Chapter 544 Swordplay Exchange: Arthur vs. Grandpa Zoro

This move, this familiar airflow layer, reminded Gion of when Arthur used this move to block most of the attacks from the Knights of God in God Valley.

After exhausting his domineering aura, he was relentlessly surrounded and then suspended in the air by the tentacles of another monstrous shadow.

"What's wrong, honey?" Zhenzi, nestled in Yizhe's arms, noticed that her husband's pupils were trembling as he stared at Arthur in the yard.

"To be able to control the entanglement is already extremely rare..." Ichisuke said in disbelief.

"This guy is probably... capable of using all the techniques of Conqueror's Haki! The ability he demonstrated... can nullify Conqueror's Haki, unless... the person attacking him has even stronger Conqueror's Haki than him."

Ichisuke and Arashi both possess Conqueror's Haki, but Arashi, who is 15 years old now, has not yet awakened it.

Generally speaking, awakening Conqueror's Haki and mastering even a high-level Conqueror's Haki technique is already one in a million.

Both are unparalleled geniuses; if they were to travel the world, they would be prominent figures.

Deterrence, stunning the enemy, is the most basic form of power.

The "Seeing and Hearing Kill" technique essentially uses Conqueror's Haki to block out the opponent's senses.

Entanglement is a power that consumes a great deal of Haki but can cause devastating damage to enemies.

A person who has awakened Conqueror's Haki and can master two of the three types mentioned above is already a monster among monsters.

The Conqueror's Haki energy barrier is perfectly capable of countering the three types of Haki mentioned above, and is considered a high-level technique.

From this point of view, it can be concluded that Arthur has mastered the advanced Conqueror's Haki technique.

The reason for this certainty is that when he activated the Conqueror's Haki barrier, it was just a casual gesture; the entire process of preparing for the attack, gathering, converging, and unleashing Haki was completed in an instant.

That's why he felt that Arthur was exceptionally powerful.

When the wooden swords collided, Arthur and Zhiyuan applied just the right amount of force, preventing the wooden swords from being subjected to excessive pressure and breaking.

With a series of crackling sounds, the two sparring sessions became faster and faster, so fast that dust rose in the courtyard, and the slight impact spread outwards.

Upon noticing their every move, both novice and experienced apprentices stopped their sword practice and stared at them in disbelief.

Their swift movements were dazzling, and their swordsmanship was on a completely different level from theirs.

"Ha~ha~"

It lasted for about five minutes.

Gion's sword-wielding movements gradually became sluggish, her breathing became rapid, and her hands began to feel weak, as if they were filled with lead. She continued to swing her sword, her head covered in sweat.

“Very good, old… no… Gion! Only by reaching the limit can you break through!” Arthur said lightly, parrying Gion’s all-out attack with one hand while holding his sword, feeling no pressure at all.

"This feeling... it's like there's a wall that can't be chipped away..." Gion gradually realized that Arthur was like an iron wall. No matter how she swung her sword, he could easily deflect it and bounce it back with a strange force.

He thought to himself, and after swinging for about five more minutes, he was so exhausted that he squatted down in front of Arthur, supporting himself with his hands on the wooden sword stuck in the ground, sweating profusely and panting heavily.

“I…I know I can’t beat you. I’ve seen you fight…” Gion, unable to swing her sword any longer, said to Arthur, “Do we have some time to talk alone today? There are some things I’ve been wanting to ask you.”

Arthur, sword in hand, stood before her, a gentle smile on his face, looking down at her, and replied,

"What world situation is it this time?" Arthur recalled the questions Gion had asked him these past few days, and pondered, stroking his chin.

"Gion, let me put it simply. In this world today, everyone has only one enemy: the world ruled by the Celestial Dragons."

"You're in the navy, and from a family with a long military tradition, which is why you've been dragged into this. I sympathize with your situation; after all, you should know who I am to you."

Patience and meticulousness are the greatest care Arthur can give to Gion.

In his previous life, he was like a wooden doll when he was with Gion, taciturn and always seeking comfort from her with a cold face.

In this life, it seems everything has been turned upside down, and Gion has become that girl who doesn't like to talk and has an indifferent expression.

"Then why do you still serve the Celestial Dragons? Why become this... senator!"

Gion then asked, "Since being placed under house arrest by the Celestial Dragons, what I see every day is nothing short of hell."

The Celestial Dragons don't treat their slaves as human beings at all; they torture them to death and do things that are utterly incomprehensible.

Now, Arthur wants to become a war god, a senator... She doesn't understand at all.

"I asked for it myself!" Arthur returned the wooden sword, hands on his hips, a smug look on his face.

“He didn’t dare refuse; they were afraid of me.”

Such a powerful force, a force at the pinnacle of the world, was only afraid of Arthur.

Gion's curiosity was piqued, and she quickly asked, "What happened after Cooper took me away?"

“It’s a terrible thing, don’t ask, Gion,” Arthur interrupted her, continuing.

"Get up and go rest for a while. After this trip, we'll go back to Rapeseed Flower Village. I'll show you with my own eyes how I deal with those Celestial Dragons."

"Hey, kid!" Ichisuke emerged from the dojo, two swords draped at his waist. Seeing Arthur finish his match, he approached to greet him.

"Do you still have the strength? Let's spar and exchange sword skills. No need for domineering aura, just a pure swordsmanship exchange."

Gion and Arthur both turned to look at him, surprised that this man, second only to the dojo master, wanted to spar with Arthur.

She got up, staggered a little, and walked to the dojo platform. She then sat down on the edge to rest, watching Arthur and Ichisuke confront each other.

"Is it right here?" Arthur asked, turning back to look at Ichigo in the courtyard.

"Isn't the place too small?"

"It's alright, I'll take full responsibility for the losses! As a swordsman, challenging another swordsman is one of the pursuits of a swordsman, and besides, you seem to be quite extraordinary." Ichigo drew his sword from his waist and tossed it to Arthur.

"Your knife was damaged in the heat of battle, right? Use mine, let's have a real fight with real swords."

Arthur caught the knife, then pulled it out of his hand, examined its quality, and finding it to be quite good, tossed it back to Yizun, asking,

"Okay! Just wondering, are you a dual-wielder?"

“That’s right. But I’m older, so I’ll let you have the One-Sword Style.” Ichihiro said with a smile, not at all looking down on Arthur, but simply feeling that he should give way to him.

"No need." Arthur conjured a roughly 1.2-meter-long ice blade in his hand and held it.

"Give it your all, or you'll get hurt."

"Uh..." A bead of cold sweat appeared on her cheek, and she gave an awkward laugh.

"That's not a good idea... I'm worried you'll get hurt."

As soon as Yi Yi finished speaking, Arthur's calves suddenly exploded with power.

The impact of his step created slight ripples in the air, and in the blink of an eye, he disappeared from Yizhu's sight, instantly appearing beneath him and wielding his ice blade.

In that instant, a tuft of hair stood on end, and his gaze grew increasingly intense as he stared at Arthur, who was approaching from below.

He never expected that the little devil, who was just the size of a doll three years ago, would possess such terrifying speed just three years later.

"I am a one-sword style, good at both offense and defense. Of course, I can also be a two-sword style, only attacking and not defending."

Arthur explained to him, then slashed at his chest with the ice blade in his hand.

Ichi-suke quickly drew his sword to block in front of him. The moment the ice blades collided, the immense force instantly crushed the soil beneath his feet.

Even their feet sank into the soil, to a depth of about one decimeter.

"Super strength...!" This unexpected strike made Ichisuke grit his teeth and unleash his power, sending Arthur flying away from in front of him.

Arthur frowned as he sensed the opponent's strength, not expecting him to have the power to withstand and deflect his blade.

The two glided for several meters on the ground before stopping.

Ichigo stared at Arthur in shock, slowly drew his second sword, and said,

"Hey kid, are you sure you didn't use Haki?"

“No,” Arthur replied arrogantly. “If I had used my domineering aura, this place would have been cut open long ago.”