"First," Lucius said, standing before the steel dummy, "let me demonstrate once more."
[Demonstration Mode Active]
[Path of Severance Enabled]
Around them, the others had returned to their training. The rhythmic sounds of Karoo's Tempest Kicks mixed with Sanji's attempts at Moon Walk, while Luffy's grunts of effort echoed from his corner.
Lucius drew the practice blade, feeling the familiar flow of knowledge. The world slowed again, the steel's presence pulsing before him. With one fluid motion, he cut the dummy splitting perfectly along a diagonal line.
"Watch carefully," he told Zoro. "The cut begins before the blade moves."
Zoro's eyes narrowed, studying every detail. "Before the blade?"
"Your intent matters as much as your technique. When I cut, I'm not fighting the steel but I'm finding where it wants to be cut."
"Where it wants..." Zoro gripped Wado Ichimonji's hilt. "Show me again."
Another dummy materialized. This time, Lucius moved slower, letting Zoro observe each subtle movement.
"Try it," Lucius stepped back. "But don't focus on cutting through. Focus on feeling the steel first."
[Training Session Initiated]
[Student: Roronoa Zoro]
Zoro's strike was perfect and technical. But unfortunately, the blade met steel with a harsh screech, leaving only a scratch.
"Again."
Strike after strike, hour after hour, Zoro attacked the dummy. His form never wavered, his determination never faltered, but the steel remained stubbornly whole.
"Oi, moss-head," Sanji called during a water break, "maybe if you had more than seaweed in your skull, you'd figure it out faster!"
"Shut it, curly-brow," Zoro growled, already positioning for another attempt. "At least I'm not bouncing around like an idiot."
"Better than banging my head against steel all day."
Zoro ignored him, focusing on his next strike. The blade met steel. Another screech. Another failure.
"Remember," Lucius said, "the steel has its own existence. Its own rhythm. You're still trying to impose your will on it."
"How can steel have rhythm?" Zoro asked, frustration edging his voice. "It's just metal."
"Is it? Everything in this world has life, has breath. Even your swords. They're not just tools, are they?"
Zoro's hand tightened on Wado Ichimonji's hilt. No, his swords were never just tools.
"Try again. This time, before you cut, listen. Feel. The steel will tell you where it wants to break."
Hours passed. The sun moved across the dojo's windows. Still, Zoro struck, and still the steel refused to yield.
[Training Session Complete]
[Basic Foundation Established]
"Enough for today," Lucius finally said.
"One more."
"The steel isn't going anywhere, Zoro. Rest. Reflect. Sometimes understanding comes in moments of stillness."
Zoro stood for a long moment, staring at the scratched but uncut dummy. Finally, he sheathed his blade.
"Tomorrow," he said, more to himself than Lucius.
"Tomorrow," Lucius agreed. "The path to cutting anything begins with understanding that not everything needs to be cut. Master that paradox, and you'll master this technique."
As Zoro walked away, Sanji couldn't resist one last jab: "Maybe try talking nicely to the steel? Since you can't cut it anyway."
"Better than you flirting with air, love-cook."
...
The next morning, Lucius woke at his usual time - 5 AM, a habit ingrained from years of farm life. Back home, he'd be checking the irrigation systems, feeding livestock, and preparing for the day's classes by now. Even in this strange new world, his body refused to sleep past dawn.
After his morning routine of stretching and checking the dojo's materialized facilities, he heard the sound of steel cutting air. Following the noise, he found Zoro already training, his breaths creating small clouds in the cool morning air.
"You're up early," Lucius said, approaching his determined student.
Zoro paused mid-swing. "Sensei. Would you spar with me?"
[Demonstration Mode Available]
[Path of Severance: Limited to cutting techniques only]
[Note: No additional sword techniques available]
Lucius hesitated. The Path of Severance had given him perfect knowledge of cutting stances and the ability to sever anything, but actual sword fighting? That was far beyond his capabilities. Without the Six Powers techniques to compensate for his lack of true swordsmanship...
"Sure," he agreed cautiously, walking to where several wooden practice swords had materialized. "But let's use these."
[Multiple Techniques Activated]
[Iron Body: Active]
[Paper Art: Active]
[Shave: Active]
Gripping the wooden sword, Lucius felt the familiar stance knowledge flow through him, the perfect form for cutting, but nothing else. He would have to rely entirely on the Six Powers for defense and movement.
"I should warn you," he said, quickly establishing a cover story, "my style might seem unusual. I focus mainly on special techniques rather than traditional swordsmanship."
Zoro's attack came without warning. It was fast, precise, and powerful. Lucius used Paper Art to dodge the strike, his movements more like a dancer than a swordsman. When Zoro pressed forward with a combination of attacks, Lucius relied on Shave to create distance, never attempting to block or counter in ways that would expose his limited sword knowledge.
"What the hell?" Zoro muttered, observing Lucius's strange movements. "He only takes proper stance when striking, but everything else..."
The sounds of their practice eventually stirred the others. Sanji emerged first, rubbing his visible eye.
"What's that moss-head up to now?" he asked, watching Lucius avoid another series of strikes through seemingly impossible movements. "Sensei's style is... different."
"Your movements are... unorthodox," Zoro commented, launching another precise strike.
Lucius swayed backward using Paper Art, the wooden blade passing harmlessly through where his head had been. Only Sanji watched from the doorway, his morning cigarette glowing in the dim light.
"Sometimes," Lucius said, suddenly taking the perfect cutting stance, "understanding comes through failure."
Before Zoro could react, Lucius's wooden sword met his and sliced clean through it. The cut end of Zoro's practice sword clattered to the floor, the surface smooth as glass despite the dull blade.
"What the hell?" Sanji's cigarette dropped from his mouth.
Zoro stared at his bisected weapon. "That's..."
"Impossible?" Lucius grabbed another practice sword, tossing it to Zoro. "Just like cutting steel is impossible?"
[Path of Severance Active]
[Teaching Method Adjusted: Practical Demonstration]
"Again," Lucius commanded, his voice taking on the harder edge he'd once used with particularly stubborn farm students. "Attack me seriously."
Zoro's eyes narrowed. This wasn't the same gentle instruction as yesterday. He launched forward with killing intent, his wooden blade whistling through the air.
SLICE.
Another perfect cut. Another practice sword ruined.
"How many swords will you lose before you understand?" Lucius asked, remembering how he'd once taught tractor maintenance by letting students make mistakes. Sometimes, the best lessons came from watching things break.
"Oi, oi," Sanji muttered, fully awake now. "He's cutting wood like it's paper..."
"Again," Lucius tossed another sword to Zoro. "Stop trying to defeat the blade. Feel its intention."
"A sword doesn't have intention," Zoro growled, attacking again.
SLICE.
"No?" Lucius held up his wooden sword. "Then how is a dull wooden blade cutting through another? Am I using strength? Speed?"
Zoro picked up another practice sword, studying Lucius's stance. Every time Lucius moved to cut, it was the same perfect form - no wasted motion, no excessive force.
"The wood wants to be cut," Lucius explained. "The steel wants to be cut. Everything in this world has a grain, a flow, a point where it naturally separates. Your job isn't to force that separation..."
He demonstrated again, cutting through yet another of Zoro's swords.
"Your job is to find it."
They continued until a small pile of bisected practice swords lay at their feet. Each cut was perfect, each surface mirror-smooth despite the wooden blade's dull edge.
"That's enough for today," Lucius finally said. "Think about what you've seen. Sometimes teaching through breaking is more effective than teaching through words."
As Zoro collected the ruined practice swords, Sanji exhaled a cloud of smoke. "Moss-head actually got a decent teacher. Though his style is weird as hell..."
"Shut it, dart-brow," Zoro muttered, but his mind was already processing the morning's harsh lesson. The way each cut had been perfect, regardless of the blade's material or edge...
Perhaps there was more to cutting steel than he'd imagined.
"I think," Lucius finally said, lowering his wooden sword, "that's enough for now. The real training awaits."
Zoro nodded, his expression thoughtful. The strange session had given him plenty to consider about his approach to cutting steel.
"Back to the dummy?" he asked.
"Back to the dummy," Lucius confirmed. "Unless you'd prefer another round of chasing shadows?"
"Tch. Next time I'll land a hit."
"There won't be a next time if moss-head can't even touch someone who fights like a drunken grasshopper," Sanji smirked.
"Want to try your luck, swirly brow?"
"After breakfast," Lucius interrupted. "Everyone needs energy for training."
As they headed inside, Lucius quietly thanked the system for providing him just enough knowledge to maintain his cover. Teaching was one thing, pretending to be a master swordsman was another.