After some fruitless thinking, Kuro could only temporarily attribute Gawain's ability to an instinct, a special perception ability similar to his Observation-Haki.
"Maybe..."
"Beyond the basic ability of Observation-Haki, there are also various special derivative abilities?"
Kuro frowned.
The battle in the distance has already begun.
Zoro rushed forward quickly, and the three swords in his hands were like three swimming dragons, cutting through the air and slashing toward Gawain.
The sharp momentum compared to a few days ago is not much different, but it is a rapid improvement.
"Interesting!"
Gawain curled up the corner of his mouth and instinctively stretched out the long sword in his hand, accurately finding the tiny flaw in Zoro's attack and then moving forward!
Bang!
The Guanze Masamune hit the sword in Zoro's mouth. The force from the blade instantly stopped Zoro's forward attack.
Then, a familiar scene reappeared.
Gawain's other hand bypassed Zoro's two swords and pressed directly into his chest.
Realizing what was about to happen, Zoro's mouth twitched: "This kind of thing is a bit of a bad taste no matter how you think about it, right?"
"I think it's very interesting."
"Damn it!"
With Zoro's impotent rage, Gawain gave him a slight push, and he fell into the water again.
Thump!
As soon as Zoro fell into the water, a lifebuoy hit his head.
He hurriedly hugged the lifebuoy, and when he looked up, he saw a slightly playful face: "How can you be a match for Captain Gawain?"
"Newcomer!"
Nami smiled mischievously, but what she said was the truth in her heart.
Then Nami took out a small blackboard from her side, and in front of Zoro, she erased the original '1' and wrote a '2'.
Zoro: "..."
"You're being a little rude..."
After the simple farce, Zoro climbed onto the boat nimbly, glanced at Nami unconsciously, and then turned to look at Gawain: "Again!"
"Good!"
Gawain responded calmly.
The third round of battle begins.
But just a few seconds later, the familiar scene reappeared, and this time, Zoro didn't even react to what was happening.
Nami silently changed the number on the blackboard to '3'.
A few minutes later.
Zoro climbed onto the boat again and rushed towards Gawain without hesitation, although his body was a little exhausted from falling into the water repeatedly.
But since Kuina's death, he had never felt such a desire to surpass an opponent like this.
Even though his body feels heavy, the burning fire in his heart is getting stronger and stronger, and it will not stop until everything he has is burned out!
"Again!"
Sensing Zoro's change, Gawain said seriously: "Zoro, if you think you can do it, try it!"
"I will always be at the front, waiting for your challenge, and I will never fall before that!"
Zoro clenched the two swords in his hands so tightly that veins popped out on the back of his hands and only uttered one word: "Good!"
The next moment.
The blades collided, and their eyes met, and they both saw the recognition in each other's eyes.
The battle between the two continued until the next night.
The number on Nami's small blackboard was close to four digits before Zoro fell down due to exhaustion.
But Zoro's eyes were hotter than ever before.
"Hey, Gawain, I have a reason to be the best in the world!"
Zoro covered his eyes with his arms; the cold moonlight shone on his face, making it impossible to see his expression.
Only from Gawain's perspective could one see that the corners of Zoro's eyes were wet, but it was not sweat or seawater.
Gawain looked at this scene and said calmly: "I didn't have a reason, but now I do."
"As a captain, I cannot be underestimated by my own companion, especially when my companion is leaving after winning. I cannot lose."
Zoro was stunned for a moment, and after a few breaths, he shouted loudly: "Captain! Please give me your guidance!"
"Don't you want to try again? After all, there are still several days until the time we agreed on."
"That's not necessary."
Zoro shook his head.
He simply lay on the deck in a spread-eagle position, his chest heaving, and he felt like he didn't have the strength to move a finger.
After fighting from day to night, he was defeated by Gawain countless times, fell into the sea, and stood up countless times.
His body had already reached its limit.
"A strong swordsman can sense the outcome of a battle the moment their eyes meet."
"For you, this level is not even a battle!"
"I already recognize you!"
Clang!
Gawain slowly put Guanze Masamune into the scabbard with a faint smile on his face: "Then don't die before you surpass me!"
"Certainly!"
The battle ends here.
Apart from the pirates who could no longer hold on and returned to the cabin to rest, the only ones left on the deck were Gin, Kuro, and the duo, Yosaku, and Johnny.
"Has Zoro become a pirate?"
"Then we..."
Yosaku was confused for a moment, and so did Johnny, who was beside him.
Suddenly, Gawain's voice came to their ears: "Would you two like to board my ship with Zoro?"
"Yes!"
The two of them stood up straight suddenly and said excitedly: "Captain Gawain!"
Gawain nodded, then ignored everyone on the deck and walked into the cabin.
Kuro and Gin stood side by side, watching the scene expressionlessly, but their attention was inevitably drawn to Zoro, with only uncontrollable shock in their eyes.
"To be able to do this, this kid's willpower is simply iron."
Gin exclaimed: "No wonder Gawain thinks so highly of him. This strong spirit alone is enough to ensure that he will go further than others."
"You're only seeing the surface."
Kuro took a deep puff of the cigarette in his mouth, and his tone was somewhat solemn.
"From last night to now, this kid's swordsmanship has improved by at least 30%."
"Even with Gawain's guidance, this rate of progress is already a freakish one."
"Aren't you still thinking about surpassing me and becoming the deputy captain?"
"Don't let this little brat overtake you before you overtake me; that would be really fun!"
Gin's pupils shrank, and he felt an inexplicable sense of urgency in his heart, but he still pretended to be calm and turned to look at Kuro: "What about you?"
"I?"
Kuro shook off the cigarette ash from his fingertips and smiled calmly: "There is an unbridgeable gap between him and me."
"Yeah?"
Gin gritted his teeth and secretly vowed in his heart to double the amount of training tonight, but what he said was: "Me too."
"But tonight, I don't need to pay attention to this farce, and I can get a good night's sleep."
"Who says it's not?"
The two looked at each other with fake smiles on their faces, then turned around at the same time and entered the cabin.
After watching each other enter their rooms, they both breathed a sigh of relief.
A few minutes later.
Kuro changed into casual clothes and just walked into the training room; then he saw Gin, who had already started lifting weights, making his expression freeze: "What a coincidence."
Gin's face turned red: "Yeah, what a coincidence."
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If this fanfic reaches the top 50 in Power Ranking, I'll publish 8 chapters (2 regular and 6 bonus).
Current Rank: 200+
Power Stone: 138