I have the Flame-Flame Fruit, I'm invincible!

"please."

"Thank you." Dick picked up his teacup and first carefully admired the color of the tea.

I took a deep sniff, savoring the sensation, and then gently took a puff.

Close your eyes and savor the tea in your mouth, as if you are tasting its fragrance and bitterness; feel the solemnity of the host.

Only then did he swallow it.

“Excellent tea,” Dick exclaimed.

Koushirou nodded secretly.

Unexpectedly, the young man was a connoisseur of tea.

In Japan, there are very few people who truly understand tea.

Koushirou felt an instant connection with him.

But in reality, Dick didn't understand at all.

He simply copied what he saw on TV.

With this atmosphere and this scene, we can't just gulp it down in one go, right?

We should at least respect Koushirou's wishes.

Although Dick found drinking tea like this tiring and boring.

It's nowhere near as refreshing as a bottle of Sprite or Coke.

“This guest.” Koushirou put down his teacup.

"Call me Dick."

"Okay, Dick-kun, you want to come to the Isshin Dojo to learn swordsmanship?"

"Correct."

Koushirou's smile vanished, replaced by an unusually serious expression.

"Actually, I don't recommend that you practice swordsmanship."

Koushirou was far superior to the natives of the East Sea; his vision was extremely broad.

They naturally knew about the existence of Devil Fruits.

You, Dick, are already a Logia-type Devil Fruit user. Why aren't you developing your Devil Fruit abilities? What are you doing playing with swordsmanship? Isn't this like looking for a donkey while riding one?

There are also flames.

Fire abilities can indeed greatly increase a swordsman's strength, improve their lethality, and provide a burning buff.

However, the development of fire abilities naturally involves increasing the temperature and attack power of the flames.

It would be ridiculous if the flames melted the sword.

If that's all there is to it, then so be it.

The key point is that Dick's heart is not sincere; he lacks sincerity towards the way of the sword, and he is simply not a person who can be a swordsman.

Dick couldn't do what it takes to be completely devoted to swordsmanship and have a sincere heart for the sword.

Therefore, even if Dick possessed superb swordsmanship, he could not be called a swordsman, much less a master swordsman.

Just like Kizaru.

His swordsmanship was so strong that he could fight Rayleigh head-on, but he wasn't even a sword master.

“So, Dick, I won’t teach you.” Koushirou pushed the 333,333 Berries back.

3, the number most favored by Wano Country.

It is also the most auspicious number.

Koushirou sighed inwardly.

He could see Dick's sincerity in becoming his apprentice.

The minimum skill level of a Naturalist disciple is extremely high. To put it bluntly, even if Koushirou taught disciples his whole life, he might not be able to produce a single disciple who could fight against a Naturalist.

Before Zoro rose to prominence, all of Koushirou's disciples combined couldn't defeat a single Logia-type user.

As long as Dick has the heart to pursue the way of kendo, Koushirou is willing to teach him.

Unfortunately not.

This is outrageous!

Koushirou actually taught Dick kendo; that would have been the real harm to Dick.

"If you really want to improve your strength, developing your Devil Fruit ability is the simplest way," Koushirou advised.

"Developing your fruit abilities is your future."

“I know.” Dick was fully aware of Koushirou’s thoughts.

He certainly has his reasons.

Dick wanted to become an apprentice, so naturally he needed to improve his own strength.

If you practice blindly on your own, you'll definitely take many detours and waste a lot of time.

Especially the domineering aura; there's basically nowhere to learn it except in the New World and Marine Headquarters.

In the current East China Sea, those who can become renowned teachers are those with an imposing presence.

Karp, Dick doesn't want to see him.

Dick was extremely wary of Garp because Garp almost killed Luffy when he was a child.

Don't train yourself to death.

Red hair?

At that time, they hadn't even arrived in the East China Sea yet, and were probably still wandering around somewhere.

That leaves only Koushirou, doesn't it?

While it's possible that Koushirou might not possess a domineering aura, the likelihood of him doing so is extremely high.

Moreover, compared to fists, most people in the pirate world, except for Buggy, are more afraid of attacks from sharp weapons.

Including a certain sun god.

Swords and blades are still more powerful than fists.

Because of its sharpness, it can penetrate and has a stronger effective attack.

There are also external objects in the world, such as the Supreme Great Sword, which can greatly increase attack power.

There's no way to deal with fists. You just have to train yourself.

Also, Zoro and Kuina.

Dick coveted these two geniuses.

They definitely had to find a way to deceive, no, to fool, but that's not quite right either.

It is through bonds that we become partners with them.

Finally, Dick is extremely ambitious and will not allow himself to have any weaknesses.

He wants it all: Devil Fruit powers, Haki, swordsmanship, and physical combat.

It's just a matter of priority and focus.

When it comes to developing the Flame-Flame Fruit's power, Dick won't follow the same path as Ace and Sabo.

Following their path would truly be a dead end, with its limits locked.

Dick has his own development roadmap.

“You’re right, but I still want to train under your tutelage.” Dick retrieved the 3333 Berries.

He left behind 33 Berries and pushed them back to Koushirou's side.

"Give me a reason," Koushirou continued to refuse.

"You open a temple, I pay to learn the skills, no deception for the young or old."

"Or is it that everyone else can learn it, but I can't? Or is my money dirty?"

Koushirou paused for a moment, then nodded slightly.

"That's right, fair trade, no cheating the young or old."

What a pity, he went astray. —Koushirou

Swordsmanship, Haki, Zoro, Kuina, none of you will escape, hahaha. —Dick

Dick had just stepped outside and was still getting to know his surroundings when he was stopped by a short-haired, beautiful girl with a resolute face.

"You're here to challenge us?" Guina asked.

"We're not here to challenge them, we're here to learn," Dick corrected.

"It doesn't matter, let's have a match." Kuina drew her wooden sword.