Loguetown.
The pier.
Utter silence.
*Clang!*
The tense, quiet atmosphere broke, and one couldn't help but swallow.
"If you want my sword, you must at least possess the strength to match it!"
Gu Yina performed a flourish with her right hand, sheathing her sword. "With your current strength, how can you possibly take my sword from me?"
She didn't even glance at Tashigi as she walked past, heading towards Smoker.
Her sole objective now was to fight strong opponents and reach the level of a great swordsman as quickly as possible.
Tashigi stood frozen in place, only relaxing after Gu Yina had passed her.
"Haa~"
In that fleeting moment when the blade was upon her, the fear of death had sucked her entire being into a black hole.
Now that death had receded, her taut nerves relaxed, and her body went limp like a puddle of mud, collapsing instantly.
"Sergeant Tashigi, are you alright!"
A Marine, seeing Tashigi on the ground, quickly walked over, reaching out to help her up. However, she refused.
"I'm fine."
She turned her head to look at Gu Yina's retreating back and shouted angrily, "Blue-Haired Gu Yina, why didn't you strike me down? Was it because I'm an ordinary person, or a woman whose natural strength is inferior to you monsters? You went easy on me in the duel. That's too much of an insult to me."
"Oh..."
Gu Yina stopped and turned to look at Tashigi, a flicker of confusion in her eyes.
This personality, it was a bit like her own when she was younger!
Could she really be her relative!
She quickly dismissed the thought.
"Impossible."
She stared at Tashigi and spoke with cold cruelty.
"How pitiful!"
"Weakling."
"You can't even choose your own death right now!"
"To achieve your goal, you still have to work ten thousand times harder!"
Tashigi stubbornly stood up, walked to the side of Xiaoye Shiyu, and with a *clang*, drew her sword.
"I don't practice swordsmanship for fun."
"I've been working hard, working hard, working hard to practice!"
She raised her sword, pointing it at Gu Yina, and shouted, "It's true I'm weak. How can you who are born with immense physical strength understand the perseverance of ordinary people like us?"
"And you monsters, do you truly believe you are the strong ones?"
"Don't be so arrogant!"
"My conviction cannot be shaken by your few words!"
With that, she let out a roar and charged at Gu Yina.
Clearly, Gu Yina's mockery of her as a weakling had completely enraged Tashigi.
Seeing Tashigi charging at her, Gu Yina was stunned.
She's so similar!
Even she herself felt like the person in front of her was herself.
Tashigi's personality from years ago was exactly the same.
Then, a flash of anger crossed her eyes. She quickly turned and drew her sword to block Tashigi's attack.
*Clang—!*
Gu Yina looked at the face mere inches away and roared.
"You! Not only do you imitate my face, you imitate my personality too."
"Who's imitating whom! I've been like this since I was a child. If anyone's imitating, it's you imitating me!"
"What?"
"Do you really want to die, you woman?"
Gu Yina exerted force with her right hand, pushing Tashigi back, and quickly swung her sword downwards. With a *clang*, she sent Xiaoye Shiyu flying for the second time.
"And stop copying my words, especially when you're imitating my childhood self!"
"This makes me feel incredibly ashamed for a moment, do you know that?"
Then, she quickly sheathed her sword, took a few steps forward, closing the distance instantly, and stood before Tashigi.
She then grabbed Tashigi by the collar and with a sudden upward heave, executed a shoulder throw.
*Bang—!*
Tashigi lay on the ground, dazed by Gu Yina's rapid sequence of actions.
Before she could recover, Gu Yina instantly straddled her, grabbed her collar, and pulled her head close.
Gu Yina's face darkened as she stared into Tashigi's eyes and roared, "What's wrong with being a woman? Tell me, what's wrong with being a woman."
Tashigi came to her senses, looking at Gu Yina with stubbornness in her eyes.
"You and I both know that unless one is born with exceptional physique, women will never be able to match men in strength."
"Who told you that?"
"Am I not a woman?"
"Am I not strong enough?"
Gu Yina lowered her head, her forehead touching Tashigi's, and roared in anger, "Who told you women can't surpass men?"
"Since you know you can't match them, then strive a hundred, a thousand times harder!"
"Stop feeling sorry for yourself here."
"Gu Yina!"
Kouta, noticing Gu Yina's unusual emotional state, couldn't help but call out.
Gu Yina raised her head, her anger fading from her face. She looked at Kouta and a smile touched her lips.
"Don't worry, Kouta, I'm fine."
Tashigi had indeed provoked her a little, especially since she looked exactly like her.
Although she had long since stopped caring about the difference between men and women, sometimes the feeling of being inferior to men would still surface.
In truth, when she left Shimotsuki Village, she already knew Zoro had surpassed her in strength.
To be honest, even though she knew this day would come, she still felt a hint of resentment.
Zoro was a year younger than her, and he trained as much as she did. Now he could surpass her in strength, and in the future...
She shook her head.
She stopped thinking about it.
Kouta was right; strength was simple if you wanted it.
It all depended on your choices. Since you've chosen this path, walk it relentlessly, ensuring every day is not wasted.
If you can surpass yesterday's self each day, then every day is truly your strongest. This ever-accumulating strength would one day allow you to achieve your dreams.
Yeah!
This was indeed Kouta's pep talk.
He had given her so much encouragement over the years that she couldn't even remember it all.
Gu Yina loosened her grip on Tashigi's collar, lowered her head, and said softly.
"I, too, was once crushed by the fact that I wasn't a boy. But after I overcame that thought, I became stronger."
"Although women may not match men in physical strength, there is another kind of strength that is undoubtedly equal to men."
"That is the strength of will."
With that, she stood up, walked past Tashigi, and headed towards Smoker again.
"People can lose anything, but they must not lose faith in the future. I felt your determination. I hope one day, you will stand before me again and try to take my sword."
"And I will be waiting for all challengers at the position of the strongest female swordswoman."
As she spoke, she paused.
"Also! I wasn't born a strong monster. If you say that, it makes my decades of effort seem like a fool's errand!"
"And also, don't try to impose your life onto others!"
"I am also pursuing my own dream, and I have never stopped my steps!"