c5: The Competition Ended, The Shocked Koshiro
Seeing the fierce exchange in the dojo, everyone present collectively gasped. The sound of bamboo blades clashing echoed like thunder. Kuina's wide eyes locked onto the scene in disbelief her gaze soon shifting to her father, Koshiro.
"Father! What the hell is going on?!"
But Koshiro didn't respond to her directly. His usually calm expression remained composed, yet his eyes carried an unspoken depth. He muttered to Zoro in a low, steady tone:
"Zoro... in a true duel between swordsmen, there's no such thing as a fluke."
At those words, Zoro slowly snapped back to his senses. A glimmer of clarity passed through his eyes as though a lesson had struck deeper than any bamboo blade could.
Without uttering a single word, he turned, walked over to the sword basket, and drew two more bamboo swords.
Taking up his signature Santoryu stance Three Sword Style Zoro bit the third bamboo sword in his mouth. His aura shifted entirely. A sharp edge filled the air, the same primal killing intent that would one day allow him to fight titans like Daz Bones, Kaku, and even King the Wildfire.
"Ahhhhhhh!!!"
With a thunderous roar, Zoro shot forward, his figure blurring with raw speed. The three bamboo swords slashed toward Dongze with ferocity cutting through the air like cannon fire. This wasn't a spar anymore it was a full-on battle, fueled by rage and pride.
But once again, it was futile.
Dongze, unmoved and composed, met Zoro's violent charge head-on. His bamboo sword, like the hand of divine judgment, struck cleanly once again. But this time, it wasn't just one blade it struck the convergence point where two of Zoro's bamboo swords crossed.
Snap!
The sound of the impact rang out like a drumbeat of finality. Zoro stared at the locked swords in disbelief. From the edge of his vision, he could clearly see it the tip of Dongze's bamboo sword struck like a nail at the very point where the balance of his stance faltered.
He wanted to push forward wanted to break through but couldn't.
"Impossible!"
"This is impossible!!"
His pride wouldn't allow him to accept it. A storm of frustration surged inside Zoro as blood rushed to his head. He clenched the swords harder, and in a flash, the two bamboo swords in his hands blurred into afterimages slashes pouring in like torrential rain.
Yet Dongze remained calm.
Each of his counterattacks was subtle, restrained but perfect. Every thrust of his blade fell precisely where Zoro's swords intersected cutting off the rhythm of his offense before it could even bloom.
It was surgical.
Every swing, every scream, every desperate attack from Zoro was parried and neutralized in mid-motion.
The dojo fell into silence shattered only by the consistent clacks of bamboo against bamboo.
And then....
"Hey! Tell me I'm not dreaming!"
"Yeah, it's like I'm still asleep someone slap me awake!"
Smack!
"AHHH!! Hey, second wife, I swear if you kick me again!"
…
"Wasn't that kid always at the bottom of the rankings?"
"The tail of the crane, right? But hey you talk like you could beat him."
"Uh… uh…"
"It's got to be a ghost!"
"Or some kind of spirit possession, I swear!"
…
Koshiro remained still.
His brows had furrowed slightly an uncommon shift in expression for the ever-calm master of the Isshin Dojo. A part of him couldn't believe what he was seeing, even though his eyes had followed every motion carefully.
This wasn't luck. Nor was it coincidence. It was mastery. Dongze had achieved something very few could even dream of at this age controlling the battlefield, not with power, but with refined perception and unshakable discipline.
Like the blade of Mihawk's crucifix sword there was no need for brute force when precision could cut deeper.
Seeing this scene, Kuina's heart pounded violently she couldn't help it. Her wide eyes remained fixed on the figures in the arena, unmoving.
The two figures fighting were the same two boys she saw nearly every day. But something felt different.
What on earth was happening?
Dongze the same Dongze who had been effortlessly defeated by Zoro in the past was now using a bamboo sword to completely overturn everyone's understanding of strength and technique.
But not everyone was confused. Koshiro, the master of the Isshin Dojo, stood silently, his sharp eyes reflecting something deeper. He already understood what was happening.
"Father!"
"What exactly is going on?!"
After a long pause, unable to contain her curiosity and shock, Kuina asked again, her voice filled with disbelief.
Koshiro continued to stare at the battle with a solemn expression, his tone soft but resolute.
"It seems my assumption wasn't wrong. This is the suppression of realm."
"Suppression… of realm?" Kuina echoed, blinking in confusion.
It wasn't a strange question after all, Koshiro had never discussed such a concept before. He'd only ever taught that a swordsman is someone who can cut through steel. No mention of 'realms' had ever come up in their years of training.
This sudden phrase seemed to come from an entirely different world one far beyond her current understanding.
Koshiro watched as Zoro relentlessly attacked again and again, only to be deflected each time.
"Swordsmanship," Koshiro began slowly, "can be divided into stages. Not just in strength, but in understanding. In the world of swordsmen, the path is often described in four stages entry, proficiency, mastery, and transcendencewhat some call returning to the origin."
"All of you, including Zoro, are still working on the fundamentals. But Dongze's realm his understanding of the sword has advanced far beyond yours. Right now, their duel is the same in form as what I taught Zoro when he first picked up a sword, but Dongze's insight has reached a level where he can see through every flaw in Zoro's movements and techniques so of course he can block every strike with ease."
But Koshiro left something unsaid.
As he watched Dongze's flawless counterattacks each perfectly timed his calm composure wavered ever so slightly. His hand clenched quietly at his side.
No way… It can't be!
Kenbunshoku Haki—Observation Haki!!
A technique that only appears in the Grand Line sometimes not until the New World. How could someone from the East Blue widely known as the weakest of the four seas use it so naturally?!
Who is this boy?
Kuina glanced at Dongze with disbelief, then looked back at her father.
"Him? Just him?!"
Koshiro seemed to sense her doubt and sighed deeply.
"If you were in Zoro's place right now... things wouldn't be any different."
…
"Impossible! How can the gap be this huge?!"
"I don't believe it!"
…
"Dongze, you bastard!"
"Are you mocking me?!"
"Why aren't you attacking?!"
Zoro's voice cracked with frustration as he glared at Dongze. He had been attacking relentlessly for minutes and yet every strike was casually deflected. Dongze hadn't even taken the offensive once. It was unbearable.
Not long ago, he had easily defeated this same opponent. And now…?
Seeing the fury in Zoro's eyes, Dongze finally responded with calm clarity:
"If that's how you want it, so be it."
The moment the words left his mouth, his eyes changed.
Dongze's body shifted back slightly then with a sudden burst of speed, he shot forward like a released arrow.
Bang!
His feet struck the floor with force, and his bamboo sword came alive. Each thrust and slash aimed directly at Zoro's weak points. It was no longer a match it was a dismantling.
Zoro's proud Santoryu, Three Sword Style was rendered meaningless. Every one of his bamboo swords was treated like paper in Dongze's presence.
Suddenly, Dongze's figure blurred. Everyone blinked.
And thenvhe vanished.
"Damn it! DAMN IT!"
"Where the hell is Dongze?!"
"Did he disappear?!"
Even Zoro looked stunned. His eyes darted around, searching, heart pounding, unable to find a trace of his opponent.
This wasn't just about power anymore.
Dongze's swordsmanship was now layered with something more intention, focus, awareness. His basics had transformed into something sublime. Zoro, who had prided himself on overwhelming strength and raw effort, now seemed like a beginner again.
As he searched fruitlessly, a voice suddenly rang out.
"Green algae-head behind you!"
It was Kuina.
But her shout came too late.
Just as Zoro turned, Dongze struck.
A clean upward sweep. A perfect angle. A flawless hit.
Zoro's eyes blurred his hands felt light his jaw clenched from the sudden jolt. The three bamboo swords flew from his grip, scattering across the floor.
He looked at his trembling hands, breath ragged. The strength he had once boasted about completely nullified. He couldn't even hold a sword now.
And the one who did it was Dongze.
He stared at the boy standing calmly before him. His presence, his posture everything radiated quiet dominance.
Zoro's disbelief swelled in his throat.
He lost.
And there wasn't even a shred of doubt about it.
After a long silence, he finally clenched his fists and growled through grit teeth:
"Dongze I'll be back!"
…