Chapter 9

As Ian walked, he was deep in thought. Just as he reached the village entrance, he saw the person he had been hoping to see.

A group of seven or eight people were walking towards the village. The one leading them was a towering figure, estimated to be at least two meters tall.

He was enveloped in a green cloak, but his face was exposed. In Ian’s line of sight, Ivankov’s face took up almost half of his body.

To Ian, this face was almost as tall as his ten-year-old self...

"Whoa! You scared me to death!" Even though Ian had been mentally prepared, he was still startled by the face.

Ivankov had heavy eye shadow and eyeliner around his eyes, and his lips, which were as wide as a blood basin, were painted a deep purple. He looked like a ghost.

In the manga, Ivankov seemed exaggerated, but seeing him in person, Ian found him terrifying.

No wonder Dora got dragged away and wasn’t taken to the ceremony. With such heavy makeup and that huge face, how could anyone not notice you?

Looking past Ivankov, Ian saw another person who had been left behind by Dora.

This person was even taller than Ivankov, also wearing a green cloak, but with a hood that had two round ears on it.

Uncle Bear, your cute bear ears completely give you away... Do you think people won’t recognize you just because you’re wearing a cloak?

Indeed, the person who appeared with Ivankov was another officer of the Revolutionary Army: Bartholomew Kuma!

The moment Ian saw them, he finally understood why Ivankov’s companion was called Kuma. With their height and distinctive style, no one else could match them...

Apart from Kuma and Ivankov, the others were not as noticeable. Though they also wore cloaks and looked cool, they were clearly ordinary members of the Revolutionary Army.

When Ian saw them, they naturally saw him too.

"Who is this black-haired kid?"

"Is it really okay that a child saw us?"

The Revolutionary Army members whispered among themselves, but Ivankov didn’t care. He walked up to Ian and looked down at him.

"Hee-hee! Boy! The gi you’re wearing... Are you training at the village dojo?"

Ian snapped back to reality and nodded.

"Is your dojo called the Shorikan Dojo?" Ivankov pointed at the crossed swords embroidered on Ian’s chest. "I remember it being called that."

"How do you know?" Ian was curious. "Do you know Master Koshiro?"

Ivankov turned to look at Kuma behind him, but Kuma had no expression, holding a book and reading it intently.

Then Ivankov turned back to Ian. "You’re right! Boy, we do know him!"

What does "we do know him" mean? Ian was confused but didn’t ask more.

"Can you take us to your dojo?" Ivankov asked.

Ian’s eyes darted around. He didn’t know the relationship between his master Koshiro and the Revolutionary Army, but it didn’t matter if he took them to see his master. However, it would be a waste not to take advantage of this rare encounter with outsiders.

So he nodded. "Sure, but you have to agree to one condition!"

Ivankov asked curiously, "What condition?"

Ian looked at the Revolutionary Army members behind Ivankov and pointed at them. "It’s simple. Just pick someone to fight me!"

"What!?" The Revolutionary Army members were surprised, thinking they had heard wrong.

One of them even stepped forward, bent down, and touched Ian’s head. "Kid, don’t mess around. Can you take us to the dojo? I’ll give you some candy!"

Oh no! Master Koshiro touching my head is one thing, but you actually dare to treat me like a child?

Ian slapped his hand away and looked at the sword on his waist. "Alright, it’s you then!"

"Uh..." The Revolutionary Army member was stunned, not expecting such a determined child. He looked to Ivankov for help.

Ivankov looked at Ian and saw that he was serious. "Don’t hurt this boy!"

The Revolutionary Army member nodded reluctantly, stood in place, and didn’t draw his sword. He got into a stance and said to Ian, "Alright, come on, kid! I’ll use my fists."

Ian didn’t waste any time and charged forward with his bamboo sword.

In their first exchange, the Revolutionary Army member almost got hit. He didn’t expect Ian to be so fast. He narrowly avoided the strike, almost breaking out in a cold sweat.

Ian didn’t care. Years of practice had made sword strikes second nature to him. After the Revolutionary Army member dodged, Ian immediately targeted the gap under his ribs and thrust his sword.

Even ordinary soldiers who could follow Ivankov had some skills. The Revolutionary Army member sidestepped and kicked at Ian.

However, as soon as he kicked, he regretted it. He had used his full strength, and a child had forced him to take it seriously?

Thinking this, he unconsciously reduced his force.

But what he didn’t know was that Ian had been waiting for him to counter.

The Flash skill had a condition: it could only be used when the opponent was about to attack. If the Revolutionary Army member only dodged and didn’t counter, Ian couldn’t use the skill.

So when he saw the kick coming, Ian didn’t dodge. He focused on the movement.

Just as the kick was about to hit him, Ian decided to use the Flash skill.

But unexpectedly, the next second, he was hit in the face and flew backward with a thud!

The Revolutionary Army member didn’t expect Ian to be hit either. He was startled and quickly ran over to check on Ian.

Ian’s half face was in pain, and he was lying on the ground, gritting his teeth. He hadn’t expected the Flash skill to fail, causing him to take a hit for nothing.

Damn, the timing for the Flash skill is harder to master than I thought!

"Are you okay?" the Revolutionary Army member asked with concern.

Ian shook his head, got up, and gripped his bamboo sword again. "Again!"

The Revolutionary Army member waved his hand. "No, no, if we do it again, I’m afraid you’ll get hurt!"

"Don’t worry, I haven’t lost yet!" Maybe it was because he had spent so much time with Kuina and Zoro, but Ian found himself with a spirit that refused to lose. A little pain was nothing.

Seeing this, the Revolutionary Army member had no choice but to face Ian’s challenge again.

Ivankov watched from the side, finding it interesting. He saw Ian as a child challenging adults and appreciated his spirit. Kuma, holding a book, was hard to tell if he was reading or watching the fight.

Ian was more serious this time. At first, he had underestimated the Revolutionary Army members, thinking they were weak. But now he realized this was the real world, and even the weakest were strong, especially compared to his still-growing body.

In their second exchange, the Revolutionary Army member found Ian’s strikes even faster, making it harder to dodge. He had to counter to end the embarrassing fight.

This time, he didn’t kick but used his fists, which were easier to control. He didn’t want to really hurt Ian.

However, Ian, now fully focused, was very sensitive. Seeing the fist coming, he timed the Flash skill perfectly.

Just as the Revolutionary Army member’s fist was about to hit Ian, Ian suddenly disappeared from his sight!

No one saw how Ian moved, but he instantly appeared beside the Revolutionary Army member, raising his bamboo sword and striking with incredible speed!

The speed of the sword was so fast, it whistled through the air, leaving a trail of light as it struck the Revolutionary Army member’s back!

The Revolutionary Army member was a tall adult, but the force of the strike was so great that his bones seemed to groan under the pressure. He fell to the ground, unable to stand, and let out a cry of pain.

Ivankov, watching the fight, was even more surprised. He wasn’t surprised that a child could defeat an adult, but that he had sensed something.

Pulling his cloak, he couldn’t help but spin on one leg, revealing his muscular thighs in fishnet stockings. "Hee-hee! It’s the波动 of Haki!? This boy has awakened Haki at such a young age?"

Unfortunately, Ian didn’t hear this. At the moment the Revolutionary Army member cried out, Ian also let out a cry of pain.

The difference was that the Revolutionary Army member was in pain from his back, while Ian was in pain from his head!

Indeed, Ian’s Flash skill had finally worked, but he hadn’t expected the intense headache that followed, so intense that he couldn’t even hold his bamboo sword.

He finally understood why the description of the Flash skill mentioned causing great damage. After using the Flash skill, Ian’s remaining 15 points of Nen were completely drained, and he could feel a force wrapping around his sword!

That must be the power of Nen! It was the Nen that wrapped around the sword that made his strike so powerful, even knocking down a seasoned Revolutionary Army member.

It felt a lot like Haki, which is why Ivankov was so surprised.

Unfortunately, it was Ian’s first time using the Flash skill, and he couldn’t control the Nen consumption, using it all up and causing a severe headache.

Ian sat on the ground, clutching his head to ease the pain, but to Ivankov, this looked like Ian awakening Haki.