The instant his voice fell,
Koshiro moved!
It was a movement ordinary people could not possibly follow!
His speed even surpassed Soru!
Clang!
Wado Ichimonji left its sheath in an instant,
and several sword shadows flashed into Xiu's vision!
A sharp gleam flashed through Xiu's red eyes,
and he stepped his right foot forward,
placing his right hand on Ryūjin Jakka at his waist!
"[Fuzan: Scatter]!"
Swish! Swish! Swish!
In the very instant he drew his blade,
he unleashed several slashes!
Each struck one of Wado Ichimonji's sword shadows!
Koshiro's expression changed,
and he abruptly withdrew from the slashes' range!
He raised Wado Ichimonji high!
"One Sword Style Secret Art: Nothing Can Be Cut!"
The force surrounding Koshiro
gathered entirely upon his blade!
Swish!
He swung his sword down in an instant!
Whoosh...
A breeze laden with boundless killing intent
rushed toward Xiu!
His blood-red eyes fixed on
the killing-intent-filled technique before him!
He likewise gripped his sword with both hands and raised it overhead!
He poured his entire being into this move!
"[Swordsmanship: Two-Part Split]!"
Ryūjin Jakka in his hands likewise swept down instantly!
Unlike Koshiro's elusive wind,
Xiu's technique was a spectacular visual display!
An utterly exaggerated slash
appeared before everyone!
Even the spectators could feel
the energy contained within that slash!
"What... is that?!"
"Can a human really unleash a slash like that?!"
Mihawk murmured beside them.
It was not just Mihawk.
Even Koshiro stared at the slash in disbelief!
Any moment now, they were about to collide!
Whoosh!
The evenly matched clash they had imagined never happened.
The instant the two techniques touched,
that breeze was utterly shattered!
Yet Xiu's slash continued without losing any momentum,
flying past Koshiro's side!
Boom!
After a tremendous crash,
a section of the mountain peak not far behind Koshiro
was sliced clean off!
Fortunately, the two had only been sparring.
Otherwise, who could have survived that slash?
A wry smile appeared on Koshiro's face.
He had lost!
And it had been an utter defeat!
He looked toward Xiu opposite him.
At that moment, Xiu had his eyes tightly closed,
reflecting on the battle just now.
His exchange of swordsmanship with Koshiro
had brought him considerable benefits,
giving him
an even deeper understanding of swordsmanship.
Koshiro did not rashly disturb him.
A little while later,
Xiu let out a long, stale breath
and opened his blood-red eyes.
He sheathed Ryūjin Jakka.
"Mr. Koshiro, thank you for your guidance!"
Koshiro waved a hand.
"You're too kind, Xiu. I gained a great deal as well!"
Then he sighed with feeling.
"Your swordsmanship is truly formidable!"
"As far as I know...
your strength deserves the title
of the world's greatest swordsman!"
Xiu smiled and said,
"Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Koshiro."
Just as he was about to say more,
Xiu froze, his brows knitting tightly.
"Friend, since you're here, why not show yourself?"
Koshiro paused,
clearly unaware of what had happened.
After all, his perception was nowhere near as powerful as Xiu's.
Just then, a burst of hearty laughter reached everyone's ears.
"Hahahaha!
Such powerful perception...
just what I'd expect of Era Xiu!"
A fierce gust swept past,
and a man wearing a dark green coat,
with a red geometric tattoo on the left side of his face,
appeared before everyone!
"Monkey... Dragon...
so it really is you."
Xiu spoke slowly.
Hearing Xiu's words,
Dragon raised an eyebrow... oh, no, wait,
Dragon had no eyebrows (crying-behind-hands.jpg).
"Oh? You know me, Vice Admiral Xiu?"
Xiu shrugged.
"Well, I did work with old man Garp
for a while."
Dragon nodded slightly.
"Yes, Vice Admiral Xiu escorted Roger
alongside my father."
"Look at my memory. I almost forgot."
But in truth, Xiu
was still somewhat puzzled.
Logically, Dragon's Revolutionary Army
shouldn't have become the world's enemy yet, right?
Besides, Dragon shouldn't have betrayed the Marines yet!
So Xiu asked in confusion,
"Dragon, as a Marine of the First Branch,
shouldn't you be in the New World right now?
Why have you come to Shimotsuki Village alone?"
Hearing Xiu's words,
Koshiro tensed beside him
and looked toward Dragon.
Noticing Koshiro's concern,
Dragon shook his head slightly,
signaling that Koshiro need not panic.
"Actually, there's no harm in telling you."
"I've formed an army!"
Beside them, Hina frowned deeply.
"Rear Admiral Monkey Dragon! Do you know what you're saying?"
"Are you challenging the World Government?!"
Dragon shook his head and said,
"It's more than a challenge..."
"In this world where the strong survive and the weak perish,
happiness never stays for long...
especially when those in power are blinded by self-interest!"
"Compared with those in power pursuing their desires,
even the deeds of the world's villains seem far more humane!"
"It's precisely because that bunch of trash rules this world
that generation after generation of trash is produced!"
"So I've made up my mind to leave the Marines!"
"And sever all ties with the World Government!"
Hina and the others beside him,
listening to Dragon's impassioned speech,
asked, "So?
Are you going to kill them all?"
Dragon snorted disdainfully.
"What would killing them change?"
"What I want is reform!"
"I want to change this rotten world completely!"
As his words fell, Dragon turned his gaze toward Xiu.
"Era Xiu, would you like to join us?"
"Join me in overthrowing the World Government's rule!"
P.S. Thanks for all the free flowers, everyone~
Hey, stop eating-got any review votes left?
How about a few more review votes? Hehehe.
Tips would be even better, of course! Unlimited bonus updates~ Tempting, isn't it?