Zoro walked through the courtyard and was first struck by a giant cherry blossom tree.
Passing the cherry blossom tree, he reached the back door. Beyond the back door, in the open space, was a row of black weight plates, arranged from largest to smallest. The smallest were as big as basins, while the largest were three or four times his height.
Beyond the iron mountain before him, he saw Kuina, her forehead dripping with sweat, swinging an iron bar with a weight plate almost as tall as she was attached to its end.
"Hick! Hick! Hick!…"
From her bulging veins, one could feel the weight of the barbell.
Further in, Kotaro could be seen, his upper body bare, hands on the ground, doing handstand push-ups, one up, one down.
And above his feet, a barbell was loaded with weight plates on both ends.
"Hey! Is this how you guys train? It's nothing special,"
Watching Kotaro and Kuina train, Zoro walked forward with full confidence.
What is this? Isn't this just normal training?
If they could become stronger like this, then he would surely be able to defeat Kuina soon.
But as he approached to within about five meters of Kotaro, he suddenly felt as if he had plunged into the deep sea, with pressure all around him.
Especially on his back, it was as if a thousand-pound burden had suddenly been placed upon him, pushing him down bit by bit.
This little bit of pressure, to overwhelm him? How could that be.
He roared in his heart, his eyes wide open, bloodshot, staring intently at Kuina ahead. Gritting his teeth, his trembling legs moved forward, step by slow step.
This journey of mere meters took him a good ten minutes.
Kuina cast a indifferent glance at the approaching Zoro, then continued her sword practice.
She thought of what Kotaro had said: Although women are naturally inferior to men in physique, the key to victory doesn't necessarily depend on strength. Sometimes, skill and speed are also crucial. As long as you defeat the enemy before your stamina runs out, that is victory.
Kuina's glance deeply spurred Zoro. He raised his head, glaring at Kuina with fighting spirit, I must surpass her.
Although he didn't know what this place was, training in such an environment should help him get stronger quickly!
Relaxing, he took a deep breath, slowly squatted down, placed his hands on the ground, and started doing push-ups. Since standing was difficult, he would train even while lying down.
Kotaro watched Zoro, his face contorted with effort, and could only remark on his incredible willpower, truly worthy of Zoro.
This space was actually his domain. He could currently control the domain to extend outwards by a radius of five meters.
Within this spatial range, the more layers the domain extended outwards, the stronger his control. He could compress space to increase pressure, or reduce it to allow for flight.
Nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine, ten thousand. Kotaro silently counted and stopped.
Bang!
He bent his knees slightly and threw the barbell aside, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Then, with a surge of strength, he leaped backward and landed steadily beside the barbell.
Looking at Zoro, who had fainted from exhaustion, Kotaro picked up the towel from the barbell, wiped the sweat from his face, and retracted his domain.
Kuina, who had been resting with her eyes closed nearby, suddenly felt a lightness in her body and knew Kotaro had finished training.
She quickly picked up the bamboo sword attached to her legs, stood up, and said to Kotaro.
"Kotaro, let's start today's sparring!"
"Wait a moment, let's wake Zoro up first."
Seeing the domain recede and Zoro's breathing gradually stabilize, Kotaro suddenly became interested.
He casually hung the sweat towel around his neck, walked up to Zoro, bent down, grabbed the back of his collar, and lifted him up, as if carrying a sleeping, green-haired cat.
As Kotaro carried Zoro towards a small stream in the distance, Kuina ran to catch up.
"Kotaro, he'll definitely challenge you later."
"He won't. I'll tell him it was you." Kotaro turned to look at Kuina beside him, teasingly.
"It doesn't matter anyway. He can't possibly beat me."
Kuina said with confidence.
She had reason for her confidence. In this village, her swordsmanship was recognized by everyone except her father.
"You mustn't underestimate Zoro. His willpower and determination will never lose to yours."
"After spending time together today, I can naturally feel his determination and see his beast-like willpower."
Kuina stared at Kotaro and said with firm resolve, "But I promised you, I want to become the world's strongest female swordswoman, so that I can always, always stay by your side."
Kotaro stopped by the stream, looking at Kuina to his left, at her determined eyes, and felt her strong heart, and was stunned.
For so many years, it was Master Koushiro and Kuina, who treated him like family, that gradually erased his confusion, hesitation, and fear.
This trust and bond were so clear at this moment.
Yes! This wasn't an anime world; it was a real world, with flesh and blood, ideals, and dreams.
Before, he had been trying to blend into this world, but always felt something was missing. Now he knew what was missing: bonds. Only by having bonds in this world could he have a home, a sense of belonging in his heart.
At this moment, he clearly felt a strength surging from the depths of his heart, breaking through the realm he had always wanted to enter but could never reach.
He gently closed his eyes, his spirit radiating outwards. At this moment, he could feel the entire world come alive. The stream, the forest, the birdsong, the ocean, the clouds, the sunlight—everything was so vivid.
Is this the realm of a sword master?
"Hahahaha...!"
This enlightenment made him laugh out involuntarily, his voice echoing through the entire back mountain, startling flocks of birds into flight.
Kuina was infected by his emotions. She looked at Kotaro, a gentle smile appearing on her face.
Although she didn't know why Kotaro was suddenly laughing, she could feel from his laughter that Kotaro was happier than ever before, a happiness that had never existed before.
Koushiro, who was meditating on the training platform in the front courtyard of the dojo, heard the laughter from the back courtyard. His slightly narrowed eyes suddenly widened a bit.
It seems this child has finally resolved his inner conflict. He nodded, a smile appearing on his lips.
Then, after a moment of thought, he stood up and walked out.
It looked like this child would set sail in a few years. He would need to prepare a gift for him.
Kotaro stopped laughing, looked at the stream before him, waved his right hand behind him, then threw forward, sending the Zoro he held in his hand flying out.
"There you go."
With a splash, Zoro flew in a less-than-graceful arc, landing with a "plop!" into the water.
As soon as he hit the water, Zoro woke up. He thrashed and roared, "Who, who threw me into the water? Cough! Cough! Cough!"
Watching Zoro flail wildly, Kotaro turned to Kuina and said, "Look at him, like a drowned dog."
As he spoke, he couldn't help but hold his stomach and burst into laughter.
"Haha...!"
Kuina rested her hands on Kotaro's right shoulder. She didn't make a sound, but her narrowed eyes and trembling shoulders betrayed her.
"Damn you! You two just wait!" Zoro glared furiously at the two on the bank.
Kotaro straightened up, met Kuina's eyes, and with a smile, turned back to Zoro. "Alright, get up and continue training!" Saying this, he turned and walked back towards the training grounds with Kuina.
Watching the backs of the two receding figures, Zoro angrily slapped the water with both hands, sending spray flying. After venting his frustration for a while, he walked towards the bank.
"Hey! Wait for me."
The voice drifted far away.