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The moment Koushirou saw Tashigi, he froze.
The elder instructors who came out after him looked as if they'd seen a ghost.
Tashigi and Kuina were simply too much alike. Their personalities were different, but their faces were cast from the same mold.
From their reactions alone, Jin had his answer.
Tashigi was Tashigi. Kuina was Kuina. They were not the same person—just two flowers that happened to look alike.
He had to admit, though, for a world filled with such powerful individuals, death often came cheap.
The stairs at the Isshin Dojo must not have been ordinary stairs. They were probably the legendary Supreme Grade Sword: Down D. Stairs.
After a moment, Koushirou collected himself and asked why they had come.
"I happened to be traveling through the East Blue and heard there was a dojo that taught the Way of the Sword," Jin explained. "I came to pay my respects."
The Way of the Sword was a power "system" in the world of One Piece, no less formidable than Devil Fruits, martial arts, or Haki.
And it was a system.
The "sword" didn't just refer to swords, but to any bladed weapon capable of producing a cutting attack. It was a path with clear levels of mastery: Swordsman, Master Swordsman, and Grand Master Swordsman.
Take the world's greatest, "Hawkeye" Dracule Mihawk.
He'd reached the pinnacle at such a young age, and now he was bored. With his Black Blade, he had no equal. To this day, he had never used a named technique—only basic attacks.
Jin didn't see Zoro at the dojo.
Zoro had set out to sea with the goal of finding Mihawk.
However, due to his severe lack of direction, he couldn't even find his way back to his own village...
Shimotsuki Village: So, is THAT your excuse for not coming home?
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Jin stayed in Shimotsuki Village for three days, both to rest and to ask Koushirou for instruction in the Way of the Sword.
Though Jin wasn't a swordsman, understanding the fundamentals, knowing his enemy—and adding another skill to his arsenal—was never a bad thing.
With his current learning ability and comprehension, combined with the various techniques he'd learned in the Land of Flowers, he was able to draw parallels.
He grasped the basics in a single day.
After three days, Koushirou had little left to teach him.
"The sword is the body, the Way is the heart," Koushirou said, explaining the core philosophy of the Isshin Dojo. "Techniques are merely the exterior. True strength comes from a strong spirit."
He left Jin to ponder this on his own.
Perhaps spurred on by Jin's strength, Tashigi decided to stay and train in Shimotsuki Village for a while.
She requested a leave of absence from Smoker, who granted it without objection.
Koushirou happily agreed to take her on.
Jin, of course, had no objections, merely asking her to keep certain things confidential.
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Leaving Shimotsuki Village, Jin, understanding the need for both tension and release, decided to visit the various countries and islands along his route, to relax and clear his head.
Goa Kingdom, Foosha Village.
Partys Bar.
"No way! Uta's alive?! Hey, where is she?!"
Luffy burst in from outside. He had been playing in the mountains when he ran into an old man who was gathering firewood.
He'd heard that Uta was back. He couldn't believe it. He'd rushed down the mountain at once.
"Luffy!"
Uta, who had been chatting with Makino at the bar, turned around, her face lighting up with surprise.
"UTA?!"
Luffy and Uta had become close friends when Shanks and his crew were stationed in Foosha Village. But one day, after Shanks and the crew had returned from a trip, Luffy had never seen Uta again. He was told she had died.
He had truly believed she was gone and had grieved for a long time.
Seeing her again now, Luffy was ecstatic.
Uta was just as happy. She knew everyone in the village. Here, she was beloved.
"It's wonderful," Gordon said. "I haven't seen Uta smile like that in a long time."
He was sitting at a table with Jin, Robin, Nami, Carina, and Kuma.
Watching Uta play with everyone, he wore a fond, paternal smile.
Elegia had been "swallowed" by the demonic carrier. He and Uta had nowhere else to go, so they had stayed on the ship.
After being "swallowed," Uta had gradually come to her senses. Amidst the vengeful spirits, she had seen the truth. She knew that she had misunderstood Shanks and the others, and she knew what Jin had endured to save her.
After a period of self-reproach, she had found a new meaning in life through the songs Ai had played for her and had managed to pull herself together, reinterpreting Tot Musica and achieving a kind of personal catharsis and redemption.
Uta's heart had never been evil. She had been driven to extremes by the "abandonment" of her loved ones and the long, crushing years of loneliness. She had been on the verge of a breakdown. And her constant contact with her fans had trapped her in a world of her own making, preventing her from seeing the world as it truly was. There was also the subtle influence of the awakened Sing-Sing Fruit, the will of Elegia, that had led to the disaster.
But now, Jin had solved most of those problems. He had brought her out of her isolation.
Experiencing more of the world would surely help her develop a healthier perspective.
Kids, you have to raise them right. The Red Hair Pirates were a bunch of oafs. They didn't know the first thing about raising a child. You can't just leave a kid on their own for years. Even if it was to protect her from the guilt of having "destroyed a country," abandoning her was not the answer. The misunderstanding had only made it harder for her to move on.
As for Gordon, his musical talents could help Jin build a musical troupe. He was a master of both classical court music and common folk songs. He could also help train Carina.
'What's wrong with a king having a few songstresses? A little music in the evenings... what could be better?'
Jin thought. He wasn't a masochist. When it was time to enjoy life, he wasn't going to deny himself.
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