"He's coming…!"
Standing opposite Arashi, Koushirou felt that vast and invisible aura once again, and his pupils suddenly shrank.
He and Dragon had sensed this presence before, but compared to the first ti, this ti the feeling was far more intense.
"Just by holding his sword… he can release such terrifying Sword Intent!"
Watching from the side, Dragon slightly raised his head, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.
"This man… is far from simple."
"This is…"
Kuina and Zoro felt the pressure even more strongly. Although they didn't fully understand what was happening, their gazes instinctively locked onto Arashi.
At that mont, Koushirou slowly raised the wooden sword in his hand and entered a fully defensive stance, treating Arashi as a formidable enemy.
The aura Arashi had suddenly unleashed brought him an unprecedented pressure.
If he didn't remain completely alert, he might be defeated by Arashi in an instant—perhaps unable to block even a single strike.
It wasn't that Koushirou lacked confidence.
But as a fellow swordsman, he could clearly feel Arashi's terrifying strength from the Sword Intent released when Arashi gripped his sword.
This man might not be inferior to the current World's Greatest Swordsman—Dracule Mihawk.
Koushirou didn't even dare draw his sword lightly.
Under the invisible yet overwhelming Sword Intent surrounding him, he had the feeling thatno matter how he drew his blade, Arashi would see through it instantly…and defeat him with a single strike.
"Mr. Kairo D. Arashi is our guest."
Maintaining a stance with both hands gripping the sword hilt and the tip pointing upward, Koushirou spoke cautiously.
"You may make the first move."
"Haha… then I won't hold back."
Since they had agreed to spar, Arashi had no intention of wasting ti in a stalemate.
After a hearty laugh, he suddenly bent forward, gripping the wooden sword behind his back in a reverse grip.
The next second—
Whoosh!
A faint sound of air tearing apart suddenly rang out.
Like a phantom, Arashi vanished—and reappeared in front of Koushirou, his wooden sword sweeping across with lightning speed!
At the sa ti—
Koushirou moved as well.
He remained standing in place, but the wooden sword in his hand slashed downward in what appeared to be a casual motion.
Yet the mont his sword ca down, it intercepted Arashi's sweeping strike with perfect precision.
Smack!
After the collision, Arashi and Koushirou ended up standing side by side, their shoulders almost brushing as they passed each other.
Their wooden swords, after clashing, didn't separate.
Instead, they remained locked together, as if fused.
"H-Hey… what just happened?"
"Mr. Kairo D. Arashi was so fast… but the dojo master's sword was just as quick!"
"What's going on? Why did they suddenly stop moving?"
Just as the spectators were confused—
"Bzzzz…"
A dizzying vibration suddenly rang out.
Imdiately afterward, a terrifying wave of sword energy erupted outward in all directions, forcing the onlookers to instinctively step back.
Before anyone could react, Arashi and Koushirou suddenly separated.
Then, at astonishing speed, they charged at each other again!
Clack! Clack! Clack!
The sounds of wooden swords colliding echoed continuously like a string of firecrackers.
At first, the two figures moved forward and back in quick exchanges. But gradually, they began circling in place.
Soon, their figures beca completely blurred.
All that could be seen were the wooden swords flashing through the air, leaving behind streaks of whistling slashes.
"The dojo master really was hiding his strength!"
"But who exactly is Mr. Kairo D. Arashi? That swordsmanship is unbelievable!"
At so point, Ivankov had quietly moved to Dragon's side.
Watching the dazzling battle in the courtyard, Ivankov blinked and spoke softly.
"Dragon, we've already looked into him. Mr. Kairo D. Arashi didn't lie. He really did co from Windmill Village."
"He stayed there for half a month and got along well with every villager. Although no one knows where he originally ca from, the villagers all like him very much."
"Especially the things he talked about in the village… sothing called… Confucian thought."
"Confucian thought?"
Dragon paused, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes as he looked at Ivankov.
"It's sothing about virtuous governance, rule through propriety, and governance through moral influence… Oh right! And sothing like 'cultivate oneself, regulate the family, govern the state, and bring peace to the world.'"
"In short… this Mr. Kairo D. Arashi is definitely not an evil person."
Hearing Ivankov's words, a sharp light appeared in Dragon's eyes again.
Especially after hearing the phrase "cultivate oneself, regulate the family, govern the state, and bring peace to the world."
Dragon asked tentatively,
"Ivan… What do you think… about inviting Mr. Kairo D. Arashi to beco the ntor of our Revolutionary Army?"
"The… ntor of the Revolutionary Army?!"
Ivankov was so shocked that his eyes widened.
"Dragon, you… you an…"
"Yes."
Dragon nodded firmly.
"There is no one more suitable for this role than him."
"Trust , Ivan. My intuition has never been wrong. Mr. Kairo D. Arashi is not only a master swordsman—he is also a genius when it cos to governance."
"Do you understand what 'cultivate oneself, regulate the family, govern the state, and bring peace to the world' truly ans?"
"The village chief explained it like this: first correct the heart, then cultivate the self; once the self is cultivated, the family becos harmonious; once families are harmonious, the nation can be governed; and once the nation is governed, the world will know peace."
After saying this, Ivankov suddenly widened his eyes.
Although this was the first ti he had heard such a concept, he wasn't foolish.
Wasn't this… exactly what the Revolutionary Army had always been striving for?
More importantly, while the Revolutionary Army had the courage to oppose the World Governnt, they had always lacked soone truly capable of governing a nation.
Dragon was undoubtedly a qualified leader.
But he could never stay permanently at headquarters.
Because of his special status, he had to remain constantly mobile, making it impossible for the World Governnt's intelligence network to track him.
However, if Arashi were to join them—
Then when Dragon was away, Arashi could oversee the Revolutionary Army and ensure their rear remained stable.
Most importantly…
Without a true statesman, even if they managed to defeat the corrupt World Governnt, poor governance afterward might plunge the world back into chaos.
Dragon was an excellent revolutionary leader.
But he was not a true ruler.
Because Dragon could never do what Arashi had accomplished—
Planting an entirely new and complete set of ideas into the hearts of the villagers of Windmill Village in just half a month, allowing those ideas to take root… and grow.
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