Chapter 13 Bane VS Zoro!
In the large kendo field, two figures faced each other.
One of them was Bane, and the other was Zoro.
Bane held a long sword with both hands and blocked quickly in front of him. Zoro, as the attacker, was very fierce. He used three swords in one hand and put so much pressure on Bane that he struggled to find a chance to fight back.
Bane was already strong, and while Zoro wasn't as strong as Bane, he was still impressive. When their weapons clashed, sparks flew occasionally.
After they had fought dozens of times, Zoro's sword suddenly slipped from his hand and flew towards Bane, aiming directly at his neck.
Bane seemed taken by surprise. In a hurry, he instinctively raised his sword to block, but this left his chest open.
"It's over! " Zoro shouted, quickly pulling out the Wado Ichimonji that he had been holding in his mouth. His power suddenly increased, and his arms gathered strength for a moment.
His already strong biceps looked like they were about to burst with power!
"Two-Sword Style: Rhinoceros Return! "
The two swords in Zoro's hands rushed into Bane's chest like the horns of a rhinoceros.
In that moment, Bane realized he had lost the sword fight.
Indeed, half a year earlier, Bane had become a disciple of Koushiro and a member of Isshin Dojo.
At first, Koushiro did not want to teach Bane Haki. He seemed to want to hide his past. But Bane used a sneaky tactic, saying, "Mr. Koushiro, you don't want others to know that you are friends with Dragon, the leader of the Revolutionary Army, right? " This convinced Koushiro to change from a teacher to a master.
Bane thought that forcing Koushiro would make training difficult for him later. However, he was wrong. After accepting him, Koushiro never gave him a hard time. He focused on teaching him the basics of kendo and Haki.
Those were just the basics of Haki. For more advanced techniques like Ryuo, Koushiro said they would be taught later.
Surprisingly, Bane showed great talent in kendo.
Also, thanks to his strong body, only Zoro could truly outmatch him in kendo at Isshin Dojo.
While Bane had some talent, Zoro was truly gifted and had practiced kendo for many years. In terms of swordsmanship alone, Bane could not match Zoro.
At the moment when Zoro's two swords were about to hit Bane's chest, Bane quickly threw his sword aside. This action showed that their battle was no longer just a simple kendo match.
It was clear that Zoro was used to this type of fighting with Bane.
"Shave! " Bane vanished from his spot, causing Zoro's swords to miss.
In the next second, Bane's tall figure appeared behind Zoro. Dark energy swirled around his fingers. He made a claw motion with one hand and grabbed Zoro's shoulder.
Zoro's reaction was quick after missing his strikes. He sensed the danger without needing to turn around. He shouted, "Shave! "
At that moment, he disappeared from Bane's sight.
Since Bane came to learn from Zoro, he didn't hide his weaknesses from Zoro and the others. He had asked Smoker about this, and Smoker agreed to let Bane teach the Six Styles. Smoker only asked him to choose students carefully and not give the skills to the wrong people.
So, shortly after arriving at Isshin Dojo, Bane began teaching Zoro how to master the Six Styles.
Zoro had originally planned to leave the dojo for training. However, when Bane arrived, he brought a new version of techniques that Zoro had never seen before. This piqued Zoro's interest in the Six Styles, and he had been practicing for the last six months.
Unlike Bane, who studied all Six Styles, Zoro was only interested in five of them: Shaving Step, Moon Step, Tempest Kick, Iron Block, and Paper arts. He had a basic understanding of the finger gun but was not focused on it at all.
As soon as Zoro disappeared from sight, Bane didn't hesitate and kicked backward with a spinning whip kick.
Zoro's feet were right where Bane aimed. He said nothing and raised his two swords to block. In the next moment, Bane struck the blade with his kick.
To everyone's surprise, when Bane's leg hit the blade, it made a clanging sound, as if two metals were colliding.
If you looked closely, you would see a faint black energy around Bane's legs. This energy was not his devil fruit ability; it was Haki.
For the past six months, Bane had mainly focused on mastering Haki. While he couldn't be called a master yet, he had at least learned the basics of Armament Haki. He used a complicated stance to hold down Zoro's swords with one leg.
At the same time, Bane joined his hands in front of his chest and shouted, "Black Annihilation: Tide! "
As he spoke, his whole body seemed to transform into a dark void. Dark elements flowed from him in all directions like waves, engulfing everything around him, including the ground.
Meanwhile, on the second floor outside the kendo field, Koushiro held a cup of tea and watched the fight taking place below.
But now, all he saw was darkness covering the kendo field. He could not see Bane or Zoro.
"The Logia-type user is still as frightening as ever," Koushiro said with a smile, taking a sip of his tea.
In kendo, Zoro usually defeats Bane. This always happens, and it is never surprising. Likewise, when Bane sets down his sword, Zoro has no chance to fight back against Bane's overall strength.
As Koushiro finished his sigh, he noticed the dark elements in the dojo pulling back toward the center like a receding tide. Soon, Bane and Zoro came back into his view.
Bane stood still, hands clasped in front of his chest, like a devoted monk.
Zoro found himself in a very difficult position. His whole body was wrapped in dark elements, forming a dark sphere, with just his head sticking out. He was floating and couldn't move or escape.
"Damn it, put me down! " Zoro shouted.
"Ready to give up? " Bane asked Zoro with a smile.
"If you admit defeat first, then I will too! " Zoro replied through clenched teeth, sounding somewhat reluctant.
Ben understood the boy's stubbornness very well, and he did not want to torture him. He said, "I am not as skilled in swordsmanship as you. I admit defeat. "
Zoro's face twitched a little, but after a moment, he accepted what happened and replied, "You are much stronger than me. I admit defeat. "
After they both admitted defeat, Bane stopped using his powers and freed Zoro from his dark water prison.
"It's just cheating. Your dark power covers the entire space. There is no light, and I can't see anything. If I can't master Observation Haki, I won't win at all," Zoro said as he picked up his sword from the ground, feeling helpless.
Since Bane has learned Haki, Koushiro won't leave Zoro alone. So, Zoro is also learning about Haki now.
Both he and Bane are skilled in armament color, but they are average in observation.
Neither of them has mastered Conqueror's Haki yet.
"This is the power of the devil fruit. If you want, I can get you one when you go out to sea for experience in the future. Don't say I don't take care of you, lil bro," Bane said, laughing.
"I am the senior brother, okay? " Zoro replied angrily.
"Didn't we agree that whoever is stronger will be the senior brother? " Bane said matter-of-factly.
"I thought you were only talking about kendo! " Zoro exclaimed angrily.
"Are you serious? Strength is strength. We can't just talk about swordsmanship. Do you think your future opponents will only use sword? " Bane scoffed.
Zoro was so angry that he wanted to attack Bane, but knowing the strength difference, he held back his anger and said reluctantly, "Wait until I am stronger than you in the future. "
"I'll call you my senior brother then. I am a trustworthy person, unlike someone else," Bane added deliberately.
"Who is not trustworthy? ! " Zoro shouted in anger.
"What should you call me then? " Bane asked, raising his chin arrogantly.
Zoro's face twitched, and veins popped up on his forehead, but he finally lowered his voice and whispered, "Big Bro. "
From a distance on the second floor, Koushiro smiled as he watched the two brothers get along. Whenever this happened, he felt it was a good idea to teach Bane.
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