Leisurely walking through the courtyard,
Orin held a thin wooden stick in his hand — it looked fragile, yet no matter how hard they tried, it couldn't be broken.
Even though Kuina kept slashing at the same spot with all her strength, it was completely useless.
Zoro, who had been knocked to the ground, gritted his teeth and stood up once again, swaying slightly.
He wasn't someone who'd give up easily — especially not while Kuina was still silently persevering.
"You can still stand? What, doing sit-ups already at that age?"
Just like that, the renowned swordsman Orin effortlessly parried their attacks. Yet every casual move of his carried subtle guidance — as if feeding them hints, imperceptibly helping the two improve their swordsmanship.
Nearly half an hour passed this way.
Orin glanced at the sky, then rubbed his stomach.
"I say, you two should've realized the difference in skill by now, right? Hurry up and admit defeat — it's time for dinner."
At those words, both Zoro and Kuina clenched their jaws, refusing to give in. They raised their bamboo swords at the same time, eyes locked on Orin's relaxed expression.
"We made this challenge as swordsmen! We won't back down!!!"
Kuina spoke with respectful determination, while Zoro was far more blunt.
"You bastard, take us seriously already!!!"
Hearing that, Orin froze for a moment — then a faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
"Take you seriously, huh?"
Boom—
With a single swing of his stick, he blocked both of their full-power strikes. The force he used wasn't light — Kuina rolled across the ground, and Zoro, who bore the brunt of the blow, not only had his bamboo sword flung away but was sent flying into the air.
He tumbled toward the cliff's edge — and just as he was about to plunge into the sea below—
Perhaps it had been waiting all along. From the waves burst a small Sea King, several dozen meters long, resembling a miniature version of the Lord of the Coast.
It opened its massive jaws, lunging straight toward the falling Zoro, as if to swallow him whole.
"Nani?!!"
Zoro's hair — and face — both turned green in midair.
"Zoro!!!"
Kuina's eyes widened, her scream tearing through the air.
For an instant, time itself seemed to freeze.
Orin, however, simply reached out and patted Kuina's head.
"Relax, relax~"
From the shadows, Koshiro watched quietly — no trace of panic on his face, only curiosity, as if he was looking forward to seeing what Orin would do.
That same slender wooden stick…
But in Orin's hand, it exuded a chilling, skin-prickling sense of danger. Though it hadn't changed at all, his motion — a smooth swing from the upper left to the lower right — looked like the movement of drawing a blade.
In the next instant,
Along that motion's path, a black slash tore into existence from the void itself — accompanied by the sound of air and earth being split apart.
Kuina's eyes widened, staring as if witnessing a miracle — that light, effortless swing…
Even Zoro, staring death in the face, forgot his fear entirely. A suffocating sense of mortality enveloped him.
The black slash — oozing with an aura as dark as a demon's — grew rapidly in size, from ten meters… to a hundred.
It brushed past Zoro without resistance, slicing the Sea King in two. But the attack didn't stop there —
The slash continued, cutting straight across the ocean, expanding to a kilometer-wide arc that cleaved the sea itself, surging far into the distance.
Zoro, suspended in midair, couldn't even process why he hadn't fallen. Mouth agape, he turned his head back.
Silence.
The world itself seemed to have been torn apart by that terrifying strike.
He turned his head mechanically, doubting his own senses.
Kuina, speechless in shock, fell to her knees — her pupils trembling uncontrollably.
The sea—no, the world—
Had been cut open?!!!
The stick in Orin's hand slowly disintegrated into ash. He blinked.
"Interesting."
He looked up. His long hair fluttered in the sea breeze. Before him, the ocean was split in two, like a massive ravine, water pouring endlessly into the fissure — yet the wound refused to close.
Dozens of meters deep and wide, stretching for thousands of meters…
With a flick of his finger, Orin pulled the dazed Zoro from midair, grabbing him by the back of his collar.
In that dead silence—
Tap… hiss…
Orin snapped his fingers, lighting a cigarette. Standing calmly before the catastrophe, he exhaled a thin stream of smoke, his expression utterly unmoved.
"This world is far broader than you can imagine, kids."
His slow, steady tone finally brought the two children back to their senses.
Seeing Kuina's trembling legs, Orin snapped his fingers again — in the blink of an eye, she appeared in his arm, as though he were carrying his own daughter. With one hand holding her and the other gripping Zoro by the collar, Orin turned and walked toward the dojo.
Neither child struggled. They just stared blankly at the man before them — tall, handsome, yet so seemingly ordinary… except for that unfathomable strength they had just witnessed.
Orin only smiled.
"What's with those weird looks?"
"Do I not look like a strong man to you?"
...
Time passed slowly.
Orin stayed in Shimotsuki Village for a while, taking a well-deserved break. During that time, young Zoro and Kuina constantly pestered him, begging to learn swordsmanship.
But Orin always refused — he only had Zoro practice the basics.
This time, he really was being a lazy teacher.
Eventually, Zoro gave up pestering him. Instead, he threw himself into physical training and basic slashing drills — and whenever he had time, he'd challenge Kuina to sparring matches.
One day, after a match using real swords, the two sat in the yard.
"I'm so jealous of you, Zoro. You're a boy…"
"Father says girls can't become the world's strongest swordsmen."
Orin leaned against a pillar with his arms crossed, quietly listening. Zoro clenched his teeth.
"You've beaten me before — don't say stuff like that!!!"
"That's so pathetic! You're my goal! Being a boy or girl doesn't matter at all!!!"
"Don't talk like that!" Zoro shouted, holding a sword nearly as tall as himself. He looked at the teary-eyed Kuina.
"Let's make a promise — one of us will definitely become the world's greatest swordsman someday!!!"
"Let's see who gets there first!!!"
"You've got some spirit, Zoro."
Before they realized it, Orin had appeared beside Kuina, sitting casually on the steps.
"Eh?! You've been eavesdropping this whole time, Orin-sensei?!"
Reluctantly calling him sensei, Zoro's face flushed with embarrassment — for some reason, being overheard by Orin felt especially shameful.
"Of course I was."
Orin ruffled their hair affectionately.
"After all, you two just said it yourselves — your dream… is to surpass me."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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