If three days ago Kuina could still pose some threat to Ryukawa—
Then now?
In front of him, she was no longer even a warm-up opponent.
Weak. Completely outclassed.
Ryukawa exhaled softly.
"With my current strength, I'm probably among the top tiers of all East Blue…
Of course, not counting the hidden monsters—like the Dojo Master."
He knew it well.
His power had grown too fast.
He didn't have enough real combat experience.
Even if his swordsmanship was extraordinary, he hadn't yet had the chance to unleash all of it in a true battle.
But there was no denying it—
In East Blue, Ryukawa's current power was approaching the level of those with bounties near 100 million.
And for East Blue…
That was already a terrifying, dominant level.
The atmosphere in the dojo tightened.
Blades of invisible pressure crossed the air.
Kuina narrowed her eyes, focusing every ounce of concentration on Ryukawa.
She didn't dare relax—not even for a heartbeat.
Even though the fight hadn't started, she could feel overwhelming danger pouring from him.
A silent warning:
One wrong move meant defeat.
"Senior Brother…
is really strong."
Kuina inhaled deeply, steadying her emotions.
But no matter how strong he was—
She would win.
She had to win.
All eyes watched them.
Finally—
Kuina moved.
Her strike was sharp, direct, without a trace of hesitation or wasted movement.
Straight for his forehead.
Under her hands, the wooden sword felt as sharp as steel, slicing through the air with terrifying speed and pressure.
"Fast!"
Even Zoro's eyes widened.
The gulf in strength between him and Kuina had never felt so large.
If he faced that attack himself…
He might actually be one-shotted.
But he forced himself to look at Ryukawa.
"Facing Kuina's speed…
How will you block it?"
Gasps erupted among the disciples.
Kuina's speed was too fast to see clearly—
She appeared like a ghost, closing in on Ryukawa before most had even blinked.
"Can Senior Brother block that?!"
The attack was close.
Very close.
Ryukawa could clearly see her youthful face through the incoming strike.
Her wooden sword streaked toward his forehead—
And then—
Ryukawa tilted his body.
Just a light sidestep.
Effortless.
He avoided the strike with the ease of brushing dust off his shoulder.
Kuina's expression shifted as she passed shoulder-to-shoulder with him.
She immediately twisted her wrist for a horizontal slash—
But—
Clack!
Ryukawa's wooden sword intercepted it cleanly.
A sharp sound echoed across the hall.
Everyone froze.
"She prepared such a fierce attack…
and Senior Brother blocked it so casually?"
"My god…"
"He didn't even look serious."
Even Zoro tightened his grip on his sword, disbelief shaking his face.
"This guy…"
"He's way stronger than three days ago—ridiculously stronger!"
"What happened in those three days?!"
"Has he been hiding his true strength all along?"
His lips trembled.
Kuina's full-powered opening attack…
had been brushed aside.
Their levels weren't even close.
"Kuina isn't a match at all."
"They're not even on the same tier."
This was the conclusion Zoro reached in shock.
There was no doubt.
Kuina would lose.
And she would lose badly.
Kuina herself staggered back, instinctively trying to pull distance to reorganize her stance.
"My strongest opening strike… was blocked that easily?"
"Just how strong is Senior Brother?!"
Her wide eyes trembled with confusion and dread.
Nothing about this matchup matched her expectations.
It wasn't even a contest.
She had never seen swordsmanship like this from Ryukawa before.
"He's really strong…"
She felt the first stirring of fear.
"Junior sister," Ryukawa's voice sounded behind her suddenly, calm and almost gentle,
"are you ready?"
"Huh—?!"
Kuina froze.
Every hair on her body stood up.
She felt—
A beast's fangs.
Right behind her.
She spun, or tried to—
But Ryukawa had vanished from her vision.
She couldn't track him at all.
"Behind—!"
She swung desperately backward—
Clack!
Pain lashed her wrist.
Her fingers reflexively released the sword.
The wooden blade flew from her grasp, clattering onto the dojo floor.
And then—
A wooden sword rested lightly against her chest.
Kuina's heart stopped.
Ryukawa stood squarely in front of her.
Unruffled.
Not even breathing hard.
"Junior sister," he said softly, "you lost."
Crushed.
That was the only word that fit.
Ryukawa needed just one attack.
One.
And Kuina—
was instantly defeated.
Just like Zoro three days ago—
She never even got the chance to fight back.
The gap between them was simply too wide.
Neither Kuina nor Zoro had ever faced such overwhelming disparity.
Neither had ever been so powerless.
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