After just two days of training, Ethan and Akame were separated for their sword practice.
"Akame's swordsmanship is excellent. I can tell she's had extensive real combat experience. But Ethan, you're different. Even some basic stances and strikes are incorrect. You need to unlearn your bad habits and rebuild your foundation," Koshiro explained with a gentle smile.
'He didn't say it mockingly, but it still hurts!' Ethan thought, feeling as though Koshiro's words had pierced his heart like arrows.
Having never practiced martial arts in his past life, Ethan naturally didn't know the correct way to wield a sword. As a result, he had focused solely on improving his physical strength to avoid being instantly defeated by powerful pirates.
"Fortunately, you're still young. The damage to your body from using incorrect techniques isn't too severe, and it can still be corrected. Otherwise, you'd be dealing with a lot of pain and injuries in your old age," Koshiro said as he applied ointment to Ethan's sore muscles.
"Thank you, Sensei!" Ethan replied with determination.
...
"Akame, I can sense your past experiences through your sword," Koshiro said, raising a hand to stop Akame from speaking. "I know you might not want to talk about it, so I won't ask you to."
Koshiro casually picked up a bamboo sword and smiled at Akame. "A sword can convey a swordsman's emotions and words. It's not just a lifeless object. Let's have a conversation through our swords, Akame."
...
"Listen carefully and watch this paper, Ethan, Akame," Koshiro said, tossing a blank sheet of paper into the air. With a swift "Ha!" he slashed at the paper with his sword. The blade passed through the paper, but when it fell to the ground, the paper was completely intact.
"Listen well. In this world, there are swordsmen who can't cut anything, yet they can slice through steel—or anything else—with the same blade," Koshiro explained.
"The strongest sword is the power to protect what you want to protect and cut what you want to cut. A sword that harms everything it touches, in my opinion, isn't truly a sword. Do you understand?"
'Wait, isn't this Zoro's flashback dialogue?' Ethan thought, recognizing the iconic lesson.
Akame closed her eyes and began to sense the presence of living things around her—not just Ethan and Koshiro, but everything in the courtyard. No, not just living things. She could hear the breathing of the stones, the trees, the earth, and even the walls...
"Hmm? Already?" Koshiro looked at Akame in surprise.
"What? What's happening?" Ethan was completely lost.
Akame opened her eyes and looked at a stone. "Can I try?" she asked Koshiro.
"Of course," Koshiro replied with a smile.
"Ichizan Hissatsu." Akame drew her sword and slashed at the stone. A black sword aura erupted from Murasame, slicing through the stone as if it were tofu. The aura didn't lose any momentum, cutting through the wall behind it and leaving a dark gap. Peering through the gap, they could see the scenery outside.
"Amazing, Akame!" Ethan clapped enthusiastically.
"My, my, you've already reached the level of cutting steel. The younger generation is truly impressive," Koshiro said with pride.
Ethan took a moment to check Akame's status panel and noticed that her swordsmanship had increased to 4.5 stars. Not only had her swordsmanship recovered, but she had also gained an extra half-star. Her Observation Haki had also improved from 2 stars to 2.5 stars.
'Wait, how does improving swordsmanship also boost Observation Haki?! This just means I'm falling further behind Akame! Is my protagonist's plot armor fake?!' Ethan couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy at Akame's natural talent.
Still, envy aside, Ethan was genuinely happy for Akame's progress. After all, the stronger his teammate, the less pressure he felt. Who wouldn't want a powerful ally to share the burden?
'Oh, right.' Ethan suddenly bowed to Koshiro and apologized, "I'm so sorry for damaging the wall. We'll fix it!"
"Haha, don't worry about it. Seeing my students improve and grow brings me great joy," Koshiro said, waving his hands dismissively.
"No, we insist! I'll go find the tools right now!"
...Two hours later, Akame and Ethan had repaired the wall.
On the tenth day of sword training, Ethan successfully raised his swordsmanship to 1.5 Stars. He wasn't afraid of hard work, but he was afraid of working hard without seeing results. Although his progress wasn't as dramatic as Akame's, Ethan made the most of his adult mindset to improve his skills.
[Ethan's Swordsmanship: ★☆]
[Akame's Swordsmanship: ★★★★☆]
[Akame's Observation Haki: ★★☆]