When Kuina rose in the early morning, her original intention was to practice with her blade. However, the foundational sword skills Qiu Xia had shared occupied her thoughts. Instead of continuing her drills with Zhensu, she shifted her focus to practicing these basic forms.
It might have seemed contradictory to set aside her usual routine for what were ostensibly "basics," but they were fundamentally different. The foundational sword skills of the One Piece World emphasized the hack and the slash.
Though there were other moves, the primary mode of attack was swinging and cutting. In contrast, the basics of this new sword art placed a heavy emphasis on the thrust. (Author's Note: I'm just rambling here; after all, I've never actually practiced swordsmanship myself.)
Although no one was physically there to guide her, the mental standards provided by the information in her mind, combined with the solid foundation she had already built, meant that Kuina wasn't starting from absolute zero.
Seeing Kuina practicing, Zoro approached her with curiosity. "Kuina, what are you practicing? It feels different from your usual sword skills."
"This is a sword art suitable for women. I obtained it from a senior, so of course you haven't seen it before," she replied.
"A sword art for women? It looks so strange!" Zoro looked at her, his competitive spirit flaring. "Kuina, how about we have a match? You use that 'women's sword art,' and I'll use my usual style."
Kuina considered it for a moment. "I only just got it yesterday. I don't know its actual power yet."
"We'll know the power once we test it, won't we?"
"Alright then!" Kuina didn't argue further.
Seeing her agree, Zoro didn't waste a heartbeat. He snatched up a wooden sword and charged. Facing his rush, Kuina held her sword with one hand and delivered a single thrust. It struck Zoro's blade dead center. Because she held it with one hand, even though she was older and stronger than Zoro, she lacked the leverage to hold her ground and was forced back two steps.
Seeing her retreat, Zoro pressed his advantage, swinging his sword in a relentless flurry of cuts. Kuina dodged and parried, simultaneously studying his movements and searching for a weakness. When a dodge became impossible, she raised her blade to block. Finally, during one of Zoro's wide swings, she spotted an opening. She raised her hand and thrust. The wooden sword struck Zoro squarely in the stomach.
Zoro collapsed to his knees, his face twisted in pain. "Hiss... that hurts!"
However, as a future member of the protagonist's crew, Zoro's constitution was remarkably tough. It didn't take long for him to recover. He stood up and looked at Kuina. "Kuina, that sword art isn't that strong. If you had used your normal style, I probably would have lost a lot sooner."
In terms of pure time, it was true. Using the foundational moves of the Eight-Direction Han Sword took Kuina much longer to defeat Zoro than her original style would have. However, in terms of energy expenditure,
Kuina had retained far more stamina than usual. More importantly, she had practiced the local foundational skills of Shimotsuki Village for years, whereas she had only practiced the Eight-Direction Han Sword for a single morning.
The contrast made Kuina realize exactly which style suited her better. In response to Zoro's comment, she said, "I only just got this yesterday and only practiced for a little while this morning. Once I'm familiar with it, I expect the time it takes to beat you will decreaseit might even be faster than before."
Zoro wasn't happy to hear that. "You've got to be joking. I'm growing just as much as you are! I won't let you leave me behind. Just you wait; I'll definitely beat you next time."
Kuina rolled her eyes at him. "Fine, I'll be waiting!"
After their talk, she continued her drills until her arms were too heavy to lift. Only then did she take a bath and return to her room to practice the Breathing Technique that had come with the sword moves.
This Breathing Technique was a foundational martial arts cultivation method Qiu Xia had left for her. Through this technique, she could absorb Spiritual Energy to strengthen her divine body and clear her meridians. Once all her meridians were opened, she could advance to become a Xiantian Martial Artist.
In the Zombie World, a Xiantian Martial Artist was equivalent to an Earth Master. Because it was a foundational technique, progress was meant to be slow; its primary purpose was to build a base and condition the body.
In the Zombie World, even with Kuina's excellent talent, it would have taken days of meditation just to sense the energy. But this was the One Piece World, a place where Spiritual Energy was incredibly abundant. Kuina hadn't been practicing for long before she felt the "Qi" flowing. It followed her guidance, settling into her Dantian.
Though she couldn't use this energy perfectly yet because her meridians were still blocked, she could already feel her physical strength increasing significantly.
"Is this Breathing Technique the key to a girl becoming a Great Swordsman? I will definitely work hard. By the way, I wonder if Qiu Xia has left yet. If not, he should still be at the back of the mountain. I should go check." With that thought, Kuina quickly prepared some food and ran toward the mountain.
Qiu Xia's original plan had been to have one last moment of madnessclearing out the corrupt Marines in the East Bluebefore vanishing for a few months to lie low or perhaps hopping over to the Zombie World. By the time he returned to the One Piece World, the heat from the Marines' investigation would have died down.
Who could have guessed he wouldn't be able to leave?
(One Piece Heavenly Dao: Kid, you killed so many people in my world and even made off with several Devil Fruits. You think you can just pat your butt and walk away? Not a chance. You're staying here for a while so I can toss you around. You're staying until you've taken a few hard knocks.)
Since he was stuck, Qiu Xia decided his only option was to find a place to hide. Shimotsuki Village saw very few Marines. If he stayed cautious and kept a low profile, he could probably last a year here.
"Oh... you're still here?" Kuina called out as she arrived at the back of the mountain and saw Qiu Xia dazing out on a rock. "I was wondering if you had already left. I brought some food from the dojo. I know this isn't enough to repay what you gave me, but I'll work hard to pay you back in the future."
Qiu Xia smiled. "I happen to be hungry. Thanks for the meal."
Taking the food, he glanced at Kuina's condition. "I didn't expect you to have already grasped the basics of the Breathing Technique in such a short time."
"Yes, thank you for teaching it to me. I feel like practicing this can solve the physical limitations girls face compared to boys. Thank you, really."
"Don't mention it. It was just a small favor. Whether you succeed depends on your own effort."
"Regardless, thank you. With this, I will definitely become a great female swordmaster... no, I should say, a Female Sword Immortal." Kuina squeezed her fists tight.
Qiu Xia ate while replying, "Alright, I'll be waiting to see it."
While Qiu Xia was deciding to become a "thousand-year turtle" and lie low, the Marines had begun their investigation. Under Sengoku's urgent orders, Admiral Kizaru had arrived in the East Blue. He had visited the office of the East Blue Governor-General and several Marine branches to investigate the tracks left by the "Starlight Killer."
But whether it was forensic evidence or witness testimony, there was almost nothing to go on. According to the Marines at the branch offices, they had been living their normal livespracticing and trainingwhen a Starlight Sphere suddenly appeared in the sky above their base. Then, numerous beams of starlight shot out from the sphere. Any Marine hit by the starlight died instantly.
To kill so many people at once required a level of power that would make someone a major pirate in the New World. But if the killer had that kind of strength, why stay in the East Blue, the weakest of the four seas,
to show off? What were they thinking? Was it simple spite toward the Marines? Furthermore, there was no record in either the Marine or World Government archives of a fruit with such abilities. It had to be a newly discovered Devil Fruit.
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