"Well done," Lucius watched as Luffy finally withstood the log's impact, though the rubber man's legs trembled from the strain. "But remember - Iron Body isn't just about being hard. Think about how water behaves when struck. It doesn't break or yield, it redistributes the force."
"Like water?" Luffy tilted his head, his face scrunching up in that familiar expression of confusion. "But water's all splashy! I want to be solid like iron!"
"Watch carefully," Lucius picked up a coconut that had rolled from their earlier meal. He poured some water into a shallow bowl that materialized. "When I drop this coconut..." He released it from about a meter up.
The water splashed but quickly reformed, smooth as glass.
"See? The water wasn't damaged. It accepted the impact and returned to its natural state. Iron Body at its highest level works the same way, you don't just resist force, you redirect it through your entire body."
"Oh!" Luffy's eyes lit up. "Like when Grandpa used to punch me and it hurt even though I'm rubber!"
Lucius filed away another mention of this mysterious grandfather for later consideration. "Exactly. Your rubber powers let you bounce attacks back, but Iron Body will let you neutralize them completely. Try again, but this time, imagine the force flowing through you like water in a river."
The log swung again. This time, Luffy's stance remained firm, his body tense but not rigid. The impact created visible ripples across his rubber skin, but he didn't move an inch.
"AWESOME!" Luffy grinned. "Did you see that? I was like swoosh and the log was like bam but I was like-"
"Focus!" Lucius called out as another swing caught Luffy mid-celebration, sending him tumbling. "The technique requires constant awareness, not just moment-to-moment success."
Across the dojo, Lucius noticed Sanji eyeing the ten iron dummies with professional interest. The cook's cigarette smoke curled upward as he analyzed their movements.
"These ones are different," Sanji noted, loosening his tie. "The others just stood there, but these... they're moving like trained fighters."
"Each one is programmed with different martial arts styles," Lucius explained. "Your Moon Walk gives you a height advantage, but they're equipped to deal with aerial attacks. Consider this a test of adaptation - you'll need to modify your techniques mid-fight."
"Interesting," Sanji extinguished his cigarette. "So they're not just punching bags anymore?"
As if in response, one dummy launched forward with a perfect crane style attack. Sanji barely dodged, his eyes widening at the speed.
"Karate Kid?" he muttered. "Now that's nostalgic..."
Two more dummies attacked simultaneously, one using what appeared to be capoeira while the other employed karate strikes. Sanji kicked off the air, gaining height, but a fourth dummy was already there waiting.
"Mouton Shot!" Sanji's leg ignited as he drove it into the aerial dummy's chest. The impact dented the iron, but the dummy grabbed his leg before he could retract it.
"Shit!" Sanji twisted free, using Moon Walk to create distance. Six more dummies were already moving to surround him.
Meanwhile, Zoro stood before his steel target, he looked very frustrated. He watched Sanji's aerial battle from the corner of his eye, his grip tightening on his sword.
'Why isn't this working?' he thought, studying the barely visible scratch he'd made earlier. 'I can feel something when I focus, like a humming beneath the steel's surface, but every time I think I understand it...'
His attention was drawn to Karoo's training area as another Tempest Kick sliced cleanly through an iron dummy. The duck's natural leg strength combined with perfect technique made it look effortless.
"QUACK!" Karoo celebrated his success, wings spread proudly.
"Excellent form, Karoo!" Vivi praised between her own training attempts. "Your control is getting even better!"
Zoro turned back to his target, irritation building. A duck was showing more progress than him. A duck! He raised his sword, trying to recall that fleeting sensation he'd felt before.
'Listen to the steel,' he repeated Lucius's words in his mind. 'Feel its rhythm...'
But the more he tried to force that awareness, the more it slipped away. His strikes became increasingly aggressive, each one falling just short of what he knew he could achieve.
"Anti-Manner Kick Course!" Sanji's shout drew attention as he executed a powerful downward strike that disabled two dummies at once. But the remaining eight immediately adjusted their formation, moving with mechanical precision to cut off his escape routes.
"You're still thinking like a surface fighter," Lucius called out. "Moon Walk isn't just about gaining height, it's about transforming the space into your personal battlefield."
"Easy for you to say!" Sanji retorted, narrowly avoiding a synchronized attack from three directions. "These bastards aren't giving me time to think!"
"That's the point," Lucius smiled. "Real combat rarely offers time for contemplation. You need to make these movements instinctive."
Sanji's next leap carried him toward the dojo's ceiling, but two dummies were already moving to intercept. Their jumps weren't as graceful as Moon Walk, but their coordination was perfect.
"Concasse!" Sanji's heel drop caught one dummy in the head, sending it crashing down. But the other slipped past his guard, landing a solid hit to his ribs.
"Getting tired?" Lucius asked as Sanji recovered his balance mid-air.
"As if," Sanji smirked, though his breathing was heavier. "I'm just getting warmed up!"
The remaining seven dummies moved in perfect formation, each one was covering the others' blind spots. Their fighting styles complemented each other and when one used low sweeping kicks, another attacked high, while others maintained middle guard.
Lucius watched their movement patterns with approval. The dojo had perfectly recreated various martial arts styles, forcing Sanji to adapt his aerial technique against multiple approaches simultaneously.
A sudden spike of frustrated energy drew his attention back to Zoro. The swordsman was attacking with increasing aggression, his strikes becoming wild and uncontrolled.
'Ah,' Lucius thought, observing the deteriorating form. 'I may have approached this wrong.'
He walked over to where Zoro continued his assault. "Stop."
Zoro's blade halted mid-strike, his breathing heavy with exertion and barely contained anger.
"Tell me," Lucius said carefully, "when you fight seriously, how do your three swords work together?"
"They're not separate," Zoro answered immediately. "They're parts of a whole. Like..." he paused, searching for words.
"Like musicians in an orchestra?" Lucius suggested. "Each playing their part to create a single piece?"
Zoro's eye twitched. "I was going to say like different attacks in the same strike, but whatever."
Three wooden swords materialized nearby. Zoro's attention fixed on them instantly, his body language shifting subtly.
"I've been trying to teach you a single-sword technique because that's the traditional approach," Lucius said thoughtfully. "But perhaps that's like trying to teach Luffy to fight without his rubber powers, or asking Sanji to throw punches instead of kicks."
"What are you suggesting?" Zoro asked, though his eyes never left the wooden swords.
"I'm suggesting that your natural rhythm comes from the harmony of three blades. Fighting with one sword isn't just using a third of your strength, it's disrupting your entire flow."
[Multiple Techniques Activated]
[Iron Body: Active]
[Paper Art: Active]
[Shave: Active]
[Path of Severance: Active]
"Want to test that theory?" Zoro asked, already moving toward the practice swords.
"OI!" Sanji's voice interrupted as he barely avoided another coordinated attack. "Someone want to help with these shitty training dummies?"
"Having trouble, cook?" Zoro smirked, picking up the wooden blades.
"These things are starting to piss me off," Sanji admitted, executing a perfect Moon Walk to avoid being surrounded. "They keep adapting to my movements."
"That's their purpose," Lucius explained. "Each time you overcome one pattern, they develop countermeasures. Real combat is always evolving."
"Speaking of evolution," Zoro said, placing the third wooden sword in his mouth, "ready to see what three swords can do, sensei?"
Lucius took his stance, letting the system's knowledge flow through him. He'd need every defensive technique to handle what was coming.
The swordsman's killing intent filled the dojo, drawing everyone's attention. Even the training dummies paused their assault on Sanji, their programming registering the spike in combat energy.
"Three Sword Style..." Zoro's voice carried clearly despite the sword in his mouth.
Lucius could feel the difference immediately. With three swords, Zoro's presence had changed completely. This wasn't just about adding more weapons - it was about returning to his natural state of being.
"Finally getting serious, moss-head?" Sanji called out, using the brief reprieve to light a fresh cigarette.
"Quiet, dart-brow," Zoro's eyes remained fixed on Lucius. "I need to concentrate."
Zoro ignored the commotion, settling into his stance. His awareness had shifted, expanded. With three swords, he could feel something he'd missed before, a resonance, not just with his weapons but with the space around them.
'Could this be what sensei meant?' he wondered. 'Not about understanding the steel, but understanding how everything connects?'
"Whenever you're ready," Lucius said calmly.
Zoro's reply came not in words, but in movement. "Three Sword Style..."