Chapter 3: You Call This Swordsmanship?
The moment Zabuza saw Shanks, he knew who he was. There was no helping it—the red hair was far too eye-catching.
Ordinary shinobi might not know, but for someone who had once been one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, certain intelligence was no secret.
Red hair was a signature trait of the Uzumaki Clan. And besides that, the terrifying amount of chakra was not something an ordinary shinobi could match.
Decades ago, the Land of Whirlpools was destroyed, and after that, the Uzumaki Clan all but vanished from the shinobi world.
As Zabuza looked at him now, he felt a surge of emotion.
He was the same as this man—just a displaced wanderer.
"You know me?"
Seeing the expression on Zabuza's face, Shanks walked over and spoke.
He wasn't careless. It was just that his Observation Haki hadn't sensed any danger.
"I don't."
Zabuza replied coldly, then sat down.
"My name is Shanks. Now you do, hahaha."
Shanks grinned and sat down as well. The bloody stench on Zabuza hadn't faded, and even his bandages were stained red.
Looks like he had gone through a brutal fight out at sea. Sure enough, the sea was too dangerous. He couldn't go out yet.
But someone had actually made it to this place. That meant Shanks could use this chance to learn what was going on outside.
Shanks welcomed Zabuza's sudden appearance. If he could use Zabuza to understand the outside world, even better.
"My name is Zabuza."
Zabuza answered in the same cold voice.
Then both of them fell silent.
Shanks didn't rush. After resting for a while, he went back to practicing with his sword.
With a thought, that powerful force inside his body began condensing onto the katana. Watching this, Zabuza felt a flicker of envy.
The Uzumaki Clan's chakra was truly terrifying. That density of chakra had to exceed the limits of jonin, didn't it?
But what was that man doing? A chakra blade technique wasn't that useful.
Zabuza could tell that what Shanks was doing looked similar to a chakra blade technique—coating chakra over a weapon to make it deadlier.
But clearly, Shanks was doing more than that.
"Still not enough. What am I trying to achieve?"
"If I push the power too far, the sword in my hand won't be able to endure it. And it's not just a matter of power—this energy still hasn't undergone a true qualitative change."
Thinking that, Shanks looked toward Zabuza.
Zabuza was holding only a hilt, which meant he also used blades. Training in isolation wouldn't work. Since someone was here, Shanks decided to ask for guidance.
Before long, Shanks walked up to Zabuza and offered him a skewer of grilled fish.
Zabuza looked at the Uzumaki clansman in front of him, suspicion in his heart. But after hesitating, he accepted the food.
"Do you know Armament Haki?"
Before Zabuza took a bite, Shanks suddenly asked.
"Armament Haki? What's that?"
Zabuza had never heard of it. Was this guy training something called Armament Haki all this time?
"You don't know? It's the kind of power that can harm Logia abilities. Like when someone turns their body into water or mist—if you have Armament Haki, you can still hurt them."
Seeing Zabuza's gaze, Shanks explained.
If he didn't even know Armament Haki, then the guy in front of him probably wasn't that strong. Or maybe this place wasn't on the Grand Line.
Thinking it over, that seemed reasonable. Even without the original body's memories, Roger should already be dead by now. If Shanks had been there when Roger died, then he should still be in one of the Four Seas.
"So that power is called Armament Haki? I really didn't know."
After hearing Shanks's explanation, Zabuza understood.
He wasn't some rookie. Shanks's description matched things Zabuza knew.
Those so-called Logia powers were like certain special bloodline traits. For example, Suigetsu Hozuki, who was also once one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, could turn his body into water.
The only way to deal with techniques like that was sealing techniques.
So was Armament Haki some kind of special sealing technique? The Uzumaki Clan, besides their massive chakra reserves, were best known for sealing techniques.
Then Zabuza suddenly reacted.
Would Shanks really teach him something like that? Armament Haki sounded like a profound art. Would it really be given to some random stranger on the road?
Was Armament Haki a secret technique of the Uzumaki Clan? How could a random outsider like him possibly learn a high-level sealing technique? Was Shanks out of his mind?
"Yeah… you're right. Hahaha."
Shanks scratched his head awkwardly. Sure enough, after transmigrating into the world of One Piece, the whole vibe was strange.
Armament Haki wasn't something just anyone could use. Even Luffy only learned it with Rayleigh's help.
"If you can't even use Armament Haki, going out to sea is too dangerous."
Hearing Shanks say that, Zabuza also looked serious.
Shanks was right. People like them, traveling alone through the shinobi world, were in real danger.
"I'm going to recover here for a while. I won't bother you, will I?"
Zabuza asked suddenly. He planned to stay here for some time—until his injuries healed, or until his strength improved further.
Otherwise, dealing with Kirigakure's pursuit would be too troublesome.
"No problem. I haven't been out to sea for a long time anyway. I actually need you to tell me what's happening outside. We can also exchange swordsmanship."
Shanks spoke with a wide grin.
He welcomed Zabuza and wasn't overly guarded. Besides, in the Four Seas, there shouldn't be many strong people.
"Exchange swordsmanship?"
Zabuza was interested.
As one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, he specialized in assassination, but his swordsmanship was no worse.
"My swordsmanship isn't bad."
Shanks could see Zabuza's pride. But in the Four Seas, Shanks's swordsmanship definitely wasn't bad either. This man's skill shouldn't surpass him.
Shanks slid the katana back into its sheath, then faced the lake behind him.
"Want to see it?"
"That's exactly what I want."
Zabuza stood up as well. He wanted to see the swordsmanship of an Uzumaki clansman.
In the next moment, Shanks's gaze sharpened. A terrifying presence burst from him, and even the slightest movement of wind and grass fell silent.
To Zabuza, Shanks seemed to transform into a monstrous beast.
As that presence climbed higher and higher, Shanks's focus narrowed. In the final instant, nothing remained in his eyes except his target.
Hummm!
Clang!
The katana left its sheath, and the fully accumulated momentum exploded at once.
Zabuza felt the light around him dim in that instant. Then a terrifying arc of blade light flashed and slashed straight toward the lake.
Wait. Blade light? What was that?
Zabuza couldn't stay calm. There wasn't any chakra fluctuation at all, yet the katana was releasing such horrifying power.
Even an A-rank technique couldn't reach this level. Was this really swordsmanship?
In the shinobi world, swordsmanship didn't look like this. It was just weapon against weapon—no effects at all. And you called this swordsmanship?
With a single slash, the blade light stretched nearly a hundred meters.
Staring at the lake as it split apart, Zabuza gaped at Shanks. He was completely stunned. The entire world's logic felt broken.
"You call this swordsmanship?"