot to tell you before you left. One of those bandits was a Devil Fruit user who'd come over from the West Blue!"

Dongze frowned at Koshiro's gloating tone. He badly wanted to punch him.

If you forgot, then don't bring it up now! Why mention it after the fact? What a piece of work!

Dongze weighed their respective strength and, with considerable effort, suppressed the urge to pin Koshiro to the ground and beat him senseless.

I can't beat him, but there's still the little one. I can trounce her whenever I like. He planned to teach Kuina a thorough lesson today.

Naturally, he was not foolish enough to say any of that aloud. "Fortunately, Master taught me well. That's why I made it back in one piece!"

Dongze had chosen his words well. Embarrassment flickered across Koshiro's face. If he had truly taught Dongze those skills, he would have felt proud. But in truth, he had taught him very little, and the apparent praise left him deeply uncomfortable.

Those thirteen Basic Swordsmanship forms were commonplace. Bookstores in the larger cities of the East Blue stocked more than a dozen different versions.

As for sword techniques and Haki, he had never taught his students either.

Koshiro pretended not to catch Dongze's meaning and quickly changed the subject. "How did your trip to the Bandit Stronghold go?"

Dongze chuckled.

"Not bad," he said meaningfully.

"Nothing happened, but I should still thank you."

Koshiro narrowed his eyes. So he saw me after all? What terrifying Observation Haki!

"Think nothing of it. I was only doing my duty."

"By the way, could I ask you for some guidance sometime?"

Koshiro was surprised. Dongze was far stronger than the dojo's other students, but it was too early for him to face Koshiro. Both he and Hawkeye were Great Swordsmen, and though Koshiro was not Hawkeye's equal, someone who had only just begun to glimpse the way of the sword could not contend with him.

"Dongze, as a swordsman, you should know the gap between us. One or two sword techniques won't close it."

Dongze shrugged. "Don't misunderstand. I meant forging. It'll probably be years before I'm ready to face you with a sword."

Before Dongze had finished speaking, Koshiro's pupils trembled. An overwhelming pressure instantly locked onto Dongze. Koshiro was growing ever more curious about the young man. This was a closely guarded secret. How had he learned of it?

Koshiro came from Wano Country's Shimotsuki Family. His family had fled to the East Blue because of an incident in Wano Country. He knew about it only from his elders, and he had never spoken of it publicly.

His father, Shimotsuki Kozaburo, had been not only a swordsman but also a master swordsmith.

Kozaburo had forged Wado Ichimonji with his own hands.

"Young man, can you tell me who you really are?"

Under the weight of Koshiro's presence, Dongze tensed. Still, he knew that speaking plainly was the right choice. After all, this world had no weapon suited to him.

In Dongze's plans, the weapon he would use to practice swordsmanship was a sword, not a saber. None of the twelve Supreme Grade Swords, the Twenty-One Great Grade Swords, or the Fifty Skillful Grade Swords on the seas was what he wanted.

To bring out his full strength, he needed to forge a weapon of his own.

But no one could learn sword-forging without a guide. It was nothing like ordinary smithing; its demands were higher and its techniques more difficult.

Kozaburo was a world-class swordsmith. Even if Koshiro had not inherited his craft, the Sword-Forging Notes Kozaburo left behind would be enough for Dongze to unlock the skill. With such an opportunity so close at hand, why look elsewhere?

"Me? You could ask the same of anyone studying at the dojo."

"I'm just an ant in a chaotic world."

"A Seeker of the Way who wants to reach the pinnacle of swordsmanship."

"And, of course, I'm Dongze, a student of Isshin Dojo."

After a moment of silence, Koshiro withdrew his oppressive presence. Dongze's gaze was clear and unwavering. Petty tricks against a Great Swordsman would only backfire.

So this time, Dongze had spoken honestly, with no intention of hiding what he wanted.

"Heh. That's quite an ambition!"

"Come see me in three days. I can't forge swords, but my father left behind some books and a Sword-Forge Workshop. You may use them for now."

"Thank you, Master," Dongze said sincerely.