Chapter 7
Luffy, Usopp, and Sanji bowed to the sensei of the kendo dojo.
"Welcome, new students," said the sensei. "I apologize that I will be unable to train you personally. Captain Shanks has requested exclusive instruction from me this week in order to prepare for his duel. I will leave your training in the hands of my two best students."
A young man and woman entered the room. The boy was only a couple of years older than Luffy, and the girl was only a couple of years older than that.
"I present to you Roronoa Zoro and my daughter Kuina," said the sensei. "Please give them all the respect you would give to me. Both are young but very capable."
The sensei bowed and left the room.
"How can we be trained by a guy our age and a girl?" Usopp muttered. "Zeff wasted his money."
"We get to work with a pretty girl, so don't knock it, you dope," Sanji whispered back with a lovestruck gleam in his eye.
"You seem quite confident," Kuina challenged Usopp. "Take a bokken and come forward. Let's see what you can do in a match against me."
Usopp took one of the wooden practice swords from a woven basket and swung it around. "Behold Usopp the Unbreakable, mighty warrior of the sea!"
"I can see by the way you hold the bokken that you don't have a clue what you're doing," smirked Zoro. "If I were you I'd back down before I got hurt."
"Oh yeah?" shouted Usopp, stung by the criticism. He attacked Kuina from where he stood, stretching his arms to strike at her.
Kuina was only startled for an instant. With lightning reflexes she parried the attack, charged inside Usopp's reach, and sent him across the room with a mighty blow from her bokken. Usopp bounced off the wall and stood up, shaking his head to clear the dizziness.
"Devil's Fruit powers are no substitute for skill," said Kuina. "Any other challengers?"
Zoro told them, "I've fought her 127 times and I've never beaten her yet. I will someday soon, though. I'm going to be the world's greatest swordsman."
"In your dreams," Kuina replied. "You'll never beat me."
"That was fantastic!" Luffy enthused. "But I really want to learn to fight with my fists. I have a punch like a pistol if I can just connect."
"Zeff has started training me in kick-fighting," said Sanji. "Someday I want to specialize in that to save my hands for cooking. But I'll gladly learn whatever you want to teach me, Kuina-sama."
"Call me Kuina-sensei," Kuina corrected. "Kendo training will improve your balance and your ability to read your opponent for any form of martial arts."
"Count me in," said Usopp sheepishly. "I just ate the Devil's Fruit a few days ago. I'm an expert marksman, but I could use some training in how to fight with my new power."
"Good," said Kuina. "Everyone take a bokken and we will begin the basic katas."
Day after day they practiced the elementary moves, building up their muscle-memories. It was hard work but they all began to improve their fighting skills.
Toward the end of the week, Kuina announced, "You have all made exceptional progress, so we will devote the last two days to sparring practice. Luffy and Zoro are the two strongest, so they will be one pair. Usopp and Sanji will be the other. I will observe and correct."
Luffy's toughness and strength were no match for Zoro's skill. His optimism was unshakable. however. "You got me that time, but next time I'll win," was his constant refrain.
"You have a stubborn streak just like me," Zoro said approvingly. "That's what I always say to Kuina."
Usopp and Sanji were unorthodox fighters. Sanji had superior skill, but Usopp constantly put his stretching to use in unorthodox moves and exploited the fact that he couldn't be hurt by blunt attacks. Sanji countered with kick-boxing moves that Zeff taught him after class.
"Learn the standard moves first," Kuina tried to tell them, but it was in vain.
"Who is your Captain preparing to duel, anyway?" asked Zoro at the end of the last day of training. "He's been keeping the sensei really busy."
"Mihawk, the greatest swordsman in the world," Luffy answered.
"I wish I could see that fight," Zoro said sadly. "I'm going to be the greatest swordsman of them all, so I'll have to beat Mihawk someday."
"Why not come with us?" Luffy asked.
"Could I?" Zoro asked in surprise.
"I don't see why not," Luffy replied.
It wasn't that easy to persuade the pirates to take yet another kid aboard. Shanks was grateful to the sensei for his training, so he finally agreed.
Zeff also wanted to see the fight before leaving to start his restaurant, so the pirate company set sail for the small uninhabited island where the duel would take place.
"Are you ready for this, Cap'n?" Lucky Roux asked.
"As ready as I'll ever be," said Shanks. "Let's go."