The wooden sword fell to the ground with a thud, Kuina’s eyes vacant in disbelief at how decisively she had been defeated.
A wound on the back is a swordsman’s shame, and she couldn’t even see her opponent’s movements.
“Even Kuina lost… Is this the strength of warriors from the outside world…”
Little Zoro’s shock was no less than Kuina’s.
He had lost to her in two thousand matches and knew full well how strong she was.
The dojo students’ smiles froze. Just a moment ago, they had seen the light of victory through Kuina.
They never expected that in the next instant, the man’s wooden sword would be at Kuina’s throat!
Watching Kuina’s spirit dampen, Icey silently retrieved his sword.
He understood Kuina’s temperament, how she resented her own gender, and how being acknowledged in defeat would only worsen her feelings.
After all, his victory in this match came purely from his superior physical strength.
Letting Kuina quietly process this defeat was the best course of action.
“Kuina, you…”
Seeing Kuina return to her seat with a downcast expression, Zoro clenched his wooden sword tightly.
He hadn’t yet adopted the habit of using three swords, and even using two was just a way to compensate for his lack of strength to beat Kuina.
But now, seeing the powerful Kuina defeated so thoroughly, he questioned whether he could ever defeat that man.
Zoro gripped his twin swords tightly, his inner turmoil evident.
After all, he was still a child with an undeveloped mind.
He admired the strong yet feared them, recognizing the gap between them and knowing it was futile to challenge him.
But his stubborn nature wouldn’t let him just sit still. He scanned the room, eyes eventually landing on King, with his three scars and imposing presence.
This blonde man looked powerful. If he could defeat him, it would prove his own strength.
Resolute, Zoro stood up, knees shaking slightly.
“Hey! You with the blonde hair, fight me!”
He raised his right wooden sword, pointing it at King.
Compared to Kuina’s polite request, Zoro’s was blunt and straightforward.
Seeing Zoro’s determined stance, the dojo students, initially dejected, found a sliver of hope.
However, their hope quickly diminished when they looked at King’s stern face.
Even though Zoro was stronger than them, the memory of Kuina’s swift defeat was fresh, and they couldn’t imagine King losing.
The natural pressure King exuded was simply too overwhelming.
This time, Koshiro did not stop Zoro.
He glanced at the newspaper beside him, which featured an image of King standing stoically by the ocean.
“What? He’s challenging me?!”
King remained outwardly calm, but inside, he was panicking.
He had heard the dojo students say that this green-haired kid had the strength to defeat adults.
If they fought, he wouldn’t last a single move!
Tension spread throughout King’s body, his heartbeat growing louder and faster.
Boom boom! Boom boom!
The thunderous heartbeat echoed through the dojo.
Icey, too, was startled by Zoro’s sudden challenge.
He pondered how to defuse the situation and spare King, but then a loud laugh broke out.
“Puhahaha, what a clueless kid! He actually wants to challenge King!”
Aqua laughed derisively, hand over her mouth. “Did you hear that? He’s accepted your challenge. You’re dead meat!”
In her mind, King’s strength was immeasurable, even greater than Icey’s. No way could a kid like Zoro win.
‘Aqua, I don’t recall offending you. Why put me in this position?’
King glanced at Aqua, feeling betrayed.
The history of Icey’s frustrations with Aqua seemed to be repeating itself with King.
Even his incredible luck couldn’t save him from the troublesome goddess…
Icey’s face twitched slightly. He avoided King’s pleading gaze.
Aqua had already set the scene; there was no backing out now.
“I… I won’t be afraid even if you get serious. This is what I desire!”
The resounding heartbeat weighed heavily on Zoro.
Despite recognizing the strength of his opponent, he had drawn his sword and had no intention of backing down.
Under everyone’s watchful eyes, King reluctantly stood up, moving slowly to face Zoro.
His towering figure cast a shadow over the small boy like a ferocious beast.
“Come on! I… I won’t lose!!”
Zoro swallowed hard, mustering his courage to charge at King.
With two wooden swords, he struck left and right. A dull thud followed.
Predictably, there was no miracle. Ordinary King was instantly taken down!
“Sorry, I lost.”
Seated on the ground, King clutched his chest, immediately conceding.
This kid’s strength was absurd. If it weren’t for the wooden swords, he’d likely be sliced in half by now.
“……”
The quick outcome left everyone, including Kuina, speechless.
After several seconds, they reacted, their jaws dropping in shock.
“Huh? Huh?!”
The astonished exclamations filled the dojo.
“I won? Did I… really win?”
Zoro’s bewildered eyes darted between his wooden swords and the fallen King.
Despite the abruptness of it all, his reaction mirrored Kuina’s, not understanding what had just happened.
At this moment, Koshiro, seated above, sighed deeply, having grasped the “truth.”
“Mr. King, while Zoro is still a child, he isn’t weak. You didn’t need to hold back so much.”
His keen eyes had seen everything. King’s stance was full of openings, like someone who knew nothing about combat.
In that state, even the weakest dojo disciple could win.
This understanding only deepened Koshiro’s astonishment.
For a weakling to pretend to be strong might be easy, but for a strong person to act completely weak was incredibly difficult. Combat instincts often betray the act.
Koshiro had met many strong individuals, but none, including himself, could switch between strength and weakness as effortlessly as King.
Become a Patron read up to 30 chapter ahead public release ^_^
Please join Discord Server so we can talk ^_^
