Even though Ashura Doji was well aware of his opponent's overwhelming strength, he remained fearless. He drew the sword at his waist, enveloping it with Ryuo (Flowing Sakura).
"Blood Kill Sword!!"
In an instant, Ashura Doji charged forward, the crimson hue of Ryuo surging on his blade, as if heralding a blood-soaked calamity.
His name was Ashura Doji, and like the fierce deity Ashura, he was fearsome and dared to unsheathe his sword against any foe!
"Your swordsmanship is impressive, but you're too slow!"
Li Yuan didn't resort to any specific sword technique; he simply swung the Butō Yōzai with a single stroke.
"Clang!!!"
Upon the clash of swords, Ashura Doji's expression changed dramatically. He realized that Li Yuan's strike had targeted the weakest point in his technique.
Moreover, the power emanating from Li Yuan's blade was terrifying, and the immense force caused Ashura Doji's hands to bleed from the shock.
"Boom!!!"
With just one strike, Ashura Doji was sent flying over a hundred meters away, crashing into the mountain and creating a massive cavern over ten meters wide.
"Cough, cough!!!"
Ashura Doji, eyes bloodshot, coughed up blood as he emerged from the cave, looking incredulously at Li Yuan, who hadn't budged an inch.
What was most astonishing was that Li Yuan wielded his sword with one hand!
"I refuse to believe the gap is this vast!!!"
Ashura Doji's pride was thoroughly ignited. His all-out attack had been effortlessly countered by his opponent wielding a single-handed sword!
"Ashura Blood Slash!!"
Once more, Ashura Doji charged at Li Yuan, channeling all his strength and Ryuo into his blade. His fervent desire to win rendered his swordsmanship even more ferocious and aggressive.
With this strike, it was as if Ashura himself had descended, with a sea of blood heralding the wrath of Ashura.
"Your power is stronger than before, but your flaws are even more glaring."
Li Yuan, still holding his sword with one hand, lightly swung the Butō Yōzai, striking at the weakest point of Ashura Doji's technique.
As before, Ashura Doji felt the undeniable superiority of Li Yuan's swordsmanship and the invincible force behind it.
"Boom!!!!"
Again, Ashura Doji was sent flying by Li Yuan's strike, his body crashing into the mountain and creating another gaping hole.
"Cough, cough!!!"
"I refuse to accept this, I refuse!!!"
Completely crushed in pride, Ashura Doji, like a maddened Ashura, emerged from the cave once more, challenging Li Yuan again.
"Boom!!!"
But it was no surprise, no matter how Ashura Doji attacked, Li Yuan stood in place, casually striking him down each time.
"Boom!!!!"
"Boom!!!!"
"Boom!!!!"
"..."
Three times, four times, five times...
No matter how many attempts, Li Yuan remained an insurmountable peak of swordsmanship, one that Ashura Doji couldn't fathom the height of.
After falling for the twenty-fifth time, Ashura Doji tried to rise again, but his body could no longer support him.
"Ashura Doji, do you want to see my true strength?"
Li Yuan, observing Ashura Doji who could no longer stand, channeled his infinite sword intent into his blade, making the Butō Yōzai sharper than ever.
Ashura Doji didn't speak, but even while unable to stand, his eyes were filled with yearning as he watched Li Yuan.
Li Yuan was the strongest person he had ever encountered. Even when Ashura Doji gave it his all, Li Yuan had effortlessly defeated him.
Such unparalleled strength was something Ashura Doji had never seen before, and he was eager to witness just how powerful Li Yuan truly was!
Only by understanding the true gap could he have the drive to pursue it!
"Then let me show you the power of a great swordsman, beyond the realm of a swordsman!"
"Infinite: Evil Dragon Sky Severing Slash!"
Invisible sword energy transformed into a tangible evil dragon that rose behind Li Yuan, then surged into the Butō Yōzai.
In the blink of an eye, Ashura Doji hadn't even seen Li Yuan's swing before a colossal evil dragon emerged.
The heavens, previously covered in white clouds, were instantly cleared as the evil dragon soared.
In a flash, Ashura Doji saw the massive evil dragon transform into a thousand-meter-long slash, appearing right before him.
Terrifying beyond measure!!
Utter domination!
Faced with this thousand-meter-long evil dragon slash, Ashura Doji had no power to resist, nor any desire to fight back.
Even with ten more years of training, he couldn't withstand such an attack, let alone in his current state, unable to move.
"Is this the end?"
As the slash drew near, Ashura Doji felt the touch of death.
However, just as Ashura Doji believed his end was near, the evil dragon's trajectory suddenly shifted, passing by him.
It felt like brushing past death itself, causing Ashura Doji's heart to skip a beat in terror!
"This..."
Coming back to his senses, Ashura Doji looked behind him.
He saw that the mountain behind him had been split in two by the dragon's slash.
The deep, massive sword mark carved a natural fissure, dividing the entire mountain.
"Is this your strongest slash?"
Ashura Doji asked, looking at the divided mountain before him.
"No, this was only half my strength. If I used my full power, your comrades on that mountain would vanish along with it."
Li Yuan sheathed the Butō Yōzai, speaking calmly.
He had merely used the power of the sword technique, without tapping into Armament Haki or Conqueror's Haki, so calling it half was an exaggeration.
"Thank you for sparing me. From now on, I, Ashura Doji, am willing to follow you!"
Ashura Doji, fighting through the pain, struggled to kneel in gratitude.
"As my subordinate, kneeling is unnecessary. From now on, you mustn't kneel to anyone!"
"You are a samurai and a swordsman. A swordsman's spirit is never to kneel, or their sword spirit will bend!"
Li Yuan stepped forward to support Ashura Doji, preventing him from kneeling.
He disliked such forms of obeisance; as a swordsman himself, how could he kneel before others?
"Thank you, Lord Li Yuan!"
Hearing this, Ashura Doji abandoned the idea of kneeling.
He was a bandit at heart and naturally didn't favor the samurai's ritual of kneeling.
Li Yuan, through his Observation Haki, sensed Ashura Doji's genuine goodwill.
Although it wasn't much, it indicated Ashura Doji's willingness to submit.
"From now on, call me Captain."
"Your sword is damaged; use this one instead. It's called Earth Destroyer, a blade that can cleave the earth, one of the 21 Great Grade Swords, and now your weapon."
Seeing the damage to Ashura Doji's sword from their duel, Li Yuan gifted him his Earth Destroyer sword.
Ashura Doji, so young yet already at the level of a swordsman, had immense potential for growth. He might even become a great swordsman one day, making the gift of a Great Grade Sword worthwhile!
"A fine sword!!!"
Holding the Earth Destroyer, Ashura Doji could feel its superiority to his previous sword, even without drawing it.
"This sword won't submit easily; I hope you can tame it once you're healed."
Li Yuan advised.
Every Great Grade Sword had its pride and wouldn't easily yield to a wielder.
"Don't worry, Captain, I'll tame it for sure!"
Ashura Doji replied confidently. If he couldn't tame his own sword, he wouldn't be Ashura Doji!
"Let's go, bring your men, and come to my base to heal."
With that, Li Yuan led the way down the mountain.
Ashura Doji returned up the mountain to persuade his men to join Li Yuan.
"Boss, boss, what happened to you??"
When Ashura Doji, severely injured, returned to the fortress, the bandits, who had been paralyzed by Li Yuan's Haki, regained their strength.
"Nothing!"
"From now on, I will follow Captain Li Yuan. You are all my brothers, and I won't force you to join me. If you wish to leave, you're free to go."
"Those who leave may take a share of the fortress supplies as a parting gift."
Back at the hideout, Ashura Doji spoke sincerely to his men.
They had followed him for a long time, and he didn't wish to coerce them into his choice.
"Boss, what are you saying? We've pledged our loyalty to you for life; wherever you go, we go!"
These bandits, though outlaws, had been drawn together under Ashura Doji's charisma and wouldn't betray him easily.
"Alright, in that case, let's go meet our new boss, Captain Li Yuan."
"Captain Li Yuan is a very powerful swordsman; see that mountain over there? He sliced it!"
"Under his leadership, we will unify Kurazukuri and perhaps even all of Wano Country!!!"
Ashura Doji, seeing none of his men defected, spoke with relief.
"Boss, we trust you and Captain Li Yuan!!"
The two hundred bandits cheered in unison.
"Let's go down the mountain!"
With that, Ashura Doji led his brothers, gathered their belongings, and descended the mountain.
"Captain Li Yuan!!"
Upon reaching the base, seeing Li Yuan, the two hundred bandits shouted loudly.
"Good, full of spirit!"
"Come with me; you're all injured, so let's get you treated."
Seeing the lively group, Li Yuan nodded in approval. They would be the foundation for his control over Kurazukuri.
Leading Ashura Doji and his men to Li Yuan's temporary residence, a large, vacant house he had purchased.
There, he had trustworthy people from Venus Island, forming his inner circle.
There were also skilled doctors and the healing medicine developed by Lazuli.
After the doctor's treatment, Ashura Doji's severe injuries were mostly healed in just two days.
His bandits' injuries also significantly improved within the same period.
"These healing arts are miraculous!"
Ashura Doji marveled at his body's recovery.
Under normal circumstances, his injuries would take at least seven days to heal to this degree, but now it was just two days!
"Yes, boss, not only is the healing miraculous, but the food is also delicious. Boss, come and eat too."
At mealtime, everyone gathered to eat.
The food was all brought from Venus Island, far superior in taste to what was sold on Kurazukuri streets.
"Captain, now that we're healed, what's next?"
Ashura Doji asked while eating grilled meat.
After spending time together, Ashura Doji found Li Yuan easy to get along with.
Li Yuan dined with them without any barriers.
"Next, we'll sweep through Kurazukuri, eliminating all bandits and gangs, restoring peace."
"We'll recruit those bandits, bringing them into our fold, to unify Kurazukuri."
Li Yuan had already planned the next steps.
"Captain, leave the bandits to us; we'll definitely bring them to our side."
Ashura Doji confidently declared.
He had once been the biggest bandit leader in Kurazukuri, but he never liked taking too many subordinates, so he hadn't recruited the scattered bandits before.
Now that Li Yuan needed it, recruiting them was no issue.
"Alright, I trust you. I have plenty of money and food; use whatever you need to win them over."
"I'll also bring in some administrators to integrate Kurazukuri, developing it as our true territory."
Li Yuan explained.
"Rest assured, Captain, we know what to do, and we'll cooperate with the people you bring to ensure those who violate your rules pay the price."
Ashura Doji quickly grasped Li Yuan's intent.
With Ashura Doji, the former bandit monster of Kurazukuri, leading, and Li Yuan's resources, many bandits in Kurazukuri were absorbed into Li Yuan's forces.
Those who refused were sent to their true demise.
Ashura Doji was no saint; he was a ruthless bandit, treating lives like grass.
Kurazukuri had many bandits, and not only was Ashura Doji now purging them, but Kozuki Oden was also leading his followers in the same mission.
"Lord Oden, I've heard that Ashura Doji is currently clearing out the bandits in Kurazukuri."
Kin'emon informed Kozuki Oden.
"Oh? Has Ashura Doji come to his senses? No longer being a bandit?"
Kozuki Oden asked in surprise.
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