One Piece: Nobody knows Devil Fruits better than me.

Chapter 78 The Great Swordsman, Pig's Proposal!
"I knew things wouldn't go that smoothly."

The Pig's feelings are a bit complicated.

At this moment, his strongest emotion was, of course, joy.

The reason is simple—his purpose in coming to Shimotsuki Village was not only to negotiate a deal with the revolutionary army.

More importantly, and the initial goal was 'Enma'.

He knew very well that although it was only one of the twenty-one Great Grade Swords and not the Supreme Grade Sword, it was one of the most unique swords in the entire pirate world.

Its special feature is that it can autonomously extract and release the user's 'flowing cherry blossoms'.

Although this effect would kill the vast majority of those wielding the knife, its power is undeniable.

For the Pig (or, more specifically, for Luo Yi), it holds immense significance!
And coincidentally, he also knew that the sword's forger, Shimotsuki Kozaburo, had come to Shimotsuki Village after leaving Wano Country.

That's how this meeting came about.

This was also what made him happiest at the moment—because Koushirou had clearly told him that Enma's specialness lay in the special forging material 'Enma Iron' forged by Shimotsuki Kousaburo.

"I can master Ryuo by devouring it with the Gluttony Fruit!"

The ability of the Gluttony Fruit allows him to devour any object and perfectly control its properties—in other words, the side effects of Enma Iron should be ineffective against him.

That was his original goal in coming here.

Zephyr's 'Black Body Style' requires a powerful amount of Haki to unleash its full potential, but the time required to guide and master Haki is simply too long.

Yama Iron can be the 'accelerator' for his domineering cultivation!
But before that
"Mr. Koushirou, are you serious?"

He looked at Koushirou in front of him and asked seriously.

"My abilities are extremely dangerous; if it comes to a fight, I will not hold back."

Upon hearing this, Koushirou smiled and said, "I am a swordsman."

There are no swordsmen in this world who are afraid of danger.

Then, as if guessing the concerns of the Pig, he said: "Your Excellency need not worry about the other party's attitude - this is my own business, it has nothing to do with them, and it will not affect your transaction."

He was clearly referring to the revolutionary army.

"If I am seriously injured or killed in this battle—Zoro, you must tell others what I said today, so that they do not misunderstand."

"teacher"

Upon hearing this, Zoro clenched his fists even tighter.

He wanted to say something, but didn't know how to start.

So, the Pig sighed.

He harbored no ill will towards the head of the Isshin Dojo, but he was determined to obtain Enma Iron. Since Koushirou was so insistent, then...
"In that case, let's go."

He nodded slightly.

Then, Koushirou smiled.

He bent down, assuming a slashing stance: "The sword is named 'Isshin,' but it is nameless on the sea."

He stroked his beloved knife in his hand: "But it's the best knife."

"Mr. Pig, please be careful."

As soon as he finished speaking, he responded to the Pig's question.

Use a slash!
"Isshin-ryu: Snow Slash!"

As if it were a strike—at this moment, frost appeared within the bamboo forest.

The fallen, withered leaves looked as if they had been dyed white by snow.

But where would you find snow at this time of year?
That's the flash of a knife!
"Buzz!"

Yes, as Koushirou slashed out with his 'Isshin' sword, a massive white slash, as white as snow, flew out from the blade!

"That is."

Upon seeing this, Zoro stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

There's a saying on the high seas: "A slash is a swordsman's registration card."

Zoro is also a swordsman, so he naturally knows how powerful Koushirou's slash is at this moment.

No dust was raised where the strike passed, but a deep trench was carved into the ground.

All the bamboo around them snapped in mid-air, yet it didn't create any wind pressure.

Those are all manifestations of the power of the strikes converging to their extreme.

"The teacher's swordsmanship is truly amazing!"

Zoro was genuinely shocked. Having trained in swordsmanship at the Isshin Dojo since childhood, he naturally knew that his teacher was very strong.

But after years of training, he originally thought that his "three-sword style" might not be as good as his teacher's, but it wasn't too far behind.

But now, he realizes
He seemed to have never seen his teacher wield his sword with full force.

"Such a strike"

So Zoro instinctively gritted his teeth—he knew he couldn't withstand that slash right now.

If he were his teacher's opponent, he would die from this blow!
But
"amazing."

Zoro, however, saw the incoming slash coming at him.

The man named 'Hai Zhu' simply stood there, clapping with great interest.

"I never expected to meet a true 'great swordsman' in the East China Sea."

He said this.

That's right.

Shimotsuki Koushirou, the master of a small dojo in Shimotsuki Village, is actually a 'great swordsman' whose swordsmanship is considered to be at the level of a grandmaster, even if he looks across the world!
Then, under Zoro's watchful gaze.

The pig gently extended its hand towards the slash.

then
"Buzz!"

That enormous slash, which seemed capable of splitting everything in two, vanished silently as it approached his hand.

Instead, Zoro seemed to see the other person's throat move.

next moment.
"call."

Zoro heard the boar seem to exhale.

But at this moment, he couldn't care less about those details.

"What's wrong with that guy?"

He couldn't understand what had just happened—what had the other party done? What about that terrifyingly powerful slash?
At this moment, Koushirou raised an eyebrow in surprise: "As expected of Lord 'Boar'."

Clearly, although he guessed that the members of the Twelve Constellations would be quite strong, he did not expect that his strike would be so easily countered.

"ability?"

He looked at the Pig.

"Part of it."

The boar answered casually, then looked at Koushirou and said seriously, "Then it's my turn to make the move."

As soon as he finished speaking, he slightly raised his hand, as if he was about to make a move.

But it is precisely at this moment
"Master, please correct me! Master, please correct me!"

"The pirates are back—they're approaching the south coast and will be landing soon!"

"Grandpa Village Chief sent us to invite you. He said he recognized the other side's flag; it's the Roger Pirates, the second-greatest pirate crew in the East Blue after Krieg!"

The shouts and cries coming from the distant Taoist temple interrupted the impending battle.

The Pig couldn't help but be momentarily stunned.

Roger Pirates? What characters are they? A high-quality replica of the Roger Pirates?
But after realizing who 'Overlord Kleek' was in the words, he immediately realized—oh, it was just a nobody.

But then, as if he had thought of something, he turned to look at Koushirou, who also had a furrowed brow: "Mr. Koushirou, it seems that this match cannot continue."

"But if you don't mind, I think our fight can be done in a different way."

"Ok?"

Upon hearing this, Koushirou looked at Ino and asked, "What does Mr. Ino mean?"

"I think those pirates..."

"The pig said softly."

"Just in time."

　I've talked about Skypiea before, but I'll say it again now.

　　The plot of Skypiea will be very different from the original work (I won't leave such a big bug unresolved).

　　Then, as I mentioned before, the Skypiea story will be explained a few story points later, during the fight against Crocodile.

　　Now that we've gone through the storylines of the 'Rat' and 'Pig', I can say a few words. The Sky Island storyline is the first storyline after the Three Armies Exercise, and it's strongly related to the main plot and ending of this book, so I can't give away any spoilers before then.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)