One Piece: Sensei System

A/N: Hello everyone, your shameless author here. I would like to thank those of you who showed support since day one and for that I would like to give you all 2 extra chapters today because of the motivation I got! I will do my best to put quality chapters in the future!

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Lucius barely contained his surprise when Zoro placed the third sword in his mouth. The wooden blade should have been unwieldy, even dangerous given its position. Yet Zoro's stance showed no hesitation, no awkwardness - as if holding steel between his teeth was as natural as breathing.

"Tiger..." Zoro began, but Lucius didn't wait for the technique name.

[Shave] activated instantly, Lucius's form blurring as he closed the distance. The wooden practice sword whistled through the air, aimed not at where Zoro was, but where his defense would be weakest after the interrupted technique.

"Sensei's not holding back anymore," Nami observed, momentarily forgetting her own training.

"He's different from this morning," Sanji commented, exhaling smoke as he watched. "More... intense."

The battle erupted in a flurry of strikes and counters. Each of Zoro's three swords moved with perfect coordination, creating patterns of attack that would have shredded any normal opponent. But Lucius was anything but normal.

Using Paper Art, Lucius's body swayed like silk in the wind. The dojo's air currents seemed to carry him between Zoro's strikes as if he weighed nothing. When Zoro adjusted his pattern to account for the fluid movement, Lucius would suddenly become solid as steel through Iron Body, catching the wooden swords with devastating counters.

"Amazing!" Usopp gasped. "Sensei's moving like he's drunk!"

"It's like watching someone fight water," Vivi added. "You can't tell where he'll go next."

Zoro launched into a Dragon Twister, his three swords creating a whirlwind that threatened to tear the dojo apart. The spinning attack generated actual wind pressure that would have shredded a normal opponent, but Lucius's form seemed to flow around the strikes.

The battle took to the air as Lucius kicked off empty space, each Moon Walk step creating ripples that disturbed the dojo's atmosphere. Zoro tracked his movement, three wooden swords held ready. When Lucius seemed to vanish with Shave, Zoro's instincts screamed danger.

"Tiger Hunt!"

The thrust attack carried impossible power, all three swords perfectly aligned despite one being held in Zoro's mouth. Lucius met the technique with a combination of Iron Body and his own wooden blade. The collision created a sound like thunder that shook dust from the dojo's rafters.

Then Lucius smiled.

A Tempest Kick launched from his free leg, forcing Zoro to disengage or be caught point-blank. The swordsman twisted impossibly in mid-air, the sword in his mouth somehow maintaining perfect form despite the awkward angle.

"He's toying with him," Nami realized. "Like a teacher showing a student their weaknesses."

"No," Luffy said, his voice unusually serious. "Zoro's getting stronger with each exchange. I believe in him."

The aerial combat intensified as both fighters seemed to ignore gravity itself. Lucius combined Moon Walk with his evasions, creating platforms of compressed air that shouldn't have been possible. Each step carried him in unpredictable directions - left, right, above, below - while maintaining constant offensive pressure.

Sweat formed on Lucius's brow as he maintained the complex deception. Using the Six Powers in combination while simulating master swordsmanship pushed the system's capabilities to their limit. One mistake, one poorly timed technique, would expose his true nature as a teacher using borrowed power.

"Oni...Giri!" Zoro's attack came from three directions simultaneously. His swords traced overlapping arcs designed to eliminate any escape route.

But Lucius had already activated Paper Art, his body becoming light as a feather. He flowed between the strikes like mist, each of Zoro's perfectly executed cuts passing through empty air. Before Zoro could recover, Lucius shifted to Iron Body and countered with a strike that would have broken bones if not for the wooden practice sword.

"He's reading sensei's rhythm," Sanji observed, lighting a fresh cigarette. "But that weird sword style..."

"It's like watching someone fight a whirlpool," Nami added. "Every time Zoro thinks he has him cornered, sensei just... flows away."

Their exchange of techniques intensified. Wood cracked against wood as their weapons found increasingly creative angles of attack. Lucius combined Shave with Moon Walk to create impossible movement patterns. He would appear to Zoro's left, launch a strike, then seem to step sideways through the air itself to attack from above.

Taking the stance for Path of Severance, Lucius gathered his focus. The wooden sword trembled with potential energy as the cutting technique activated. But this time, Zoro didn't try to match the cut directly.

"Tiger Trap!"

The defensive maneuver caught Lucius by surprise. Instead of attempting to overwhelm the Path of Severance, Zoro redirected its force. The wooden swords scraped against each other but neither broke.

"Did you see that?" Sanji's cigarette dropped from his mouth. "He actually deflected sensei's cutting technique!"

"COOL!" Luffy shouted, stars in his eyes.

Lucius pressed his advantage, launching a Finger Pistol that caught Zoro in the shoulder. The impact sent the swordsman flying backward, but he turned the momentum into a controlled roll, never losing grip on his swords.

Blood trickled from where Zoro gripped the sword in his mouth, the force of defending against Lucius's combinations had caused the wooden blade to cut his own lips. But his eyes showed no pain, only increasing focus.

The battle reached new heights of complexity. Lucius's movements became even more erratic, his sword work resembling a drunken master whose stumbling concealed perfect precision. Each seemingly random motion led into devastating combinations of sword strikes and Six Powers techniques.

Zoro adapted to each change, his three swords moving less like separate weapons and more like manifestations of pure will. When Lucius attacked high, the sword in Zoro's mouth defended while the hand-held blades counter-attacked. When Lucius struck low, Zoro's footwork shifted to create new angles of defense while maintaining offensive pressure.

Fatigue finally caught up with Zoro during an attempted Oni Giri. The technique faltered mid-execution, leaving a momentary opening in his guard. Lucius seized the opportunity with ruthless efficiency. [Shave] brought him inside Zoro's defense while [Tempest Kick] created air pressure that knocked the wooden swords from their positions - even the one held in Zoro's teeth. A final Palm Strike launched the swordsman into the dojo wall with enough force to crack the wooden panels.

When the dust settled, Zoro sat against the wall surrounded by fallen practice swords. His body bore the marks of wooden blade impacts and Six Powers techniques, each bruise a testament to the intensity of their exchange. But his eyes...

Lucius paused, recognition flickering through his mind. The way Zoro's gaze remained fierce despite defeat, the controlled breathing that spoke of someone gathering strength rather than admitting failure...

'Like an injured tiger,' Lucius thought. 'Not beaten, just waiting for the next chance to strike.'

He opened his mouth to speak but stopped when he noticed Zoro's eyes closing in meditation. Despite the bruises forming on his student's body, there was an air of calm determination that needed no words.

The dojo fell silent except for the sound of Zoro's measured breathing. Even Luffy, usually quick to shout encouragement, seemed to understand this moment required quiet.

In that silence, Lucius recognized something he'd seen in his most dedicated agriculture students - the quiet certainty that failure was just another step toward mastery. He'd seen it in young farmers faced with failed crops, in students struggling with complex irrigation calculations...

But never quite like this. Never with such intensity.

Zoro's closed eyes didn't hide his killing intent - they focused it. Each breath seemed to sharpen his presence rather than diminish it. Even beaten and bruised, he radiated the certainty of someone who had faced defeat before and transformed it into strength.