Chapter 58: Another island ?

(A/N:All right guys I've decided to let it be. God-Slayer's wanted reward will stay at One billion. That's it. ✌)

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Sitting beside a tree, a black-haired boy could be seen cross-legs, and hands on his bending knees while the tree's shade protect him from the sun scorching heat.

The boy was currently looking at something or more like nothing in front of him with a hazy and somewhat lost gaze.

Some would have said that he was meditating, some would have said that he was just an idiot who became stupid overnight while some other rare persons would say that this kid had a faint and strange feeling of sadness and sorrow kept coming out from him...

This black-haired kid was obviously Edam. He had woken up two days ago to his dismay on this unknown island and was found by two kids namely, a boy named Zoro and another one, a girl named Kuina.

From what he was told, as they were sparing in the wood, they saw a ball of fire falling from the sky for an unknown reason.

When they approached it, they saw him lying in a huge crater. They then took him and brought him to their dojo. And so they became acquainted with each other.

The same day he awakaned Edam has gone to the local Marine's office to asked for someone to call the crew who brought him to Goa Kingdom.

However he learned that the island he was in was about four days from Dawn island and that it would take two days to reach his position.

And now the question he was asking himself apart from thinking about Sabo's death was obviously...

What the hell was he doing here...? He reach a four-days-distanced island in a day it seems. Well he had some vague memories coming back from time to time but it was blurry and incoherent.

...

"Ha!

Ha!

Ha!

Ha...!"

Standing not too far away from the tree, a group of about twenty kids and men were seen swinging their Shinai kendo stick (japanese training sword) in unison under the instruction of their dojo master or so it seems.

At the first sight already two students were standing out of them. A green-haired boy and a dark blue-haired girl that is...

The way they swung their shinai, the form, the speed and the strenght put in each of their strikes were miles away from any other kids present right now.

The dark-blue-haired girl especially, the way she was swinging her sword was exquisite to the eyes, graceful and flowing.

The green-haired boy was the total opposite, no gracefulness, his sword style was wild, brutal and fierce. Each of his strikes were filled with power.

They were the best students of this dojo, clearly.

As for the rest of the pupils, while they were average they at least had the merit of knowing how to swing their shinai.

The training continued again and again till the dojo master said in calm voice.

"All right that's enough for today..." And with that the students scattered around with their own groups of friends to play around or to go back home.

Before long only the two best students were left behind. However instead of chatting and laughing like the other kids their ages, the boy shouted at the girl.

"Kuina ! Fight me !" The boy deepened his voice clearly wanting to sounded threatening but to no avail making him even less.

The girl then looked at him and replied.

"Again ? You already challenge me this morning Zoro... Anyway, alright I accept, let's see if you made some progress..." This Kuina girl replied proudly and confidently with a tinge of ridiculing as she positioned and readied herself.

"Humph, of course I have..." The boy named Zoro replied with a smirk as he took another shinai in his other hand.

"Father, could you give out the start ?" The girl asked the dojo master who was her father as she then focused back on Zorro.

Hearing this, Edam who was under the tree blanking out a bit heard the challenge, his attention was drawn in to the fight to come.

"Hum ? Alright then..." The dojo came in front of the two and then said.

"Begin...!"

Swoosh...

Pah! Pah! Pah! Pah! Pah! Pah...! The sound of two shinais clashing against one another reverberate in the entire training yard.

...Pah...! The two rivals clashed again as Kuina commented with a faint smile.

"What's happening Zoro, you still can't handle two swords...?" a ridiculing smirk present on her lips.

"Ugh, what ?!" The way she say it was clearly infuriating for Zoro as he back off a bit before pouncing on her furiously in the next moment.

"Haaaah...!" However as he was about to touched her, she suddenly stepped to the side slightly with a minimum of efforts as she then strike down his head.

Pah...! Zoro fell down to the ground miserably.

"I win...wild boar..." She said proudly as she put the shinai on her shoulder and walk off to another corner of the training yard and began to train again.

At the side Edam just observed them and especially the green-haired boy with what seem to be the trace of an admirative look in his eyes.

"Dammit...!" A defeated Zoro punched the ground in frustration of having lost for God know how many time already...

"You..." A voice rang out.

"...?..." Zoro looked at Edam curiously wondering about what could this guy who was depressed somehow began to discuss with him.

"You are rather impressive..."

That was the opinion Edam had of this green-haired boy.

No matter how much he tried he failed, no matter how many times and how much he trained, he still seems to be failing... as if everything he did was for naught...

But no...! He just wouldn't give up... He just couldn't... There was such a strong opponent in front of him. If he couldn't defeat it despite all his training then becoming the strongest swordman would just be a joke.

"Hah...? Of course I can't give up, what are you talking about ? Giving up would be a shame for every drops of bloods and sweats I've shed away..." Zoro say with a weird face finding the comment to be quite stupid.

"And this is exactly why I say that you're impressive Zoro... Not everyone is like that..." At the end of his sentence Edam glanced swiftly at Kuina and commented.

Zoro glanced at Kuina and then back at Edam and tilted his head. "What... ?"

"Uh nothing, forget it..." Edam said and looked down at the ground thoughtfully but then lifted it in the next instant.

"Oh right, I didn't made it up to you for taking care of me right ?" Edam was in fact talking about the fact that after having brought him to this dojo, Zoro and Kuina fought one more time to determine who would take care of him till he woke up and of course Zoro lost... again...

"Yeah..." Zoro replied begrudgingly remembering the precious time he lost as he continued to swing his shinai.

"Then how about we train together ?"

"Huh? What? You? Have you ever even wield a shinai before ?"

"Nope..."

"Heh then give up, I won't become strong if I fight a weak." Zoro with a childish voice though unaware of it, it seems.

"Uh, well not false, It's clear that I can't help you with the way of the sword but I think that strenghtly speaking I can help you... hum... how about that...? Just show me how to swing this piece of bamboo and I should be able to help you a bit."

At that Zoro's face twitched a bit as he then looked to the side, right toward the dojo master.

The said dojo master was already looking at them with an ever present calm smile on his face as he said. "Oh did you perhaps took an interest in sword, Edam ?"

"Hum... well I have to say that it is rather cool to fight with a sword... but now I just want to make it up to him...and to move around a bit."

"...Alright... I'll teach you, although we'll just see the basics."

Edam then stood up and walked right in front of the dojo master.

"Thank you, Koushirou-san..."

...

And then Koushirou the dojo master began to teach Edam about the way of the sword and whatnot.

The dojo master took about an hour of lecture, half an hour of explanation and another half an hour of showing the basics moves.

At the other side of the yard, Kuina's ears kept twitching as she heard her father teaching Edam.

An entire hour of teaching was maybe a bit too long but Koushirou seemed to be quite passionated when he teach so Edam couldn't help but listen to his teaching.

And if it was not sincere at first, after half an hour, he really began to take a certain interest in it. He learned a lot of things about Swordmanship.

Before long, Edam said. "Hum... Alright I got it..." He said as he took the shinai with his two hands and weight it a bit. "It's really light..."

"...?" They looked at him weirdly.

Koushirou looked at him and then said. "Wait, here take this it's the heaviest we have." He handed another one.

"Hum... it's perfect, thanks." Receiving the Heavy shinai he then turned to face Zoro who was at a distance of about four meters away from him.

Zoro who was opposite began to smirk and said. "Sensei, give the signal please." He took his two swords positioned himself. "Hey Edam, I won't go easy..."

"It's alright, it is only when I fight that I can empty my mind and... I do need to do that right now..." Edam replied with a somewhat languished voice.

This small sparring even draw the attention of the genius of the sword Kuina. She was looking attentively from her father's side quietly with a calm gaze.

Koushirou then came between them and said.

"Alright Zoro, Edam, begin !"

Swoooch...!

Swooch...! "Haaaaaaa...!" At the very second his voice ended, Zoro had already rushed to attack.

However something even more incredible happened in the same instant... no even before that said moment.

"Wha-...?!"

Zoro who had already rushed ahead like a crazy saw something appearing in front of him in the blink of an eye practically.

He only saw the shadow of something and barely had the time to put up his two shinais to guard up. And even then he was completely caught off guard.

Taaaah...! Paaaah....! The clapping sound of the two shinais meeting each other was first heard before the sound of a shinai being overpowered rang out powerfully.

Zoro who had block the unexpected slash from the side had been sent flying back four other meters away with two trails engraved on the ground, but more impressive was that he was still up on his two feet-...no on one foot in fact, he had a knee touching the ground to his, Kuina's and Koushirou's shock.

It was truly a miracle that he managed to reacted to that, he really had to thank his inborn instincts for that.

The most obvious change was his face, unlike earlier on, it now held a kind of indescriptible expression on his face.

Surprise, frustration, expectation, excitement, respect...etc.

To the side, every reactions were about the same if not even more exagerated.

Koushirou saw it. Zoro who had burst into speed extremely quickly had been as slow as a snail compared to Edam. When Zoro took two steps, Edam had already crossed the distance in an instant practically and slashed down but the worst part of all was that, it seems as if he had deliberately slow down at then end of his slash to match to the moment Zoro would block his shinai.

His speed was undisputable.

Without stating this overwhelming strenght...

Zoro the one and only students who was known for his brutal strenght had been sent flying... what a joke...

Even Kuina was flabestered thoroughly. Who would have thought that someone as "frail-looking" as Edam or (so she thought) would have so much strenght.

...

If Raffe had heard her thinking and branding Edam as someone "frail" he would surely have launched myriads of insults at her. He who overpowered him who was reputed to be the strongest, He who could beat him up whenever and wherever he please, He who was undefeated has actually been entitled 'someone frail' ? What the heck ?! Then what the hell are we ? Shit ? Dust ? Nothing, maybe ? You fuc*ing %#&!%@^$...!

...

Anyway she wasn't even certain if she could block this violent strike along with this extreme speed... If it was only the strenght there was not much problem but the two in unison... impossible...

One of the way she win against Zoro was, by infuriating him, or outclassing him in endurance or in technique.

But Edam had... he had overpowered Zoro purely in strenght and speed. Something that she didn't excelled in and maybe never would...

As for his move it was still that of an amateur but still... he had bridge the gap of this important factors being the experience with his sheer strenght, simply saying that it was amazing was quite degrading of this achievement...

...

"This is...not like that..." A voice rang out pulling everyone out of their thoughts. It was Edam's voice who closed his eyes for a moment and seemed to murmure something to himself as he clenched the sword tighter before relaxing his gripped on it and breathing a bit, as he opened his eyes again...

...Eyes that were now tinged with a striking pale-yellow color...

...

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Daily pretext for being late: I am lazy, this is all I've for my defense.😎

My mistakes please. Thank you, anyway time for me to sleep bye👍✌