At The Peak of One Piece

"Then you must study hard and firmly believe you can become a powerful female swordsman."

"Mm," Kuina's excited cheeks flushed slightly.

Victor planned to hunt in the forest every day. He had enough food for himself and Kouzaburou, but he also wanted to prepare some for Kuina, to help her grow stronger—so she wouldn't die from something like falling down the stairs.

She had focused so much on sword training that other students couldn't land even a few hits on her. Because of that, she neglected physical conditioning and had become too weak. If she hadn't later felt threatened by Zoro's rapid progress, she probably wouldn't have started strengthening her body. But it was too late—her body wasn't ready before the accident. So Victor planned to correct this and help her develop a habit of physical training from an early age.

After morning class ended, Koushirou took Victor to the back yard, where there was a large open space, and beyond that, the woods.

"Victor, my father told me you self-studied basic swordsmanship. Show me what you've got here—I want to see your level and figure out how to teach you going forward."

"Alright, Sensei," Victor nodded.

He drew the sword originally at his waist and leaned it against the wall, keeping only his Snow Step blade on his waist. Then he stepped forward about ten meters and began demonstrating the foundational sword techniques combined with his own insights.

Slash, chop, thrust, flick, cut... and Iaido(Quick-Draw). Each basic technique had branches: for example, slash included vertical, horizontal, diagonal, reverse slashes, and so on. Other moves also had many variations in power and combinations.

Victor's speed and strength were great. Blending these techniques, the blade sliced the air with a sharp whistle, and his sword shadows spun and twisted, scattering forward like a net. The ground was filled with afterimages of Victor; before one faded, another had appeared.

Koushirou was amazed—these fundamentals were so thoroughly practiced! Even without learning advanced techniques, mastering these basics deeply for a few more years could produce a swordmaster. He felt moved by Victor's talent. This skill level was ready for venturing out to sea, yet Victor still had the calmness to keep studying. His spirit was excellent—easy but also challenging to teach. Koushirou needed to carefully plan his teaching approach.

Kuina had come to the back door as well, hiding behind it and peeking out. Her eyes spun from trying to catch Victor's figure, but she only caught flashes of cold steel. She thought this senior brother was amazing—her own father had never shown such speed.

Of course, Koushirou was stronger than Victor, but the dojo students lacked talent and couldn't bring out his full ability. Kuina was too young to understand, only remembering this brother was very impressive.

Koushirou picked up the sword Victor had set aside and walked toward Victor, who was still demonstrating. With a sharp clang, Victor stopped. Under Snow Step's sheath was another sword—Victor noticed Koushirou suddenly appearing.

"Next, give me your all and attack me," Koushirou said with a smile.

Victor said nothing but nodded, then launched a full-speed assault. His speed was even faster than before. The clashing of blades followed in quick succession as Victor attacked from all directions. Koushirou smoothly spun in a small area, skillfully parrying.

Victor was surprised at Koushirou's reaction speed, but then thought it made sense. Koushirou hadn't unleashed all his skills yet; so far he was only defending, not attacking.

Koushirou was also surprised—Victor's strength was incredible. Even if Koushirou managed to block, he had to rely on evasive movement to reduce the force; otherwise, being pushed back would be embarrassing, especially with his daughter watching. Victor's speed was faster than his own. Koushirou used Observation Haki to firmly catch Victor's attacks. This showed Victor already had the foundation to become a great swordmaster. The remaining gaps were minor—just paper thin, easily broken through.

Koushirou had figured out how to teach Victor, then shouted, "Stop, that's enough."

Victor halted, neither flushed nor out of breath, eyes shining with excitement. He had never before unleashed his full strength like this. Few opponents had made him use more than one technique; only Rebecca had sparred with him, and even then he held back. His abnormal physical talent let his strength, speed, and stamina keep growing. Without the stop command, Victor could fight three days and nights straight—a bit like cheating.