# Chapter 730: One Heart Style
Fortunately, the ninja village wasn't too far from the capital of West Kamigawa.
Along the way, Ian and the others learned from Princess Nea that in Wano Country, whether it was the Shogun or the Daimyo, in addition to their own military forces, they also had two distinct forces—one overt and one covert—consisting of samurai and ninja respectively.
The difference was that among these two forces, only the ninja were trained, while samurai were generally recruited.
Throughout Wano Country, countless sword training dojos were scattered everywhere. These dojos were usually established by famous samurai and swordsmen, who organized and summarized the techniques they had learned into various styles, then opened their doors to take on disciples. This was done partly to spread their own style's techniques and partly to provide private armed forces for the various Shoguns, Daimyos, and great families.
Once recruited, these samurai typically became retainers of the Shogun or Daimyo, dedicating their entire lives to serving their lord. They weren't bound by military regulations, and although they seemed somewhat undisciplined, they were indeed a powerful fighting force on the battlefield.
Samurai held a high status in Wano Country, and so did ninja. Therefore, for the common people of Wano, entering a dojo to learn swordsmanship and become a samurai, or being selected and taken away to be trained as a ninja, were among the few paths for upward mobility.
Even children, from the moment they could wield a weapon, dreamed of becoming samurai or ninja. It was precisely because of this that the martial spirit in Wano Country flourished.
Under such circumstances, Wano Country felt like a nation where everyone was a soldier. Any man pulled out could pick up a weapon and fight—this truly counted as formidable military strength.
After walking for a while, once they realized that Ian and his two companions indeed harbored no ill intentions, the samurai escort protecting Princess Nea finally couldn't help but strike up a conversation with Ian.
The reason, naturally, was because of the two swords Ian carried at his waist. Among the three of them, he was the only one who looked like a "samurai"!
For these people with severe xenophobic tendencies, taking the initiative to start a conversation indeed meant their relationship had improved. They were very curious and asked Ian about what samurai were like in the outer seas.
In the end, Ian didn't know how to answer them, so he finally said: "The world's greatest swordsman is my master's junior brother!"
The samurai present were immediately stunned by Ian's words!
In fact, for these samurai who had never left the country, if Ian had mentioned the name Hawk-Eye Mihawk, they would probably have been completely clueless. But by simply stating that title, he immediately captured their attention!
"Th-the world's greatest swordsman!?" The leader of the samurai escort, a man named Sotaro, couldn't help but ask curiously: "I wonder, compared to Wano Country's current greatest swordsman, who is stronger?"
"Wano Country's current strongest swordsman? What's his name?" Ian asked.
"Naturally, it's Lord Mogami Yoshi, who serves by the Shogun's side!" Sotaro replied proudly. "He is the foremost master of the Mirror Heart Style, the strongest samurai in Wano Country today!"
"Mirror Heart Style? Never heard of it!" Ian shook his head and said. "Speaking of which, are there many sword styles in Wano Country?"
"Of course! There are at least twenty or thirty famous styles alone!" Sotaro said.
Ian suddenly had a thought and asked: "Is there a One Heart Style here?"
He asked this because he suddenly remembered Master Koushirou and the One Heart Dojo far away in Shimotsuki Village of the East Blue. Master Koushirou's dojo name certainly wasn't chosen randomly. Although Master Koushirou had never mentioned the sword style he taught, Ian figured it should be the One Heart Style.
If the One Heart Style existed in Wano Country, did that mean Master Koushirou had also originally come from Wano?
After Ian mentioned the name One Heart Style, Sotaro and the surrounding samurai all wore expressions of deep thought. After thinking for a long time, one samurai hesitantly said: "I think I've heard of this style, but it was already a declining style over twenty years ago. Nowadays, it has long since vanished without a trace!"
"Oh!?" Ian heard this and quickly pressed further: "Do you know the original situation of this style?"
"Not much..." The samurai shook his head. "After all, it was over twenty years ago. Every year in Wano Country, so many sword styles rise and so many decline. Such things have long become commonplace. I only vaguely remember that this style seemed to have been convicted for violating the ban on leaving the country. The heir of the dojo eventually escaped, and there has been no news since."
"Is that so..." Ian fell into thought.
Upon careful reflection, one would notice that Master Koushirou was quite different from the people of Shimotsuki Village at the time. Not only did he like wearing wooden clogs, but his long hair was probably the result of letting down a samurai topknot. Most importantly, he had always believed that Kuina, being a girl, couldn't inherit the dojo—how similar this was to Wano Country's belief in male superiority and female inferiority!
Thinking of this, Ian felt a strange emotion rising within him. Had his master Koushirou ever anticipated that one of his disciples would also set foot in Wano Country?
Not just Ian himself, but also that guy Zoro, who tirelessly pursued the way of the sword. Perhaps Zoro would come here soon as well?
Hey, come to think of it, maybe Hawk-Eye had also been to Wano Country? After all, the mainstream in Wano was swordsmanship. For swordsmen pursuing the ultimate in swordsmanship, coming here should be quite normal, right?
Seeing Ian's expression changing, Sotaro and the group of samurai exchanged glances, then curiously asked: "Since you asked about the One Heart Style, is it because your swordsmanship is of the One Heart Style? And that world's greatest swordsman, since he is your master's junior brother, is he also of the One Heart Style? Isn't the One Heart Style a declining style? Could it be that this style is really that strong?"
Watching the group of samurai looking like curious children, Ian suddenly grinned and said: "Want to see for yourselves?"
Sotaro and the others immediately nodded frantically like chicks pecking at rice.
So Ian stopped walking and stood still, and the entire procession also halted because of his movement. Everyone's gaze was fixed on Ian.
Ian found an empty direction, crouched down slightly, held the scabbard at his waist with his left hand, and placed his right hand on the hilt of Thousand Cherry Blossoms.
"Watch closely!" Ian announced, then suddenly drew his sword and slashed down!
A flash of dazzling blade light streaked by, accompanied by a massive sword aura dozens of meters high!
This enormous sword aura, surpassing the height of the forest trees, made people look up in awe. After being unleashed, it tore through the earth, carving out deep trenches, splitting all the trees in its path as it flew forward. The sound of cracking and crashing came continuously as trees along the way were split and fell, producing thunderous noises. The entire forest seemed to have been pierced by a white line, instantly creating a road with no end in sight!
Due to the obstruction of vision, no one could see how far this massive sword aura had flown, but as far as the eye could see, there was the trace of the split ground. Countless birds and beasts in the forest, startled by the commotion, were fleeing in panic, making all kinds of strange cries...
None of the samurai present could remain calm after seeing the path Ian had cut out of thin air. Their mouths hung open, their eyes bulged, and they stood there dumbfounded like idiots!
"Th-this..." Sotaro and the others, their hands trembling, pointed at the forest that had been split open before them, unable to speak for a long time.
For Ian, this slash was indeed not at his peak state. Compared to Hawk-Eye's world-class strike, it was certainly lacking.
So, as he slowly sheathed Thousand Cherry Blossoms, he said regretfully: "Sigh, this really isn't enough after all..."
However, unintentional showing off was the most deadly! Upon hearing these words, the samurai completely knelt...
They had seen Ian use sword aura before and thought he was just a swordsman at the "master" level. But who would have thought that he would suddenly unleash such an astonishing slash? This was no longer just a swordsman master! This was almost reaching the level of a sword saint, damn it!
And yet, even with that, he was still dissatisfied!?
What kind of sword style was this One Heart Style!? Such powerful and formidable swordsmanship, yet in Wano Country today, almost no one remembered it!?
For a moment, the samurai present felt a pang of heartache, thinking about whether they should search to see if any inheritance of the One Heart Style still remained. If there was, they would unhesitatingly become disciples of the One Heart Style...