Seeing such a serious Koshiro, Kuina was stunned.
It was the first time she had ever seen her father so stern.
Little did she know, Koshiro's heart was filled with fear—the fear of losing his only daughter.
Witnessing this scene, Cyrus glanced at the Wado Ichimonji before turning to leave.
If Kuina didn't die, would Zoro still ask for the Wado Ichimonji to inherit her will?
Within the perception of his Observation Haki, Zoro was training like a madman.
He was pulling on two ropes, each tied to a stone at the other end, while holding a dumbbell in his mouth to train his strength.
"Well, not bad!"
Cyrus walked into the courtyard, bent his knees slightly, and leaped onto the roof.
Placing En beside him, Cyrus lay down, squinting at the bright, scorching sun in the sky, with both his Observation and Armament Haki fully active.
"From now on, I'll just focus on getting stronger. Koshiro probably won't hold anything back."
Cyrus closed his eyes, thinking to himself.
In the following days, Kuina seemed like a different person.
Even with Cyrus around before, she would often look troubled.
But now, her personality had actually become cheerful.
Perhaps this was more like how an eleven-year-old girl should be.
Although Zoro was puzzled by Kuina's change, he would still compare himself to her.
Then, a few days later, Cyrus looked at the three-sword style Zoro, who was staring at him intently.
"Did you beat Kuina?" Cyrus asked with his eyes closed.
"Kuina conceded on her own. Next, you're my target," Zoro said very seriously.
Cyrus turned his head toward where Kuina was.
"Yep, I lost!" Kuina said with a grin.
"Whatever. Did you just dump this trouble on me?"
"That has nothing to do with me!"
Kuina shook her head, then looked at Zoro.
"But my goal is still to become the world's greatest Swordsman."
After saying that, Kuina fell silent, sat down on the spot, and propped her chin on her hand, preparing to watch a fight.
"I'm not trouble. Cyrus, accept my challenge," Zoro said, his eyes wide with anticipation as he waited for Cyrus to agree.
"Alright, alright!" Cyrus sighed.
Seeing Zoro about to charge, he raised a hand to stop him.
"But you'll have to wait. I haven't started my training for today yet."
Zoro, who was about to rush forward, stumbled and nearly fell.
After steadying himself with difficulty, he looked at Cyrus in confusion.
Koshiro walked over slowly, sword in hand, unsurprised by the scene before him.
"The island isn't suitable for fighting. The boat is at the pier. There's a small, uninhabited island nearby."
After speaking, Koshiro turned and walked toward the pier, and Cyrus followed right behind him.
Kuina got up and followed without the slightest hesitation. Zoro looked bewildered, but his curiosity drove him to follow as well.
...
The small island was indeed not far.
It was only a half-hour boat ride from Shimotsuki Village.
"Master Koshiro!"
After the boat stopped, Zoro couldn't hold back his curiosity and looked at Koshiro questioningly.
"Kuina, Zoro, you two wait on the boat. Don't come close," Koshiro said, turning to the two and giving them a warning.
Cyrus's upcoming training was actual combat.
This was what he had promised Cyrus before, and from now on, they would have such an exchange every day.
Cyrus was also looking forward to it.
Glancing at the quietly waiting Kuina and Zoro, Cyrus bent his knees slightly and leaped up abruptly.
The powerful force made the small boat rock violently, a testament to the strength he had used to push off from it.
Zoro swallowed hard.
He suddenly felt that challenging Cyrus might have been a deliberate attempt to get beaten up.
The small island wasn't large and was quite desolate.
The part above the sea was all gravel, without a single weed in sight, and water stains were visible on the rocks.
After landing, Cyrus looked at Koshiro, who had also leaped and landed not far away.
"Next, you can try to learn my Swordsmanship," Koshiro said calmly, looking at Cyrus with a peaceful expression.
"Although the Swordsmanship one comprehends through their own battles is the most suitable for them, it's not a bad thing to learn more."
Cyrus nodded at his words, naturally not refuting them.
It was easy to understand the principle of learning from the strengths of many.
"What I have learned is the Swordsmanship passed down from my father, the Shimotsuki family's ancestral Swordsmanship. The Shimotsuki style places great emphasis on slashing. By adjusting your breathing and letting out a great shout when you slash, you can enhance the power of the strike," Koshiro explained as he drew his weapon.
"Like this."
Koshiro gripped his sword with both hands, took a stance, and in the next instant, appeared before Cyrus as if he had teleported.
He raised his sword high and brought it down in a heavy slash.
"Hah!"
A sharp cry accompanied the slash.
Clang!
Cyrus swung his sword to parry, and the force sent him flying backward.
After adjusting his posture, Cyrus landed.
Koshiro's body followed closely, delivering another slash accompanied by a shout.
Seeing the sword coming down on his head, Cyrus smiled, gripped his sword with both hands, and swung it upward.
Clang!
The sound of metal striking metal rang out. Cyrus's knees bent slightly, and the ground beneath his feet suddenly cracked.
"What immense strength!"
Koshiro used the recoil to retreat.
After steadying himself, he exclaimed in amazement.
He had long known that Cyrus's breakthroughs far surpassed those of ordinary people and that he was still rapidly getting stronger.
And just now, he had used seventy percent of his strength but had failed to gain an advantage.
He knew he wasn't a top-tier powerhouse on the seas, but he had been diligently practicing Swordsmanship for decades.
But what about Cyrus before him?
Of course, neither of them was using any power other than their Swordsmanship and physical strength.
"My turn!"
Cyrus paid no mind to Koshiro's astonishment.
He pushed off forcefully with his legs, causing the ground to explode. Just like Koshiro a moment ago, Cyrus appeared before him in the blink of an eye.
He swung his sword in a horizontal slash with his right hand.
As their weapons clashed, Cyrus clearly felt the force from Koshiro's sword guiding, or rather, deflecting his own strength.
Cyrus smiled.
He was actually able to retract the sword he had swung with all his might, and after retracting it, he slashed out horizontally again.
This blow sent Koshiro flying. He tumbled several times in the air before landing.
"Crude! That's just a crude application of your strength," Koshiro said with a dark face, rather speechless.
"But it's very effective," Cyrus replied with a smile, unconcerned by Koshiro's tone.
"But on these seas, you'll always encounter guys stronger than you, like the giants, and the real monsters of the sea."
Koshiro felt that Cyrus was relying too much on his own strength.
Could he really overpower every opponent with just strength?
"This is only the first day. I'm just letting the Dojo master know that I'm actually not bad," Cyrus said cheerfully.
"Showing me your strength?"
Koshiro was taken aback, then understood Cyrus's meaning.
Cyrus was telling him to just go all out.
If that was the case, Koshiro's eyes turned dangerous.
It seemed he had been underestimated by Cyrus.