Comic series: Starting from Pirates to Cultivate the True Self

“Although the Navy’s intelligence system doesn’t have that much detail, it’s actually not hard to detect if you analyze it carefully.

First, the surname Shimotsuki is very famous in the history of Wano Country. First, there was the dragon-slaying swordsman Ryuma Shimotsuki's feat of slaying a dragon, which was passed down from generation to generation by swordsmen on the sea.

The second is Kozuki Oden, the former captain of the second division of the Whitebeard Pirates and the general of Wano Country. Later, for some unknown reason, he boarded the ship of Pirate King Roger. He is a great swordsman with two swords, Ame-no-Hazan and Yama. It is said that Yama was forged by the current head of the Shimotsuki family.

Third, there has been no pirate invasion on this island, and the nearest naval branch has not received any distress signals from the island. This place is called Shimotsuki Village, and you are running a kendo gym. Maybe before I came here, there was still a possibility of suspicion that we were of the same surname, but the moment I saw the gym owner, I was sure of it. "

As the saying goes, flattery never wears out. Hearing a strong man praising his family and affirming his own strength, Koshiro was overjoyed. He quickly poured tea for Mo Xingchen and William and said:

"Thank you, thank you! Mr. Mo, since you want my father to make a sword for you, and considering your achievements in the newspaper, I think you are also a powerful swordsman. Can you exchange ideas with me?"

Mo Xingchen saw the change in Koshiro's tone and attitude, and he should have let down his guard a little. So if he could exchange some sword skills, the matter would probably be settled. So he took a sip of hot tea, smiled and said:

"It's your first visit, and you're showing off your weapons and sticks to the host. You're a bad guest! Mr. Shimotsuki, why don't we drink tea and talk about it?"

Although Mo Xingchen did not agree to the actual combat request, this polite answer made Koshiro even happier, so he raised his teacup to salute from a distance and began to explain his swordsmanship.

"I practiced my family's sword art in Wano Country, and reached the level of a swordsman when I was young. Later, I encountered a bottleneck, so I went out to sea to seek a breakthrough. I fought with pirates in the New World for several years, and finally came here unintentionally. I met my wife, and then my state of mind became perfect and I broke through.

Mr. Mo, you have also seen that my dojo is called Yixin Dojo. What I pursue is the power of the heart, because human power is limited, but the human heart can be infinite. Don't stick to one move or one form, hone the heart, body, and sword to the extreme, and then condense them into one, swing a sword full of your own beliefs, and you can cut everything. What do you think, sir?"

Mo Xingchen drank the hot tea in his cup in one gulp, slowly stood up, waved his coat of justice, and spoke eloquently.

"In my humble opinion, Kendo is divided into five stages.

Sword Realm: At this stage, the swordsman is pursuing a divine weapon with sharp and fierce features, which are indestructible. His moves are vigorous and his swordsmanship is full of confidence!

Soft Sword Realm: With the increase of age and the tempering of life experience, the swordsman's swordsmanship also tends to mature, and the soft sword is characterized by agility, but relatively lacks attack power. At this stage, they no longer focus on the benefits of magic weapons, but concentrate on honing their swordsmanship!

The heavy sword realm: Its characteristic is great skill without effort, that is, using one's own strength to drive the sword technique, thus reaching the realm of lifting heavy objects with ease. At this stage, it no longer relies too much on the sharpness of the weapon, but is dominated by strength, showing a new concept of swordsmanship!

Wood Sword Realm: At this stage, swordsmanship becomes more free and unrestrained, and grass, wood, bamboo, and stone can all become swords. Thus, it breaks through to the realm of lifting light as if it were heavy. At this time, swordsmanship has transcended material constraints and achieved a kind of spiritual freedom and unrestrainedness.

The realm of no sword: It means that the swordsmanship has been sublimated to a whole new level, that is, "no sword is better than a sword", that is, through the understanding of the laws of nature and philosophical principles, the swordsmanship has reached a level that cannot be predicted and cracked by the opponent. At this stage, the swordsmanship has surpassed the scope of traditional techniques and integrated into a higher level of Tao! "

Koshiro and William were fascinated by what they heard. The realm of swordsmanship was broken down in such detail by Mo Xingchen. Perhaps William's realm was a little lower and he could not understand it very well, but as a great swordsman, Koshiro was confirming his own way.

He is currently in the soft sword realm, and cannot yet achieve the level of lifting heavy objects with ease. This does not mean that without a sword, one can reach the ultimate swordless realm. That is a pursuit of Tao! If you try to fight Hawkeye without a sword, you will see if you will be chopped into a fool.

"Sir, you are so talented! You have found a way for swordsmen like me to become great swordsmen. Please accept my greetings!"

Koshiro was so excited that he stood up and bowed 90 degrees. Mo Xingchen accepted it calmly, because the swordsmanship in this world is so simple. The great swordsman is the ultimate. To be honest, it is really difficult to make further progress without excellent talent. However, this theory points directly to a higher level of swordsmanship. Maybe Koshiro's talent is limited and he can't reach the final swordless realm, but at least he has found a way to continue to improve his swordsmanship.

"May I ask what realm you are in now, sir?"

"He should have just reached the third level, the Heavy Sword Realm."

Just as Koshiro was about to say something else, a gentle and virtuous woman holding a baby pushed open the door of the study, only to find that there was a guest in the room. She was stunned for a moment and said apologetically:

"I'm sorry, I didn't know you were entertaining guests, I just wanted to invite you to dinner."

Koshiro stood up and made an invitation gesture.

"These are my wife and daughter. If you don't mind, sir, would you please stay with your companions and have some simple food?"

"Then we are so disturbing!"

After having a simple dinner with Koshiro's family, the four of them came to the study again. Koshiro explained Mo Xingchen's kendo theory to his father, his words full of admiration. After listening to him, Kozaburo was also amazed.

Mo Xingchen also explained his purpose and asked the old man to forge a sword for him.

"What kind of sword do you want to forge? Do you have a sample and specific dimensions?"

Kozaburo asked enthusiastically. Originally, he had closed the furnace and stopped forging swords. However, after his son's explanation, he believed that Mo Xingchen had a bright future. Who could refuse to forge a sword for a person who could surpass the great swordsman in the future?

Mo Xingchen took out the sword-making blueprint that he had pondered for a long time while sailing, because in the five thousand years of history of the Flower-Bearing Family, there were countless famous swords. To be honest, he had a bit of difficulty making a decision.

Thinking that some legendary swords might be difficult to replicate in this world, he finally decided to forge an eight-sided Han sword for himself.

"Old sir, this is the blueprint. I hope to increase the weight of the sword as much as possible according to the size."

"What a beautiful weapon! I need some time to think about the materials for making the sword."

Kozaburo looked at the Han sword on the drawing, muttering to himself as if he had seen a peerless beauty.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Mr. Lao."