r18novel 17. Swordsman VS Ninja!
17. Swordsman VS Ninja!
Under Nami's command, the White Pearl sailed through the storm-shrouded sea and reached land the following day.
On a rare sunny day, Norton came out of the captain's cabin onto the deck and lazily stretched.
"What a pity, it's just a deserted island."
In front of the White Pearl is a lush, jungle-covered island.
The terrain resembles a primeval forest; as far as the eye can see, there are only birds and endless green canopies. The absence of cooking smoke indicates that the area is uninhabited.
Norton originally planned to equip his 12 pirate crew members with better weapons after landing, and then have a good time at the bar.
It seems that such an opportunity has indeed passed.
However, it's always good to have an island to land on and breathe some fresh air.
There have been pirates who went crazy from being stuck at sea for too long.
Norton knew a story: a group of pirates went mad because they had been at sea for too long and couldn't find an island to land on.
The story was told to him by a fisherman, and it is said to be based on a true story.
"Come out onto the island for some fresh air! Meet here in the evening!" Norton said to everyone.
"Sanosuke, go into the forest and hunt a few game animals, the kind with tender meat. Can you do that?" Norton then instructed Sasuke.
"Yes, ma'am!" Sanosuke replied without hesitation.
Just then, Nami suddenly noticed something and exclaimed, "Hey! Norton! Look! There's a small boat here!"
Norton looked in the direction Nami was pointing and spotted a small sailboat in a secluded bay.
The ship was hidden by the dense branches of the trees and could not be seen at all without careful observation.
"Are there any other people who have landed on this island?" Fu Ning was taken aback. Such a desolate island, most people wouldn't want to land there.
"I guess so, but it's not certain if they're still alive," Nami said softly, glancing warily into the depths of the island.
This was clearly an island teeming with ferocious beasts, for she heard the roar of a tiger!
"Just be careful, I don't plan to venture deep into this island!" Nami said, setting up a tent on the shore.
Being on the shore is undoubtedly the safest place; if a wild animal attacks, you can return to the White Pearl immediately.
Animals generally dare not approach a ship that is hundreds of meters long.
They fear things larger than themselves and instinctively avoid them; it's a survival instinct flowing in the blood of all animals.
"Funny, what about you? Do you want to go on the island?" Norton asked Funny.
Most of the people on the ship went into the forest, with only a few cooks and boatmen remaining to set up camp and make a fire.
Norton was worried about leaving Nami and Funing alone on the shore; he couldn't trust his current companions.
"I'll stay on the ship too, so Nami and I can keep each other company," Fu Ning said after thinking for a moment.
Although everything on this deserted island seemed novel to a noble lady like Fu Ning, novelty often meant danger.
Funing wasn't afraid of danger, but she didn't want to cause Norton any trouble.
Norton nodded.
Since neither Nami nor Funing intended to venture deeper into the forest, he was too lazy to go in either.
"Nami! Bring me my fishing rod! I'm going to start fishing!"
Meanwhile, Sanosuke had already crossed the outer edge of the forest and entered a more secluded depth.
All around were gnarled old trees, with intertwined vines hanging down from their dense canopies, and the air was damp and chilly.
"Even sunlight is scarce..." Sanosuke thought to himself.
Since entering the forest, he has already hunted down two wild animals.
But Sanosuke was not satisfied.
Because neither of the two wild beasts met Norton's standard of "tender meat".
So Sanosuke decided to go deeper into the area.
Suddenly, Sanosuke heard the sounds of fighting coming from the silent forest.
A thought struck Sanosuke, and he immediately stepped onto a tree trunk and crept closer.
After advancing about two hundred meters, Sanosuke arrived near the battlefield and saw a green-haired man fighting a tiger!
It was a fierce tiger, about three meters tall at the shoulder, with bloodshot eyes, a menacing appearance, and murky saliva hanging from its fangs.
Such a terrifying image is enough to terrify ordinary people just by looking at it.
But the green-haired man remained remarkably calm.
There was another thing that really bothered Sanosuke: that green-haired man was actually a swordsman who used three swords!
He held one in each hand and another in his mouth, his eyes fierce like those of a monster.
"This man is not to be underestimated!" Sanosuke told himself. As a ninja, the most important thing is never to look down on others!
Zoro was unaware that a ninja was hiding in a nearby tree; only Norton could currently see through Sasuke's stealth technique.
At this moment, Zoro's entire attention was focused on the tiger in front of him, and his muscles were taut like iron.
The man and the tiger remained locked in a stalemate in the forest.
Finally, it was the tiger that couldn't contain its killing intent and roared as it pounced on Zoro!
Just as the ferocious tiger pounced, Zoro's eyes turned cold, and he unleashed three sword strikes simultaneously!
"Three-Sword Style: Demon Slash!"
The sharp arc of the blade sliced through the air.
Then, the snow-white blade sliced into the tiger's body!
The next second, a huge gash appeared on the tiger's body! Red blood bloomed like flowers!
The tiger's massive body crashed to the ground.
Zoro sheathed his two swords, took the Wado Ichimonji from his mouth, wiped the blood off a leaf, and then carefully sheathed it again.
"It seems there are no more opponents on this island who can fight me." Zoro murmured to himself, looking at the tiger's corpse.
During this period, Zoro felt that his swordsmanship had reached a "bottleneck." Although he continued to train every day, the results were minimal.
"I wish it were stronger! I want to encounter stronger enemies! Preferably swordsmen!"
Just as he was about to turn and leave, Zoro suddenly saw a person dressed as a ninja falling from the shadows of the tree canopy high above, and he immediately stopped in his tracks.
"Huh? Where did you come from?" Zoro asked, somewhat surprised.
To be able to approach him without anyone noticing, this person is definitely a master!
After appearing, Sanosuke ignored Zoro and walked straight toward the tiger's corpse.
"The meat of this tiger looks very tender; it should meet Master's requirements," Sanosuke thought.
Seeing that Sanosuke completely ignored him and dragged away the tiger's corpse, Zoro's forehead veins bulged.
"Hey! You bastard! That's my prey!"
Sanosuke glanced back at Zoro indifferently. "Didn't you say you didn't want it?"
"You may not want it, but that doesn't mean you can take it!" Zoro glared fiercely at Sanosuke, looking ready to draw his sword at the slightest provocation.
Sanosuke put the tiger down and sighed.
"I didn't want to do it originally, but now it seems I have no choice but to kill you. This is the meat I need, and I can't give it to you," Sanosuke said.
"If you can do it, then give it a try!" Zoro drew his sword and pointed it at Sanosuke.
The two stared at each other, and a strong sense of tension seemed to fill the air.
After a brief silence, Sanosuke suddenly attacked, throwing a kunai!
The kunai shot out quickly, seemingly disappearing into the shadows, leaving only a fleeting flash of cold light in the air.
when!
The crisp sound of hammering iron.
Zoro's sword struck the kunai that was being shot at him!
The kunai that was struck flew back even faster. Sanosuke dodged it by sidestepping, and the kunai was embedded deep into the tree trunk.
"Such a quick reaction." Sanosuke drew his kunai and spoke coldly.
"You're not bad either!" Zoro licked his lips.
Although he is not a swordsman, he is strong enough to be a worthy opponent!
Zoro felt his blood boiling, his fighting spirit soaring.
Compared to the hot-blooded Zoro, Sanosuke is clearly more like a cold-blooded animal.
If Zoro is likened to a monster, then Sanosuke is a venomous snake lurking in the shadows.
Ninja battles emphasize using stealth to defeat the enemy in the open, aiming for a single, fatal blow!
Having no intention of confronting Zoro head-on, Sanosuke slowly retreated, his body disappearing into the shade of the trees.
Zoro was horrified to discover that Sanosuke had completely disappeared from his sight!
The already dark forest now appeared even more gloomy and fraught with danger.
Where will they come from? Zoro narrowed his eyes, scanning the surroundings.
call out!
The faint sound of something cutting through the air caused Zoro's pupils to dilate instantly!
behind!
Relying on his instinctive sense of danger, Zoro suddenly crouched down, and then saw a thick tree in front of him, which would require several people to hug, silently snap in half, the cut as smooth as a mirror!
The next instant, Zoro turned around, his twin swords sweeping through the air behind him.
Unfortunately, although Zoro's counterattack was swift, he still failed to strike the enemy.
Having failed in his first attack, Sanosuke has once again hidden in the shade of the trees!
Such a dimly lit battlefield provides a natural advantage for an excellent ninja like Sasuke.
As long as he doesn't reveal himself, the enemy will never be able to find Sasuke's exact location and can only wait for Sasuke's attack!
However, this would mean that the initiative would always remain in the hands of Sasuke.
Whether to attack or retreat is entirely up to Sasuke!
Zoro clearly realized this, and to avoid being attacked from both sides, after missing his target, he immediately rolled several times at an extremely fast speed and leaned against a thick tree.
At the same time, all three knives were drawn again!
The moment Zoro bit down on the Wado Ichimonji, he made up his mind.
He has made up his mind that he will not lose to anyone again!
Not only will he not lose to anyone, but he will keep winning until his fame resounds throughout heaven!
In the darkness, Sanosuke's kunai struck again.
Zoro set up his sword and unleashed three simultaneous strikes!
Clang!
A spark flashed and disappeared; it was Zoro's Wado Ichimonji Slash that struck Sanosuke's kunai!
The attack direction chosen by Sasuke was extremely tricky: he stepped on the tree trunk and approached Zoro's head from above!
If Wado Ichimonji hadn't caught the kunai, Zoro's head would have been pierced through in an instant.
"Tsk." Sanosuke clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction, about to retreat back into the darkness.
Zoro didn't give Sanosuke that chance at all! He grabbed onto Sanos like a person falling off a cliff, relentlessly slashing at him!
As Sanosuke retreated along the tree trunk towards the higher canopy, Zoro swung his arms and crawled along the tree trunk with his twin swords embedded in it, then used the Wado Ichimonji he was holding in his mouth to slash Sanosuke.
Sanosuke could only retreat while swinging his kunai to defend himself, and the two of them retreated into the canopy!
Zoro seized the moment when Sasuke launched his attack, locked onto Sasuke's position, and relentlessly pursued him!
During their exchange of blows, the two men disappeared into the dense canopy, one after the other.
The surroundings grew even darker!
The change in light gave Sasuke a chance to catch his breath, and also caused Zoro to lose sight of his target!
He swung his three swords wildly, but Sasuke had already done several backflips and retreated into the deeper shade of the trees. Zoro's wild sword swings only managed to cut down leaves and vines.
"Damn it! Come out here! What kind of man hides like this!" Zoro shouted angrily, panting heavily.
However, Sanosuke had no intention of showing himself, and no matter how much Zoro insulted him, he could not shake Sanosuke's heart.
He is a professional ninja and does not show emotional fluctuations during battle.
Even if emotional fluctuations occur, they will not expose their weaknesses because of their emotions.
"I just need to wait patiently. These hot-blooded, impulsive young men are the easiest to deal with," Sanosuke thought to himself.
To Sanosuke's surprise, Zoro calmed down quickly after shouting, and although he was angry, he was able to control his emotions.
However, in Sanosuke's eyes, that red-eyed, murderous look was like a suppressed volcano.
Just when the battle reached a stalemate, an unexpected event occurred.
Sanosuke suddenly felt his foot slip and lose his balance!
The section of tree trunk where he landed suddenly broke!
Damn bad luck! Of all times, it had to happen at this time!
Losing his footing, Sanosuke fell from the canopy. Although he quickly regained his balance and grabbed a vine to avoid falling, Zoro was able to pinpoint his location again!
"Three-Sword Style: Demon Slash!"
With two swords crossed in his hands, the strike that killed the tiger is recreated!
Boom!
Dust rose and dirt flew everywhere. The thick tree trunk was split in two, and the heavy crown fell into the ground.
Sanosuke rolled over and landed, looking down at his chest.
The black night suit had torn open at some point, and bright red blood was flowing from the wound, just two centimeters away from reaching the heart!
"He's definitely a dangerous man," Sanosuke thought.
He looked up and saw Zoro take a dark green bandana off his shoulder and tie it on his head.
Although it was clearly the same person, Sanosuke could feel that Zoro's aura had obviously changed!
If Zoro was a ferocious monster just now, then at this moment, this monster is officially showing its fangs!
"Just carrying some meat, and we've run into this level of trouble!" Sanosuke's eyes also turned serious. He ripped off his ninja headband and drew his ninja sword from his waist!
On the shore, Norton, who was fishing from the gunwale of the White Pearl, twitched his ears.
"Um?"
"What's wrong?" Nami, who was sitting to the side swinging her legs and looking at the nautical chart, noticed the change in Norton's expression.
"I've found something interesting. You watch the fishing hook for me, I'll be right back." Norton smiled and handed the fishing rod to Nami.
"What on earth happened?!" Nami complained as she took the fishing rod.
"Sasuke seems to have met his match and is in a tough fight. The enemy is likely the owner of the ship you discovered." Norton left these words and vanished in an instant.