Starting the next day, Vic often tested his sword on animals at the edge of the forest. He found that he could scarcely pierce the defenses of large animals, while the small, slender ones moved very quickly but had much weaker defenses.
Vic found that his sword could cut through stone, but much of the time, his cuts did not go as he intended. The harder the stone, the greater the deviation. He encountered little resistance when cutting down trees, and he felt he was on the verge of a breakthrough, but he was still missing something.
A week passed like this. One day, Vic saw that he was running low on firewood, so he went into the forest to cut down trees and chop wood. For a swordsman, wasn't chopping wood as easy as eating and drinking?
Vic darted through the forest and returned to his starting point in a few quick movements. Yubashiri slid into its sheath with a soft click, and more than a dozen trees, each a meter in diameter, fell. Vic kept the trunks and discarded the branches, then stood all the trunks upright in a circle.
Vic stood in the middle of the circle, his feet apart and his knees slightly bent. His left hand gripped the sheath, and his right gripped the hilt. By the time he had drawn and sheathed Yubashiri and made his way around the circle, all the wood had been cut to the same size and neatly stacked into square piles.
Vic was very pleased with his handiwork. He found some vines and bound each pile, then carried them outside the cabin, one in each hand. It would only take him a few trips to move them all.
When he returned to where he had cut down the trees, the area was already quite open. He picked up the last two bundles and prepared to leave, but casually glanced back and froze. Crisscrossing slash marks covered the ground. With that single glance, he knew what he had been missing.
His swordsmanship was quite powerful, but while chopping the wood, he had also left marks on the ground. What did that mean? It meant his control was still lacking, and he had wasted that power. If he kept all of its power on the blade, wouldn't he be able to cut steel?
Vic realized that Zoro had grasped the same thing when he was on the brink of death in Alabasta. Zoro had concentrated all his might into his blade, used Observation Haki to dodge Mr. 1's attack, then unleashed the full power of his sword technique on Mr. 1. It had worked in a single strike, taking down Mr. 1 and winning him the final victory.
Vic hurried back to the cabin. After putting down the firewood, he went inside, sat cross-legged, and considered what he had learned.
Vic sank into thought. Putting together what Koshiro and Zoro had said, he concluded that concentrating his sword force into the blade was the final step, the prelude to an attack. But how could he do it?
Koshiro's words had reminded Vic: "The sword of the strongest swordsman is the power to protect what he wants to protect and cut what he wants to cut."
What did that mean? In other words, "Control your sword as you wish. Let it sense your emotions and thoughts. You can make it unable to cut a sheet of paper, or make it cut through steel. Use your heart to attune yourself to the sword in your hand." It sounded a little idealistic. Vic understood it as conviction: using conviction to gather sword force, and, to cut steel, bringing forth the conviction needed for sword force capable of cutting steel. It was somewhat like autosuggestion-becoming a god through faith.
There were many such examples in the world of Vic's previous life too (those interested can look them up online; they won't be listed here). It felt a little fantastical, though, that autosuggestion could bring such great power in this world. Even so, conviction alone was not enough; physical strength was indispensable too.
Before Zoro cut Mr. 1, he had said, "You won't hit me again. Now it all depends on whether I have the strength to cut steel." That was enough to prove that strength was indispensable. To sum it up in a line from Teacher Kaido: "When the heart catches up to the strength of the body, what results is Cutting Steel."
Vic had another interpretation. Sword force could also be understood as "Sword Qi," a term from his previous life that he found particularly apt: Sword Qi and blade qi. (This world has both blades and swords, but their techniques are collectively called swordsmanship and sword techniques, and those who use either are called swordsmen. From now on, they will collectively be called "Sword Qi.") With every swing, Sword Qi emerged along with the sword, and the marks on the ground were further evidence. This Sword Qi had no purpose. It extended from the blade as it was swung, without a target or any concentration, too scattered, until it was exhausted. It amounted to much the same thing.
After grasping the essence of Cutting Steel, Vic began training with a clearer focus: training his heart.
Vic adjusted his daily schedule. He meditated in the morning, went into the forest in the afternoon to test his results against animals stronger than himself, then hunted enough prey to eat and took it back. At night, he replaced sleep with seated meditation.
Vic made rapid progress. Less and less Sword Qi escaped, and his sword techniques grew more and more powerful. Many animals whose defenses he had once been unable to pierce became his food. The Primal Spirit content in that food also gave Vic a great surprise: his body's defenses grew stronger.
Vic had not been like Zoro, "grasping it one day and cutting steel with his blade." That did not mean Zoro was more talented than Vic. At this stage, Vic was far stronger than Zoro had been in Alabasta. What he lacked was the strength of his heart and control over his sword.
Zoro had practiced with a blade for ten years and devoted all his thoughts to swordsmanship. Vic could not compare in that regard. To Vic, a sword was only a weapon; he had not previously devoted all his thoughts to it. Vic was too greedy. He wanted too much and had planned it all out. That was also a drawback of knowing the future.
Before setting out to sea, Zoro had not known about the Six Powers, Devil Fruits, or Haki, so he could devote himself purely to understanding the sword. The fact that he had given so many of his sword techniques such flamboyant names also said a lot.
Vic knew his Sword Qi was close to being contained, and that he would soon be able to cut steel. He felt at ease; the little stone weighing on his heart was about to be lifted.
Two days later, Vic went into the forest. This time he wanted to challenge an animal whose defenses he had never pierced before. It looked much like a Tyrannosaurus rex, except its whole body was covered in jet-black scales that reflected a cold metallic gleam. Vic had struck it before, sending sparks flying, and found it harder than steel. Its mouth was full of sharp teeth that rivaled blades, and it had two foreclaws held above the ground and a powerful tail covered in spikes. Armed all over, it stood at the top of the food chain on the island's outskirts.
Vic heard a deafening roar from ahead and to his right. He recognized the distinctive sound and knew his target was over there, so he sped toward it at full speed.
The scaled Tyrannosaurus was hunting. Its target had already fallen, and it was tearing into the prey on the ground. Vic had no intention of letting it eat its fill before fighting it; he feared it would be less inclined to fight once it was full. While its meal remained unfinished, it would kill anything that interfered with its eating. Vic needed its determination to help him break through.
Vic rushed forward and leaped. Yubashiri flashed from its sheath and struck the scaled Tyrannosaurus on the head, but still failed to cut in. The scaled Tyrannosaurus was furious. Being disturbed while eating was unforgivable. It raised its head and roared, the sound spreading in a blast of air that shook quite a few leaves from the trees.
The scaled Tyrannosaurus opened its huge mouth and bit at Vic. He braced his sword against its sharp teeth, but was forced back more than ten meters, his legs plowing two deep furrows in the ground. The scaled Tyrannosaurus had tremendous brute strength, and the two traded blows.
Vic could not pierce its defenses, but he was very fast, and the scaled Tyrannosaurus found it difficult to hit him. The fight reached a stalemate, and the scaled Tyrannosaurus grew even angrier. Food lay close by, yet it could not eat, because this stupid two-legged creature kept blocking it.
Its attacks grew faster and faster. Headbutts, bites, claws, and tail sweeps came one after another, each vicious. Vic gradually became unable to defend against them all. Sometimes the tail sent him flying; sometimes the claws struck him. Blood had begun to seep from the corner of his mouth.
Although blood ran from the corner of Vic's mouth, a smile appeared on his face. He felt he was close to the critical point. He emptied his mind, cast aside all his sword techniques, and fought as the situation demanded.
Once again, the dragon's tail sent Vic flying, breaking several trees more than three meters in diameter. The blow injured him badly. It took him a long time to get up, and he spat out a large mouthful of blood. He walked toward the scaled Tyrannosaurus one step at a time, emptying his mind further with every step. As he drew close, the scaled Tyrannosaurus grew thoroughly impatient and charged straight at him. Vic neither dodged nor stopped, walking slowly forward.
Vic kept walking until he was behind the scaled Tyrannosaurus, while it had run a long way past him. Man and dragon were on the same line, yet had never met, as if they existed in different dimensions. Vic stopped without looking back. With a click, Yubashiri slid fully into its sheath. The moment it sounded, the scaled Tyrannosaurus behind him fell, its neck cut open and unwillingness in its eyes.
"I've broken through to Cutting Steel!" Vic whispered, his face expressionless.