The Great Voyage Begins with the Celestial Dragons

"So the world's greatest swordsman is really on par with a Marine Admiral...?"

Zoro muttered to himself, confirming his guess.

As for the other party's claim of having an advantage based on the fruit, he simply ignored it.

As a pure swordsman, he wouldn't eat any Devil Fruits.

"more or less."

The two of them just happened to pass through the forest and arrived at the beach where Gion had once taught Kuina.

Zoro processed the information for a moment, then suddenly looked at Ace, who was wearing a Marine Vice Admiral's uniform beside him:

"You're also a naval admiral, right? May I ask if you can show me your current strength?"

He wasn't good at asking for favors; he just scratched his head and stated his request bluntly.

Want to see what I'm capable of?

Seeing the thirst for knowledge in Zoro's eyes, Ace's lips curled up slightly:

"Then I'll show you!"

Chapter 315 Zoro's Gratitude

"You should know about the three realms of a swordsman, right?"

As Ace slowly walked to the beach, he asked unhurriedly.

"Ah, swordsman, sword master, great sword master."

Zoro's expression became slightly more serious, and he slowly nodded.

As a swordsman, how could he not know these things?

"Then do you know what the difference is between a swordsman and a sword master?"

Faced with Ace's question, Zoro once again answered without hesitation:

"Steel cutter! Only those who can cut through steel with ordinary swords can be called sword masters!"

"That's right!"

Ace nodded with a smile, and Sakura 10 swung out like lightning, easily severing the training dummy on the beach, which fell to the ground.

"So, is this the level of Kuina?"

Zoro stared blankly at the fallen wooden figure, muttering to himself.

This is no ordinary piece of wood; this place has become his personal training ground since Guina left.

The wooden figures here are made of ironwood, so that they can get used to real swords and also serve as a kind of early training for cutting steel.

Ironwood, with a hardness comparable to steel, was easily cut by Ace, which already proved his strength.

You should know that nowadays, he can only leave scratches on ironwood.

"No, a swordsman is a swordsman, Kuina is Kuina, and I am me. We have no relation whatsoever."

Seeing Zoro's surprised expression, Ace's smile widened even further.

He finally understood why his teacher Luther liked to act casually at crucial moments; the feeling of creating an unexpected surprise and then shocking people was indeed surprisingly good.

"No relation? Then you and Kuina are both great swordsmen?"

Zoro's expression tightened slightly. For him, who was still just a swordsman, becoming a great swordsman was undoubtedly a distant dream.

"She probably thinks it's about time. As for me, I'm not a traditional swordsman, so I don't need to be bound by the ranking system."

Ace glanced at Zoro, and continued unhurriedly:

"If we follow the traditional swordsman ranking system, being able to cut through steel and become a sword master is roughly equivalent to the rank of a captain in the Navy Headquarters."

"Only at the school level? You and Kuina are both generals, aren't you?"

Zoro stared intently at Ace, his eyes burning with fervor.

Having witnessed the strength of his peers Ace and Kuina, he no longer considered the mere school-level students a threat.

“I was promoted to lieutenant general, and she was my adjutant major general. We have the backing of our families, so we don’t need to wait for seniority. As long as we have the strength and merit, we can be promoted.”

"In other words, you are a genuine Vice Admiral."

Even if Zoro was slow to catch on, he still understood the implication in Ace's words.

"That's right. If you learn Armament Haki or Observation Haki, you can become an Admiral."

"A swordsman's sword, combined with domineering cultivation?"

Zoro understood what Ace meant from his words and realized that Haki was a very important thing.

He had heard about Observation Haki when he was defeated by Kuina.

It was precisely because Kuina possessed Observation Haki that she was able to see through the trajectory of his three sword strikes and predict his attack.

"That's right, domineering! Domineering is the foundation for you to become a true strongman."

Ace nodded slightly and explained the relevant knowledge about Haki to Zoro.

Apart from Conqueror's Haki being mentioned only briefly, the rest of the text was delivered in a detailed manner, like a teacher giving a lecture, explaining the functions of each type of Haki and how to quickly awaken it.

Finally, Ace added:

"Haki is an advanced ability, especially Armament Haki, which relies heavily on one's physique. With your current physique, even if you awaken it, you won't be very strong."

Ace glanced at Zoro's physique and gave his judgment immediately.

Strictly speaking, Zoro's physical talent is not particularly outstanding.

Not to mention comparing her to monsters like Kaido, she's far inferior to Maria and Luther's initial physical talents.

It's just that some people have strong physical talent, while others have strong talent in swordsmanship.

Take Hawkeye, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, for example. He's jokingly referred to as the world's second-best swordsman.

He may not be particularly strong physically, but he has gone very far in both swordsmanship and domineering aura.

If it weren't for the enormous boost provided by the Gion Fruit, and the fact that Luther had so many sparring partners around him, it would have been difficult for Gion to maintain her lead.

Ace glanced at Zoro, who was listening intently, a hint of appreciation in his eyes, and then stated his plan:

"Your teacher taught you the basics of swordsmanship, which is fundamental to your becoming a strong person. If you don't mind, I will become your teacher these days and teach you some basic common sense about this world."

"Thank you for your help, Ace-sensei!"

Zoro clasped his hands together, showing no sign of resistance despite Ace's age.

Those who have achieved greatness are teachers, and Ace's current accomplishments far surpass his.

He still has a long way to go to catch up with Kuina.

Listening to Ace's story, Zoro felt a warmth in his heart and couldn't help but feel two feelings of gratitude.

One was for Ace, who was standing in front of him as his teacher, and the other was for Kuina, who was currently by Koushirou's side.

He knew without a doubt that Ace's meticulous guidance to him was at Kuina's behest.

Otherwise, why would someone a level above Kuina teach an ordinary dojo apprentice like him?

......

Just as Frostmoon Village was conducting intensive training.

The Kingdom of Gaya, Sky Island.

"boom!"

The clouds were ripped apart, and the huge explosion spread in all directions, blowing away the surrounding clouds.

Is that all you've got?

At the epicenter of the explosion, Yamato stood there nonchalantly, carrying his Hibari sword.

Her white hair was tied into a ponytail and pinned behind her back. She was wearing a waist-cinching outfit that allowed for easy movement.

At this moment, she was pressing her index finger against her face, her expression full of boredom.

The violent explosion just now didn't seem to have any effect on her.

"Hey, not everyone is like you, you monster."

A dissatisfied voice came from not far away, followed by a boy carrying a silver-white rifle.

The boy had a very sharp nose, like Pinocchio's. However, paired with his stylish trench coat, it completely lost any comedic appeal.

"Usopp, you need to practice more, at least your close combat skills need to be stronger."

Yamato watched Usopp approach and muttered to himself with a hint of disappointment.

"My talent is just so-so. I'm quite satisfied if I can do something for Your Highness in other ways."

Usopp shook his head dismissively.

After so many years of training from Stella, he knew his own limitations very well.

He'll likely never reach the level of Yamato or Ace in his lifetime.

However, this does not mean that he does not work hard.

To repay Luther and Stella's kindness, to show Benchina how wonderful her son was, and to be able to personally kill that bastard Yasopp in the future.

His daily struggle and self-cultivation were solely for these seemingly insignificant yet ultimate goals in his life.

Usopp gazed towards the East China Sea, a complex emotion in his eyes:

"It's about time; it's time to repay Your Highness's kindness."

Chapter 316 Usopp and Banchina

"Yamato-nee, are you leaving too?"

Usopp withdrew his gaze from the East Blue and looked at Yamato with envy.

"Ah, that's about it. I already made a promise with that silly little brother of Ace!"