Chapter 78: Great Swordsman, Hai Zhu's Proposal
"I knew it, things wouldn't go this smoothly."
Hai Zhu's mood was a bit complicated.
At this moment, the strongest emotion in his heart was naturally joy.
The reason was simple—his purpose in coming to Shimotsuki Village, besides negotiating a trade with the Revolutionary Army.
More crucially, his initial goal was "Meitou."
He knew very well that although it was only a Great Grade Sword, one of the 21 O Wazamono, and not a Supreme Grade Sword, this sword was one of the most special swords in the entire pirate world.
Its special quality lay in its ability to autonomously extract and release the user's "Ryuo."
Even though this effect would cause most sword holders to die, the power it possessed was undoubtedly immense.
And for Hai Zhu, or rather, Loy, it held extremely great significance!
And, coincidentally, he also knew that the blacksmith who forged this sword, "Shimotsuki Kozaburo," came to Shimotsuki Village after leaving the Wano Country.
That's how this meeting came about.
This was also the reason for his joy at this moment—because Shimotsuki Kozaburo clearly told him that Meitou's special quality lies in the special forging material, "Meitou Iron," forged by Shimotsuki Kozaburo.
"As long as I devour it with my Devil Fruit ability, I can master Ryuo!"
The ability of the Swallowing Devil Fruit allows him to devour any object and perfectly grasp its characteristics—in other words, the side effects of Meitou Iron should be ineffective against him.
This was his initial goal in coming here.
Zephyr's "Black Body Flow" requires powerful Haki to unleash its perfect might, but the time needed to guide and master Haki is simply too long.
Meitou Iron could be the "accelerator" for his Haki cultivation!
But before that…
"Mr. Shimotsuki Kozaburo, are you serious?"
He looked at Shimotsuki Kozaburo in front of him and asked earnestly.
"My ability is very dangerous. If we were to fight, I wouldn't be able to hold back."
Upon hearing this, Shimotsuki Kozaburo smiled, "I am a swordsman."
There are no swordsmen in this world who fear danger.
Subsequently, he seemed to have guessed Hai Zhu's concern: "Your Excellency need not worry about their attitude—this is my own affair, unrelated to them, and will not affect your trade."
He was clearly referring to the Revolutionary Army.
"If I am seriously injured or die in battle because of this—Zoro, you must tell others what I said today, don't let them misunderstand."
"Master…"
Upon hearing this, Zoro clenched his fists even tighter.
He wanted to say something but didn't know how to speak.
And so, Hai Zhu sighed.
He held no ill will towards this dojo master of the Isshin Dojo, but Meitou Iron was something he was determined to obtain. Since Shimotsuki Kozaburo was so insistent, then…
"Since that's the case, come on."
He nodded lightly.
And so, Shimotsuki Kozaburo smiled.
He bent down, striking a stance for a slash: "The sword is named 'Isshin,' unknown on the seas."
He stroked his beloved sword in his hand: "But it is the best sword."
"Mr. Hai Zhu, please be careful."
As his voice fell, he responded to Hai Zhu's challenge.
With a slash!
"Isshin Style: Snow Slash!"
As if the name of the slash—at this moment, a frosty color appeared within the bamboo forest.
The fallen withered leaves seemed to be stained white.
But in this season, where would there be snow?
It was sword light!
"Buzz!"
Yes, Shimotsuki Kozaburo's "Isshin" swung down, and then a gigantic white slash, like snow, soared out from the blade!
"That is…"
And after seeing this scene, Zoro, who was at the side, also widened his eyes in disbelief.
There's a saying on the Grand Line—a slash is a swordsman's calling card.
Zoro is also a swordsman, so he naturally knew how powerful Shimotsuki Kozaburo's slash was at this moment.
Where the slash passed, no dust was stirred, yet a deep trench was carved into the ground.
All the surrounding bamboo almost snapped in mid-air, yet without bringing up even a speck of wind pressure.
That was the extreme manifestation of condensed slashing power.
"Master's swordsmanship, it actually…"
And so, Zoro was truly shocked.
He had learned swordsmanship at the Isshin Dojo since childhood, and naturally knew his master was very strong.
But after years of training, he originally believed that his "Three Sword Style" might not be as good as his master's, but it wouldn't be too far off.
But now, he finally realized…
He seemed to have never seen his master swing his sword with full power.
"Such a slash…"
And so, Zoro subconsciously bit his molars—he knew that he couldn't withstand this slash right now.
If he were his master's opponent, he would die facing this attack!
But…
"Amazing."
Zoro, at this moment, saw that facing the flying slash…
The man named "Hai Zhu" merely stood in place, clapping his hands with interest.
"I didn't expect to see a true 'Great Swordsman' in the East Blue."
He spoke thus.
That's right.
Shimotsuki Kozaburo, the master of a small dojo in Shimotsuki Village, was actually a "Great Swordsman" whose swordsmanship could be called master-level, even across the Four Seas!
Then, under Zoro's focused gaze…
Hai Zhu lightly extended his hand towards the slash.
Then…
"Buzz!"
That enormous slash, seemingly capable of cutting all things in half, silently vanished without a trace the moment it approached his hand.
In its place, Zoro seemed to see the other party's throat move.
The next moment…
"Hoo."
Zoro heard Hai Zhu seemingly let out a breath.
But at this moment, he no longer cared about such small details.
"What's going on with that guy?"
He completely couldn't understand what had just happened—what did the other party do just now? And that terrifying slash?
And at this moment, Shimotsuki Kozaburo also seemed a bit astonished, raising an eyebrow: "As expected of 'Hai Zhu' Your Excellency."
Evidently, although he guessed that a member of the Twelve Stars would definitely not be weak, he hadn't expected his slash to be broken so easily.
"An ability?"
He looked at Hai Zhu.
"A part of it, I suppose."
Hai Zhu casually replied, then looked at Shimotsuki Kozaburo, and said gravely, "Then next, it's my turn to make a move."
As his words fell, he swiped his hand forward, seemingly about to make a move.
But precisely at this moment—
"Dojo Master! Dojo Master!"
"The Pirates are back—they're approaching the south shore, they'll land soon!"
"Village Chief asked us to invite you, he said he saw their flag clearly, it's the 'Roger Pirates,' a great Pirate in the East Blue second only to Don Krieg!"
The shouts and cries of alarm coming from the distant dojo interrupted the impending battle.
Hai Zhu was even taken aback.
Roger Pirates? What character is that? Knock-off Roger Pirates?
But after realizing who "Don Krieg" in the words referred to, he immediately reacted—oh, it's that little shrimp.
But then, he seemed to think of something, turning his head to look at Shimotsuki Kozaburo, who was also frowning tightly: "Mr. Shimotsuki Kozaburo. It seems this battle cannot continue."
"But if you don't mind, I think our battle can take on a different form."
"Hmm?"
Upon hearing this, Shimotsuki Kozaburo also looked at Hai Zhu: "Mr. Hai Zhu means?"
"I think those Pirates…"
Hai Zhu said softly.
"Are just right."
Regarding the Sky Island incident, it was mentioned before, and now I'll say it again.
The plot of Sky Island will change a lot compared to the original work (I won't just ignore such a huge BUG).
Then I mentioned before that I would explain the Sky Island incident after a few plot arcs, which was when I was fighting Crocodile.
Now that we've experienced the "Rat" and "Hai Zhu" plot arcs, I can talk about it. The Sky Island plot is the first plot after the Three Armies Military Exercise, and it's related to the main storyline and ending of this book, so I couldn't spoil it before this.
(end of chapter)