William had no idea what his subordinates were whispering about. In truth, his thoughts were far less complicated than Kuro and the others imagined. After offering some guidance to Kuina, he continued walking with Koushirou, and their conversation naturally shifted to the topic of swordsmanship.
William's primary reason for visiting the Isshin Dojo this time, aside from matters concerning Oliver, was because he had recently felt that his swordsmanship was on the verge of a breakthrough. He was beginning to touch upon the realm of swordsmen capable of cutting through iron as if it were mud.
The Plaza of Fate had granted William several proficiencies, which seemed to elevate his potential. [Lightning Reflexes] enhanced his body's reaction speed and coordination, while [Robust] improved his bone and muscle density, as well as his immune system.
In addition to these, William possessed two proficiencies closely tied to swordsmanship: the special proficiency [Zen Sword Arts] and the achievement proficiency [Sudden Enlightenment].
[Zen Sword Arts]: Your swordsmanship has begun to embody Zen principles. When wielding a sword, you can easily rid your mind of distractions, focus entirely, and fully unleash your swordsmanship skills.
[Sudden Enlightenment]: Through the guidance of a swordsmanship master, your understanding of sword principles has deepened. Your perspective on swordsmanship has significantly expanded, enabling you to learn sword techniques with half the effort.
With these two proficiencies, William's progress in swordsmanship could be described as advancing by leaps and bounds. [Zen Sword Arts] allowed him to effortlessly eliminate distractions during training, channeling all his energy into swordsmanship and ensuring maximum efficiency in his practice. Meanwhile, [Sudden Enlightenment] provided him with what could be called the "swordsman's mindset."
What is a swordsman's mindset? When someone devotes themselves wholeheartedly to a particular field, constantly thinking about it, their way of thinking inevitably changes. They begin to view and interpret the world through the lens of their expertise, often making connections across different areas.
For example, in his previous life, William had known a chef who had started learning the craft as a child and spent half his life immersed in it. The chef was so passionate about cooking that he could relate almost anything to his work in the kitchen, using cooking as a metaphor for other aspects of life.
William now found himself in a similar situation. With the proficiency [Sudden Enlightenment], combined with his training at the Isshin Dojo, he couldn't help but relate almost everything—whether it was sword practice, combat, or even daily life—to swordsmanship. These connections, whether made consciously or subconsciously, often sparked inspiration.
Currently, William's Steam-Steam Fruit, a Logia-type Devil Fruit, granted him two primary abilities. The first was the elemental transformation inherent to most Logia fruits, allowing him to turn his body into steam. The second was the ability to increase temperature and heat, which William jokingly referred to as "boiling water." This ability seemed to align with the "rules" of his fruit, enabling him to rapidly vaporize substances—a prerequisite for generating steam, much like how cold causes water to freeze into ice.
According to Gin, who had heard from Nezumi, the Marines had a Logia user at headquarters who had consumed the Ice-Ice Fruit, granting them the ability to transform into ice. William speculated that this individual's power might similarly stem from the conditions required for ice formation, allowing them to lower temperatures and freeze objects.
William didn't know if this so-called "monster," as Nezumi had described, faced any bottlenecks when lowering temperatures or what those limitations might be. What he did know was that he himself had already encountered a bottleneck.
His ability to increase temperature and heat was governed by the rules of his Devil Fruit, and its initial upper limit was tied to the boiling point of water at standard atmospheric pressure—100 degrees Celsius. This temperature, which produced vigorous steam, was in delicate balance with his body's initial control capabilities.
Beyond this point, attempting to raise the temperature further caused the "boiling water" to lose control, resulting in steam dissipating uncontrollably. The expanding gas would scatter in all directions, quickly releasing the heat William had painstakingly generated.
As a result, William could currently only maintain his steam at around 100 degrees Celsius. Moreover, the larger the area covered by the steam, the faster the heat loss. If he attempted to fill the entire dojo with steam, even if he could manage it, the temperature of the dispersed steam would likely be pitifully low.
Although William knew that the boiling point of water could be altered by pressure and that steam itself could reach much higher temperatures, he found it difficult to make further progress with his fruit's temperature-based abilities until he discovered a better way to prevent "leakage" and heat dissipation. Thus, his focus shifted away from temperature and toward exploring other applications of his powers.
For example, during the battle in Black Reef Town, he had experimented with using the force generated by the expansion of steam. Additionally, when his body was in its elemental steam form, he experienced a peculiar sense of perception that extended with the dispersal of the steam.
Although this perception weakened as the steam spread over a larger area, it remained an extraordinary sensation. After all, when he was in his elemental form, he perceived the world from the perspective of a gas.
Koushirou had once said that everything in the world breathes. If one could hear the "breath" of all things, they could cut through anything—or choose to cut through nothing.
During one private training session, a falling leaf drifted through a thin layer of steam formed by William's elemental body before gently landing on the ground. In that moment, a flash of inspiration struck William's mind.
For an instant, he seemed to perceive everything about the leaf—its interaction with the wind, gravity, inertia, and its own density. He truly "heard" the leaf's breath and realized that to achieve the state Koushirou had described, where one could cut through anything or nothing, one needed to harness the power of the leaf's breath and act in harmony with it.
It was reminiscent of the time Koushirou had performed his sword dance beneath the cherry blossom tree.
Back then, Koushirou had precisely grasped all the factors influencing the descent of the cherry blossoms and, with his unparalleled swordsmanship, executed a display of breathtaking beauty and extraordinary skill. Each swing of his sword, enveloped by the cherry blossoms, seemed as natural and effortless as breathing itself.
William shared his insights with Koushirou, who was visibly surprised. He had always known William was exceptionally talented, but he hadn't expected him to approach this level of understanding so quickly.
William and his group stayed in Shimotsuki Village for three days. During this time, William, Edmond, and Aramis resumed their studies under Koushirou, rekindling memories of their time training at the dojo. Meanwhile, the other pirate officers gradually returned to the ship.
On this particular day, William was sparring in the courtyard with Edmond and Aramis, while Koushirou led the students in observing from a distance.
William faced both Edmond and Aramis simultaneously. Without relying on his Devil Fruit powers, he held his ground using only his swordsmanship. All three were top students of the dojo who had also gained practical combat experience at sea. Their techniques were sharp, and their intent to kill was palpable. Their sparring was both a display of the beauty inherent in swordsmanship and a testament to its lethal nature.
The intensity of the duel left the dojo students—many of whom had little to no real combat experience—breaking out in cold sweats.
William focused on Koushirou's teachings, prioritizing technique over brute strength. His movements were precise, with minimal footwork, as he concentrated entirely on Edmond and Aramis—or more specifically, on their swords. He attuned himself to the forces acting on their blades, the inertia, and the "breath" of the swords themselves.
In this world, swordsmanship, when taken to a certain level, began to transcend into the realm of philosophy. It evolved from mere technique into "the way of the sword," emphasizing the spiritual and mental cultivation of the swordsman rather than just physical prowess.
Fortunately, the proficiencies [Zen Sword Arts] and [Sudden Enlightenment] had granted William a natural aptitude in this area.
Edmond and Aramis attacked with all their might, but William deflected each strike with ease, as if he could see through their every move.
The two stepped back, panting heavily. After exchanging a glance, they prepared to launch another joint assault. However, William suddenly sheathed his sword.
Neither Edmond nor Aramis let their guard down, assuming that William's action signaled the start of something new rather than the end of the duel. They halted their movements, watching warily as William lowered his stance and shifted his weight. His posture was textbook-perfect for an iai strike.
William remained motionless in his iai stance. Edmond and Aramis, still on high alert, decided to take the initiative. Knowing that William possessed a Logia Devil Fruit, they had no reservations about attacking with full force.
As Edmond and Aramis moved, William finally acted. His pupils seemed unfocused, as if his attention wasn't on his opponents. In reality, his mind and spirit were wholly attuned to the "breath" of their swords.
Crack!
The instant Edmond and Aramis stepped into William's range, he drew his blade with lightning speed. A streak of sword light flashed across the courtyard, grazing their blades ever so lightly before continuing its path.
The next moment, the two finely crafted katana in Edmond and Aramis's hands were cleanly sliced in half, as if they were no more than paper.
William closed his eyes, resheathed his sword, and stood still, savoring the fleeting moment of enlightenment. Meanwhile, Edmond and Aramis stared speechlessly at their broken swords.
After a while, Aramis noticed William looking at him with a smile. Feigning anger, he raised his broken sword and said, "What are you looking at? You owe me a new one!"
(Note: Some readers may be confused about the title of Volume 2, The Demon of the East Blue. The "demon" refers not only to vengeance itself but also to the Devil Fruit user Barbarossa and the Devil Fruit obtained by the protagonist.)
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