"A sword is a weapon, sword fighting is murder."
This was a phrase my master often said. Besides my master, Kōzaburō also told me before he died, "Swords are knives for cutting people, born to take lives. The purpose of forging a sword is to enable it to take more lives."
Both the sword fighting my master taught me and his swords were meant for killing.
So, why this reverse-bladed sword?
This isn't a sword meant for killing.
Now, seeing the swirling, water-like crescent moon sword energy Kokushibo unleashed, he suddenly had an epiphany.
"If the heart desires, anything can be a sword, anything can strike. If the heart does not, even a famous sword is useless."
Normally, water is gentle and nourishing, flowing silently and moistening all things. However, when necessary, it can become pure violence, devouring everything.
He looked at the crescent moon vortex that enveloped him, feeling his body being gradually devoured. He unleashed his full power, and Zoro's arm was directly twisted by immense pressure.
But at this moment, his eyes shone brightly. With his remaining hand, he drew the reverse-bladed sword that had been gathering dust for years!
This was the sword Kenshin had left him seven years ago before he left. It was in his room along with the dark blade, Black Moon. When he woke up, he only saw these two swords, and Kenshin had quietly left with Kuina.
After that, Zoro had been studying these two swords because they were the last gifts from his master. Naturally, his favorite was Black Moon.
Black Moon was not only extremely sharp but also possessed a powerful dark energy. Furthermore, it was incredibly beautiful to look at. Zoro believed this sword was stronger and cooler than any famous sword in the world!
However, the reverse-bladed sword left with it had always puzzled Zoro.
Why would his master leave him such a sword? Such a sword couldn't kill!
But Zoro had still carried it with him all along and even used this third sword to hone his sword fighting skills, eventually mastering the Three-Sword Style.
However, because the reverse-bladed sword was completely useless for killing, it actually wasted Zoro's strength in fights, making it less effective than the Two-Sword Style.
But now, Zoro had a faint glimmer of understanding.
Especially now, he felt his life rapidly draining away. Kokushibo not only had incredibly powerful sword fighting skills but also formidable regenerative abilities, making it extremely difficult for him to inflict damage. Even if he did cause damage, Kokushibo could recover quickly.
This wasn't an even fight to begin with.
His body was covered in scars, and at this moment, he could almost hear the call of death.
And it was at this moment that he drew his third sword, the reverse-bladed sword that had never been used in battle!
The instant he drew it, Zoro vaguely felt a connection form between himself and this sword. Although it was just a fleeting moment, Zoro felt that the sword understood his will.
The next moment, all the pressure vanished.
It was as if someone had wrapped their arms around him protectively. The furious crescent moon vortex from before disappeared, replaced by a warm feeling.
Zoro's consciousness became hazy. He could only faintly see a thin, faint film or barrier appear around him. Under the power of this barrier, the raging vortex from the outside couldn't harm him in any way.
It felt long because Zoro had undergone a lengthy spiritual journey, but it was only a second in the present.
Kokushibo, after unleashing this attack, intended to withdraw his sword because he believed the battered Zoro absolutely couldn't withstand it.
After finishing off this green-haired fellow, he would kill that rubber kid too. Although…
That kid should have been killed by the master long ago.
Kokushibo originally had another name. He vaguely remembered being a powerful pirate on the Grand Line, but he was betrayed by his vice-captain. The vice-captain drugged him and then took him and his ship to another pirate's territory.
All the discovered treasures were stolen, his loyal crew members were murdered, and he himself was thrown into the sea by his former brothers.
Because he was a Devil Fruit user, he had eaten the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, which allowed him to release shockwaves through the vibration of metal objects, thus enabling him to unleash a long-range sword energy.
Once he had eaten the Devil Fruit, falling into the sea meant certain death. They could have just killed him directly, but they wanted him to die in despair.
However, just as he was about to fall into despair, he saw the man whose eyes held no emotion.
"If you want revenge, show me how strong you can become."
That man saved him by some unknown method, but then never appeared again.
Kokushibo, filled with hatred for his enemies and gratitude for that man, desperately trained to become stronger. In less than a year, he felt he had become several times stronger than before.
He found the pirate crew again. That crew was already stronger than his former crew, and after absorbing his forces, they became even stronger. But Kokushibo was alone.
Yet, under these circumstances, Kokushibo killed them all. Those people died in unimaginable misery, each hanging in front of their stronghold, with several terrified and despairing corpses hanging from every house in the entire town.
When the Marines arrived later to clean up, many were sick on the spot.
It was at that time that Kibutsuji Muzan reappeared before him, gave him his blood, and taught him a breathing technique, which made him even stronger and turned him into the current Kokushibo.
After becoming a demon, the memories and emotions of his human past vanished. Kokushibo forgot many things, but he would not forget Kibutsuji Muzan's kindness.
He actually admired Zoro very much because Zoro's pursuit of higher sword fighting skills was very similar to his own past self. Even though he had forgotten his past memories, he had this vague impression.
That's why he didn't kill Zoro the first time he saw him. However, this time, he had angered his master, so he had to die!
His final attack was released with full force. Even Zoro in his peak condition would not have been able to withstand that blow, let alone Zoro who was already battered.
Therefore, Kokushibo was sure Zoro was dead.
However…
When the crescent moon sword energy dissipated, the kid who should have fallen to the ground in two pieces…
was still standing on the ground?!
Zoro, with his green hair, was panting. One of his arms was already dislocated, but he held the sword in his hand in his mouth. The empty space was replaced by a new sword.
"Finally drew the third sword, huh…"
Kokushibo looked over and found that the third sword didn't look unusual at all. But for some reason, he felt a sense of threat from that sword.
"It's different now."
Zoro was even more tired than before, but he showed no fear. Instead, he said with a hint of excitement, "So, this is your true form."
What Kokushibo didn't know was that this sword wasn't even considered ordinary at first. Not only was the blade reversed, but the blade itself had some nicks and dents, making it look extremely worn out. Placing it next to Black Moon made Black Moon seem cheap.
But now, this sword seemed to have evolved. Although it still looked plain and unassuming, it was much better than before.
And when holding this sword, Zoro felt an extremely special aura.
"No wonder the blade is pointed towards myself."
Zoro grinned, saying, "I understand now, Master."
He didn't hesitate to use this sword to slash his own left arm!
His left arm had been twisted by the previous crescent moon vortex and clearly could no longer be used in the upcoming fight. But this was not an unhealable injury. Yet, Zoro was about to use the sword in his left hand to slash at his own left shoulder?!
Kokushibo was momentarily unsure of Zoro's intentions. He didn't attack rashly, just observing Zoro's changes.
Then, he discovered with astonishment that the sword didn't cut off his arm. Instead, after slashing himself, his twisted left arm inexplicably healed?!
Even the injuries on his body had subsided a lot?!
Kokushibo's six pupils couldn't help but tremble. He had just said that recovery was a demon's privilege, and that Zoro could never match him, a demon with Limitless recovery. Yet, now Zoro was demonstrating such an ability before him.
That sword…
What power did it contain?!
'Tōga's Teeth: From the world of Inuyasha, these are the teeth of the ancient Great Demon Tōga. They contain Tōga's power and are excellent materials for forging swords, capable of creating swords with magical powers.'
That's right, the sword in Zoro's hand came from this.
It was not Inuyasha's Tessaiga, nor Sesshōmaru's Tenkō, but a famous sword forged with the raw materials used to create them during the pirate era, imbued with immense power.
Because the forged appearance was that of a reverse-bladed sword, Tōga's teeth further pushed this sword towards the abilities a reverse-bladed sword should possess.
And now, it had awakened the ability to heal injuries by slashing oneself, based on Zoro's inner desires. And its abilities were by no means limited to this.
One had to admit that Zoro was one of the biggest investments for Genichi's new generation. But it couldn't be helped; there were simply too many famous swords from various worlds. So, when he drew for items, swords from different worlds often appeared.
He couldn't use them himself, so he might as well give them to Zoro, who was the professional.
Just like the Food Luck, it wouldn't be of much use to others. It had to be given to Sanji, the cook.
He had only drawn three Food Lucks in total. One was definitely used on his clone, Jirou. One was used on Sanji, and the last one was given to Four Emperors Charlotte Linlin.
This was also a major reason why the Big Mom Pirates could still rank among the Four Emperors in this world.
After all, the Four Emperors in this world were not the same as the original Four Emperors. Whitebeard had the most Shikon Jewel fragments, Kaido also had some Shikon Jewel fragments and Wano Country's technological support, and Red-Haired Shanks had the Driving Card. They were all much stronger than they would have been if they had developed normally.
And Charlotte Linlin had lost the Soul-Soul Fruit. In this situation, the fact that she could still be a Four Emperor was naturally because she had found her own path to becoming stronger.
As a Four Emperor of the New World, she didn't lack high-energy, high-nutrition food. Under this absorption, she steadily held onto her throne as a Four Emperor.
The right items must be given to the right people. If Zoro could increase his strength with swords, then let him have famous swords. Especially this reverse-bladed sword, which was perfectly in line with Genichi's wishes, because it gradually unlocked its abilities based on Zoro's own realm and strength.
And at this moment, as Zoro's realm increased, he activated the reverse-bladed sword. The latter instinctively released a barrier to protect him from Kokushibo's crescent moon vortex. And after understanding its purpose, Zoro did not hesitate to slash himself.
Generally, even if people knew that stabbing themselves with this sword could heal injuries, they wouldn't use it rashly. After all, what if it was fake? What if they guessed wrong?
But Zoro had absolute confidence in the sword Kenshin had left him, which was why he could unhesitatingly slash his own arm.
"Fierce Change · Tenman New Moon!"
Seeing the recovered Zoro, Kokushibo attacked again. And with his first move, he unleashed the previous Tenman New Moon. That strike was enough to leave Zoro defenseless. However, the current Zoro neither dodged nor evaded.
"Thirty-six earthly temptations for one lifetime, seventy-two for two, one hundred and eighty for three. Three-Sword Style · Hundred and Eight Earthly Temptations Blast!"
Zoro growled through the sword in his mouth, and the next moment, three blue slashes shot towards the oncoming crescent moon vortex. As the two sword energies were about to collide, the three slashes merged into one, forming a massive shockwave.
Boom!
A massive explosion of power erupted in the air. Kokushibo himself was forced back a step by the immense impact. However, as the blast dissipated, it was Zoro who charged out from within!
He had actually forced his way through the explosion's damage?!
Was he actually letting that reverse-bladed sword slash him the whole time?!
Even he, a demon, had retreated a step, but this human was using the sword's self-healing ability to traverse the battlefield?
Kokushibo had never seen such a desperate human before, but he would not lose!
"Moonbow · Crescent Moon!"
Kokushibo swung his sword downwards. Immense power struck, and the ground beneath him split. At the same time, Zoro quietly said, "Three-Sword Style Secret Technique · Azure Dragon's Roar · Flowing Water!"
*Pfft!*
He forcefully cut through Kokushibo's wide-range sword energy and unleashed three close-range slashes, for the first time, leaving a visible, bone-deep gash on Kokushibo!
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