When Shimotsuki Koshiro heard Lin Yuan's words, his peaceful, smiling face gradually turned cold, and a glint flashed in his narrowed eyes behind his glasses.
"It seems you're very confident in your strength, but there are many powerful people in this world. You look young, so do you know that the strength of a great swordsman is beyond your imagination?"
Lin Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly at that and smiled.
"Heh, me? I'll be sixteen soon, but I really would like to find out just how strong a great swordsman is."
"But since we're going to fight, let's make a wager. I heard Kuina say just now that a woman can't become the World's Greatest Swordsman. Since you can't do it as her father, let me teach her from now on!"
Shimotsuki Koshiro's gaze shifted, and he gently adjusted his glasses.
"In that case, let me see what you can do. There isn't enough room here, so please follow me!"
With that, Shimotsuki Koshiro darted off in one direction.
Lin Yuan stood up with a smile and looked at Kuina beside him.
"Little Kuina, do you want to see a battle between great swordsmen?"
Kuina nodded excitedly, though she also hesitated a little.
"Don't worry. Just stay a little farther away later. With our strength, we won't hurt you. Let's go!"
With that, Lin Yuan picked up Kuina, pushed off with his feet, and quickly pursued Shimotsuki Koshiro.
Before long, the three arrived on the mountain one after another. Only then did Lin Yuan discover that there was an enormous flat area several kilometers across on the mountain.
Lin Yuan smiled and looked around. He had spotted this place from the sky earlier, and it was spacious enough for them to fight.
Shimotsuki Koshiro was already waiting on the flat ground. When he saw Lin Yuan arrive carrying Kuina, a strange look flashed in his eyes, but he said nothing.
Lin Yuan waved a hand, and a strand of Flame Clouds carried Kuina slowly into the air, though it did not take her too far from them.
"So you're a Devil Fruit User. You aren't a pure swordsman. I was looking forward to this, but you've disappointed me."
Lin Yuan scoffed at Shimotsuki Koshiro's words. He did not care whether he was a pure swordsman. As long as he could become strong, these were merely means of increasing his strength.
He did not care at all whether he was a pure swordsman, because what he pursued was being the strongest.
"All right, enough about being pure or not. I just want to have a proper fight with you."
As he spoke, Lin Yuan slowly drew the Famous Sword at his waist. Although it could not compare to the Wado Ichimonji in Shimotsuki Koshiro's hand, a sharp aura spread as Lin Yuan drew it.
Lin Yuan did not attack immediately. Instead, he touched the tip of his sword to the ground and looked at Shimotsuki Koshiro with a smile.
"You said women are physically weaker than men, and that's true. But there are many things in this world that can make up for it. Lineage Factors and Devil Fruits can both do that."
"And since you talk about purity, why do you use Haki? Hahaha..."
"But if you want to be the pure swordsman you speak of, it's just a matter of applying strength and skill. I like to overwhelm people with strength, so this time I'll show off my skills."
Even with Shimotsuki Koshiro's temperament, Lin Yuan's words made him furious, and the veins bulged on the hand gripping his sword.
"Hmph, how arrogant. I normally prefer to use skill to apply strength, but since you put it that way, I don't mind winning through strength."
With that, the Wado Ichimonji in Shimotsuki Koshiro's hand flashed from its sheath, and a white Flying Slash hurtled toward Lin Yuan.
Lin Yuan's expression turned serious. One move was enough to tell whether someone knew what they were doing. The moment Shimotsuki Koshiro drew his sword, Lin Yuan sensed the aura unique to a great swordsman.
Against such an opponent, he would not arrogantly assume he could win at will.
He activated his Observation Haki and locked onto the slash, then vanished from where he stood.
Deftly dodging the slash, Lin Yuan swung his Famous Sword while still in midair, returning the attack with a black-and-red Flying Slash of his own.
But Lin Yuan followed close behind the slash at tremendous speed, his figure somewhat blurred. Almost instantly, he arrived in front of Shimotsuki Koshiro.
Shimotsuki Koshiro gripped the Wado Ichimonji tightly. Armament Haki instantly coated its blade, and he shattered Lin Yuan's Flying Slash with one stroke.
He was not slow in the slightest. As he shattered the Flying Slash, he held the Wado Ichimonji crosswise and blocked Lin Yuan's close-range attack.
Feeling the terrifying force transmitted through his blade, Shimotsuki Koshiro felt like cursing.
Didn't this little brat say he was going to show off his skills? What the hell is this terrifying strength?
Despite the thought, Shimotsuki Koshiro still took Lin Yuan's attack without retreating an inch.
After a brief contest of strength, the two each took a step back, then swung at each other again.
But Lin Yuan swung faster than Shimotsuki Koshiro, forcing him onto the defensive.
For great swordsmen, close combat was more dangerous than the flashy effects of Flying Slashes.
Lin Yuan swung his Famous Sword, reinforced with Armament Haki, again and again at a terrifying speed, producing almost countless afterimages of blade light.
Caught off guard moments earlier by Lin Yuan's terrifying strength, Shimotsuki Koshiro was at a disadvantage for the time being and could only block passively.
"Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang..."
On the Flame Clouds, Kuina stared wide-eyed at the scene in disbelief. In her mind, her father was very strong.
Over the years, she had seen quite a few swordsmen, but not one had lasted ten exchanges against her father.
"He's so strong! He's actually suppressed Father with nothing but fast slashes. Father won't really lose, will he?"
Kuina watched the fight intently. Although she could not make out their sword movements, she could see that her father was at a disadvantage.
Kuina was shocked, but she also felt conflicted. She wanted neither her father nor the man before her who had comforted her to lose.
But there was nothing Kuina could do. She could only watch their fight quietly.
"Boom..."
Just then, a terrifying aura suddenly erupted from Shimotsuki Koshiro, who had been suppressed by Lin Yuan all this time.
The Wado Ichimonji traced a white arc and collided fiercely with Lin Yuan's sword. This time, it was Lin Yuan's turn to retreat.
Lin Yuan felt a terrifying force come through the Wado Ichimonji and immediately used it to propel himself backward.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that both of Shimotsuki Koshiro's hands gripping the Wado Ichimonji were now completely covered in black Armament Haki.
Not only that, Lin Yuan felt that Shimotsuki Koshiro's strike seemed to carry a hidden force that slammed toward him through the blade.
"Heh, interesting!"