"Uh-hee-hee… Yes, we're all Nii-san's crew."
Carina, looking up at Kuina—who was more than ten centimeters taller than her—gave her trademark little laugh and introduced herself:
"My name is Carina, and her name is Nami. Please take care of us."
"My name is Kuina. Please take care of me as well."
Kuina replied politely, then tilted her head in confusion.
"Did you come here on a passenger ship?"
"No, we came by ourselves."
Carina shook her head, then deliberately mimicked El's proud expression.
"The three of us are bounty hunters. We passed through this sea area and heard on a certain island that Isshin Dojo is very famous, so we came here especially to visit."
"You're actually bounty hunters?"
Kuina's eyes widened in surprise as she looked between Carina and Nami.
"He-he…"
Being stared at like that made Carina a little embarrassed. She stuck out her tongue and admitted honestly:
"Actually, it's all thanks to Nii-san. He's the real main force."
"I see…"
Kuina looked slightly dazed, then turned her gaze back toward the boy now facing her father.
Her eyes shone.
So he's grown up by fighting pirates… using battles where one mistake means death to sharpen his swordsmanship?
That kind of courage…No wonder I lost to him in an instant.
We're not even on the same level.
"Young man, attack."
Koushirou drew an ordinary katana, holding it lightly in one hand as he pointed it toward El.
Even though El had refused to become his disciple, that didn't dampen Koushirou's appreciation of him in the slightest.
So, as a senior swordsman, Koushirou decided to give him proper guidance—to help him take his skills even further.
And then—
El felt it.
The aura of a Master Swordsman.
To everyone else, Koushirou looked the same as always.
But in El's eyes—or rather, in his perception—Koushirou's presence suddenly swelled, towering over him like a mountain that reached the sky.
Standing before that mountain, he felt as small as an ant.
This wasn't an illusion.
In a world where spiritual pressure could become almost tangible—and even turn into a weapon—a great enough warrior could crush the weak with their presence alone.
If your mentality wasn't strong enough, you might not even have the courage to attack.
Right now, Koushirou was unleashing his will as a Master Swordsman, testing El's resolve.
In response, a few cold sweat drops slid down El's forehead—
But his lips curled into an excited smile.
Without the slightest hesitation, El sent his consciousness surging through his body. With one thought, he pushed his control and physical ability to the limit in every direction—
And charged.
Whoosh!
To Kuina and the others, El vanished in a blur.
In the very next instant, he was right in front of Koushirou.
The sword in his hand came down from above, carrying enough force to tear through the air itself.
If the blade wasn't blocked—
The edge would shear through the airflow, twisting it into a Flying Slash that would rip the courtyard apart.
If that slash hit, this quiet garden would be demolished in an instant.
But, just before the airflow could fully condense—
Another "ordinary" blade met El's strike.
Clang!
Metal rang out.
The gathering wind failed to become a true Flying Slash and instead exploded outward as a violent gust, roaring from between the two blades.
The first ones hit by the shockwave were Kuina and the others watching nearby.
The blast of air felt like a pair of invisible hands shoving them backward a dozen steps.
Dust and sand were thrown up all around them, forcing them to shield their faces with their arms and squint their eyes just to keep watching.
"I didn't expect that at your age, you've not only grasped the 'cutting steel' of the Breath of All Things, but you've also mastered Flying Slashes."
Koushirou spoke with open admiration as he looked at the boy in front of him—a head and a half shorter, yet frighteningly composed.
Just like Haki, the Breath of All Things also had levels.
To perceive the Breath of All Things but still be unable to cut steel—that was one level.
To hear the breath of steel itself and slice it cleanly—that was another level.
And above that, to cut the very air and launch a ranged attack—a Flying Slash—that was yet another level.
If "cutting steel" was the sign of a beginner Master Swordsman, then Flying Slashes marked the level of a senior Master Swordsman.
Which meant—
El definitely hadn't just recently awakened the Breath of All Things.
He must have had it for quite some time.
If he could freely use Flying Slashes at eight years old…
Did that mean he had already mastered the Breath of All Things at six or seven?
In this world… such a genius really exists.
And that genius wasn't his disciple.
The better El looked, the more bitter Koushirou felt.
He had always dreamed of having a son—or at least a disciple—to inherit his style.
But he only had a daughter, and the mantle had nowhere "proper" to go.
So he had pinned that hope on Zoro instead.
However, no matter how good Zoro's talent was, compared to El, the difference was like heaven and earth.
If El had already had a teacher, or if he were a teenager with an established style, Koushirou wouldn't feel so heartsore.
But unfortunately, El was only eight.
He hadn't even settled into a personal style yet.
He was a chunk of raw jade—waiting for a master craftsman.
It was a pity…
This raw jade had its own will.
He didn't want to be carved by anyone else.
He wanted to refine himself into a beautiful gem with his own hands.
"Uh… looks like the match is over."
All those complicated, tangled thoughts in Koushirou's heart were completely visible to El.
Looking at this Master Swordsman silently enduring his "heartache" while keeping a calm face on the surface, El couldn't help but show a slightly strange expression.
Even he wondered—
If Koushirou were a few decades older, or if Kuina and the others weren't here… would he go full martial arts novel, kneel down, and beg me to accept him as my teacher instead?
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