Chapter – 19 Did I… Just Lose?

Isshin Dojo, Shimotsuki Village, East Blue

The sun had set, and the disciples at the Dojo had returned to their homes. Currently, four people, including Shimotsuki Kozaburo, Shimotsuki Koushirou, Shimotsuki Kuina, Ryuma, and Rio, were sitting around a four-sided square table as they ate dinner.

Suddenly, Kozaburo put down his sake cup and questioned Ryuma, "Boy… how is your progress? Have you completed the task I gave you?"

Ryuma, who was about to take a bite of the leg piece, stopped halfway and answered Kozaburo's question, "Yeah… I have read almost all of them except for one… and I plan to finish it tonight."

It's been a week since Kozaburo accepted Ryuma as his apprentice and started teaching him the art of crafting swords. The old man did not directly lead him into a Smithy, nor did he directly hand over a hammer to Ryuma. Instead, Kozaburo initially gave Ryuma a set of books and instructed him to finish reading those books as the first step.

"Oh? You have read almost all the books in less than one week?" asked Kozaburo with a surprised expression, then questioned, "Were you just skimming them with half-closed eyes, or did you thoroughly understand and memorize the content written in those books?"

Both Koushirou and Kuina looked at Ryuma while eating their food.

Facing three pairs of eyes, Ryuma defended himself, "Nah… I have read them thoroughly."

"So, you say, in that case, answer me…" said Kozaburo, then questioned, "Under what condition would you remove the raw metal from the forge, and what would you do after that?"

"That's too easy… the raw metal would be heated evenly in the forge until it is malleable enough. Once it is malleable, it has to be removed from the forge and placed on an Anvil to be shaped, which is the 'Drawing Out' step.

For the shaping, hammering has to be used… The key here is precise and controlled hammer blows to prevent the metal from becoming too thin in any area and ensure even elongation. The length of the Billet will be increased while its breadth will be decreased. This really helps in refining the metal's grain structure and improving its overall strength."

By the time Ryuma finished, Kozaburo had a smile on his face, "Good… seems you have studied seriously…"

"Of course," nodded Ryuma with a serious gaze as he finally ate the leg piece.

Kozaburo smiled, and after considering a little, he spoke, "Since you have read and acquired the basic knowledge, it's time to put it into practice. Early tomorrow morning, meet me outside the Smithy. Kuina-chan, after finishing dinner, show the boy the way to my smithy."

"I understand, Oji-sama," nodded Kuina lightly as she looked at Ryuma from the corner of her eye.

Ryuma nodded, "Yes," as his eyes widened in surprise, "I can already hold the hammer?"

"Aye," responded Kozaburo as he emptied the sake cup and spoke, "I don't really have much time left, I can feel it already… so I have to hurry up with your training… therefore, you don't get to relax, boy."

Kozaburo's words made the atmosphere a little heavy at the dinner table, especially for Koushirou. Because he had learned to sense people's emotions to a certain extent using Observation Haki, Ryuma could feel the sadness in Koushirou's heart, and Kuina, too, stopped midway.

The atmosphere became a little awkward, and Ryuma did not know how to break the silence. Feeling the sadness of his son and granddaughter, Kozaburo sighed and spoke, "What's with that look, Koushirou…"

"Otou-sama… it's just that… I…" Koushirou tried to speak but choked on his words.

"Maa, don't be sad… I have lived a long and fulfilling life. If I had any regret, it was that I was unable to pass down my Swordsmithing skills, which is no longer a regret since the boy came to the village. Once I am done teaching him, I will happily greet death. After all, death is not the end; it is just the start of another great adventure."

"Ehhh??!!" muttered Ryuma in shock as the dinner came to an end.

…

"Here you go, Ryuma-san… this room here is Oji-sama's smithy," said Kuina as she pointed at the door in front of them, and added, "I suggest not going inside before Oji-sama, he would get really angry… If anyone, even Otou-sama, goes inside the smithy in Oji-sama's absence, he gets really angry."

"I understand, I wouldn't go inside the smithy until Sensei takes me in… Anyway, thanks, Kuina-chan," nodded Ryuma with a grateful smile.

Kuina nodded, "No problem," then she said after a pause, "Now if you will excuse me, Ryuma-san… I have my training…"

"Training?" muttered Ryuma as he tilted his head and questioned, "Shouldn't you rest for a bit… you have been training since morning… if you overexert yourself…" He did not get to complete the sentence as Kuina interrupted him.

"This is something I have to do no matter what!" spoke Kuina and added, "Zoro is catching up to me every day… If I don't push myself harder, he would surpass me, something that I cannot allow to happen."

"I see," nodded Ryuma. Having spent the past week at Isshin Dojo, Ryuma had also witnessed the extent of rivalry between Kuina and Zoro. Moreover, because of his knowledge of the plot, he also knew that his words wouldn't have much effect on her. So, after a while of thinking, he suddenly proposed, "Do you mind if I join you in training?"

"Join me?" asked Kuina, taken aback by Ryuma's sudden proposal.

Ryuma nodded, "Yeah… as you might know, I too am a swordsman… and since you are the strongest at the Dojo after Koushirou-san, I would like to test your skills, if you don't mind that is…!"

"Is that right?" asked Kuina with a smirk, then nodded, "Very well… come with me…! Let's see how good your Swordsmanship is."

Ryuma smiled, "Lead the way."

…

Smack!

As Ryuma's Shinai made contact with Kuina's gut, the impact caused her grip to loosen, resulting in her Shinai slipping from her hand as she lost her footing and collapsed to the ground.

"This?" muttered Kuina in shock as she moved the hand in which she held the Shinai.

Not feeling the touch of wood in her dominant hand, Kuina was taken aback and muttered, "What just happened?!"

At this time, Ryuma crouched beside her and spoke with a grin, "So… am I good?"

But he did not get any response as Kuina stared at his face with a dazed expression. Although she was looking at Ryuma, her mind was still processing what happened a moment ago.

Ryuma looked at Kuina's dazed expression with a frown, "Hey… Kuina-chan… are you all right?" But getting no response, he wondered, "Did I hit too hard?" and muttered to himself with a thoughtful expression, "I made sure to limit the strength in my strike, and I didn't even use the powers of Moa Moa no Mi… so how come?"

At this time, realization dawned, and Kuina couldn't help but mutter, "Did I… just lose? And that too in a single move?"

Hearing her muttering, Ryuma figured it out, "I see… she is just shocked." And thought to himself, 'I guess this isn't surprising… She has always been the strongest at the Isshin Dojo, save for Koushirou-san, so this is probably the first time she has tasted defeat… For someone who has never been defeated before to suddenly lose… It's no wonder that she is unable to process it. I guess she needs some time.'

As he understood the reason behind her dazed expression, Ryuma decided to give her some space so she could process her first defeat and sat down a little far away.

…

"Perhaps this is for the best…" muttered Koushirou as he looked at Kuina, who was lying on the grass with a dazed expression, and at Ryuma, who was sitting at a distance from her, then turned around and left.

He had witnessed the entire duel… though he says "entire," it didn't even last more than two breaths, and before Kuina even realized it, she was defeated.

The reason he did not step forward to help Kuina following her defeat is that he believed that tasting defeat at the hands of Ryuma, who is only two years older than her, would make her realize that she should give up on the dream that would only cause more pain and suffering for her in the future.

As a master swordsman and sword instructor, of course, Koushirou wishes that his disciples can achieve their dream of becoming the greatest swordsman in the world. It would be a matter of great pride for him. However, as a father, he does not want Kuina to pursue something that she won't be able to achieve.

In this world, women aren't generally physically capable of achieving such strength. This is not to say that Koushirou is unaware of the existence of exceptions like Big Mom, who possesses extraordinary strength due to her unique physique. However, he understands that such cases are rare and that most women cannot reach the level of strength required to become the World's Greatest Swordsman.

While women can certainly get stronger and there are many who are exceptionally strong, none of them even come close to the level of strength needed to achieve Kuina's dream. Unfortunately, his daughter Kuina wasn't born with such an exceptional physique, making it next to impossible for her to realize her dream.

He fears that she will inevitably face failure, and constant disappointment can be extremely painful. Enduring the crushing of one's dreams is a burden that nobody should have to bear.

Therefore, he wants her to give up on her dream before it's too late, and she has gone too far to be able to move on with her life. Koushirou believes that it's better for Kuina to find a new path that aligns with her abilities and strengths rather than pursuing a dream that may only lead to heartache and disappointment in the long run. As her father and mentor, he wants what is best for her and wishes to protect her from unnecessary pain and struggles.