Before Zoro could even finish speaking, the "enemy" who had taken over the Isshin Dojo vanished from sight in an instant.
The next moment, he felt sharp pains erupt from several spots on his body almost simultaneously.
The sensation was very much like being jabbed with a wooden sword back when he practiced kendo—
Except this time, the person striking him was far stronger, far more skilled with the blade, and every jab landed on the most vulnerable, most sensitive points of his body.
The sudden, intense pain made Zoro vision go dark, and he nearly lost consciousness. But if nothing else could be said about him, Zoro was tough—really tough.
He gritted his teeth and forced himself to withstand Sherwin barrage of Armament Haki–infused strikes… but that was all he could manage.
In the blink of an eye, Sherwin was behind Zoro. He spun around, and with a sharp motion, smashed the sheathed Longsword hard against the back of Zoro head.
"B-Bastard…"
Zoro eyes rolled back, and he passed out without further resistance.
Sherwin stepped forward and picked up the Wado Ichimonji that had fallen beside Zoro. He examined it closely, giving it a few experimental swings…
A Great Grade Sword was indeed a Great Grade Sword. Whether it was the weight, the grip, or the smoothness when swung, it all felt far more natural than the Longsword.
He had once gotten his hands on a Centaur, but that kind of massive greatsword never suited Sherwin style, so the difference hadn't been this obvious.
After testing the Wado Ichimonji for a moment, Sherwin slid it back into its scabbard and tossed it toward the slightly tense Koushirou nearby.
"Did you really think I was going to steal your disciple sword?"
Koshiro caught the sword and gave a slightly awkward smile. He trusted Sherwin—he really did—but deep down, he couldn't help feeling a bit worried.
After all, in this world, burning, killing, and looting were far too common. What if he had misjudged the man?
Fortunately, Sherwin wasn't some well-disguised bandit. Once Koshiro let out a breath of relief, he couldn't help but ask,
"So why are you doing this? Just to tease my student?"
Sherwin didn't bother to hide much and replied half-truthfully,"When I see a famous blade, I can't help but want to collect it. But whether it stays in my hands afterward doesn't really matter to me."
"…"
Koshiro mouth twitched. He had thought Sherwin actions were meant to spark Zoro competitive spirit or something like that—turns out it was just to satisfy some strange hobby.
As for the reason Sherwin had just given, Koshiro didn't doubt it.
After all, if Sherwin had wanted to make up an excuse, he could've come up with something far more reasonable—or simply said nothing at all.
Since he hadn't actually stolen the Wado Ichimonji, such a casual, almost joke-like reason was actually more likely to be true.
"Ow, ow, ow…"
Unlike Kuina fragile body, Zoro was as sturdy as a Sea King. In just the time it took for a few words, he was already climbing to his feet, rubbing the back of his head.
The moment he regained some clarity, Zoro immediately looked to his waist…
"Ah! My sword!"
Realizing one of his blades was missing, Zoro face changed drastically. Without even checking his surroundings, he drew the remaining two swords and charged straight at Sherwin.
"It fine. I actually have some experience with dual sword style, too."
Sherwin raised a hand to stop Koshiro, who was about to call out to Zoro, and under the man surprised gaze, he pulled the Choran and Kusunawa from his pack, clashing them against Zoro incoming blades with a loud clanging of steel.
At this stage, Zoro sword style was pure wildness—like that of a beast.
Coincidentally, the Monster Hunter dual blades followed the same feral path, and in fact, even had a more savage combat style that directly imitated the movements of wild animals…
Demon Mode: Beast!
Monster Hunter Style: Demon Flurry – Beast!
As mentioned before, the dual blades style… is dangerous.
And when you activate Demon Mode: Beast with dual blades, it like chugging strong liquor while already poisoned—the rush goes up another two levels.
In the game, activating Demon Mode: Beast gives the player an innate level 3 flinch-reduction (Stun Resistance).
In real combat, that effect translates into making the Hunter completely fearless—or in other words… charging in without a care.
In the inherited memories Sherwin possessed, there were countless Hunters who died because Demon Mode: Beast made them overextend and get greedy with their attacks.
But Sherwin had trained seriously to control it. By now, while he couldn't say he was perfectly measured, he was at least sure he wouldn't get carried away and accidentally cut Zoro down.
If not for that, he wouldn't have dared to use it on Zoro at all.
Of course… landing a hit or two while getting into the rhythm was still inevitable.
Psshht!
"Wahhh!"
With the sound of a blade piercing flesh and Zoro pained cry, Sherwin left a wound on Zoro shoulder.
Fortunately, although Sherwin injured him, he managed to react in time and held back some of his strength, so the wound wasn't deep—it didn't even stop Zoro from continuing to swing his swords.
"Let end it here."
Although Zoro was still able to fight, Koshiro finally called for a stop, and Sherwin respectfully sheathed his Longsword and stepped back.
Earlier, Koshiro hadn't intervened because he wanted Zoro to believe this was a real battle. He knew only such fights could truly temper someone. But once Sherwin had wounded Zoro, he had no choice but to halt them.
It wasn't because he felt sorry for Zoro—since Zoro had set his sights on becoming the world greatest swordsman, getting injured was inevitable.
The problem was that the gap between them was still too wide, and Sherwin had clearly started losing control of his strikes.
Continuing would not bring much more training value, and it could instead injure Zoro too severely, robbing him of the chance to seek guidance from Sherwin and Seijuro Meow later on.
However, the single-minded Zoro didn't understand Koshiro intentions. Thinking Koshiro was simply worried for him, he stubbornly tried to continue the fight, forcing Koshiro to step between them and make him stand down.
"Alright, Zoro, Sherwin was just teasing you just now." Koshiro raised the sword in his hand toward Zoro as a signal, then passed it to him.
"Eh?"
Zoro stared blankly as he took back the Wado Ichimonji he had just lost, still confused about what was going on.
Koshiro continued, "Sherwin only came to spar with me in swordsmanship—he wasn't here to challenge the dojo, and we weren't betting the dojo on the outcome."
This time Zoro understood, but his expression still showed frustration. After all, his dream was to become the world greatest swordsman, yet before he'd even set sail, he had already been defeated by another boy his age from outside. It was a heavy blow.
"Sherwin will be staying at the dojo for a while. You'll have plenty of chances to learn from him later. But for now, go tend to your wound, have some breakfast, and take a rest."
Koshiro naturally understood what his disciple was thinking, but some setbacks were things Zoro needed to face on his own. So he simply patted Zoro uninjured shoulder and spoke in a gentle tone.
Gurururu…
At Koshiro reminder, Zoro, who hadn't eaten since last night, suddenly felt the hunger. His stomach cooperated by letting out a loud growl.
He then glared fiercely at Sherwin, his eyes full of unwillingness, and declared, "After I've eaten my fill, we'll fight again! I haven't even used my Three-Sword Style yet!"
Without waiting for Sherwin reply, Zoro grabbed his three swords and dashed out of the dojo…
Koshiro hurriedly called after him, "The kitchen this way!"