Chapter 27: The Supreme Grade Ladder
As expected.
Zoro charged forward with a "Yaaah!", looking full of vigor. The next second, he was sent flying with a scream and landed flat on his face.
He rolled back up and glared at Kuina beside him. "Hey! Why didn't you attack!"
"Didn't you say it was a one-on-one?" Kuina said in annoyance. But she still adjusted her position, forming a pincer attack with Zoro, and with a low shout, they slashed at the same time.
They might bicker, but they still had a tacit understanding.
Unfortunately, in the face of absolute stats, all flashy techniques were meaningless.
Even though Shane was holding back as much as possible, he still easily disarmed them with three simple moves, sending their three bamboo swords flying with a clack, clack, clack, and then knocked them both down with two more strikes.
A plain and simple A-class combo.
"Dammit!" Zoro couldn't accept reality, grabbing his hair in frustration. "How could this happen!"
"Losing to Mr. Shane, isn't that a matter of course?" Kuina said.
She subconsciously wanted to mock him again. This kid has lost to me so many times, shouldn't he be used to it by now?
But seeing Zoro's expression, she swallowed the words on the tip of her tongue, bent down to pull him up, and smiled. "Alright, get up. At least this lets you know that there's always someone better out there. It's a good thing to have a higher goal. We can work hard together to catch up in the future!"
"But I'm still so frustrated!" Zoro gritted his teeth.
In his heart, he knew there was a gap and could accept his own failure, but he had never expected to lose so miserably. He couldn't even see the trajectory of his opponent's sword. Was this guy, who didn't look much older than him, really that skilled in swordsmanship?
Kuina patted him on the shoulder but didn't try to persuade him further. She bent down to look for her own bamboo sword. The backyard was dimly lit, and it took her a while to find it behind a pillar.
Zoro, dejected, went to pick up his own swords. But before he could bend down, he saw Shane pick them up first.
"?" Zoro stared at Shane with wide eyes.
"I'm confiscating one as punishment for your rude attitude earlier. I'm very petty, you know," Shane said with a chuckle. "Don't look at me like that. If you feel aggrieved, then train harder and take it back with your own strength one day."
"Of course, by then, you might not even care about a bamboo sword like this. So, if you can ever defeat me, I don't mind giving you the sword on my back."
"Really?!"
Zoro's eyes lit up, and he immediately forgot about his confiscated bamboo sword. He had been drooling over the Masamune for a long time. He never thought the other would make such a promise with him.
He's actually a pretty good guy!
"It's a promise!" He was full of vigor again and stood on his tiptoes, extending his little finger. "Pinky swear! You can't go back on your word! Just you wait, sooner or later, my swordsmanship will surpass yours, and I'll make you hand over that sword!"
"Aren't you childish."
Shane sighed, but facing the resolute moss-head, he ultimately extended his own finger.
"Pinky swear, hang it up, can't change for a hundred years!"
After shouting out the rhyme and finishing the pinky swear, Zoro excitedly ran off. From the way he couldn't wait a single moment, you didn't need to guess to know he was off to do more insane training.
So impolite. When will he ever grow up? Kuina sighed, watching his retreating back.
She turned back to Shane and bowed very seriously. "Thank you, Mr. Shane. It was truly an honor to have a match with you. Although..." she gave a bitter smile, "your sword moves were too fast. My eyes are dull and slow, so I couldn't really learn anything. I still feel a little regretful about that."
Shane didn't quite know how to respond. He let out a laugh to cover it up and quickly changed the subject. "Speaking of which, it's been a while since I've sharpened my sword. Do you guys have a whetstone?"
A whetstone?
Kuina nodded. "Yes, but we usually use bamboo swords in the dojo, so it's rarely used. It's kept in the attic. I'll go get it for you now."
"No need," Shane said quickly. "Just lead the way. I'll get it myself."
Don't joke with your own life, young lady! Why do you think I brought this up? Besides earning points, it was also to save your life. If I let you go get it alone and you fell to your death ahead of schedule, wouldn't I feel guilty for half my life?
In a remote warehouse.
Shane looked up at the wooden ladder, pinching his chin. He still found it a bit incredible.
Seriously, this attic isn't even that high. Three meters at most. A swordswoman who has trained since childhood and can beat ordinary adults, just fell and died like that?
He looked at the information on his system panel. He had already successfully sacrificed the bamboo sword he conned from Zoro.
[Sacrifice: Zoro's Bamboo Sword]
[Quality: Excellent]
[Value: 500 Points]
[Appraisal: One of the bamboo swords that accompanied Zoro for several years, witnessing his countless sweat-stained dawns and dusks. In the future, he may replace it with one famous blade after another, but he will never forget these initial partners.]
[Remaining Points: 10825]
Five hundred points was about what he expected, so Shane was quite satisfied.
"I wonder if this one will be worth more, or less..."
He gently placed his palm on the ladder before him and tried to initiate the sacrifice.
[Sacrifice: Kuina's Great Grade Ladder]
[Quality: Epic]
[Value: 1500 Points]
[Appraisal: The circumstances of Kuina's death are debated, but it is certain she fell from this ladder and died while getting a whetstone for her beloved Wado Ichimonji. The world's timeline was altered from this point; the future sea lost a great female swordmaster but gained a man who swore to become the world's greatest swordsman—"I will become strong enough for the both of us, so strong that my name will reach heaven!"]
One thousand five hundred points?
Shane was genuinely surprised this time. Logically, Kuina could only be considered a minor character, and her current strength provided negligible bonus points. A sacrificial item from her should have been worth one or two hundred at most.
I knew it.
Beyond the three rules of sacrifice he had summarized, there was a special fourth rule. —Special items that altered the world's timeline and were associated with famous scenes were often of much higher value.
Shane looked at his point balance.
[Remaining Points: 12325]
The points he had spent before were now almost entirely replenished. The Supreme Grade Ladder had contributed greatly.
So how many points could Luffy's straw hat provide? Probably even more than I originally expected.
Shane's heart filled with even greater anticipation.
He had now fleeced almost all the available sacrificial items in the surrounding sea area. He just needed to get that last straw hat, and he could return to Cocoyasi Village to train in peace. After that, he wouldn't have to worry about points for a very long time.
His thoughts returned to the present. He glanced back towards the dojo outside. The light rain was still drizzling, and Kuina was waiting in the courtyard.
After a moment of thought, he found a brush and ink in the warehouse and strode out.
As the saying goes, you can't take from others without giving something back. Since he had just earned so many points for free, it was time to give a little something in return—like saving Kuina's life.
Getting rid of the ladder and moving the whetstone downstairs didn't mean the risk of Kuina falling to her death was gone.
Shane actually quite liked this intelligent, polite, and exceptionally talented young swordswoman. From the bottom of his heart, he didn't want her to leave this world in such a ridiculous way.
There was always a reason for absurdity.
Shane had noticed earlier that when Kuina was looking for her bamboo sword, she had to grope around for a long time before finding it. The light was dim, but not that dim.
Could it be... just like her identical-looking counterpart, Tashigi, Kuina is actually severely nearsighted?