So, why do I have to pay so much money to learn Swordsmanship at the Dojo?
Even selling myself wouldn't be worth this much, right?
This was Zoro's current thought.
He followed Kuina, who was carrying the money bag, his mind in turmoil, and then he met Koshiro Shimotsuki.
Upon seeing Kuina hand him the bag containing belly, Koshiro Shimotsuki also looked surprised.
"I don't have any money!"
Watching Koshiro count the belly, Zoro's expression struggled for a few moments before he spoke dejectedly.
His words drew surprised looks from Kuina and the other person.
"You are different from him; you don't need to pay!"
Koshiro Shimotsuki naturally saw through Zoro's thoughts immediately and said, shaking his head.
In fact, when he proposed the tuition fee, his purpose was already expressed, and this young man named Dunn had actually understood his meaning.
That is, this teaching is merely teaching, a transaction.
The other party pays the tuition, and he teaches them Swordsmanship.
Nothing more would be involved.
His gaze could not see through this young man; the aura about him was very contradictory.
As for this young man's intentions, he had no way of knowing.
Zoro was about to speak again but was beckoned away by Kuina.
"Nine million belly, that really is a large sum!"
A moment later, Koshiro Shimotsuki looked at the neatly arranged belly before him and sighed.
This was not something just anyone could produce.
"A strange aura, and able to produce so much money directly, that's quite interesting."
...
The next day.
Dunn got up early, warmed up according to his own training methods, and then he met the other students in the Dojo.
Ninety-nine percent of the students in the Dojo were from Shimotsuki Village, most of them around the same age as Kuina and Zoro, with only a few the same age as Dunn, and two young men who looked to be in their early twenties.
Clearly, the group was very curious about the sudden appearance of Dunn.
Especially during breakfast, when they saw Dunn's astonishing appetite, everyone's eyes widened.
He didn't seem to eat quickly, but the food in front of Dunn disappeared rapidly.
This level of appetite had already exceeded the scope of ordinary people.
Koshiro Shimotsuki, who was also eating breakfast, saw Dunn's situation and had a thoughtful expression on his face.
Compared to these young people, his experience was naturally greater.
Indeed, this young man named Dunn was very special.
"Clatter!"
Zoro's eyes stared at Dunn in shock, the meat he was holding dropped, and he didn't even realize the drool flowing from his mouth.
"No wonder I have to pay so much money, is this for food?"
Zoro muttered to himself.
Dunn naturally didn't pay attention to the looks from the people around him.
After all, for him, being able to eat meant getting enough energy, which might lead to better training results.
Of course, he also didn't want to train on an empty stomach.
The interlude during breakfast made everyone recognize this disciple who had just joined the Dojo.
And shortly after breakfast, the formal Swordsmanship training began.
Everyone, meticulously holding wooden swords, practiced the basic moves of Swordsmanship.
Dunn didn't show any impatience either.
Kuina was nearby, teaching Dunn the basic Swordsmanship movements, correcting him as she taught.
Not far away, Koshiro Shimotsuki's gaze remained on Dunn.
He had practiced some Swordsmanship, but it seemed to be self-taught, and he hadn't even used Swordsmanship in combat; many of the moves were somewhat distorted.
Of course, that didn't mean distorted moves were useless.
It's just that the efficiency wasn't as high.
But from this, Dunn's foundation could also be seen.
After watching for a while, Koshiro Shimotsuki turned and left.
Kuina, on the other hand, was tireless, seemingly taking her role as temporary instructor very seriously, patiently explaining the purpose of the moves and how to apply force.
Dunn naturally wasn't impatient in the slightest.
He now understood why his practice of sword moves before felt unnatural.
He could only say that he still had quite a bit to learn.
The morning was for basic training, and the afternoon was for free training.
Kuina and Zoro's battle continued.
Most of the other disciples had left the Dojo, a few stayed to train, and Dunn was naturally among them.
He continued training with standard sword move postures.
Until everyone else had left, leaving him alone.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
The rhythmic sound of the wooden sword cutting through the air echoed, and Dunn's expression was calm; a day of training hadn't caused any change in his breathing.
This amount of training put no pressure on him.
But after being modified by Kuina, he could feel that the posture and force application were indeed very skillful.
Since it was improving him, Dunn was very patient.
It wasn't until dusk, when Kuina came to call Dunn for dinner, that she looked at Dunn practicing with standard sword moves and showed a strange expression.
"Training requires a balance of work and rest!"
In the evening, the other students at the Dojo had left, and only four people were eating; intermittently, Koshiro Shimotsuki spoke calmly to remind him.
"This is very easy for me; I can feel my control over force improving."
Dunn naturally understood that he was talking to him.
Koshiro Shimotsuki was startled, glanced at Dunn, then his gaze fell on Kuina and Zoro, who seemed to be eating but were actually listening with their ears perked up.
"In that case, if you can meet my requirements in one month's time, I will personally teach you."
"Okay."
Dunn nodded, then buried his head in his food.
And in the time that followed, Dunn entered a mode of intense self-improvement.
It even forced Koshiro Shimotsuki to have Dunn train by himself in other areas.
Otherwise, he was worried that the other students would be discouraged.
Of course, even so, Kuina and Zoro also entered a mode of intense self-improvement.
In the forest behind the Dojo, Dunn closed his eyes, holding a wooden sword in his right hand, blocking the attacks coming from all around.
Kuina and Zoro, with four wooden swords between them, attacked Dunn without pause.
Dunn didn't care about the pain of the wooden swords hitting his body, focusing his mind on sensing the swords coming at him.
He didn't know if this method of training Observation Haki was correct.
But Wang Lufei seemed to have been taught Observation Haki by Rayleigh using this method.
Whether it would work or not, there was no harm in trying; he could just consider it sparring practice for Kuina and Zoro.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
The two of them were breathing heavily, exchanged glances, and both saw the helplessness in the other's eyes.
Of course, there was more unwillingness in Kuina's eyes.
As she grew older, she felt the gap between people more and more.
Or rather, the gap between men and women.
She had already felt this somewhat from Zoro's rapid improvement in strength.
And now, this situation was even more obvious in Dunn.
She clearly felt that Dunn held back at least ninety percent of his strength when swinging his sword, but even so, she and Zoro had no way to directly withstand the swinging wooden sword head-on.
This was the gap.
The natural gap.
"There are countless strong women on the Sea, and even among the One Piece at the top of the Sea, there is one who is a woman."
Just as the unwillingness in Kuina's eyes grew stronger, Dunn's voice suddenly rang out.