The six pirates were among the strongest fighters on the seas today, Great Pirates whose names struck fear across the Four Seas.
Of the remaining ten, Genryūsai Shigekuni was the hardest to fathom. He was the master of the Kendo Dojo known as Genryu.
Kirinji Tenjiro, the "Hot Spring Ogre" who had reached the final sixteen, was his disciple. That alone spoke to his strength.
Though Kirinji Tenjiro had fought under an alias, his real name and identity were soon exposed as the battles went on, thanks to the world's formidable intelligence networks.
Genryu was no secluded dojo, either. It had quite a reputation in its Sea Area.
No one had expected two swordsmen from a single dojo to reach the final sixteen. Genryu would surely become a place many people wanted to join.
Like Zoro, Kirinji Tenjiro had fought his way into the final sixteen on the strength of his overall abilities. In terms of Swordsmanship alone, both were merely average among Great Swordsmen.
But Kirinji Tenjiro was stronger overall.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni, Zoffy, and Bilaire had been favorites to win from the start. The other finalists drew more curiosity.
"Yuan Hong" remained a mystery, but reaching the final eight would be difficult. Swordsmanship alone was nowhere near enough.
Baron, the "Demon Swordsman," wielded a broad-bladed sword and possessed terrifying strength. More shocking still, he had a demonic hand.
People with demonic hands were exceedingly rare on the seas.
The "Demon's Hand" possessed by Grant, the future Marine Admiral Aokiji's disciple, was essentially the same thing.
The mysterious swordsman known as "Hiei" possessed an "Evil Eye."
People like him and Baron were often called cursed.
And now two rare children of curses had appeared at this Swordsmanship Tournament.
The last finalist was Hiko Seijuro of "Mikagami-ryu," a powerful swordsman from