Chapter 14: The Longing to Set Sail
♂』The next day, Ian got up early again as usual. After leaving some vegetable leaves and weeds for the small Den Den Mushi, he put on his Bear Ear Hat, called out to Zoro, and began another day of training. [Love↑Go△Small↓Said△Net wqu]
They jogged around the village, with Ian constantly correcting the direction of that direction-blind Zoro. After finishing their run, they arrived at the forest on the mountain and began sword swinging and strength training.
After completing all these exercises, Ian found a rope, tied a single stone to it, and hung it from a tree branch.
Holding a bamboo sword in his right hand, he used his left hand to push the hanging stone forward with force.
Due to the pendulum principle, the stone quickly swung back toward Ian's direction. Ian stood still, waiting. Just as the stone was about to hit him, he tried to activate the Flash Slash skill.
Then... Bang! The stone hit Ian right in the face.
It hurt like hell!
Ian covered his face, feeling like his nose was bleeding, with a sour, numb sensation.
He hadn't expected to fail the activation again. Mastering the timing of Flash Slash was really a tough challenge.
That's right, this was the method Ian had thought of to practice the Flash Slash skill. This skill was indeed powerful, but it had a flaw: it was completely passive. It could only be used the moment an attack came, and couldn't be activated on its own.
Ian currently lacked an opponent, so he came up with this method: letting the hanging stone swing toward him to simulate an enemy's attack.
People have subconscious reactions. When facing an attack, the first instinct is usually to dodge. If Ian wanted to overcome this fear-induced subconscious reaction, he had to keep training himself relentlessly.
Getting up, Ian wiped his nose—sure enough, it was bleeding.
Zoro had been watching Ian's movements from the start, wondering what strange thing he was doing. When he saw Ian get hit in the face by the stone and start bleeding from the nose, he couldn't help but speak up from the side: "Big Brother Ian, why didn't you dodge? Did putting on that hat turn you into an idiot?"
Ian was tilting his head back to stop the bleeding and replied irritably, "What do you know? I'm comprehending a sword technique!"
"Huh!?" Zoro's eyes lit up: "A sword technique!?"
"That's right!" Ian said. "A very powerful sword technique!"
Master Koushirou had never taught them any sword techniques. Whether it was Kuina, Ian, Zoro, or the other junior disciples in the dojo, day after day, all they practiced were basic moves. Master Koushirou had said that all sword techniques originate from the basics. That made sense, but there was no denying that such basic practice could become monotonous over time.
This was why Zoro's eyes were shining. He thought that if he could learn a sword technique, he might be able to beat Kuina.
"Big Brother Ian, teach me!" Zoro quickly ran over, looking up at Ian with admiration. "I want to learn sword techniques too!"
"No!" Ian shook his head. "You ate all my food yesterday!"
"Then I'll save today's meal for you, just teach me!" Zoro shouted.
Ian's head was spinning. He hadn't even mastered the Flash Slash skill himself, so how could he teach it to others? But then his eyes rolled, and he asked, "Do you really want to learn?"
"Really!" Zoro nodded eagerly.
"Actually, about sword techniques..." Ian said seriously, "Everyone's understanding of sword techniques is different, so I can't teach you. But..."
"But what?" Zoro tilted his head and asked.
"But there is a way!" Ian pointed to the Bear Ear Hat on his head. "The way is to wear a hat! See, I only started comprehending sword techniques after putting on this hat."
When Zoro heard this, he was dumbfounded.
Ian felt quite pleased. That green-haired idiot Zoro always laughed the loudest at his hat, making him, as the senior brother, feel embarrassed. Now, let's see if he can still laugh.
Giving his own actions a high-sounding justification was the foolproof way to fool a brat.
However, before Ian could bask in his triumph, Zoro suddenly blurted out blankly: "I don't want to. That hat looks so stupid!"
Pfft! Ian spat out a mouthful of old blood. Was he actually being roasted by that idiot Zoro!?
Without a second thought, Ian gave him another headbutt...
He realized that beating up Zoro had now become a habit...
Ignoring the green-haired idiot who was clutching his head and screaming in pain, Ian stood up and continued his practice.
For an entire morning, Ian was hit by the stone countless times. His face was a complete mess. The number of times he successfully activated Flash Slash during this period was pitifully small.
But he hadn't gained nothing.
Practicing Flash Slash was essentially training the basic Nen Training skill, because activating Flash Slash consumed Nen. During this process, not only did the Nen Training skill's proficiency increase a bit, but Ian also gradually began to feel the power of "Nen."
After a night's rest, his Psychic Power Value had recovered to the full 15 points. If he didn't control it, he might use up all his Nen in one go.
So he tried to control the output of his Nen. To his surprise, it actually worked. It was entirely based on his will, making control even simpler.
Through experimentation, he discovered that the minimum Psychic Power Value needed to activate Flash Slash was 2 points. One point was used to wrap around the sword blade, and the other was attached to his own body. The instantaneous movement required a powerful explosive force from his muscles, and this Nen served that purpose.
When Flash Slash was successfully activated, thanks to the Nen enhancement, Ian could achieve a faster sword swing than usual, enabling an instant counterattack. If he were holding a real sword instead of a bamboo one, the high-speed swing would create a flash of blade light—that was the origin of the name Flash Slash...
Although he could control the output of Nen, sensing the right moment to strike was not easy. A stone was just a stone. If he were facing a real enemy, their attacks might be fast or slow, making it even harder to grasp the timing. So Ian had to keep training continuously.
Several activations of Flash Slash quickly drained Ian's Psychic Power Value. He had to stop and sighed regretfully. What limited his practice now was, first, the Psychic Power Value, and second, the Nen Training skill. If he had more Nen and a faster recovery rate, he could practice for a longer time.
Although Zoro was also training himself, he had been watching Ian's movements from earlier. When he first saw Ian successfully activate Flash Slash, the stone he was holding in his mouth fell and almost hit his own foot again.
His mouth hung open in surprise. He hadn't expected Ian to really comprehend a sword technique!
Was wearing a hat really that powerful? Zoro wondered.
But that hat really looked so stupid! Zoro agonized.
When he saw Ian stop, Zoro asked, "Big Brother Ian, were you trying to cut that stone? That doesn't seem possible!"
Ian was mentally exhausted at this point, and his head was throbbing. He knew this was the aftereffect of depleting his Nen, but it was already much better than yesterday. Hearing Zoro's question, Ian shook his head and said, "Cutting a stone is nothing? There are people in this world who can cut steel!"
"Ah!? Are there people that powerful?" Zoro asked in surprise.
"This world is huge. All kinds of people exist!" Ian replied with a smile, then stood up and said, "Come on, let's go back for lunch!"
On the way back, Ian found his whole body limp and weak. So he directly sat on Zoro's neck and had Zoro carry him back to the dojo, calling it "extra training"!
That idiot Zoro actually believed him! He carried Ian and sprinted all the way back to the dojo.
Even Kuina was startled by the injuries on Ian's face. She quickly found medicine to bandage him up. After treatment and lunch, Ian couldn't hold on any longer. He lay down in the dojo and fell into a deep sleep.
What he didn't know was that, because of his remark about someone being able to cut steel, Zoro even ran to find Master Koushirou after lunch to ask about it.
"Master! Master! I heard there are people in the world who can cut steel. Is that true?"
"Hmm! It's true!" Master Koushirou nodded.
Standing up, Master Koushirou took out a piece of paper and said, "Watch this paper carefully..."
Then he tossed the paper into the air. Before it fell, he drew his sword and slashed at it.
Then... the paper was completely unharmed...
"...Master, you didn't cut it at all!" Zoro said speechlessly.
"Listen carefully, Zoro. In this world, there are swordsmen who can't cut anything, yet they can cut steel! With the same sword!" Master Koushirou said with a smile. "The so-called strongest sword is the power to protect what you want to protect and cut what you want to cut! For me, a sword that can cut anything is not a sword!"
"Do you understand?" Koushirou asked.
"..." Zoro stared blankly at Koushirou: "Master, I want to become a swordsman who can cut anything!"
A bead of sweat the size of a bean appeared on Master Koushirou's forehead: "Zoro, did you understand what I just said at all..."
Zoro definitely couldn't understand those words now. However, the words of Ian and Master Koushirou sparked in Zoro the first longing for the outside world.
"One day, I will definitely set sail and meet those powerful people. I will!"