Chapter 80: Ryūō

Adrian naturally would not refuse this sudden task.

He had received so much care from Koushirou before, even without a reward, Adrian would have volunteered to complete this request.

After all, Wano Country was also one of his destinations!

While taking on the task, Adrian said to Koushirou, "Master Koushirou, please rest assured. When I successfully reach the second half of the Grand Line, the New World, I will definitely go to Wano Country to explore. Only..."

Adrian deliberately left the sentence unfinished.

What he didn't say it completely, it was also very clear…

In Adrian's memory, the Shimotsuki family was also a famous and powerful family in the history of Wano Country. The family even produced a legendary dragon-slaying swordsman and hero like "Shimotsuki Ryuma."

However, in recent years, the Shimotsuki family had already fallen into decline and its people had dwindled.

Until their first appearance in the original work, the Shimotsuki family only had two remaining members, Shimotsuki Yasuie and Shimotsuki Toko, and Toko was even an adopted daughter.

Even at this point in time, it is unknown how many people are still in the Shimotsuki family.

Koushirou naturally understood the unsaid subtext of Adrian's words.

He shook his head indifferently and said, "My father's greatest regret in his life was his homeland. He was still talking about the cherry blossoms in his hometown before he died. When you go to Wano, Momoya, you just need to confirm the status of the Shimotsuki family. As for the rest, don't worry too much."

After a pause, Koushirou seemed to be recalling something, and his voice lowered. "In fact, I, a swordsman with the surname 'Shimotsuki,' have never seen what my original hometown looked like in my entire life. It's really..."

With a sigh, Koushirou stopped talking.

Adrian comforted him, "I believe that one day, Master Koushirou will be able to leave the East Blue and travel to Wano."

"Impossible!" Koushirou laughed and sighed. "There was a possibility before, but now, I would never let go of Isshin Dojo and the village now."

Adrian fell silent.

Until this moment, he finally understood why the owner of the Ichimonji dojo, who was very likely to be the hidden boss of East Blue, would be content to live in this small world.

That is the power of responsibility!

After Shimotsuki Machiko gave birth and Kuina was born, the power of this responsibility would become stronger and stronger.

Until Kuina's accidental death, this power of responsibility that bound Koushirou to the Ichimonji dojo would instantly turn into even greater regret!

It is hard to imagine what Koushirou's ending would be if it weren't for the appearance of Zoro, that "sword maniac" + "idiot".

When he thought of this, Adrian couldn't help but change color.

Kuina...

He pretended to be indifferent and said, "Master Koushirou, I heard that Mrs. Machiko's due date is in September this year. I wonder if it will be a boy or a girl. You must not be partial."

"Cough cough, why did you suddenly bring up this matter!" Koushirou's face turned slightly red. This man was unexpectedly shy when it came to family matters, but there was still a hint of anticipation in his eyes. "But I hope it's a girl. If that's the case, then... cough cough, let's talk about business!"

Koushirou cleared his throat and said in a serious tone, "Now, let me teach you the details of 'Ryūō'."

…

There was no need for the intense training that Adrian had imagined.

Koushirou explained the key points of Ryūō to Adrian several times, and then detailed the slight differences between ordinary Armament Haki and Ryūō.

In Koushirou's estimation, even if Adrian was the kind of young prodigy who had successfully reached the level of a Swordmaster, Haki was still a skill that was not easy to master.

Unlike Observation Haki and Conqueror's Haki, Armament Haki is largely dependent on the strength of one's physique.

In general, Armament Haki masters can also be directly equated with martial arts masters.

In previous battles, Adrian had also unleashed his Armament Haki, but Koushirou could clearly feel that its strength was not very high at that time.

Koushirou believed that this was because Adrian was still young, and his physical fitness still had a lot of room for development.

Therefore, in Koushirou's estimation, even if Adrian was a genius, it would take at least a month or so to master Ryūō.

But unexpectedly, after he finished explaining the Ryūō Haki, only three minutes had passed.

Adrian's hands first turned from the inside out to a cold and hard black color, which is also ordinary Armament Haki.

The next second.

Adrian's hands were like metal that had been heated and turned red, with a layer of flowing pink color like cherry blossoms faintly attached to them. The air around them could even be seen to be slightly twisted, emitting a faint and piercing crackling sound.

Ryūō Haki manifested!

Even with his glasses on, the widened squint of his eyes still exposed the shock in Koushirou's heart!

Monster!

Seeing Koushirou finally no longer maintain a calm demeanor, Adrian couldn't help but smile in his heart.

'Sorry, with the help of the panel, plus my now sky-high intelligence stat, learning things is just that fast!'

At this moment, the panel also refreshed the skill information.

[You have obtained the Armament Haki characteristic · Ryūō!]

[Ryūō]: The Ryūō Armament Haki, in addition to strengthening one's own offensive and defensive capabilities and launching attacks, can also be used to emit a breath that can cause damage to the opponent with bare hands, forming an effect like hitting a bull from afar.]

Adrian frowned as he read the description of Ryou on the panel.

"Ryou can only produce the effect of [Air Strikes]? It seems to be a bit different from what I expected..."

Seeing this, Koushirou couldn't help but ask, "Did you feel something wrong, Momoya?"

Adrian came back to his senses and explained, "It's like this, Master Koushirou."

He casually grabbed a spare cushion, threw it into the air, and then activated his newly acquired Ryou Haki.

The fist covered in Haki swung straight at the gray cushion, piercing a huge hole in the center from a distance, with irregular edges exposing white cotton fibers.

Koushirou's eyes twitched, and he looked at his own cushion with some regret.

Adrian retracted his Haki and asked in confusion, "Ryou, it seems that it can only produce the effect of [Air Strikes]?"

Koushirou replied, "Yes, didn't I tell you about this detail just now?"

Adrian hesitated, "I thought Ryou would be more powerful... like it could do [Internal Destruction]..."

"Ryou is just another name for Armament Haki," Koushirou explained. "We of the Shimotsuki family have been calling it that in accordance with the tradition of Wano. As for what you call [Internal Destruction], that is a higher-level Armament Haki than Ryou. However, I am powerless in this matter."

"Because... I can't either."