On the beach.
The two figures stood facing each other. Compared to Ivankov's ease and flamboyance, Kouta's demeanor was clearly far more solemn.
Kouta's eyes locked onto Ivankov, whose figure was framed in a radiant halo of sunlight from behind, his pupils suddenly contracted. Within them, faint starlight spun slowly at the center.
It was like staring into a black hole, deep, mysterious, and dangerously beautiful, as if the entire starry sky could be pulled into his gaze.
An invisible pressure began to radiate outward.
Noticing the change, Ivankov's expression turned slightly serious. He no longer looked at Kouta with casual contempt.
If Kouta had been a harmless kitten before, he was now a tiger, his threat level multiplying tenfold.
Ivankov ripped off his black cloak with a flourish, spinning his arms overhead and revealing a bizarre, eccentric outfit underneath:
A tight, ultra-low-cut bodysuit, layered with a mesh cape and fishnet stockings. A large skull was tattooed across his chiseled abs. His massive, deep-purple afro wobbled with flair as he pointed dramatically at Kouta.
"Come, little Kouta,"
"Hee-ha!"
He grinned wildly as he spoke.
On the pier, among the spectators...
At some point, Inazuma had quietly donned a pair of glasses—and appeared unmistakably male now.
In a low, murmuring voice, he said,
"So he's getting serious now? Miss Ivankov… and that kid's a whole different beast than before."
Seeing Ivankov in his full makeup and regalia, A-Hua's eyes lit up in startled realization.
"Whoa… so that's what a cross-dresser really is, totally freakish!"
He had been pondering the meaning of "okama" since he first got off the ship. Now, finally, it clicked.
"Shut it,"
Koushiro turned and snarled at A-Hua.
"You brat! How dare you speak of Lord Ivankov like that?"
Sure, most okama might be freaks—but Ivankov was no ordinary man. He was the King of Okama, and one of the revered leaders of the Revolutionary Army.
"Oh yeah? You wanna fight?"
A-Hua shouted, emboldened by the crowd behind him.
"Exactly! So what? Freaks can't be called freaks now?"
A-Luo chimed in.
"Come on, then!"
Koushiro rolled up his sleeves, flexed his muscles, and pointed arrogantly at them, beckoning with a curled finger.
"You all come at once, I'll take on ten of you."
Inazuma and Koushiro could take no more.
"Enough."
The two of them glared at each side before simultaneously snorting and turning away.
"Hmph."
The crowd quieted down.
Kuina and Zoro stood silently among the onlookers, eyes fixed intently on Kouta. Their bodies were tense, their focus razor-sharp.
Kouta slipped his hands inside his sleeves, gave a light shrug, and let his top fall away, revealing a lean, muscular torso, eight-pack abs gleaming.
Hard to believe this was the body of an eleven-year-old.
He leaned forward slightly, gripping his sword tightly.
As his gaze met Ivankov's, starlight shimmered briefly in his eyes.
A transparent force field began to expand silently around him.
Pressure release.
Shave!
With a whoosh, he vanished from his spot.
Why not use direct teleportation?
Because without acceleration, he lacked the necessary power.
With his current strength, teleporting straight into a vastly stronger opponent's defenses would be useless, he couldn't even break through.
Seeing Kouta charging at high speed, Ivankov took a step back and winked with his left eye.
"Hell Wink!"
Just as the shockwave was about to collide with Kouta, his figure vanished again.
"Teleport!"
Kouta reappeared instantly in front of Ivankov, bypassing the wave entirely.
Before Ivankov could react, Kouta's spatial field expanded—completely enveloping Ivankov.
Pressurize.
"Draw Slash!"
In one seamless motion.
Red light flickered in Ivankov's eyes, he had already begun reacting the moment Kouta appeared.
But just as he raised his right fist to counter, an immense pressure struck him, halting him for a split second.
Though he broke free almost instantly, that hesitation was enough.
Facing the cold gleam of Kouta's blade, Ivankov had just enough time to coat his chest in a thin layer of Haki.
Clang!
A massive force surged through the blade.
Though the clash lasted only a moment, it launched Ivankov backward at high speed. His feet gouged two long trenches in the sand, each over ten meters long.
Glancing down at his chest, he saw a faint crimson gash slowly seeping blood.
He hadn't even had time to summon full Haki, but for a kid this age to cut through his Haki and injure him… that was monstrous.
If he'd been even a second slower, he might have ended up humiliated—and Dragon would never let him hear the end of it.
He looked up at Kouta, now floating mid-air, and his pupils contracted slightly.
He could fly now?
Kouta hovered above the massive crater, glancing at his sword, now re-wrapped in Haki with a satisfied smile.
Indeed, clashing with strong opponents refines one's Haki, not in quantity, but in quality.
Every true master of Haki had been forged through countless battles.
In his earlier exchange with Ivankov, his Haki had crumbled instantly—that was the difference in quality.
Like smashing an egg against stone.
Ivankov stared at him, slightly amazed.
"Little Kouta, you're really something. But now, it's time for you to see the true essence of the Kamabakka Kingdom's Okama Kenpo!"
With that, he leapt into the air, performed a graceful 360-degree spin, and landed lightly—drawing a strange character in the air with both hands.
No one had a clue what the character meant.
He relaxed his left hand by his waist, and pointed his right palm directly at Kouta.
"Hee-ha!"
Kouta stared blankly at the ridiculous performance.
This was Okama Kenpo? Talk about peak cringe.
Ivankov lowered his hand and raised both arms beside his shoulders, body fully relaxed. He smiled radiantly.
"Alright, alright, come at me!"
"Hee-ha!"
What, are you Bruce Lee now? Why not "Hi-ya!" instead of "Hee-ha"?
Kouta pursed his lips, raised his blade above his head, and stomped the ground with force.
Whoosh!
His body shot forward like an arrow, charging at Ivankov.
As he drew close, he slashed downward with full strength.
"Shave, Forward Slash!"
This time, Ivankov was ready.
The spatial pressure only slightly slowed him as he met Kouta's blade with a swift hand-chop, infused with powerful Haki.
"Okama Kenpo: Dream Strike Processing Fist!"
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Blade and hand met in a whirlwind of rapid clashes, creating flashes of black and silver with each strike.
In a burst of sparks
Clang!
They locked again in a power struggle.
Amid the tension, Ivankov suddenly winked down at Kouta.
"Hell Wink!"
Kouta gave a mighty shove, sending Ivankov flying, and leapt backward with the recoil.
Boom!
The spot where he'd stood exploded into a crater.
"You cheat, Ivankov! No honor in sneak attacks!"
He exaggerated his reaction, wiping imaginary sweat from his brow.
"I did not!" Ivankov roared.
He then started winking rapidly at Kouta.
"Hell Wink! Hell Wink! Hell Wink!"
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Wave after wave of shock pulses surged toward Kouta.
But Kouta didn't panic.
He expanded his domain, stretching space and drastically slowing the oncoming attacks.
He stood calmly, slicing through the waves one by one like popping soap bubbles.
Seeing this tactic fail, Ivankov dashed around him in a wide arc.
Faster and faster—until countless afterimages of his massive face circled Kouta.
"Face Mirage!"
From afar, it looked like a dozen Ivankovs were surrounding him.
Kouta raised his guard, eyes glowing red as he slashed toward one image
Found you.
A silver slash tore through the mirage, carving a deep gouge in the sand behind it.
"Little Kouta, it's no use!"
"These mirages, any one of them could be real. Or none of them!"
All the images shouted in unison:
"Ready to face a hurricane?!"
"Hee-ha!"
Ivankov blinked furiously, and all the mirages fired deadly eye-beams together—
"Galaxy Wink!"
Far stronger than "Hell Wink," these were shockwaves like guided missiles, giving Kouta no room to dodge.
But Kouta didn't move.
He sheathed his sword and pressed his palms together.
He wasn't going to run. This was exactly the test he wanted.
He slowly closed his eyes.
Then, with all the dramatic flair of a boy unleashing his full chūnibyō soul, he began to chant:
"One sack of rice to carry upstairs... Two sacks of rice to carry upstairs... One sack of rice you want me to pay for... One sack of rice you want me to wash..."
Just as the shockwaves closed in—
He opened his eyes wide. His pupils dilated. The space around him imploded inward.
Then, with a fierce motion, he flung both arms outward.
"Pseudo–Shinra Tensei!"
A technique where space within his domain is compressed to the extreme—and then detonated outward.
He had modeled it after the legendary Shinra Tensei.
The two forces clashed for an instant and then exploded with a deafening BOOM.
Sand and shockwaves blasted in every direction, scattering the mirages and launching the real Ivankov backward.
BANG!
Ivankov's massive frame slammed into the cliff wall behind the beach, causing the entire mountain to tremble.
Back on the pier, everyone had sprinted toward the village the moment the explosion went off.
Watching the shockwave closing in, A-Hua and the kids wished they had more legs.
"RUN!"
"It's a storm!!"
Just as they dove for cover, the storm swept in—leaving the street completely deserted.
Hiding behind a house, they stared wide-eyed as the winds howled past.
"Was that... really human?"
"Insane…"
Kuina looked out anxiously.
Koushiro adjusted his glasses.
"Don't worry, Kuina. Kouta's fine."
"I'm not worried. I always trust Kouta."
She paused, then glanced at him warily.
"I'm just wondering how much we'll have to pay in damages this time…"
At that moment, a fish that had been blown onto the roof fell—
SMACK!
Right onto Koushiro's head.
Expressionless, he picked up the fish and hurled it aside, staring at the sand-covered street littered with debris, fruits, and seafood.
His hand trembled slightly as he adjusted his glasses.
"Is Father okay?" Kuina asked.
"I'm fine. It's just a few beli."
Koushiro's voice was calm—but inwardly, he vowed that Kouta would repay this destruction tenfold.
"Let's go."
He stepped out.
The street was a mess, shingles, fruits, fish, everywhere.
They walked across the rubble toward the dock.
There, at the center of a massive crater where Kouta had stood, sea water was already beginning to seep in.
Before long, it might just become a small pond.
Zoro stared wide-eyed at Kouta, who floated above the crater—completely unscathed.
He trembled with excitement.
Only by witnessing power at its peak could one push to chase it harder—and he was certain he'd catch up.
Sensing Zoro's resolve, Kuina's grip on her sword tightened.
She stared at Kouta, her mind a whirlwind of emotion.
So this is Kouta's peak?
It's overwhelming.
He never even went all out when we sparred.
Shimotsuki Village was small, so small, even she was nearly invincible here.
If not for Zoro's arrival, her growth this past year would've stalled completely.
She could feel it—Zoro would soon surpass her in raw strength.
That was fate. No matter how unwilling she was, she couldn't change it.
All she could do was train harder.
Or she'd be left behind.
Looking toward the distant beach
She solidified the resolve in her heart.
She would become the world's greatest swordswoman.
*********
Hey everyone! I'll be dropping an extra 1 chapter once we hit 100, 200, 300 power stones! If you're enjoying the story, don't forget to spend some power stones. I'd really appreciate the support. Thanks a bunch!