Only after Orr's wound stopped bleeding did he slowly start walking home.
At the very last instant of that final clash, he had sensed that Shirakawa had already broken through into the realm every swordsman dreamed of.
It had to be said, Shirakawa's progress in swordsmanship was nothing short of terrifying.
How many days had it even been since he left the Roger Pirates?
By Shirakawa's own estimate, he should have needed at least another three months before breaking through to Great Swordsman.
But looking at it now, it had happened in only about three days.
Sure enough, if a person wanted to grow stronger, they could not rely on training alone.
What they truly needed was opportunity.
Although there were plenty of people on the Roger Pirates who could put Shirakawa under this much pressure, there were almost none who could actually help him break through.
That was because the people on that ship did not really know how to teach. They only knew how to pass on experience.
But Orr was different.
Not only could he share experience, he was also a teacher who had already guided two excellent swordsmen. He knew exactly where to stop and how much pressure to apply.
Still, just now, he had really thought Shirakawa was going to fail this breakthrough.
He had never expected the end result to give both of them such a surprise.
The gap between a swordsman and a Great Swordsman was as vast as heaven and earth.
Especially for someone who had already stood at the top among swordsmen, once Shirakawa woke up, his strength would have undergone a complete transformation.
After returning home, Orr wrapped a layer of bandage around his hand.
Those bandages had originally been something he bought for his disciples to use. Who would have thought the day would come when he himself would need them too?
"Master, what happened to your hand?"
After settling Shirakawa down, Jora came out of the room and immediately noticed the bandaged hand.
"It's nothing. Scraped it a little on the way back."
"Really?"
Jora was only half convinced.
Orr scraping his hand was something he had never once heard of in all the years they had lived together.
"Why are you asking so many questions? Hurry up and do your work. Is the food ready yet? If it isn't, then get cooking. I'm starving."
Orr looked like someone who had been exposed after telling a lie and was now angrily changing the subject.
"Yes, Master."
"Oh right, how is that Shirakawa fellow?"
"Don't worry, Master. He's just asleep. But it's really strange, there isn't a single wound on his body."
"I see. Then go do your work."
"Yes, Master."
Orr lay back down in his rocking chair and basked in the sunlight.
These old bones of his had finally gotten some real exercise for once, so naturally he needed a proper rest.
Truth be told, that battle with Shirakawa had been quite tiring for him.
He had even needed to control his strength carefully so he would not cripple Shirakawa in one blow.
Although saying it like that did sound a little arrogant.
In the blink of an eye, the sun had risen and set three more times.
Three whole days had passed, yet Shirakawa still showed no signs of waking up.
"Master, did something happen to him? Why isn't he awake yet?"
Orr sat beside Shirakawa, reached out, and began taking his pulse with a mysterious, solemn expression.
"Nothing's wrong. His pulse is steady. He'll wake up soon enough."
Did Orr really know medicine?
Of course not.
He was just putting on an act, because his disciple clearly seemed deeply concerned about this person.
He had a feeling that before long, this disciple of his might leave him too.
Just as Orr's thoughts were churning, Shirakawa's eyes suddenly opened little by little.
Looking at the two figures sitting beside him, Shirakawa blinked a few times, looking a little dazed and oddly adorable.
"You're finally awake."
The moment he saw Shirakawa open his eyes, Jora felt a wave of joy. At the same time, his admiration for his master deepened even further.
He truly had not expected that his master actually knew medicine.
As for Orr, he felt as if a huge burden had finally been lifted from his heart.
Truly, the heavens were helping him.
"Kid, you sure can sleep. You've been out for three whole days."
"Three days already?"
Shirakawa muttered to himself.
From the look on his face, it was obvious he thought that his all-out final strike had failed.
At that thought, he could not help feeling a little disappointed.
"Kid, how do you feel right now?"
"I want to eat."
"Alright, I'll go make something right now."
The moment he heard Shirakawa wanted food, Jora immediately left the room and headed for the kitchen.
Shirakawa was not actually hungry.
It was just that eating would help him recover his stamina faster and restore his ability to move more quickly.
"I really didn't expect it to still end in failure."
After Jora left, Shirakawa sat up and spoke, as though to himself, yet also to Orr.
"Is that so? Then feel it carefully yourself."
"What?"
"Feel for yourself whether you really failed."
Hearing Orr say that, Shirakawa seemed to regain full awareness of his body.
An indescribable sensation welled up from deep within him.
It felt as if every meridian in his body had suddenly opened up completely.
"This is..."
Shirakawa widened his eyes and looked at Orr in disbelief.
"That's right. You've reached the realm every swordsman dreams of."
"That's great, that's great. After training in swordsmanship for a whole year, I've finally reached this level."
Orr also smiled and nodded.
After all, he had played a part in Shirakawa's breakthrough.
"That's right. Reaching this level after only a year of sword training really isn't easy."
Orr repeated Shirakawa's words, then suddenly seemed to realize something.
"What did you say? One year? You've only trained in swordsmanship for one year?"
Orr grabbed Shirakawa by the shoulders, his eyes wide and his breathing rough as he shouted the question.
"Yeah. I've only trained for about a year in total."
Hearing that answer, Orr took a direct blow to the spirit.
When he looked at Shirakawa now, his eyes were full of grievance and resentment.
Back then, from the day he first started learning the sword to the day he reached the rank of Great Swordsman, it had taken him nearly thirty years.
And even that had earned him the title of genius.
But compared to Shirakawa, he was nothing.
Shirakawa was a monster.
A freak.
"Are you sure you're not lying to me?" Orr asked once more.
"Why would I lie to you? A year ago, I might not even have been able to beat an ordinary person."
Shirakawa was not trying to show off.
He simply wanted to see the stunned look on Orr's face.
And sure enough, with that short old body and that comically shocked expression, the old man looked especially hilarious.
"Can a person like this really exist in the world?"
Orr still found it hard to believe, but the truth was sitting right in front of him.
"The food's here."
Jora walked in carrying the meal. When he saw his master crouched in the corner muttering to himself, he turned to Shirakawa and asked, "What's wrong with my master?"
"Maybe he suffered some kind of blow."
"What kind of blow?"
"Don't tell him."
Just as Shirakawa was about to answer, Orr, who was sitting in the corner, suddenly snapped awake and loudly stopped him.
It was enough for only him to suffer this kind of shock.
There was no need to drag his disciple down with him.
Even though Jora knew his master meant well, his heart still itched with curiosity.
Seeing the look in Orr's eyes, one that seemed ready to devour someone whole, Shirakawa gave in.
"Alright, I won't say anything. I'll eat."
Shirakawa obediently picked up the bowl and chopsticks and started eating.
Seeing that, Orr nodded in satisfaction.
"Master, what exactly happened?"
"Get lost."
"Right away."
Jora could tell that Orr was in a terrible mood, so he wisely chose to back down at once.
/-\
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