East Blue, Shimotsuki Village
The sea breeze, carrying the salty, damp air of the coast, washed over the reefs and beaches.
A young, green-haired boy stood shirtless at the water's edge, gripping a bamboo sword that was taller than he was. With both hands, he swung it again and again, crashing it against the incoming waves. Sweat soaked his short hair and trickled down his cheeks, but he paid it no mind. He let out a wordless roar with every swing, as if trying to split the vast ocean in two. Each strike was thrown with all his strength, making the bamboo whistle through the air. Still, the waves were relentless, crashing against the reefs, breaking into white foam, and rejoining the sea.
"Kid, your sword is crying."
An old voice drifted over from a nearby reef.
The boy's movements paused. He turned his head sharply and saw an old man with a single, connected eyebrow sitting cross-legged on the rock. The old man wore a simple kimono and had a gourd of sake in front of him. He was squinting, watching the boy's training.
"What did you say?" Zoro frowned, his tone annoyed.
"I said," Shimotsuki Koushiro picked up his sake gourd and took a sip, "your sword is crying because of your brute strength. You aren't using a sword; you're using a club."
Zoro's face flushed red with anger. "What are you talking about! I'm training!"
Koushiro ignored his shouting. He simply extended a thin, withered finger toward a distant reef that had been polished smooth by years of waves. "Everything has a breath. You must listen. You must feel. Take that rock, for example. If you try to shatter it with force, you'll only break your own wrist. But if you can find the grain, its most fragile point, even an embroidery needle can make it crack."
With that, the old man said no more and went back to quietly drinking his sake.
Zoro stood frozen, looking from the reef back to the bamboo sword in his hand. The phrase "Everything has a breath" echoed in his mind. He felt like he understood, but at the same time, he didn't. Still, something deep inside him had been touched. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He stopped roaring and stood quietly, feeling the flow of the wind, the rhythm of the waves, and the subtle vibrations of the bamboo sword in his hand.
After a long moment, his eyes snapped open and he swung the sword.
This strike was completely different. It lacked the brute, earth-shattering power of his previous swings, but it was so fast it left an afterimage in the air. The blade cut cleanly, emitting a crisp, ringing sound.
Zoro looked down at his hands, his eyes gleaming with newfound understanding. He bowed in the direction where the old man had been sitting, then grabbed his bamboo sword and sprinted excitedly toward the dojo.
"Kuina! Let's spar again!"
Inside the dojo, Zoro's shout was full of energy.
Kuina put down her own bamboo sword and looked at him calmly. "You've already lost to me twenty times today, Zoro."
"This time is different!" Zoro declared, taking his stance. His gaze was more focused than ever before. He recalled the insight he'd gained at the seashore, lowered his body, and coiled his muscles like a fully drawn bow.
"Hah!"
With an explosive sound, he pushed off, his body lunging forward. The bamboo sword was no longer swung wildly but was thrust from a clever angle, aimed directly at Kuina's chest. However, Kuina simply took a half-step to her left and flicked her wrist.
Clang!
A dull thud echoed as the bamboo swords collided. Zoro felt a smart, sharp force from her blade that sent his own attack completely off course. Before he could even think of his next move, a bamboo sword was already resting coldly against his throat.
He had lost again. In a single move.
Zoro slumped to his knees, the bamboo sword slipping from his grasp. "Why… why can't I beat you!"
That night, the moonlight was as bright as water. Zoro and Kuina sat side-by-side on the dojo steps.
"Hey," Zoro asked in a muffled voice, "do you really believe that girls can't become the World's Greatest Swordsman?"
Kuina hugged her knees and looked up at the moon, not answering.
"I'm going to become the World's Greatest Swordsman!" Zoro suddenly shot to his feet, pointing at the sky. "My name is going to be known all over the world! Everyone will know it!"
Kuina turned her head and looked at the green-haired boy, who seemed almost mad in the moonlight. For the first time, a ripple of emotion crossed her usually calm face. She stood up as well, looking directly into Zoro's eyes.
"People say that girls are naturally weaker than boys, and that the gap only gets wider as they grow up… My father says it, too." Her voice trembled slightly, but it was filled with an undeniable stubbornness. "But I refuse to believe it!"
She drew the famous sword at her waist, the Wado Ichimonji, its ivory-white scabbard gleaming in the moonlight.
"Zoro, let's make a promise."
"One day, one of us will become the World's Greatest Swordsman!"
Zoro looked at the fire burning in her eyes and nodded fiercely. "Okay! It's a promise!"
When Zoro returned home, his frustration had been replaced by determination. He picked up a newspaper, curious about what was happening out on the seas. A photograph in a prominent section immediately caught his eye. It was a man with eyes as sharp as a hawk, carrying a massive, cross-shaped black sword on his back.
The headline was written in striking, bold letters: "WORLD'S GREATEST SWORDSMAN 'HAWKEYE' MIHAWK TAKES RESIDENCE ON SABAODY; DOZENS OF CHALLENGERS DEFEATED!"
The report detailed how swordsmen famous in the New World couldn't even last a single move against the man.
"Hawkeye… Mihawk…" Zoro traced the name with his finger, his heart pounding in his chest. So, on the other side of the sea, there were swordsmen that strong. The throne of the World's Greatest Swordsman was a real thing, and it was out there. He clenched his fists. The idea of going out to sea to challenge stronger opponents had, for the first time, clearly taken root in his heart.
At the same time, back at the Shimotsuki Dojo, Kuina finished her extra practice for the day. Her training uniform was soaked with sweat. To make up for what her father called a "gender disadvantage," she trained longer and harder than anyone else. She carefully placed the Wado Ichimonji back on its sword stand, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and let out a long, deep breath.
A wave of exhaustion washed over her. She leaned against the wall for a moment before starting up the wooden stairs to rest. The steps creaked faintly in the silent night. Just as she stepped onto the last stair, her foot slipped on something, and she lost her footing completely.
"Ah!"
A short gasp escaped her lips as her body lost its balance, tumbling straight down the stairs. A terrifying sensation of weightlessness enveloped her as the world spun before her eyes. Her father's regretful gaze, Zoro's frustrated roar, the cold hilt of her sword… countless images flashed through her mind.
It's over. She closed her eyes in despair.
But the sharp, final pain she expected never came.
A split second before her head was about to hit the hard floor, she felt as if she had fallen into a cold, yet soft, embrace. An indescribable shadow, appearing from nowhere, had gently supported her back, absorbing the impact of the fall. The sensation lasted for less than a second before vanishing, and the back of her head still hit the floor with a dull thud.
Her consciousness plunged into darkness.
After an unknown amount of time, Kuina's eyelids fluttered, and she slowly opened them. The pungent smell of antiseptic filled her nose, and a dull, throbbing ache radiated from her head, which was wrapped in thick bandages. She moved her eyes, taking in her surroundings. It was her room.
Slumped over by her bed, a green-haired boy was fast asleep. There were two clear tear tracks on his face, and his eyes were red and swollen from crying.
Kuina wiggled her fingers as her memory slowly returned. She remembered falling down the stairs. But… something about it felt… not quite right. She tried hard to recall that final instant, that cold, soft, gently supporting… shadow?
What was that? she wondered. Was it just a hallucination before I blacked out?
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There will be no chapter updates for few days as I'll be on a trip after a long time. I'll be back on the 19th, and from then on I'll upload chapters regularly. I'll also upload bonus chapters and start a new book then.
You can read advanced chapters here: patreon.com/GregariousLion