Chapter 50: Advancing Swordsmanship
After three months of intensive practice, Rhodes had mastered all basic sword forms to perfection. He rushed toward Eleanor and thrust his sword with lightning speed.
Eleanor was startled but remained composed. She shifted her body slightly, adjusted her footing, and narrowly avoided the strike.
However, she had underestimated her opponent. Although her body dodged the blow, her loose clothing wasn't so fortunate. With a sharp rip, a large tear opened across the fabric, revealing a glimpse of skin beneath.
"Uh..."
Rhodes didn't pursue his attack, but instead stepped back, looking slightly embarrassed. "Do you need to change clothes?"
He was momentarily stunned. If Momousagi had been sparring with him, she would have easily dodged and even counterattacked. Rhodes had already planned how to react to a counterattack, but then he heard the sound of tearing fabric...
It was clearly unintentional.
Eleanor tried to maintain her cool demeanor, but she couldn't suppress the turmoil within her. It wasn't embarrassment or anything like that, but simply a profound sense of humiliation.
A veteran swordswoman with over twenty years of practice had been caught off guard by a novice who had only trained in the basics for three months!
If those gossipy guards witnessed this, they would probably mock her forever!
She couldn't accept it.
Eleanor took a deep breath and said expressionlessly, "Continue."
"Are you sure?"
"Of course!"
Eleanor suppressed the urge to charge forward recklessly.
While the brief exchange had been somewhat careless on her part, it was still enough to demonstrate Rhodes' strength. This time, she unleashed seventy percent of her power.
Her blade sliced through the air with a sharp whistle.
Eleanor was surprised to find that Rhodes seemed completely at ease under her assault, countering with equal force. Her lips pressed into a tight line, her expression growing colder as she gradually unleashed her full strength.
In the blink of an eye, the two had exchanged dozens of strikes.
Their speed increased rapidly, making it impossible for an ordinary person to follow their movements. All that could be seen were two dark shadows weaving across the training ground, constantly shifting positions. Steel flashed, and occasionally their collisions erupted with startling clangs and showers of sparks.
Even while restraining their sword aura, they still tore up the training area, sending dirt flying and leaving cracks everywhere.
Eleanor grew increasingly alarmed as the fight progressed, ultimately forced to accept that in pure swordsmanship, she was completely unable to defeat Rhodes—they were evenly matched.
She discovered that Rhodes' fundamentals were incredibly solid, and many of his responses impressed even her, giving her new insights into swordplay.
This was incredible; it meant that Rhodes' swordsmanship was on par with her own!
"This guy... did he really only start practicing basic swordsmanship three months ago?!"
Eleanor realized she had been completely wrong. This man was truly a once-in-a-generation swordsmanship prodigy!
At this moment, Rhodes felt quite comfortable. If his sparring with Momousagi had been hellish training, then sparring with Eleanor was merely challenging—perhaps even easy.
The difference between a Great Swordsman and a regular swordsman was like night and day!
Momousagi's sword style possessed an almost mystical quality, seeming light and effortless yet lacking obvious power. However, it filled Rhodes with a sense of extreme danger and inescapability—like facing the inevitable.
Eleanor, on the other hand, appeared flashy with heavy, deceptive sword shadows, yet in reality, Rhodes could easily read through her techniques.
At that moment, a sharp kiai echoed across the training ground.
Eleanor, who had just crossed swords with him, suddenly spun dramatically. Her slender waist coiled like a spring, erupting with extraordinary power, her muscles flowing like water.
"Hissatsu-waza: Tsubame Gaeshi!" (Secret Technique: Swallow Reversal!)
Like a swallow returning to its nest, the sword strike was swift and precise, piercing forward with the fleeting speed of a lightning flash.
But Rhodes had been struck countless times by Momousagi's techniques—how could he possibly fall for this?
He took a small step back, made a gentle swing of his sword, and deflected the incredibly sharp attack with minimal effort.
Sword techniques are created by swordsmen based on their fighting style, physique, and unique abilities—like Zoro's "Santoryu Ogi: Sanzen Sekai" (Three Sword Style Secret Technique: Three Thousand Worlds).
These techniques are impossible to perfectly imitate, and even if copied, the subtle differences would lead down a completely different path.
Just like how few people could master Zoro's Santoryu—lacking the jaw strength needed to not only grip a sword with their teeth but also speak clearly while doing so...
Rhodes was deeply impressed by this realization; Zoro truly was exceptional.
Meanwhile, Eleanor, having missed her ultimate technique, ceased her attacks and stepped back. Her face was flushed, breathing heavily as she stared at Rhodes, who remained calm as if nothing had happened.
A troubling thought welled up in her mind, and she struggled with whether to voice it.
"Did you really only start learning basic swordsmanship three months ago?!"
Finally, unable to contain herself, she asked, feeling genuinely concerned. If someone could match over twenty years of dedicated training in just three months, she feared she might have a mental breakdown.
Hearing Eleanor's question, Rhodes blinked and replied, "That's not exactly right..."
The first part of his response made Eleanor feel slightly relieved, but the second part made her expression darken instantly.
"Including last fall, I should have been practicing for about six months total."
Damn it!
Although the timeframe had doubled, Eleanor still felt utterly deflated and somewhat depressed.
She took several deep breaths, barely suppressing the urge to cut him down with her sword.
"How far have you progressed in your basic training?"
"Around seventy to eighty thousand strikes before showing even slight inconsistency."
Rhodes instinctively lowered his estimate, not wanting to further upset this adjutant who was actually a decent person at heart.
In truth, his swordsmanship was incredibly solid at this point, and by Momousagi's standards, he had already passed with flying colors.
"..."
Watching Rhodes speak so nonchalantly, Eleanor suddenly felt the urge to abandon her sword and return home to farm rice.
Momousagi's standards weren't commonplace. Being able to maintain consistency for seventy to eighty thousand strikes before showing even slight variation was unimaginable for the average swordsman.
Even Eleanor herself could only manage slightly better than that.
She said nothing more, straightened her torn clothing, and walked away sullenly.
Swordsmanship exchanges should stop at the appropriate point; anything beyond that would become a life-or-death duel.
"How strange..."
Rhodes shook his head and continued his practice.
With a solid foundation in basic sword forms, he would now begin the process of integration and application—developing his own sword techniques.
The "Ittoryu: Iai" technique that Rhodes had previously used was derived from the fundamental slashing form. It maximized arm power to deliver a devastating single strike. While relatively common, each practitioner executed it differently.
Eleanor's "Hissatsu-waza: Tsubame Gaeshi" was likely derived from spinning thrust techniques, incorporating numerous subtle details that made it far more complex.
Rhodes himself had little need for elaborate sword techniques and disdained flashy flourishes.
Empowered by his unique lightning abilities, his swordsmanship was renowned for speed and cutting power. He was satisfied with the ability to defeat an opponent with a single decisive strike—there was no need to waste time creating fancy technique names.
"Like Dracule Mihawk cutting through an iceberg with one slash—that's what a true swordsman should aspire to."
Thinking of the approaching Battle of Marineford, Rhodes' training became even more focused and intense.
He still had a very long way to go to reach that level.
(End of Chapter)
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