Chapter 32 – Instruction
The Flying Slash struck the sea head-on; its terrifying force surged forward for more than a kilometre.
Wherever it passed, the ocean was cleaved in two, leaving an invisible trench.
Everyone aboard stared wide-eyed, stunned by the sight.
Such power could wipe out whole fleets with ease. Though they had defeated many strong foes, they felt utterly insignificant before Dante Voss's strike.
"So this is Dante Voss's strength… amazing!"
Nami's small red lips parted slightly as she stood frozen.
She had wondered how strong Dante Voss really was; now she saw—his might far surpassed theirs.
Vivi's beautiful eyes quivered, her heart racing.
In her mind, only the Shichibukai recognised by the World Government—Crocodile—could rival such power.
If Dante Voss helped her against Crocodile… Vivi's heart pounded; she seemed to have found a way to victory.
She had held little hope of stopping Crocodile, but with Dante Voss's aid it might truly be possible.
Zoro's body trembled.
He had never seen a Flying Slash before; not even the World's Strongest Swordsman had shown him one.
"So this is the power of the strong?"
Zoro clenched his fists, craving that strength more than ever.
With such power, his ambition would be that much closer.
"So cool!"
Luffy, Usopp and Chopper's eyes sparkled; they didn't overthink it—they just thought the move looked awesome.
Dante Voss slowly sheathed the bloodthirsty sword, smiling in satisfaction.
Though his seven thousand slaughter points were gone, the leap in strength was qualitative.
Only a Swordsman who grasps sword intent is a true powerhouse.
He could now count himself among this world's strong.
Seeing Dante Voss finish his breakthrough, Zoro stepped forward and asked earnestly, "Dante Voss, were you just breaking through in swordsmanship?"
"Yep, that's right."
Reading the hunger in Zoro's eyes, Dante Voss said slowly,
"I advanced from the Swordsman realm to the Great Swordsman realm."
"Great Swordsman!"
Zoro's eyes lit up. "What level is Great Swordsman? What ranks do swordsmen have?"
Though he had a teacher, he'd left Shimotsuki Village before learning the grades, thanks to his terrible sense of direction.
So his idea of Swordsman levels was hazy at best.
Seeing Zoro's thirst for knowledge—and everyone else's curiosity—Dante Voss hid nothing and explained in detail,
"Swordsmen divide into three great realms: Swordsman, Swordmaster, and Great Swordsman."
Drawing on his own insight, he went on,
"Swordsman is the starting stage; you rely on strength and technique to win—just like Zoro now."
Zoro flushed. No wonder the World's Strongest Swordsman had called him "foolishly fearless" when he challenged him.
He really had known next to nothing about the levels.
"Hahaha, so you're still in the first stage, Zoro!"
Luffy laughed, slapping Zoro's shoulder.
"The moss-head's still a rookie!"
Sanji teased.
"Shut up, both of you!"
Zoro yelled, half furious, half embarrassed.
"As for the Swordmaster realm, you must master Cutting Iron."
Dante Voss looked at Zoro.
"Zoro, bring your barbell here."
Without hesitation Zoro fetched it; he knew Dante Voss meant to demonstrate. He quickly set the barbell down.
Dante Voss casually tossed it into the air,
"Cutting Iron means listening to the breath of all things, letting you cut through anything with ease."
As he spoke the iron barbell fell beside him.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Dante Voss's arm blurred like a sword, slicing the iron barbell into countless pieces.
"Incredible!"
Everyone gaped, scarcely believing their eyes.
Though they were all gifted, they had never heard swordsmanship levels explained so clearly.
Zoro felt a glimmer of enlightenment.
He was now an Advanced Swordsman, a single insight away from awakening and stepping into the Swordmaster realm.
He recalled his teacher's words: "There are swordsmen who can't seem to cut anything—yet they can slice steel effortlessly."
"Lastly, the Great Swordsman realm—the peak. The world's strongest, Hawkeye Mihawk, stands at this level."
"Few in the world reach it, but each is a titan in their own right."
At this stage a Swordsman grasps 'intent', unleashing swordsmanship through sword intent."
Clang—
Dante Voss drew the bloodthirsty sword again and casually swept it toward the sea; another terrifying arc shot out.
Though they had seen his Flying Slash before, the crew was still shaken.
"This is the hallmark of a Great Swordsman: the Flying Slash, released through sword intent—strong enough to split mountains and seas."
"Great Swordsman!"
Now that he understood the stages, Zoro's path ahead shone clear.
He gripped the hilt at his waist, smiling faintly as he murmured,
"One day I'll become a Great Swordsman and make my name echo across the seas!"
"Dante Voss, since you're a Great Swordsman now, you must be super-strong!"
Luffy picked his nose, curious.
Dante Voss shook his head.
"Upper-middle tier at best."
Though he had reached Great Swordsman via system boosts,
his attributes were far from the monsters out there.
The truly powerful wielded mighty Devil Fruits or peerless swordplay and martial arts.
Above all, they commanded the world's all-purpose power: Haki!
It vastly sharpens perception and attack.
With the bloodthirsty sword he had once cut through a CP0 agent's Armament Haki,
but that was only because the agent's Armament training had been shallow.
Against profound Armament Haki the sword offered little edge; he would have to rely on swordsmanship and raw attributes.
By his own estimate—top Vice Admiral level.