Ding! Fate of Kuina altered. Sign-in progress +10%. Current total progress: 80%. Reward: Swordsmanship Level +1. Current Swordsmanship Level: Lv5.
Lin Mo was sipping sake inside the house when the system notification suddenly chimed in his mind. He paused mid-sip.
The next moment, a powerful wave of sword aura surged from him, expanding outward through the small room in all directions.
As he calmed his mind, he could actually feel the breathing of everything around him.
His strength had grown again.
His gaze naturally shifted to the Wado Ichimonji resting nearby.
In the original One Piece story, Kuina died after falling down the stairs while searching for a whetstone to maintain this very sword.
But now, the blade belonged to him.
Which meant Kuina no longer had a reason to go looking for the whetstone. The fatal accident had been averted.
"Looks like I'm close to completing the task here in Shimotsuki Village." In high spirits, Lin Mo raised his cup again. It wasn't a bad feeling, just sitting here and having good fortune drop into his lap.
Half an hour earlier...
Kuina had just barely defeated Zoro.
Lying on the grass, Zoro covered his face in frustration. "Damn it! I was so close… I hate this feeling."
Kuina, however, stood with a stormy look in her eyes. "I'm the one who hates it."
Zoro lowered his hands and looked at her.
"You're catching up fast. Because I'm a girl, I'll start falling behind once we grow up. You've said it yourself over and over you want to be the world's greatest swordsman. Father told me girls can't do that. I get it. I've known that for a long time. But still, it hurts. I envy you, Zoro. You're lucky... because you're a boy. I want to be the strongest too. If only... if only I'd been born a boy..."
Zoro sat up, getting more agitated the more he listened. "You just beat me. Don't start whining like that. It's cheap. You're my rival, the one I've sworn to surpass. What does it matter if you're a girl or not? Are you saying that if I ever do beat you, it won't count? That it won't be real because you're weaker? Then what the hell is all this training for? Am I just wasting my time?"
Kuina's eyes shimmered with tears as she stared at him.
Zoro stepped forward and clenched his fist. "Promise me. One of us either me or you is going to become the world's greatest swordsman!"
Caught off guard by his intensity, Kuina blinked. Then her face softened. "Idiot. You're still weaker than me."
"Then it's settled!" Zoro grinned and stuck out his hand. "But before we get there, let's see who can beat Lin Mo first."
Kuina's eyes lit up. She reached out to clasp his hand. "Fine. You're on! Watch out, I'm taking him down before you do."
The next morning...
Lin Mo, as usual, got up early and went hunting in the valley.
But this time, the little tail following him had doubled.
As if they had planned it together, the two kids took turns pestering him to spar. When he refused, they even tried sneak attacks.
Every time, Lin Mo flattened them with ease.
And yet, day after day, no matter how many times he knocked them down...
Their enthusiasm never wavered. On the contrary, they seemed to enjoy it.
Koshiro watched the whole thing with a calm, smiling face, making no attempt to intervene. He clearly had no intention of stopping his daughter and disciple from trailing after Lin Mo like loyal puppies.
That evening...
After Lin Mo had once again sent Kuina and Zoro flying across the courtyard behind the dojo, Koshiro called out to him from the porch with a cheerful wave. "Lin Mo, come here for a moment."
Lin Mo looked over.
Dragon was there too.
It looked like he was getting ready to leave.
Lin Mo walked over.
Dragon gave a calm smile. "I've stayed here too long. It's time I moved on."
"Alright." Lin Mo replied casually.
"You sure you won't reconsider coming with me?"
"Not interested."
Seeing that Lin Mo truly had no intention of joining him, Dragon gave a small nod. "Very well. I won't push you. If you ever run into trouble, come find me on Baltigo."
Baltigo the revolutionary army's base of operations.
Lin Mo gave a noncommittal nod.
Dragon turned to Koshiro and said openly, "Thanks for helping with the food supply this time."
Koshiro replied with a gentle smile. "It's no trouble. What are your plans now? Windmill Village isn't far from here. It's been a while, hasn't it? Planning to visit?"
"No." Dragon shook his head. "Not yet. The time isn't right. Maybe later."
"Alright. Just let me know next time in advance."
"Will do." Dragon gave a final nod, then disappeared into the gathering dusk, leaving Shimotsuki Village behind.
In the original story, Luffy didn't learn the identity of his father until long after the Water 7 arc. Dragon was cautious, rarely exposing any personal weakness. Very few people knew he had a son not even most of his own trusted subordinates in the revolutionary army.
From the way they spoke, it was clear that Koshiro was one of the rare few who knew Dragon's full story.
Whatever their past was, Lin Mo wasn't interested.
The only things he cared about were completing his sign-in tasks and drinking his wine.
"If there's nothing else, I'll be going." Lin Mo turned to head back to his room.
Koshiro called after him, "There's a village festival tonight. Want to come?"
"No." Lin Mo didn't hesitate.
At that moment, Zoro and Kuina came running up.
Zoro said excitedly, "There's a festival at the end of every month in Shimotsuki Village. It's super fun. Lin Mo, come with us!"
Kuina folded her arms and said coolly, "I don't really like festivals. But if you're going, I guess I can tag along."
"..."
Lin Mo shook his head. "No thanks. Not interested."
Koshiro added with a sly smile, "There will be lots of villagers selling their homemade sake. Each one tastes completely different. You can't buy these anywhere else, not even in the tavern."
That made Lin Mo pause.
Koshiro looked at the two kids. "Well? What are you waiting for?"
The two exchanged a glance, then each grabbed one of Lin Mo's arms and started dragging him toward the door.
"Mrs. Sugimoto's sake is supposed to be amazing," Kuina said. "Uncle Dragon's weird friend you know, the huge-faced okama who's kinda scary-looking always buys from her when he visits. Normally, her stuff isn't for sale, but because she knows Uncle Dragon and my dad, she makes an exception sometimes."
"Is it really that good?" Zoro asked. "I tried it once. Tasted worse than fruit juice."
Lin Mo shook off their grip, exasperated. "You two are unbelievably shameless..."
Zoro laughed. "What? Don't you think you're being too hard on us?"
"..."
Kuina smiled brightly. "Actually, you're helping us, right? Every time you ignore us or knock us flat, you're training us."
"..."
Zoro added, "My reflexes and pain resistance are way better now. All thanks to your guidance."
"...When did I ever teach you anything?"
Kuina tilted her head. "By the way, I've always wondered... When Zoro and I sneak up on you together, you never even look at us, but you still dodge every single time. How do you do that?"
"Yeah!" Zoro nodded vigorously. "Tell us, Lin Mo! What's your secret?"