Morning.
On the sandy shores of Shimotsuki Village, Sora's teasing voice and Zoro's furious roars carried from afar.
"One-two, one-two! Zoro, you gotta pick up the pace!"
"Shut up!" Zoro, eyes fixed on Kuina's back ahead, clutched Sora's legs tighter and sprinted faster.
Sora rode atop Zoro's shoulders, extending his spatial domain to apply pressure—a training method Zoro himself had demanded, on the condition that he carry Sora during their morning run.
Watching Zoro struggle beneath him, Sora cranked up the pressure. "Hey, Zoro, step it up! Kuina's practically out of sight!"
Zoro, hearing Sora's gloating tone, felt his shoulders sag under the added weight. Gritting his teeth, he wiped sweat from his brow with his right arm, took a deep breath, and roared, charging forward with renewed speed.
"Yaaaah!"
His burst of effort left the others trailing.
Ahua, panting, watched Zoro speed past. "Damn, Zoro's made crazy progress this year!"
"Yeah," Ata said, wiping sweat from his forehead. "He's the strongest guy in the dojo now, besides Sora. Even the adults can't beat him."
Alo, lagging behind, suddenly sped up to Ahua's side. "Too bad we can't train with Sora."
"No kidding. Who can handle that kind of pressure?" another kid muttered, slowing down.
The senior disciple leading the run turned back, scolding, "Enough comparing yourselves to Zoro! You know how insane his training is. Keep up!"
Yeah, no competing with that beast.
The kids nodded in unison, gazing at Zoro and Sora's distant figures with admiration.
As for Kuina, she was just a speck on the horizon.
"Yes, sir!"
With a collective shout, they pushed forward, running harder.
At the beach's end, the path curved inward to a small harbor. A salty, fishy sea breeze greeted them.
This was Shimotsuki Village's only port, formed where a stream met the sea, its recessed coastline creating a natural haven. It served as the docking point for the village's seafaring vessels.
Despite its remote location on the island, the port rarely saw large ships. Sora hadn't seen one pass through since a few months ago.
Though the sun had barely risen, the harbor buzzed with activity. Early-rising fishing boats had already returned.
The bay was dotted with a dozen small fishing vessels, each manned by burly men unloading baskets of fish and shrimp.
Sora retracted his domain, eyeing Zoro, who lay panting on the ground. He gave Zoro's backside a light kick.
"Get up! Looking like a dead dog already? How're you gonna surpass Kuina like this?"
He pulled Kuina, who'd been watching, closer. "Right, Kuina?"
"Totally. This guy's still so weak," Kuina teased playfully.
Her words were meant to rile Zoro up. Truthfully, his progress this year had been staggering—faster than hers at that age.
As she grew older, her developing figure slowed her physical progress, forcing her to double down on strength training. But in swordsmanship, shedding her fixation on gender differences over the past few months had made her movements smoother, more natural.
Sora, hearing Kuina's reply and seeing her softened, playful expression, smiled with satisfaction.
To be clear, he wasn't some creep or into anything weird like grooming…
As for the "whetstone" that caused Kuina's death in the original story, he'd tossed it into the sea long ago and sealed off the attic. When—or if—it would reopen depended on Kuina. The dojo had plenty of spare rooms anyway.
It was absurd that a few-meter fall from a staircase could be fatal. He'd once wondered if Koshiro and Kuina had staged it. But no—up to the point of his transmigration, neither the One Piece manga nor anime ever mentioned Kuina again.
"Let's go see what tasty seafood we've got today."
He tugged Kuina toward a familiar fishing boat at the dock.
"Wait… wait for me!" Zoro's breathless voice called from behind.
In the harbor, merchants and fishermen haggled loudly, their voices bridging villages with goods and news. Mountain villagers traded fish and shrimp for fruits and game, profiting both ways.
Sora's group headed straight for the largest boat—relatively speaking. At about ten meters long and a few meters high, it was just a small sailboat compared to others.
This was the Isshin Dojo's boat, used for buying provisions from other islands or occasional fishing trips.
A burly man on board spotted them and shouted toward the cabin, "Uncle Iku, Sora's here!"
"Coming, coming!" A white-haired old man with a goatee emerged, carrying a large fish basket.
Sora hopped aboard, hurrying to take the basket from him and setting it by the deck's edge.
The old man wiped his hands on his apron, pulled a pipe from his waist, and stuffed it with tobacco. Fishing a lighter from his pocket, he sparked it with a click, igniting the tobacco.
Leaning against the railing, he puffed deeply, squinting through the smoke. Lifting his head, he teased Kuina, who'd followed Sora aboard, "Kuina, you're looking more and more like your mom every day!"
Kuina darted forward, leaning over Sora's shoulder to peek into the basket. "Uncle Iku, what's the haul today?"
Before Iku could answer, Zoro, freshly aboard, rushed over and yanked off the basket's cover.
Inside, a pile of plump lobsters squirmed, scrambling to escape but trapped by their own weight.
"Lobsters again? I'm sick of these!" Zoro tossed the cover aside, grumbling at the basket.
Thwack!
Iku, glaring at Zoro's outburst, smacked him on the head. "You brat! Lobsters aren't good enough for you? These are the tastiest catch around!"
"Yeah, Zoro, don't be so ungrateful!" Sora and Kuina chimed in, nodding furiously and stepping back as Iku fumed.
"Ow, ow, ow!" Zoro crouched, clutching his head, and glared at the retreating duo. "You two have no loyalty! Who was it last time saying they were tired of lobsters?!"
Iku's face, flickering through the smoke, turned to Kuina. She shook her head, denying it.
His gaze shifted to Sora, who shrugged with mock seriousness. "Uncle Iku, you know me. Would I ever say something like that?"
He met Zoro's furious stare with a cheeky wink.
A burly man nearby, smiling at the scene, spoke up. "Hey, Uncle Iku, stop teasing them. Didn't we get a big catch in the hold?"
Zoro's eyes lit up, looking at Iku. Iku took a drag, then nodded at him. "What're you staring at? Go get it from the hold!"
Zoro whooped and bolted for the cabin.
Iku turned to the man. "Kubi, go help the kid."
"Yes, Uncle Iku!" Kubi followed Zoro into the hold.
Sora sidled up to Iku. "Uncle Iku, got today's news?"
"Impatient, aren't you?" Iku tapped his pipe against the railing, pulled a stack of papers from his coat, and handed them to Sora. "Here's the past few days' news."
Sora leaned against the railing, unfolding the papers and scanning them.
The headline blared: Goa Kingdom Hosts World Noble Gala. Reading further, it was a celebration to welcome Celestial Dragons.
Sora rubbed his chin, thoughtful. Celestial Dragons… Goa Kingdom… Windmill Village… Luffy. His eyes widened. Didn't Sabo get blasted by a Celestial Dragon's cannon and saved by Dragon? If it's that Celestial Dragon, it's probably tonight!
"Hm!"
His senses pinged, and he turned, striding to the ship's stern, staring intently at the distant sea.
"What's up, Sora?" Kuina, noticing his shift, followed, puzzled.
"A ship. A big one."
"A ship?"
Iku joined them, peering out at the harbor's edge. Beyond clouds and waves, only seagulls soared in the sky.
He glanced at Sora, stunned. This kid's Observation Haki is unreal.
As an old hand who'd followed Koshiro from Wano, Iku knew what it meant that Sora sensed something he couldn't.
The cabin grew lively as Ahua and the other kids clambered aboard, rushing inside with excited shouts.
The senior disciple, searching for them, found Sora's group at the stern. Seeing them staring into the distance, he didn't ask questions, just joined them, curious.
At the horizon, where sea met sky, a faint black dot appeared.
As time passed, it grew clearer. Far off, a massive sailboat emerged—dozens of meters long, rising ten meters above the water, its hull entwined with a dragon figurehead.
From afar, it looked like a living dragon gliding toward the harbor.
The ship moved swiftly, soon nearing the bay.
When Sora saw the towering figure at the ship's bow, excitement spread across his face.
It's really them.
(End of Chapter)