Under the vast night sky, Kilo moved like the wind under the blessing of the [Extreme Speed] special effect, and it didn't take long for him to arrive at a dojo with its doors tightly shut.
'Tiger Slaying Swordsmanship Dojo'
Kilo looked up at the dojo's plaque; the dojo, which should have been bustling, appeared somewhat deserted, and there was no sound coming from within the closed doors.
Kilo frowned; normally, there should be disciples practicing swordsmanship inside, but he didn't hear any sound at all.
Could this dojo have already closed down?
But the weapon shop owner didn't seem to be lying.
It's really strange.
With questions in his heart, Kilo stepped forward and knocked on the door.
Knock! Knock!
No response.
Kilo's brow furrowed, and then he knocked on the bronze door even harder.
Boom!!
After a moment, there was still no movement inside the door.
Seeing this, a look of disappointment couldn't help but appear in Kilo's eyes.
Although the dojo's walls weren't high and he could easily leap over them, he was here to request a sword, not steal one; a swordsman's pride would not allow him to do such a thing.
It seemed he could only give up on it.
Kilo gave a soft sigh and was just about to turn and leave when he heard the sound of a door opening behind him.
A thin old man pushed open the door with an impatient look and looked at Kilo, saying somewhat irritably, "Has no one ever told you that it's very impolite to keep knocking on someone's door?"
This should be the master of the Zhan Hu Dojo that the weapon shop owner mentioned, Suoniu.
Kilo cupped his fists, his voice sincere and earnest, "Master Suoniu, my name is Kilo. I am a swordsman, and I have come today for the 'dragon slayer'."
"I am willing to pay a high price!"
Hearing this, Suoniu wasn't moved at all; instead, a look of impatience flashed in his eyes.
"Give up on that idea. Even if I no longer use the dragon slayer, I will not sell this blade!"
With that, he was just about to close the door to the guest when he caught sight of the two long swords tucked into Kilo's waist, and his pupils constricted.
"Wait!"
Suoniu's voice suddenly became urgent, even a bit excited.
His figure flashed, and in the next moment, he appeared beside Kilo, carefully examining those two swords.
Seeing this, Kilo took the two swords from his waist and handed them to Suoniu.
Taking the two familiar blades and stroking every detail that was exactly the same as in his memory, Suoniu's eyes gradually became a bit moist.
Putting down the twin blades, he gave a long sigh and looked at Kilo, "You... where did you get these two swords?"
"Forget it, let's talk inside."
Suoniu changed his previous cold attitude, his eyes filled with complexity as he turned and walked into the dojo.
Kilo did not refuse and followed behind, looking around the interior of the dojo with some curiosity.
The interior of the dojo was empty and appeared somewhat vast; dozens of scattered wooden stakes were covered in dust, and dust-covered wooden swords were placed haphazardly in cardboard boxes. It was clear they hadn't been used for some time.
Arriving at a tea room, the two sat opposite each other on the tatami, and Suoniu handed over a cup of green tea.
Taking a sip of the steaming tea, Suoniu sighed and spoke first, "It's strange, isn't it? Such a large dojo, yet it's empty."
Kilo was a bit surprised; he hadn't expected Suoniu to bring it up voluntarily.
Without making a sound, he continued to listen to Suoniu's outpouring.
A complex expression appeared on the aged face as a look of recollection surfaced in Suoniu's eyes, "A long time ago, the Zhan Hu Dojo was the most prestigious dojo on Ruka Island, and people coming to practice the sword were endless."
"No one on Ruka Island didn't know of it, and there were many West Blue swordsmen who came here attracted by its reputation."
"Everything was originally developing in a good direction..."
Suoniu's expression gradually became painful, as if he were recalling an unbearable memory.
"But since two years ago, after the Pirate King Roger announced the existence of the One Piece to the world, everything changed."
"My eldest disciple, the dojo's recognized swordsmanship genius, chose to go to sea and become a pirate."
"To spread his name, he took advantage of my absence to kill all the disciples in the dojo and stole the two swords I had in my collection."
Suoniu's voice was a bit hoarse, and the hand holding the teacup trembled slightly. A few drops of scalding tea splashed out and landed on the tatami, but he was completely unaware.
"Since then, no one has dared to come to my dojo to learn swordsmanship, and I couldn't convince myself to teach new disciples again."
"And my eldest disciple..."
"No, that beast..."
Suoniu's gaze fell on those two swords, his voice trembling slightly.
"His name is Fushawen."
"Since he defected from the dojo, I have never found any trace of him."
Suoniu took a deep breath, somewhat agitated, "Now, tell me, young man."
"Why are you carrying these two swords?"
"Can you tell me where Fushawen is now? I want to... purge the sect!"
"I want to kill him!"
Meeting Suoniu's gaze, Kilo remained composed and said frankly, "Fushawen? He's already dead."
"Killed by my own hands."
Suoniu's breathing suddenly hitched, his body swayed, and the color drained from his face.
"He... is dead?" Complex emotions rolled in his eyes.
Kilo nodded and added, "When I met him, he had already completely become a pirate who disregarded life."
"I had no reason to let him go."
After a long silence, Suoniu let out a long breath of turbid air, as if he had put down a thousand-pound burden, yet also as if he had lost his last bit of concern.
Suddenly, he burst into loud laughter, tears flowing uncontrollably, and his voice of liberation echoed through the empty dojo.
A moment later, having vented his internal emotions, Suoniu wiped away his tear stains and carefully scrutinized Kilo.
The young swordsman's eyes were clear and pure, without any superficial agitation, only a firm persistence.
Suoniu faintly felt a surge of Sword Intent from Kilo; that was a power only a swordsman solely devoted to the sword could master.
"Kilo, you came for the dragon slayer, didn't you?"
"Follow me."
Suoniu turned and went all the way to a secret room in the dojo, taking out a slender sheathed katana from a hidden compartment in the wall.
The scabbard was deep green, carved with intricate flowing cloud patterns, and beneath the simple blade, an invisible sharp edge was faintly revealed.
"Actually, the Zhan Hu Dojo is a dojo left behind by a swordsman from several hundred years ago while he was wandering the world."
"And 'dragon slayer' was that swordsman's first blade."
"After obtaining a better weapon, that swordsman chose to leave 'dragon slayer' in this dojo, to be passed down through the generations of my family."
With a hint of reminiscence and longing in his eyes, Suoniu spoke, "And that swordsman..."
"Was named Shimotsuki Ryuma!"
Kilo's expression changed; Ryuma's great name was known to everyone.
Shimotsuki Ryuma was a legendary Great Swordsman from Wano Country several hundred years ago who had never been defeated in his life and was revered as the Blade God due to his 'dragon-slaying' feat.
In the original work, Ryuma's remains were transformed into a zombie by Moriah, and his sword'Shusui' was entrusted to Zoro.
To think that the dojo before him was actually left behind by Ryuma during his lifetime?!
Grasping the hilt, Suoniu slowly unsheathed the sharp sword, his voice carrying unconcealed pride, "As Ryuma's first blade, how could the dragon slayer be an ordinary Meito?"
As the dragon slayer was unsheathed, the slender blade, about a meter long, took on a frost-like hue under the Moonlight, and its paper-thin edge flickered with a piercingly cold light.
Kilo was a bit surprised; although he hadn't seen a Meito before, his swordsman's intuition made him subconsciously sense something unusual.
Realizing something was wrong, Kilo suddenly stood up, his eyes filled with disbelief.
"Could it be..."
Suoniu nodded, his gaze fixed on the dragon slayer full of pride.
"That's right, the dragon slayer is a great grade blade!"
"As the blade of the'Sword God' Ryuma, how could it possibly be just a Meito?"