One Piece: Nobody knows Devil Fruits better than me.

Chapter 79 When you witness the true nature of the ocean, do you still have the courage?
South bank of Shuangyue Village.

The villagers gathered on the shore.

"Village chief, those pirates we chased away before, they really were..."

At that moment, a villager spoke tremblingly.

Yes—not long ago, a group of pirates came and raided Shimotsuki Village.

However, their fighting strength was not very strong, so the villagers united and drove them away.

But at this moment
"Can't be wrong."

"The village chief of Frostmoon Village, an old man with white hair and beard, said in a deep voice."

He looked at the distant sea.

There, the silhouettes of pirate ships gradually approached amidst the waves.

The pirate flag flying on the mast of the pirate ship is a skull and crossbones with twenty-seven stars below it.

"Each new warship adds a star to the pirate flag. Now, including the flagship, the pirate fleet has a total of twenty-eight warships, second only to 'East Blue Overlord' Krieg in terms of fleet size."

The village chief's words were solemn: "The great pirate with a bounty of 1100 million Berries, 'Skull Admiral' Roger!"

Well, in the East Blue where the average bounty is about 300 million Berries, someone with that bounty is undoubtedly a great pirate.

"We've already offended him—if a guy like that lands, the village is doomed."

The village chief's lips trembled slightly: "Where is Master Koushirou? Has he arrived?"

"We've already sent someone to invite him, but even the village chief... even Koushirou, the master of the temple, would be no match for an enemy of this size."

The villagers remained apprehensive.

They all knew that Koushin Dojo's Koushirou was the guardian of Shimotsuki Village—something that had been decided when their previous generation came to the island.

But for ordinary people around the world, the sheer number of pirate ships is enough to destroy their fighting spirit.

But it was precisely at this time that the villagers were in a state of low spirits.
"Hey, look over there!"

A villager suddenly seemed to have noticed something and shouted, "It's Mr. Koushirou, and Zoro, and... wait, who's that person?"

Upon hearing this, the others also quickly turned to look.

Then they saw it on a small hill on the south bank not far away.

At this moment, there were indeed three figures—two of whom they recognized: Shimotsuki Koshiro and Nonoroya Zoro.

But apart from them, they had never seen the last person wearing the pig-head mask.

"What's Master Koshiro doing there? What are they going to do?"

Therefore, it is only natural to raise such a question.

But of course, they didn't know...

"one strike?"

At this moment, on the hill, Koushirou was having a quiet discussion with Ino.

"Yes, one strike."

Ino nodded: "The outcome of my battle with Mr. Koushirou will be determined by the number of warships destroyed in a single strike."

Meanwhile, Zoro listened with a solemn expression.

Before today, he would have found it hard to believe the two men's attitude at this moment—facing one of the strongest pirate crews in the East Blue, these two were merely using them as a tool to test their strength.

Moreover, what they were competing against was not the number of pirates they defeated, but the number of warships they sank.

But after witnessing his teacher's attack just now...

Zoro was beginning to understand what the true powerhouses on this sea looked like.

So he didn't say anything, but just clenched his fists and watched quietly.

"Okay, then I'll go first."

Koushirou nodded, readily agreeing to Ino's suggestion—or perhaps he simply didn't want the pirates to land and cause any potential harm.

So, Koushirou walked up to the hill.

then
"call"

He let out a breath.

"Buzz!"

To Zoro's astonishment, he seemed to see his teacher's arm turn black at that moment.

Even the strange blackness continued to spread and flow until it covered the knife 'Isshin' in the teacher's hand.

"Flowing Cherry Blossoms".

Seeing this, the Pig thought to himself, "Just as I thought."

As the son of Shimotsuki Kozaburo, who can forge 'Enma Iron', and as a descendant of 'Shimotsuki Ryoma,' the sword god of Wano Country, it would be strange if Shimotsuki Kozaburo couldn't master Ryuo.

And it was precisely at this moment...

Shimotsuki Koushirou had already swung his sword.

"."

Surprisingly, this sword strike produced no crisp, clear sound, no piercing clang; it was as if it had been casually swung, without even disturbing the sea breeze.

But
"Buzz!"

In the next instant, Jikō Shirō's blade was aimed at...

The sea below and the clouds in the sky were separated!

The cleaved clouds, propelled by the impact, partially obscured the sun, making it appear as a crescent moon.

The fine seawater shimmered and sparkled under the scattered sunlight, like falling frost.

"Isshin-ryu Secret Technique: Shimotsuki-giri!"

The whispered words fell.

then
"laugh!"

Everyone was horrified to see the pirate ship speeding towards them on the distant sea being silently sliced ​​apart!

The cuts on the hull were smooth and clean, and the huge warship capsized on the sea almost instantly, gradually sinking.

The sword light had not yet ceased.

"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"

One, two, three.
The slash finally dissipated on the sea surface when the seventh ship was cut in two.

And at this moment.
"."

Zoro and the villagers of Shimotsuki Village in the distance stared wide-eyed, their jaws nearly dropping to the floor, unable to utter a single word.

"teacher"

At this moment, Zoro's voice was even more hoarse.

But before he could finish speaking, he saw Koushirou turn around, sheath his sword, and come to his side.

“Your Excellency Pig, it’s your turn—let’s go sit in the back.”

He called out to the boar, then led Zoro to a seat further away.

"."

At that moment, Ino looked at Koushirou thoughtfully—he seemed to understand what the master of the mansion wanted to do.

then
"it is good."

He nodded, and then walked to the spot where Koushirou had been standing.

"Zoro, this is great!"

At the same time, Zoro heard Koushirou's words.

Is it good?
Zoro hesitated, but the scene before him left him no time to think.

Because at that moment, he saw that the Pig had already stretched out its hand towards the distant sea.

Then Zoro was horrified to discover that a slash had appeared from Boar's hand!
Yes—although he had no knife in his hand, nor did he wield one.

However, a massive slash clearly appeared in his palm.

The aura of that slash was very clear to a swordsman like Zoro.

"Was it the attack the teacher made in the bamboo forest just now?"

This situation horrified Zoro, whose nerves had become numb: "What is this?"

But he didn't have time to speak, because the Pig had already made its move.

He flicked his fingers.

"Devouring and Merging - Instant Hell Slash!"

The next moment, Zoro saw the slash from the boar's hand vanish instantly.

"Disappeared?"

The thought had barely crossed his mind when he heard a puzzled voice from Koushirou beside him: "Hmm?"

At the same time, he also heard the exclamations of villagers in the distance.

So he subconsciously raised his head and looked at the distant sea.

At this moment
"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"

The familiar sound of slashing echoed once more—the warships on the distant sea were once again being cut apart and sinking.

Without even thinking, Zoro could hear the screams, cries of alarm, and confused voices of the pirates. "When did that slash get over there?"

At such a great distance, he couldn't even see the trajectory of the slash.

But obviously, that doesn't matter anymore.

because
As one warship after another sank, Zoro began to feel tense.

Naturally, he wanted to witness the outcome of this trial.

"Very close—the teacher's slash seems stronger, but it is damaged during flight."

"While the boar's attack was weaker, it somehow appeared there without sustaining any damage."

He analyzed it in his mind.

But the next moment—he realized that his judgment was meaningless.

Because just as that slash flew and severed another warship, it swept to the center of all the warships.
"Boom!"

With a huge burst of fire, Zoro could clearly see—the slash had exploded!
The powerful explosion spread in an instant, and the huge blast wave and flames instantly engulfed all the surrounding warships.

The sea caved in instantly, and the waves surged up, almost obscuring all vision. Only thick smoke could be seen rising from the sea surface.

Zoro doesn't even need to confirm to know.

"The remaining twenty-one warships are all destroyed."

He looked incredulously at the pig, then at the terrifying destructive power on the sea.

"What kind of move is that?"

An explosive slash? Does that make sense?
At this moment, the Pig slowly withdrew its finger and nodded in satisfaction.

"As expected of me."

He chuckled and muttered to himself.

At this moment, the light screen in front of him reveals what had just happened.

[Paramecia Type - Gluttony Fruit LV4: Can devour anything, including non-physical elements such as clouds, wind, and slashes, but after devouring, it can only use the substance and cannot acquire its elemental properties.]

[Paramecia-type Devil Fruit - Bomb-Bomb Fruit LV4: Can turn any part of the body, including exhaled gas, into bombs. The bombs can detonate on their own, and the user is immune to any explosion damage. After reaching LV4 and further developing the fruit, the explosive power will be further enhanced.]

[Paramecia Type Mark-Mark Fruit LV4: Allows you to set two markers within a marking range, redirecting any attack aimed at you, whether friendly or enemy, to the vicinity of the marked point.]

This is the ability possessed by the 'Pig'.

Incidentally, the two markers recorded by his marking fruit at this moment—one of which is, of course, a distant warship, and the other is in his own mouth.

"Any attack will be transferred to my mouth by the Mark Fruit and digested into part of my body by the Swallow Fruit."

"All my attacks, including slashes, are part of my body, so they can be transformed into powerful bombs."

"The effect of the marked fruit can almost guarantee that my attacks and bombs will hit the enemy."

Beneath the mask, Roy remained satisfied with his skill combination.

Just as he had previously told Koushirou, the Ino's abilities are indeed very dangerous!

From the moment Koushirou agreed to the duel, he was destined to lose.

With the goal of sinking warships, and in a contest of destructive power, the Pig's abilities are almost the most suitable.

but
"He probably doesn't care."

The pig's gaze turned to Koushirou behind him.

From the very beginning when Koushirou took him to the bamboo forest, to the time when Koushirou inexplicably started a war with him, although the reasons he gave were all reasonable, Ino always felt something was off.

The reason is simple—if it were a battle between strong individuals of their caliber, Zoro's presence would be a burden.

This future Pirate King's right-hand man hasn't even set sail yet; he's still far too immature.

To put it bluntly, a pig could potentially kill its opponent with a single breath.

If the two were to fight with Zoro present, they would inevitably be hampered.

Koushirou knew this, yet he still insisted, which already puzzled Ino.

Upon arriving here and witnessing Koushirou's reaction to his suggestion, Ino could almost guess the other party's true intentions.

And that is indeed the case.
"Zoron."

At that moment, Zoro, whose fists were clenched tightly, heard his teacher's voice beside him.

"How about it?"

He turned his head and saw Koushirou's face, which had regained its usual gentleness.

"I understand, teacher."

It must be said, however, that Zoro is not stupid.

Even now, he finally understood Koushirou's intention.

"The true powerhouses on this vast sea are like you, and like that guy."

His voice was a little deep.

"If I were to rashly challenge them, I would die."

He doesn't hesitate to admit it.

"Ah."

Koushirou nodded in satisfaction, then asked again, "Are you going to sea again?"

He looked at his prized disciple beside him.

Not long ago, Zoro was full of confidence, believing that his three-sword style was enough to conquer the seas.

Youthful spirit is certainly a precious thing, but on this vast ocean, it is also the easiest thing to lose one's life.

Especially after Zoro met the boar and developed a longing for the Grand Line.

Koushirou realized that he had to show Zoro the true nature of this sea.

That's why he's doing everything he does today.

His purpose was to ask that question at this moment.

Having witnessed the true power of the strong in this vast ocean, having realized how immature one's own swordsmanship is, and having learned all the cruelty and truth, one understands the true nature of this world.

Will Nonoroya Zoro set sail again?
And the answer is obvious.

"Of course!"

Zoro answered without hesitation.

He raised his hand and touched the white sword at his waist, named 'Wado Ichimonji'.

"Thank you, teacher."

"I will stay in the East Blue to hone my sword, and when I am strong enough, I will enter the Grand Line."

At this point, he grinned and said, "I will become the world's greatest swordsman!"

"After all, I promised that guy I would make my name resound throughout heaven!"

He spoke of his previous goals as always.

But unlike any other time.

This time, he had already foreseen the hardships ahead and the monsters he was destined to face.

This time.
"I've realized it a long time ago."

After all, that was an agreement.

After all, that's ambition.

Finally, Koushirou revealed a hearty smile.

He looked at Zoro again, and vaguely saw three shadows on him.

Outstanding talent, unwavering will, immense ambition, and a stubborn, persistent nature.

"Dad, I want to become the world's greatest swordsman!"

That was his daughter, Guina.

"Teacher, I want to become the world's greatest swordsman!"

That was his disciple, Zoro.

"Father, I want to become the world's greatest swordsman!"

That was his younger self.

His eyes welled up with tears.

But then he wiped his eyes and stood up.

"Now that we've made up our minds, let's set off."

He sheathed the knife at his waist and turned to leave.

"And—you're welcome, Zoro."

Only the lingering echo reached Zoro's ears: "It's been a long time since I've swung my sword so freely."

　This chapter has 4.2K views.
　　I've always had many ideas about the character Koushirou, which is why I designed this scene.

　　What I want to write is that he himself is a person like 'Enma Tetsu', who is very powerful, but was sealed and destroyed because of his responsibility to protect (he was once an ambitious great swordsman, but because of his duty to protect Shimotsuki Village, he dared not join the Revolutionary Army and could not go to sea).

　　But I'm not sure if I've captured that feeling when I wrote it down, so I'll just explain it like this.

　　And I'm truly impressed by the readers! I even guessed the Bomb-Bomb Fruit, but there's another part that you definitely won't guess, hahaha.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)