Raijin Island

The World's Greatest Swordsman?

Koshiro stared blankly at Zoro, who was making a solemn vow. The red marks on his face had not yet faded, but his expression was full of stubbornness. His fists were clenched, as if every pore was throbbing with excitement for that vow.

"Are you serious?"

Koshiro slowly withdrew his gentle smile, his face becoming serious and solemn. He straightened up unconsciously from his half-squatting position, his eyes looking directly into Zoro's eyes through his glasses.

"Of course!"

A true man never breaks his word!

Zoro didn't flinch at all, and his words remained resolute.

"But..."

Koshiro said with a slight hesitation, "Kuina is leaving tomorrow. Atlas has already sent someone to take her to the Navy."

"Clam--!!?"

As night deepened, darkness enveloped the sea.

Shimotsuki Village, unsurprisingly, has fallen into slumber. The few lights that occasionally illuminate the village are merely the result of post-meal digestion, or perhaps an exploration of human origins.

Isshin Dojo.

The disciples in the dojo have all gone home and back to their mothers; the daytime liveliness is gone.

However, the master bedroom was still brightly lit.

Koshiro and his wife knelt on the bed, with an oil lamp already lit beside them. The bright yellow light cast their shadows onto the wall, filling the entire room.

"Are you really comfortable sending Kuina to the Navy?"

Mrs. Haiti frowned slightly, clearly having some doubts about Koshiro's decision.

"I didn't want to either. I never expected that constantly putting her down would actually fuel her competitive spirit, making her determined to prove that women can also become the World's Greatest Swordsman."

Koshiro shook his head with a wry smile.

He always told Kuina that a woman could never become the World's Greatest Swordsman.

However, given his already considerable strength and his extensive travels on the high seas in his youth, he certainly understood that gender is never an obstacle to becoming strong!

But because he felt sorry for his daughter, he still didn't want Kuina to go to sea.

After all, the ocean is just too cruel!

"Given Kuina's personality, she'll inevitably have to go to sea sooner or later, so it's better to let her experience the vastness of the ocean early on."

"Besides, I feel more at ease with Atlas taking care of me."

"But..."

"Alright, that's settled then. At least staying in the Navy won't be as unpredictable as going to sea alone!"

Koshiro pulled Haiti into his arms and spoke softly to her.

"We can't just hand Kuina over to Dragon, can we? Although I don't know what he's up to, his whereabouts are far too mysterious; it's definitely more dangerous than being Pirates."

Dragon was someone I met by chance many years ago, and he had even borrowed a large amount of grain from Koshiro.

Haiti's illness was also cured by Dragon's companion, and the couple were very grateful to him.

However, this powerful man's whereabouts were too mysterious; even Koshiro, who had seen countless people, couldn't figure out his purpose.

"Eh--!!"

Mrs. Haiti sighed deeply, resignedly accepting the fact that Kuina was about to leave her.

Stop sighing.

"Or..."

"Should we have another son so he can inherit the dojo's mantle in the future?"

Call--!!

As soon as he finished speaking, the candle was extinguished by a powerful gust of air, and the sturdy bed began to shake violently.

On the other side, in a corner of the dojo.

The cool moonlight spilled across the rows of wooden stakes. Kuina held her Bamboo Sword in both hands and began her extra training session meticulously.

Ah--!!

Thump--!!

Heh--!!

Thump--!!

The dull but rhythmic striking sounds echoed all around, vast and far-reaching.

"Kuina--!!"

Suddenly, a loud shout interrupted Kuina's rhythm. Zoro appeared behind Kuina, carrying two iron longswords.

"Zoro?"

Kuina sheathed her Bamboo Sword, tilted her head slightly, and looked at Zoro with a puzzled expression, wondering what this guy was up to now.

"You're leaving tomorrow?"

Zoro didn't answer immediately, but instead asked a question.

"Yes, Brother Atlas said he'd take me to the Navy."

"So..."

Zoro's eyes widened in fury, and he roared, "Let's settle this once and for all, Kuina!"

"Bring your real sword!!"

"Me?"

Kuina wiped the sweat from her forehead, took a slight breath, and said, "Okay."

After saying that, he walked to the side and picked up the Wado Ichimonji that was leaning against the wooden stake.

Clang--!!

He drew his long sword, held it with both hands, and pointed the blade at Zoro was already in a Two-Sword Style stance.

"I'm going!"

Zoro reminded him that they should still launch the first attack.

"Bring it on!"

Ah--!

Wow--!

Two figures passed each other, and a crisp metallic clang rang out!

Clang--!!

The two long swords fell to the ground, and Zoro collapsed to the ground.

Kuina lifted her leg and pressed it down on Zoro, Wado Ichimonji slammed into the side of Zoro's Moss Head.

"This is my 1889th victory!!"

"Hateful!!"

"I'm not reconciled!!"

Zoro slapped his forehead hard and said through gritted teeth.

Bang!!

Kuina lay down next to Zoro, looking at the round moon in the sky, and said in a relaxed tone.

"Actually, my father used to say that it was impossible for a girl to become the World's Greatest Swordsman."

"I was very unwilling to accept it at the time."

"But Brother Atlas said that many powerful figures in this world are women, and one of the three Emperor of the Sea of the New World is a woman."

"So what are you trying to say?!"

Zoro turned his head to look at Kuina, puzzled.

"Fool!!"

Let's make a promise!

Kuina suddenly stood up, clutching the Wado Ichimonji in her hands, and shouted excitedly.

"Don't you always say you want to become the World's Greatest Swordsman?"

"Then let's have a competition to see who can become number one in the world!!"

"Good!!"

Zoro immediately stood up, extended his palm, and offered it to Kuina.

Snap--!!

A crisp clapping sound rang out.

Bathed in moonlight, two small figures clasped hands tightly together!

"By the way, Zoro, why aren't you using the Sandai Kitetsu Atlas gave you?"

"Huh? Atlas said I'm too young to handle the demon Cursed Sword."

"Oh, actually..."

Kuina suddenly recalled the first time Zoro was brought to her door by Atlas to challenge her.

"You might want to try the Three-Sword Style!"

P. S. The author made a mistake earlier; the Revolutionary Army shouldn't have been formed yet. Dragon should still be searching for like-minded companions. My personal guess is that it was formed shortly after Sabo was attacked by the Celestial Dragons and lost his memory in 1511. Because he witnessed the darkness of the Goa Kingdom at that time, he told Sabo that he would definitely change the world in the future. Therefore, I speculate it was formed in 1512.

Chapter 224 Raijin Island

The year was 1510 in the Sea Circle Calendar.

New World, Raijin Island.

Atlas stood steadily on the sea not far from Raijin Island, his tall body swaying with the surging waves, as if he were glued to the sea.

A dark red, imposing Haki flowed slowly beneath his feet, maintaining his basic balance with the sea surface.

He stood on the sea surface without relying on any special abilities, simply using his own strength.

The key lies in the control of Armament Haki.

In the previous Hokage, chakra could be attached to the feet to run freely on the water. Although Armament Haki and chakra have completely different systems, the Internal Destruction techniques of Armament Haki can be used as a reference.

Atlas discovered that Armament Haki could also be circulated.

However, to achieve the level of running on the sea requires even higher levels of micro-management of Armament Haki, something Atlas would find very difficult to do.

He fights entirely by relying on a large amount of Armament Haki, and his technique and control are quite rough. It is undoubtedly very difficult for him to make a small amount of Armament Haki flow under his feet without causing any ripples, after all, he is used to being arrogant and cannot change it in a short time.

Fortunately, after several months of practice, he was finally able to achieve that effect in a short period of time.

However, it still requires maintaining a high degree of composure, and applying this in combat remains somewhat difficult.

Atlas gazed at Raijin Island in the distance, where countless bolts of purple Thunderbolt rained down upon the island, and dark clouds swirled above it. The incessant roar constantly challenged the limits of human eardrums.

Raijin Island is one of the starting points of the three routes through the New World after Fish-Man Island, and it is also the most dangerous island among the three routes.

He had originally thought that the Eternal Pose to Raijin Island would be very difficult to obtain, but he never expected that this dangerous island would occupy such an important position.

The entire island is almost always surrounded by Raiu, making the living environment extremely harsh and the flora and fauna extremely scarce. However, a small number of indigenous people still live on this dangerous island.

However, this also resulted in virtually no Pirates being interested in the island, not even the most powerful Emperor of the Sea with their expansionist ambitions.

To successfully land on the island, one must be equipped with a special umbrella, which is also the reason why the island's natives can move around freely.

Atlas, for one, didn't quite understand why holding an umbrella Raiu would make one more susceptible to being struck by lightning.