Chapter 375: Lesson
Chapter 375: Lesson
Buggy takes his time at Kozaburo's grave. Seeing a grave like this always reminds him that life is short and that he can die anytime, especially since he is a pirate. That's why he always enjoys every moment of his life no matter how bitter it is and tries to live to the fullest.
Kuina waits patiently without interrupting Buggy because she knows how close Buggy is to her grandfather. But just waiting is boring, so she takes a rather long wooden branch nearby and starts swinging it like a sword. She keeps going on it while Buggy is drinking the sake in front of the grave.
"You won't become a great swordsman if you do it like that," says Buggy after he finished the sake.
"Excuse me?" asks Kuina.
"I said you do it wrong. That's the wrong way for a girl to use a sword," says Buggy.
"Really? But I've always done it like this and now I am the best in the dojo," says Kuina with a pissed tone.
"For now, yeah, but will it be the case in 1 or 2 years? I'm sure there is a boy your age who starts growing fast and catching up to you now," says Buggy.
Kuina widens her eyes as she gets reminded of Zoro immediately.
"It seems I'm right. You know, there are so many ways of swordsmanship because everyone has their own way. Even people who have trained under the same master and use the same style will have differences in their swordsmanship," says Buggy.
"I know that, but what do you mean by my way to use the sword is wrong?" asks Kuina.
"Well, it's because you are a girl, and that swordsmanship is designed for boys. Male's & female's bodies are built differently with different traits too. Males tend to be stronger in raw power than females, but females are usually more flexible than males. The swordsmanship in your dojo is more focused on power and strength which aren't suitable for most females. Some females can have more raw power than most males, but it's a very rare case," says Buggy.
"Then I can be one of those females who has more power than males," says Kuina stubbornly.
"Maybe, but let me ask you some questions first. Can you lift a boulder with a hand?" asks Buggy.
"Huh? What are you-?" Kuina can't finish her question because Buggy asks again.
"Can you destroy a big stone or even a tree with a mere punch? Can you throw a boulder with your hands? Can you make a crater in the ground just by punching it once?" asks Buggy.
Kuina gets speechless and says, "I can't, there's no way a girl my age can do that."
"But there is a woman who can do those things easily when she was just 6 years old," says Buggy while smirking.
"NO WAY! DON'T LIE TO ME, UNCLE!" shouts Kuina.
"Why should I? You can ask my crewmates or people who have gone to New World about that woman. She now has the highest bounty among all female pirates in this world and is considered one of the strongest people in this world. Currently, she is holding the 3rd highest active bounty in this whole world and is considered as an Emperor of the Sea," says Buggy while still smirking.
That's right, Buggy is talking about that monster, Big Mom who has ridiculous raw power. Even Buggy thinks that he is still weaker than Big Mom when it comes to physical strength. She could even throw a Giant when she was a child.
Kuina is surprised by what Buggy said because she knows that even though Buggy likes to mess around, he rarely lies about things. Besides, she can always confirm this by asking later, so it will be useless for him to lie now.
"If you are as strong as her when she was your age, then I won't say anything about your way to handle the sword. But you are Kozaburo's granddaughter, so I will at least tell you about this because you will just waste your time and talent," says Buggy.
"Talent?" asks Kuina with a surprised expression.
Kyoushiro always told her that a woman isn't made to be a warrior. It means he doesn't think she has the talent to be a great swordsman. That's why she is surprised that Buggy thinks she has a talent.
"Yeah, I think you have a good swordsmanship talent," says Buggy.
"Just good?" asks Kuina rather disappointedly.
"Well, talent can only take you that high. No matter how talented a swordsman is, they'll never reach the peak without hard work. The strongest swordsman didn't get that title just by relying on his talent, you know. He has gone through a lot of hardship and near-death experiences. Those things are the reason he could reach the top," says Buggy.
Kuina is impressed and then she asks, "Uncle, do you know the strongest swordsman in the world? You seem to know him well."
"Of course, I know him. We've battled many times for years, after all," says Buggy.
Kuina is doubting him, "Uncle, you are lying to me, right?"
"Lying to you? HAHAHA, sweetheart, I don't have any reason to lie to you about this. You can even find it in newspapers if you are very curious. But even if I lie about this, it won't change the fact that your swordsmanship training is wrong. We don't have any swordswomen in our crew. But we have many strong women and each of them can crush your dad in a battle," says Buggy while grinning.
Now Kuina is very surprised because for her, her father is very strong. She thinks that her father is a high-ranking swordsman even on the world scale. It's like how in the series, Zoro thought that the gap between him & Mihawk was not that big when they first met.
Zoro's & Kuina's world views are limited in this village and East Blue. Even adults don't always know about the monsters living in this world. So kids like them with limited access to information won't know much.
"If you don't believe me, then I will ask one of my female members to spar with Koushirou. You can choose anyone, just don't choose Mantis, Jude, or Dela. Otherwise, it won't be a fight anymore," says Buggy.
Sure, Koushirou has gotten a lot stronger after sparring with Buggy & Wano's Samurais who joined Buggy's crew. But his growth is incomparable to Clown Pirates who have gone through a lot of things that even make them wonder how they are still alive now.
Kuina agrees to that suggestion because there's no better way to prove Buggy's claim other than a battle. So Buggy tells her that they will do it after Koushirou fully recovered. He is still injured after the battle against Arlong Pirates, after all.
But the next day, another battle occurs. Zoro is challenging Buggy for another battle. This little marimo is really persistent and he is very competitive. Buggy is someone who Koushirou can't defeat, so Zoro is very obsessed to defeat him.
"Sigh, wasn't it tomorrow when I defeated you with a mere flick? Why are you challenging me now? It's not as if you've gotten that much stronger in a day," says Buggy.
"Tomorrow didn't count. It wasn't a battle of swordsmen. So now you need to fight me as a swordsman," says Zoro.
Buggy sighs and decides to play along because this is getting ridiculous. A child's logic is really something else. Unless he does what the kid thinks to be true, then it will never end. He knows it very well because his kids are like that.
But he needs to instill the fact that their gap is too massive so Zoro won't bother him anymore. Buggy thinks for a while and decides to take a tiny grass leaf that looks like a toothpick. He holds it with his thumb and index finger and raises it a little.
"Let's go," says Buggy.
Zoro widens his eyes and shouts angrily, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING, OLD MAN! DON'T MOCK ME! USE YOUR SWORDS!"
"I will use them if you can break this grass," says Buggy calmly.
The angry Zoro can't take it anymore and he attacks Buggy using his 3 training metal swords. Buggy then makes the same move as Mihawk and blocks Zoro's 3 swords with the tip of a mere grass. Zoro and everyone from the dojo widens their eyes in disbelief, even Koushirou.
Buggy smirks and says, "Remember well, kid, this is the gap between you and the strongest."
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