She was still looking at Nuo Xia, but Zoro was already shouting unconvincingly:
"They're not weird moves! Those were all taught to me by Mr. Nuo Xia. They're very powerful, okay! It's just, it's just..."
"It's just that you are too stupid. You only learned a little bit of it and didn't get the essence. You think your strength has greatly increased and you are full of confidence and come to challenge me."
Guina glanced at him and helped him complete his sentence, "right?"
"I, I..."
Zoro's face suddenly turned red, and he groaned and was speechless.
I felt very unhappy, but I couldn't find any reason to refute it.
Guina's eyes turned back to Nuo Xia, hesitating, hesitating, and scrupulous... After a long time, she still couldn't speak. She bit her lip and lowered her head, unconsciously stirring the miso soup on the plate with a spoon.
"What's wrong?"
Nuo Xia saw the girl's confusion and smiled gently:
"Anyway, I have to stay at the dojo for one night and won't leave until tomorrow. I have plenty of time. If you want to learn, I can also teach you."
The girl's body trembled, and she suddenly raised her head, revealing a delicate face full of surprise.
"Really...really?"
"certainly."
Nuo Xia took a sip of the sake brewed by the dojo and smiled, "But your father is your teacher. He is here now. If I want to teach you, it will be overstepping my authority. You have to ask him first."
Only your opinions will do.”
I have to ask my father...
Guina turned her head subconsciously, her eyes filled with expectation, request, and a hint of apprehension...
"Mr. Bailong is too polite."
Koushiro pushed up his glasses and said with a smile:
"You are the greatest swordsman in the world. If you weren't already old and just want to maintain the dojo and have no other aspirations, I would wish to keep you for a few more days to discuss sword skills all day long. As for my little girl... she would have the opportunity to ask you
It is her lifelong honor to ask for advice in person, so how can she talk about being a substitute?"
Eh?
The greatest swordsman in the world?!
Zoro was dumbfounded when he heard this, and his incredible eyes flickered back and forth between Nosha and Koushiro.
Uncle Nuo Xia, is he actually so powerful?
Having seen that shocking sword strike under the moonlit night, he had already admired Nuo Xia extremely, but now after listening to his teacher's words.
It seems... I still underestimated it?
etc!
After Guina got her father's permission, she couldn't hide her joy. She suddenly stood up and bowed solemnly towards Nuo Xia opposite:
"Thank you! Sorry for causing you any trouble!"
…
Finished dinner.
Nuo Xia didn't waste any more words and took Guina directly to the open space behind the courtyard.
"Everyone's swordsmanship is different."
"First practice your best swordsmanship, and then compete with me with all your strength. This will make it easier for me to see your shortcomings and flaws and formulate a tailor-made modification plan for you."
"Yes, Mr. Nosha!"
It was already ten o'clock in the night. Although Kuina was still a half-grown child, as a swordsman, she was already used to sleeping late, and she had long been looking forward to Nosha's teachings.
Therefore, even though she was sweating profusely after the exercise, the girl was still full of energy and listened to Nosha's teachings wholeheartedly.
"...Well, it's seven o'clock. After a short rest, concentrate on it and practice it again according to the details I taught you."
"Yes, sir!"
…
Under the moonlight night.
The black-haired girl had a resolute look on her face, waving her sword with a dashing posture, and her movements were clean and neat, without any sloppiness.
Beside the bamboo forest.
Koushiro, holding hot tea in his hand, looked at all this from a distance and couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
"As expected of Mr. Bailong..."
Although his own strength is not very high, after all, he has been immersed in swordsmanship for many years, so he still has the necessary vision.
Nuo Xia's level of swordsmanship is so high that even a few casual lessons can benefit Kuina a lot.
And now this kind of one-to-one and unselfish teaching by words and deeds is not to mention.
Kuina's swordsmanship had been practiced by him since childhood, and in Koushiro's opinion, it had been truly taught, and even he himself could no longer correct it.
But Nuo Xia still easily pointed out a lot of shortcomings, and his level of sophistication made him really ashamed.
Before I knew it, two hours had passed.
The night is getting darker and darker.
Zoro was sitting on the threshold attentively at first and peeking, but finally he couldn't hold it in anymore and dozed off. Koushiro smiled and patted him on the shoulder, asking him to go back to the house to wash up and rest.
He leaned against the door frame and continued to watch quietly.
In the open space.
Guina showed an astonishing understanding. In many places, she often understood everything with just one click. The swordsmanship she demonstrated also reached mastery and perfection at a speed visible to the naked eye.
This kid...
The talent Bingwu really has nothing to say.
"...It's a pity."
Koushiro shook his head slightly and sighed softly, "It's a pity that I am a girl. No matter how hard I try, I can't become a great swordsman..."
In his opinion.
There is a huge physical gap between women and men.
It is true that Kuina is now the strongest disciple in the dojo, but her identity as a woman has always restricted her.
Maybe they can still have an advantage among their peers now, but when these children grow up, they are destined to be overtaken by Sauron in the future and left far behind.
Not to mention, joining the ranks of the world's top swordsmen and spreading the fame of the farming family across the sea...
"What you said is really too much."
Suddenly, a faint voice came from behind the ear.
Koushiro was startled and subconsciously looked up following the sound, only to see Nuo Xia, who was originally in the open space in the backyard, also came to him at some point holding a cup of hot tea.
"Although your father was born in Wano Country, you have settled in East China Sea for many years. Mr. Koushiro, you have been in East China Sea since you were born. Unexpectedly, in the end, you still cling to the old-fashioned and dross ideas of Wano Country."
Nuo Xia took a sip of tea and looked down at Koushiro through the mist of tea:
"It's fine if you just bury it in your heart, but if you say the same thing when talking to people privately in the future... If Kuina accidentally overhears it, have you ever thought about her feelings?"
"this……"
Thinking of his daughter who worked extremely hard in daily life, Koushiro was speechless and looked a little ashamed.
After a long time.
"Mr. Bailong."
Then he sighed and said, "It's not that I'm conservative in my ideas, but the gap between men and women does exist objectively."
"Guina has had great ambitions since she was a child. She even threatened to become the world's greatest swordsman. I can't bear to attack her face to face, but you should know..."
Koushiro considered his words and said with a wry smile, "This kind of wish is simply an impossible dream for a child like her who is both from a humble background and has a gender disadvantage..."
"Dream?"
Nuo Xia shook his head slightly, "I don't think so."
"Originally, I passed Shuangyue Village by accident today, and I just wanted to ask for directions before leaving, but I accidentally ran into that kid."
He pointed to the room where Zoro slept, "I think he may have the potential to become the world's greatest swordsman in the future, but now I have to take back this judgment, because there is another one who is more likely to stand in that position than him.
people."
"Are you saying..."
Koushiro was a little surprised, "Kuina?"
"good."
Nuo Xia's face remained calm, but his tone was decisive and did not allow for criticism.
"In my opinion, Guina is excellent both in terms of talent and character. She is a natural kendo talent that is rare to find among millions of people."
"Individuals have different fates. It is still unclear who will be stronger in the future, she or Sauron, but there is no doubt that as long as they don't miss their future, both children will become great swordsmen in the future.
"
"As for the gender disadvantage you mentioned, this kind of thing may indeed exist objectively, but for those who have a strong heart and are destined to speak out, it does not exist at all."
Nosha looked at the stunned Koushiro and felt that the atmosphere might be a bit too serious, so he changed the topic:
"Oh, by the way, as for what you just said, girls can't become top swordsmen... Guess who is the top swordsman in the entire navy now?"
"……who?"
Having been trapped in Shuangyue Village for many years, Koushiro really didn't know much about these things.
"My wife, Gion."
Nuo Xia chuckled, "It was her before I became famous, and it was her after I left the navy."
"In addition to her, among the few strong men who rule like emperors in the second half of the Grand Route, there are also top female strong men like Big Mom."
Thinking of the emperor's sword that he had cut off, Nuo Xia shrugged, "Although her main fighting method is fruit power, she is also the world's top swordsman."
"in addition."
Nuo Xia pointed at the sky and said with a smile, "Although I don't want to admit it, the fact is that the strongest guy in the world... is still a woman."
The strongest person in the world is also a woman?
Isn't it...Whitebeard?
Koushiro became more and more stunned, but he also knew that Nosha's status meant that he must know many secrets that he didn't know, and there was no need to make up stories to lie to him.
"Mr. Koushiro."
Nuo Xia had already bent down, patted Koushiro's shoulder gently, and said with a smile: "To have such an outstanding daughter, if I can wake up laughing when I sleep, as a father, shouldn't I treat her like this in my life?"
The greatest pride is to fully support her dream? You think... right?"
Koushiro was struck by this shot and finally woke up from the huge impact of information. He raised his head and looked at Nuo Xia with a complex expression. After a while, he let out a long sigh of shame:
"I'm just being stupid. I miss Mr. Bailong's reminder too much."
Nuo Xia smiled and patted his shoulder again without saying anything. He stood up and continued to admire Guina who was practicing hard in the open space.
Koushiro lowered his head slightly and fell into deep thought.
He suddenly realized that although he had never said that in front of Kuina, his deep-rooted prejudices could be reflected in his daily demeanor, words and deeds.
With Guina's intelligence, I'm afraid she has already sensed many clues, otherwise she wouldn't have been so nervous and cautious at dinner...
I really should completely change my mind in the future and give her all my support and encouragement. I am afraid that in a few years, after I have taught everything I need to teach, it will be difficult for me to give my daughter much help based on my level of swordsmanship...
suddenly.
Koushiro's arms went cold, he looked down and saw a letter being handed into his arms.
"Mr. Bailong?"
He looked up at Nuo Xia without knowing why.
"This is my handwritten letter of introduction."
Nuo Xia did not look at him, but still looked at Guina: "When Guina becomes an adult, let her go to the sea and go to the headquarters. With this letter, she can enter the elite camp of the headquarters and become a disciple of Teacher Zefa."
"And if Teacher Zefa has retired by then... let her come to me, and I will personally accept her as my disciple."
Accepting disciples yourself?
Koushiro was shocked, with a look of disbelief in his eyes.
Mr. Bailong is recognized as the world's greatest swordsman. If you can become his disciple, it will be the honor that all swordsmen dream of, no matter how you look around the world!
And Guina...
Koushiro looked at Nosha's tall figure, countless words of gratitude came to his mouth, and finally he swallowed them.
He said nothing, bowed deeply to Nuo Xia, took a deep breath, and carefully put the letter of introduction into his arms with great solemnity.