"You know my teacher?"
Zoro's eyes went wide in disbelief.
But clearly, he was overthinking it.
"No, I just know of him. I've never actually met him."
"Ah... I see."
"Anyway, did Koushirou ever tell you what comes after becoming a swordsman?"
"Nope."
Zoro shook his head.
To be honest, Koshiro had barely said anything about being a swordsman—just touched on it briefly.
Forget what came after.
"Alright then, let me give you a simple rundown."
"You already know the basics—first comes the apprentice stage, then swordsman. After that..."
"That's when you become a swordmaster."
"As an apprentice, it's all about building a solid foundation. Once you move past that, you start learning more advanced sword techniques."
"But to reach the level of swordmaster, there's a key requirement—you must be able to cut iron."
"Once you can do that, you're halfway there."
"To fully become a swordmaster, though, you must learn to control sword aura and use it to launch flying slashes. Only when you can do that are you considered a true swordmaster."
Flying slashes...
Zoro had never heard that term before.
But he recalled one night from his childhood. He had accidentally witnessed his master Koushirou training deep in the woods.
A white flash had split the air, fanning out like a crescent moon.
All the trees in a radius of several dozen meters had been cut clean through.
Now that he thought about it... was that what Luo Lan meant by flying slash?
"What comes after swordmaster?"
Zoro was getting excited.
This was the first time he'd ever heard any of this.
"After swordmaster... comes great swordmaster. And your target—Hawk Eye—is one. In fact, he's at the very top of all great swordmasters."
"The difference between swordmasters and great swordmasters lies in something called sword intent."
"To put it simply, while a swordmaster's flying slash is just a slash, a great swordmaster's is something more."
"Their sword aura is denser, more powerful—and with sword intent, they can manipulate their aura freely, even give it form."
"You'll understand more once you come with me to our base. You'll have a chance to learn it there."
"I'm not a swordsman myself, so that's about all I know."
So there's a level beyond swordmaster? A great swordmaster...
Zoro was blown away.
This was a whole new world opening up before him.
A great swordmaster, huh...
One day, I'll reach that level too!
And Hawk Eye—your title—I'll take that for myself!
Zoro made another silent vow to himself.
Luo Lan stood up and gave his shoulder a pat, then walked out of the room.
He'd said all he could about swordsmanship.
Any more, and he'd risk misleading Zoro.
It was better to wait until they returned to the 157th Branch and let Zoro train at the Super Marine Academy.
Swordsmanship... martial arts... which is stronger?
Luo Lan didn't know the answer.
But he knew one thing for sure:
No matter how strong swordsmanship or martial arts are, they're nothing compared to modern firepower.
Drop a nuke, and it doesn't matter if you're a Yonko or even Imu—you're done.
That's just how it is.
Of course, he couldn't make a nuke just yet.
Whether the system would help him build one in the future... was still uncertain.
But even without nuclear weapons, it didn't mean other firearms were useless.
On the contrary, there were plenty of hot weapons in his arsenal that could take down the strongest pirates.
---
A few more days passed.
They still hadn't found the Buggy Pirates.
But the pirates in that region?
Let's just say they were very unlucky.
The seas had been completely swept clean.
The 157th's flagship Danaan once again approached the edge of the Prosperity Zone.
At the same time...
A medium-sized sailing ship was crossing from the Wastelands into the East Blue Prosperity Circle.
On the bow, a woman leaned against the rail, a cigarette in her mouth.
The sea breeze tousled her hair as Baby 5 stared gloomily at the ocean.
Just before setting sail... her fiancé had died.
Again.
Why again?
Because this was already her 58th fiancé.
Like the 57 before him, he had proposed—and within a day, Doflamingo had killed him.
No more...
This time, when I go back—I'll assassinate Doflamingo for sure!
Baby 5 clenched her fists, silently vowing.
What she didn't know was that, just five nautical miles ahead... a trap had already been set.
Waiting for her to walk right into it.
---
Meanwhile, the Danaan surfaced.
On the launch platform stood a group of marines in sleek black "Sovereign/Jun Lin" uniforms.
Even Ian had joined them.
"Ian, you remember what I told you?"
"Uh... Captain, are we really doing this?"
Ian hesitated.
"What? I'm handing you a gorgeous long-legged babe for free, and you're hesitating?"
"It's not that—I just... she's a pirate."
"Relax. You saw her file. She's never done anything like burning, looting, or killing. Most importantly—when Baby 5 came of age, Doflamingo was already a Warlord. Meaning..."
"...she's never even fought the Marines!"
Luo Lan explained calmly.
If she had killed civilians or marines, then no matter how pretty she was, Luo Lan wouldn't have shown mercy.
Baby 5 was just lucky.
Back when Doflamingo was at war with the Marines, she had still been a child.
By the time she grew up, Doflamingo had become a Warlord.
No more battles with the Navy.
"Fine, but isn't it kinda scummy to use her personality against her like that?"
Oh for crying out loud...
Luo Lan slapped his forehead.
He was done reasoning with Ian.
"Let me ask you one last time—do you want Baby 5 as your wife, or not?"
"If yes, follow my plan. If not... we'll just kill her."
I'm handing you a beautiful woman on a silver platter, and you're nitpicking?
Do you think this is a democracy?
A moment later, Ian hesitated.
"Captain... you said she hasn't hurt civilians or marines. Isn't killing her a bit extreme?"
"No! If that's what it takes to save her—I'll do it! Even if it means..."
"...even if it means sacrificing myself... for life!!"
At those words, everyone around them rolled their eyes.
Yep.
Luo Lan had finally seen through Ian.
This guy was the ultimate hypocrite—talks noble, acts sneaky.
Luo Lan decided to ignore him from now on.
"Hina, once we board, Baby 5 goes to Ian. You and I will each lead a team to take over the ship fast."
"Got it. But... are you sure he's up to it?"
Hina raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed by Ian's earlier theatrics.
"Don't worry. I've already given him the killer lines."
"As long as he doesn't mess them up, there's no way this can fail."
Luo Lan grinned.
"Move out!"
---
A/N: If you want an early updates, you can visit my Ko-Fi as I update there much early.
Currently at Chapter 78 for free chapters on my Ko-Fi and at Chapter 280 for advance chapters.
https:// ko-fi.com/sami27