The sun had only just risen when Kuina stood at the harbor with a small bundle on her back, staring out at the distant horizon.
The villagers of Shimotsuki Village kept giving her strange looks. Of course they recognized her—the dojo's young lady from Isshin Dojo. Plenty of them had kids training there.
But today, she looked… like she was leaving home.
A few people wanted to walk up and ask what was going on, but the moment Kuina's "keep your distance" aura kicked in, they all stopped in their tracks.
Then—at the edge of her vision—a large ship appeared.
The figurehead at the bow was impossible to miss.
Kuina smiled.
That's his ship. He came to pick me up.
Shimotsuki Kozaburo walked to her side and watched the vessel glide closer. "That brat's made quite the haul. Just looking at this ship… the build cost has to start at five hundred million beri."
"He earned it the hard way," Kuina replied at once, defending White Ghost. "Not by stealing it."
Kozaburo chuckled and shook his head. "Not even going to say goodbye to Zoro?"
"No need." Kuina's gaze didn't waver. "We made a promise. We'll fight again when we reach the peak. Right now, we're too evenly matched—no point."
Youth really is something, Kozaburo thought. He could already feel the pressure in the air from afar—the kind that made his skin prickle.
That guy's gotten way stronger.
Kuina's expression softened into a quiet confidence. "Of course. He's the first person who ever truly acknowledged me."
Kozaburo froze for a beat, suddenly thinking, Is that really the reason you're leaving with him?
On the ship's figurehead, White Ghost was smiling… but Kozaburo's Observation kept screaming danger. That presence was real.
White Ghost had spotted Kuina long ago.
She's grown a lot. Nearly 170cm already.
What's with the women in this world growing up so fast…?
Kuina looked a lot like Tashigi, but the vibe was completely different. Tashigi had that clumsy, earnest feel—while Kuina was cool and sharp, the kind you didn't casually approach.
White Ghost had half a mind to tease her with something stupid like, "Waiting for your beloved on a bright sunny day?"—but he saw Kozaburo and decided against it.
I'm taking the old man's granddaughter away. No need to make things awkward.
As the ship docked, the villagers finally understood what their dojo's young lady had been waiting for.
A handsome man.
A very handsome man.
With a crisp click-click, the boarding stairs unfolded automatically.
White Ghost looked at Kuina and Kozaburo. "Come aboard for a bit. No rush."
Kozaburo nodded. "Fine. I want to see your crew with my own eyes."
Kuina stepped forward—
"Wait, Kuina!"
A shout rang out behind them.
Kuina turned.
Zoro came sprinting toward the pier with three swords on his back. Behind him, Kuina's father had also arrived.
"Huff—huff—" Zoro reached the ship and doubled over, panting.
Shimotsuki Koushirou stared at White Ghost on the bow, face solemn.
That pressure… he's terrifyingly strong.
White Ghost spoke first, casual as ever. "Come up too. I've got breakfast ready. We can talk."
Kuina said nothing. She simply climbed the stairs.
Zoro glanced at White Ghost, then followed.
Kozaburo and Koushirou exchanged no words and boarded behind them.
On deck, a crowd was already seated, watching them approach.
"So cool…" Zoro blurted out, staring at the crew. "Everyone's huge!"
Kozaburo and Koushirou, meanwhile, were momentarily stunned.
These people… their presence is no joke.
…Well, except for one middle-aged guy, a tiny squirrel, and a little blond girl.
White Ghost clapped once. "Alright—introductions. This is Kuina, a sword genius. She'll be traveling with us from here on out."
The crew had been watching her since the moment she stepped on deck.
Jango twitched his mouth. "You sure that isn't Tashigi?"
Kuro sipped his morning coffee and shook his head. "Different temperament."
A few of the crew exchanged looks between Kuina and White Ghost—then quickly looked away, as if deciding it was none of their business.
Kuina bowed politely. "Hello. My name is Kuina. I'm fifteen. From today onward, I'll be in your care."
A woman stepped up warmly. "Welcome, Kuina. I'm Elena."
Elena took Kuina by the hand and began guiding her through introductions—quietly signaling White Ghost with a look that clearly said behave yourself.
White Ghost rubbed his nose, awkward. What, do I look like the type who causes trouble on purpose?
Ain, meanwhile, kept her eyes on Koushirou.
So this is the 'great swordsman' White Ghost mentioned… the one who looks down on women?
Koushirou's scalp tingled under her stare.
A dual-sword female swordsman… and her presence is strong.
He'd read about her—news reports said she'd fought Vista of the Whitebeard Pirates and only fell short by a narrow margin.
To cross swords with a great swordsman and survive… that alone meant she could clash with him head-on.
From the feel of it…
If I want to win, I'll pay a price.
White Ghost cleared his throat and continued. "And this one—"
He reached out and ruffled Zoro's green hair.
Zoro immediately dodged, glaring.
"This is the Three-Sword Style swordsman—Roronoa Zoro!"
"Three-Sword Style?"
Everyone looked over.
He was carrying three swords… but he only held one in each hand.
So where did the third go?
You could practically see the question marks floating above everyone's heads.
Zoro grew uncomfortable under all the stares and shot White Ghost a look. "How do you know I've been training Three-Sword Style lately? Did Kuina tell you?"
He glanced at Kuina—who was currently chatting with the others—then back at White Ghost.
Even Kozaburo and Koushirou assumed Kuina must've mentioned it.
White Ghost shook his head, then pulled a photograph from a bracelet-like storage item. He glanced at it, then held it up in front of Zoro.
"I could tell back then—you had Three-Sword Style potential."
The moment Zoro saw the photo, his young face flushed bright red—then turned so dark it was practically black.
He snatched it.
"AAAHHH!"
He tore the photo into pieces, then shoved them straight into the nearby fire pit to burn.
"You bastard! I knew something flashed in my eyes back then!"
White Ghost burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha! Who told you to be so ridiculous back then!"
"Shut up, you idiot—BAKA YAROU!"
Zoro drew his sword. "I'm dueling you, you bastard!"
The crew leaned in even more now—what kind of photo could make the green-haired kid explode like that?
Zoro's hair practically looked like it was steaming.
White Ghost only laughed harder.
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