https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-102-Triumph-of-Wit-A-Swordsman-s-Encounter/12608643/
Chapter 103: Who Do You Think I Am?!
Chapter 103: Who Do You Think I Am?!
"Forbidden?"
Zoro looked at the royal palace behind Lily, a smirk tugging at his lips. "I understand now. You must have set some kind of trap here, which is why it took me so long to find you!"
Lily shook her head. "There are no traps. I don't know why you've been wandering around here for so long. If you really wanted to go to the royal palace, you should have arrived by now."
After leaving the palace, she had been scouring the nearby area with a few of her men, while she herself stood on a rooftop, observing the distant battle involving Sark.
Then, amidst the streets where the King's Army and the rebels were engaged in combat, she spotted a green-haired man running around aimlessly.
In fact, Lily had no idea what his destination was, as his random movements seemed to trace one circle after another, spiraling until he reached her street.
"I just don't know the way! These streets are so confusing!" Zoro exclaimed, a vein popping out on his forehead.
Not knowing the way...
Lily's lips twitched. "A directionally challenged idiot, are we?"
"That's not important!"
Zoro turned his gaze to the royal palace behind Lily. "So, the palace is right behind you. I should be able to get there by just passing through here."
"That's correct in theory," Lily nodded.
"But I've already told you, it's forbidden," she added.
Zoro drew the two swords at his waist and sneered, "I see. So, you intend to stop me? You seem like a capable swordsman, but it would be best if you stepped aside. I'm not like that perverted chef. Even if you're a woman, I'll cut you down."
Although he didn't quite understand why this woman was preventing him from entering the royal palace, it didn't matter.
He could just defeat her and proceed!
Clink!
Lily drew her sword more directly, her right hand gripping the hilt as she unsheathed the gleaming blade.
For someone as stubborn as this man, with his obvious mental block, reasoning was futile.
The most effective way to stop someone like him was not through persuasion, but by defeating them directly.
The sword at her waist was not merely for decoration.
The slender sword, with a blade only two fingers wide, glinted sharply in the sunlight, resembling a bolt of lightning in the daytime—brilliant and blinding.
Zoro narrowed his eyes, "A rapier? Seems like a fine blade."
Lily held the rapier upright in front of her, and as the light glinted off the blade, her eyes gradually took on a cold gleam. "The sword's name is 'White Lightning,' one of the fifty finest works of the Liangkuai Forge. Also, woman..."
Swish!
In the blink of an eye, Lily vanished from her spot, the radiance of her sword trailing like thunder through the air.
The incredible speed took Zoro by surprise, and his pupils constricted as he instinctively raised his twin swords.
Ding!
The tip of White Lightning stabbed right at the center of the crossed swords, and the force of the rapid advance caused him to stagger back half a step.
He struggled to parry the rapier, and as he prepared to slash down with his twin swords, he heard a 'hiss' and saw a flash of cold light. The next moment, he felt a sting at his waist, and warm blood trickled down.
Gritting his teeth against the pain, Zoro swung his twin swords downward with all his might.
Swoosh!
The sharp blades sliced through the air, but the cold glint in front of him had already vanished.
Lily stood firmly on the ground, the blade of White Lightning hanging downward as she allowed the blood dripping from the rapier to fall to the ground. She continued from where she had left off, "I can also be very strong."
"So fast that I can't even defend myself!" Zoro looked down at the bloodstain spreading on his waist and abdomen, his voice low.
"A speed-type swordsman, then?" he asked.
"Yes," Lily replied. "Women, compared to men, naturally have less strength and endurance. Even with the same amount of training, it's difficult for us to surpass men in those aspects. But that doesn't mean we don't have other means. There are different ways to demonstrate strength."
"Speed is also a form of power," Lily said. "And as a woman, I can assure you that this is a genuine sword duel—a fight to the death. Don't underestimate me just because I'm a woman."
Swish!
As soon as she finished speaking, Lily lunged forward with her rapier, turning into a blur as she thrust the sword, the cold glint of the blade leading the way.
Zoro held Snow-Walker in his right hand, with the back of his hand facing forward, and the Third Generation Kitetsu in his left hand, crossing the two swords horizontally. "Two Sword Style: Dual Cut!"
When it came to speed, he was no amateur either. This 'Dual Cut' technique was all about delivering rapid slashes.
Ding!
The backhanded grip on Snow-Walker blocked the bolt of lightning that came hurtling toward him, and as sparks flew, the tip of White Lightning was forced back, revealing Lily's figure behind the sword.
Clink!
In that moment, Zoro swiftly dragged Snow-Walker downward, parrying the middle section of White Lightning and pushing it upward, while simultaneously lowering his body. With that opening, he swung the Third Generation Kitetsu horizontally at Lily, who had exposed a gap in her defense.
The speed of his sword swing was no slower than Lily's thrust!
Swoosh!
However, his strike only cut through empty air. As the Third Generation Kitetsu drew near, Lily twisted her feet, her figure turning into a blur as she evaded the sharp blade.
"I can keep up with you!"
But just as Lily disappeared from sight, Zoro stamped his foot on the ground, propelling himself forward with tremendous force as he pursued the retreating figure. He swung his twin swords horizontally, aiming to strike her.
"Dual Cut—Flash!"
"Lightning Waltz!"
Just as the sharp twin swords were about to make contact with the figure, she suddenly shifted, the cold glint of her blade leading her body's disappearance. She left behind a chaotic trail of lightning, dodging the twin swords' strike, and the lightning even lunged toward Zoro's chest.
Zoro subconsciously tried to block, but just as his sword was about to make contact with the lightning, he sensed something and abruptly flipped his sword, using the sword's spine to block the incoming blade.
Clang!!
The backs of the twin swords clashed, creating a shower of sparks. The cold glint of the rapier, however, found its way through, piercing his chest and causing a spray of blood.
"Hah!"
Zoro roared, his arms shaking as he brandished the swords, using the rapier he had blocked to push forward and slash at Lily.
Swish!
The cold glint reappeared, swiftly drawing two more sprays of blood from Zoro's body. Like lightning, it flashed past the blades, and the lightning bolt darted to Zoro's side, revealing Lily's figure.
"So mediocre!"
Lily flicked the tip of her sword, spraying the blood that had accumulated downward.
Zoro stood in his original position, looking down at the constantly bleeding wound on his chest before glancing at Snow Walk once more.
His previous decision to use the spine of his sword wasn't out of mercy, but rather because he had sensed danger. If he had used the blade, it might have ended up...
"Cracked."
A clear fissure now marred the spine of Snow Walk, extending all the way to where the spine met the blade.
"This sword, according to the owner of Rogutown, is also one of the fifty finest works of the Liangkuai Forge, just like your sword."
As a famous sword, although each one is crafted differently, their hardness and sharpness are far beyond that of ordinary steel. With inferior iron swords, given enough time, Zoro could easily chop them to pieces.
But when faced with better steel, Zoro couldn't cut through them, let alone compare to a sword of this caliber, which was clearly cleaved by a single strike. That was beyond the level of simply chopping it to pieces.
Zoro turned to face Lily, his voice grave as he asked, "Do you know the 'Iron-Cutting' technique?"
Was this what Kenjiro Kumasiro had meant when he talked about something that could cut through anything and also be cut through by anything?
"You react quickly."
Lily nodded, acknowledging his statement. "If I had blocked with the blade, your sword might have been rendered useless."
'Iron-Cutting' was not a form of Haki.
What Saga had described was not something that could be sensed with Observation Haki, nor was it a form of Armament Haki that increased one's power. Rather, just as 'Life Return' was a realm for martial artists, 'Iron-Cutting' was a realm unique to swordsmen.
By sensing the breath of all things, one could find their weaknesses and thus, cut through them with a sword.
As a woman with neither exceptional physical strength nor endurance, Lily understood that she would sometimes need to find alternative paths to becoming stronger.
In addition to her daily cultivation, Lily also engaged in meditation as Saga had suggested, striving to strengthen her sense of the breath of all things. However, her efforts had yet to bear significant fruit.
Otherwise, even if it were the spine of a sword of the same caliber, she should have been able to cleave it in two.
"You're incredibly strong for a woman."
There was an unusual gleam in Zoro's eyes as he tore a piece of cloth from his arm and tied it around his head.
He drew the white-bladed sword from his waist and introduced it, saying, "This sword is called 'Wado Ichimonji', and according to the owner of Roguetown, it's one of the twenty-one finest works of the Great Kuaidao."
He bit down on the sword's hilt, and beneath the green headscarf, his eyes became fierce and maniacal as he laughed.
"Three Swords!"
Lily was slightly taken aback. "Strange swordsman, you seem overly cheerful. Do you think you've already won?"
Zoro crossed his arms, holding the two swords vertically at his sides, while the Wado Ichimonji was positioned horizontally, forming a cross-shaped stance. He said in a grave tone,
"I've just discovered a possibility, and that's why I'm so excited! You're a very strong swordsman, and I'll be fighting you with all my might, so please don't die on me!"
What Guina had said wasn't entirely true!
Right before him was a formidable opponent who exemplified an alternative path to becoming a strong swordsman!
As long as he could survive this battle, he could go back and tell Guina about it after his voyage. Aside from the world's first great swordsman, there were also exceptional female swordsmen on the high seas.
"It seems you're quite confident and have a formidable aura."
Lily tightened her grip on her sword. "Very well, let me crush this aura of yours!"
Whoosh!
The gleaming light, like thunder, erupted once more as Lily's figure turned into an afterimage and vanished, leaving only the glint of her sword in the space as it suddenly rushed towards Zoro.
"Space-Splitting Slash!"
"Three Sword Style!"
Zoro hunched his body slightly, his eyes fixed on the approaching gleam of the sword. He swiftly crossed the two swords in his hands, and along with the third sword in his mouth, he chopped forward with all three blades.
One sword to attack, one to block, and one to seal off any chance of evasion.
Like a vicious demon from hell!
"Demon! Slash!"
Zoro roared, his eyes gleaming with a look of defiance as the intersecting blades of his three swords rushed towards the incoming lightning. In that moment, his aura peaked, carrying the determination to fight to the death.
He couldn't match her speed, but as a swordsman, he didn't necessarily have to keep up in order to fight.
He could trade blows and seize her with his swords!
The rapidly advancing Lily also noticed the ingenuity of this technique. With her speed, as long as she didn't get too close to the three intersecting swords, she could easily find another opportunity to strike.
However, Lily had no intention of evading!
How could she, as a swordsman, lack the courage to face her opponent?
It would be easy to dodge once, and even twice, but did that mean she should always avoid confrontation?
If she did, how could she call herself Saga's crewmate?
Furthermore, there was a hint of ridicule in this green-haired swordsman's eyes.
He dared to charge forward without hesitation,
so why should she hold back?
"Who do you think I am?!"
Lily's eyes narrowed, and she shouted, "It's just a pincer attack. All I need to do is break through the surface, and I'll be free!"
The surging sword aura intensified in that moment, its radiance increasing as it transformed into a raging thunderbolt that rushed towards the three intersecting blades.
Boom!!
The black flowing fire of Haki collided with the intertwined pillar of smoke and fire, pushing it back for a moment before the smoke and fire began to unravel under the relentless pressure of the Haki shockwave. With a loud boom, the smoke and flames dispersed wildly, filling the surrounding area with intense smoke and fire.
Smoker and Ace, who had been attacking in unison, suddenly split apart to the left and right, evading the Haki shockwave that rushed towards the sky.
Had the offensive of the Haki been halted?
Whoosh!
Just as this thought arose, a massive figure burst out from the smoke and flames, leaping into the gap between Smoker and Ace.
"Whoo-ha-ha-ha-ha!"
It was Saga, his face twisted in a maniacal grin as he reached out with both hands, aiming to grab the two men by their heads!
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
