Super Card System
Chapter 730: The Isshin Style

Fortunately, the ninja village was not too far from the capital city of Nishi-Ueno.

Along the way, in their conversations with Princess Naya, Ian and his companions learned that in Wano Country, both the shogun and the daimyos, besides having their own armies, possessed two distinct forces: the samurai and the ninja—one overt, one covert.

The difference was that only the ninja were trained, while the samurai were generally recruited.

Throughout Wano Country, there were countless swordsmanship dojos, usually established by renowned samurai and swordsmen. They organized and summarized the skills they had learned, forming various schools, then opened dojos to accept disciples. On one hand, it was to promote and expand their sword styles, and on the other, to provide private armed forces for the shogun, daimyos, and prominent families.

After being recruited, these samurai typically became retainers of the shogun or daimyos, dedicating their lives to serving their lord. They were not bound by military regulations; although somewhat disorganized, they were indeed a formidable fighting force on the battlefield.

Samurai held a high status in Wano Country, as did ninja. Therefore, for commoners, entering a dojo to learn swordsmanship and become a samurai, or being noticed and taken away to be trained as a ninja, were among the few avenues for social advancement.

Even children, from the moment they could wield a weapon, dreamed of becoming samurai or ninja. Precisely because of this, the martial spirit in Wano Country was highly prosperous.

Under such circumstances, Wano Country felt like a nation of soldiers. You could pick any man, and he could take up arms and fight, which indeed constituted a strong military force.

After walking for some time, perhaps realizing that Ian and his two companions indeed harbored no ill intentions, the samurai escorting Princess Naya couldn’t help but strike up a conversation with Ian.

The reason, of course, was that Ian carried two swords at his waist; among the three, only he looked like a “samurai”!

For these guys with a strong xenophobic mindset, initiating a conversation indeed signified an improvement in relations. They were very curious and asked Ian about the samurai outside their country.

As a result, Ian didn’t quite know how to answer them. In the end, he could only say, “The world’s greatest swordsman is my martial uncle!”

The samurai present were instantly stunned by Ian’s words!

In fact, for these samurai who had never left their country, if Ian had mentioned Dracule Mihawk’s name, they would probably be confused. But just mentioning this title immediately caught their attention.

“The… world’s greatest swordsman?!” The leading samurai of the escort, named Sōtarō, couldn’t help but ask curiously, “This world’s greatest swordsman, I wonder how he compares to our Wano Country’s current greatest swordsman?”

“Your Wano Country’s strongest swordsman? What’s his name?” Ian asked.

“Naturally, it’s Lord Saijōgi beside the shogun!” Sōtarō answered proudly. “He is the foremost of the Kyōshin Style, currently the strongest samurai in Wano Country!”

“Kyōshin Style? Never heard of it!” Ian shook his head. “By the way, are there many sword styles in your Wano Country?”

“Of course! Just the famous ones number twenty or thirty!” Sōtarō replied.

Ian suddenly had a thought and asked, “Do you have the Isshin Style here?”

The reason he asked was that he suddenly remembered Master Koushirou and the Isshin Dojo in Shimotsuki Village of the East Blue. The name of Master Koushirou’s dojo was certainly not chosen at random. Although he had never mentioned the sword style he taught, Ian thought it should be the Isshin Style.

If there was also an Isshin Style in Wano Country, did that mean Master Koushirou originally came from Wano Country?

After Ian mentioned the name Isshin Style, Sōtarō and the surrounding samurai all showed thoughtful expressions. After pondering for a long time, a samurai hesitantly said, “I think I’ve heard of that style, but it was a declining school from over twenty years ago, long since vanished!”

“Oh?!” Upon hearing this, Ian quickly asked, “Do you know what happened to that style back then?”

“Not much…” The samurai shook his head. “After all, it was over twenty years ago. In Wano Country, many sword styles rise every year, and many decline every year. These things are commonplace. I just vaguely remember that this style was convicted of violating the prohibition on going to sea, and the dojo’s heir finally fled, and there has been no news since.”

“Is that so…” Ian mused.

Actually, upon careful reflection, one would find that Master Koushirou was quite different from the people in Shimotsuki Village at that time. Not to mention his fondness for wearing geta (wooden clogs), his long hair might very well have been from letting down a samurai’s topknot. Most importantly, he always believed that Kuina, as a girl, could not inherit the dojo, which was so similar to the male-dominated perception in Wano Country…

Thinking of this, Ian couldn’t help but feel a strange emotion. Did his master, Koushirou, ever anticipate that his disciple would one day set foot in Wano Country?

Not only Ian himself but also that guy Zoro, who tirelessly pursued swordsmanship—perhaps not long after, he would also come here?

Hmm? Come to think of it, maybe even Mihawk had been to Wano Country? After all, swordsmanship is the mainstream in Wano Country. For swordsmen who pursue the pinnacle of swordsmanship, coming here should be quite normal, right?

Seeing the changes in Ian’s expression, Sōtarō and the other samurai exchanged glances and then curiously asked, “Since you mentioned the Isshin Style, is it because your swordsmanship is the Isshin Style? And that world’s greatest swordsman, since he is your martial uncle, is he also from the Isshin Style? Isn’t the Isshin Style a declining school? Could it be that this style is actually very powerful?”

Looking at the group of samurai with faces full of curiosity, Ian suddenly chuckled and said, “Want to see?”

Sōtarō and the others nodded vigorously like chickens pecking at grain.

So Ian stopped in his tracks, and the entire team also halted due to his actions. All eyes focused on Ian.

Ian found an empty direction, crouched slightly, his left hand holding the scabbard at his waist, and his right hand placed on the hilt of Senbonzakura.

“Watch closely!” Ian said aloud, then suddenly drew his sword and slashed downward!

A bright blade light flashed instantly, accompanied by a massive Flying Slash soaring tens of meters high!

This enormous Flying Slash surpassed the height of the trees in the forest, enough to make people look up. After being unleashed, it tore the earth apart, carving a deep trench, splitting all the obstructing trees ahead as it flew forward. Cracking sounds kept coming, and the trees along the way were cut down one after another, crashing down with loud booms. The entire forest seemed to be pierced by a white line, instantly opening up a road with no end in sight!

Due to the obstruction of their view, no one could see how far this massive Flying Slash flew, but as far as the eye could see, there was the mark of the sliced ground. Countless startled birds and beasts in the forest were fleeing in panic, making all sorts of strange noises…

None of the samurai present could remain calm after seeing the path Ian had cut out of thin air. They stood there with mouths agape and eyes wide, dumbfounded!

“This… this…” Sōtarō and the others trembled, pointing at the forest split before them, unable to speak for a long time.

For Ian, this slash was indeed not at his full strength. Compared to Mihawk’s world’s greatest slash, it was certainly inferior.

So after leisurely sheathing Senbonzakura, he said regretfully, “Ugh! it’s still a bit lacking…”

However, the most lethal is the invisible display of prowess! After hearing this, the samurai completely knelt…

They had previously seen Ian use Flying Slash and thought he was just a “samurai” at the level of a swordsman. But who would have thought that he suddenly unleashed such an astonishing slash at this moment? How is this just a swordsman?! This is practically at the level of a sword saint, right?!

And even so, he was still not satisfied?!

What kind of sword style is this Isshin Style?! Such powerful and formidable swordsmanship, and yet in Wano Country now, hardly anyone remembers it?!

For a moment, the samurai present felt a sharp pang in their hearts, thinking about whether they should search to see if any inheritance of the Isshin Style remained. If there was, they would unhesitatingly join the Isshin Style…

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