"I… I can still fight!"
Zoro staggered back to his feet, bruised from head to toe, and charged forward again.
Kuina snorted. "Good. You've got nerve."
What followed was so brutal it was almost inhumane, brutal enough that even Reed felt an urge to laugh. In the end, Kuina finished it with a clean shoulder throw, hurling Zoro straight into the dojo's water tank.
"Glug… glug…"
Zoro sank beneath the surface, bubbles rising one after another.
Kuina flicked her ponytail and let out a long, satisfied breath.
"That felt great."
Reed squatted beside the tank and poked the floating Zoro with a bamboo pole.
"You still alive?"
Zoro suddenly burst out of the water, gasping for air.
"I… I can still…"
Smack!
Kuina tapped him on the head with her bamboo sword.
"That's enough for today. If you want another beating tomorrow, I'll be here."
Zoro clambered out of the tank, then suddenly bowed deeply to Kuina.
"Please teach me swordsmanship!"
Everyone froze.
Kuina frowned. "Huh?"
"I want to become stronger!" Zoro looked up, his eyes shining.
"You're strong. I want to become stronger than you. Then I'll defeat you properly."
Kuina looked at the battered, bruised kid who was still burning with fighting spirit. The corners of her mouth lifted despite herself.
"…Do whatever you want."
Reed walked up, grinning mischievously.
"Very inspiring scene and all, but I have a question. Why not just ask Kuina's teacher to train you? Her swordsmanship comes from her teacher anyway."
Zoro: ???
"Oh, right!"
Zoro immediately bowed deeply to Koushiro.
"Please teach me the kind of swordsmanship that can defeat Kuina!"
Koushiro smiled.
"There is no swordsmanship meant for defeating someone. But I would be honored to be your teacher."
A few days later, everyone gathered together as Reed prepared to set sail. Roger's return meant Reed had no lingering worries. Still, one question lingered in his mind.
"Oden, you're not going back to Wano?" Reed asked, glancing at Oden, who was watching the children train.
Oden shook his head.
"No rush. The kids really like training here. Let them stay a bit longer. Who knows, maybe they'll even sail on the same ship someday. Boo hoo… friendships forged from childhood, it's so moving… boo hoo… this is youth!"
As Oden cried noodles of tears, Reed thought of a young, green-skinned, bowl-haired figure.
Boom! Boom!
The sails of the Blumarine Jackson snapped in the morning wind. Reed stood at the bow, his blood mist cloak billowing behind him. On the shore, six kids waved desperately. Roger had an arm around Ruki's shoulders, laughing without a care in the world.
"Uncle Reed!" Ace shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Next time you come back, I'll last more than one hit! I'll be super, super strong!"
Sabo pushed up his glasses, almost out of habit now because he thought it made him look cool.
"Who knows when we'll meet again!"
Annie just stood there quietly, watching Reed.
Reed laughed and waved back, blood mist blooming in the air like fireworks.
"Got it! You brats better not tear the dojo down!"
Tesoro checked the gold reserves.
"Captain, supplies are ready. We can depart at any time."
Reed nodded, then suddenly looked at the usually silent Roger.
"Old bastard, you're really not coming with me? Dragon-Eye Musk and the others are all coming."
Roger dug his nose and laughed.
"Hahahaha! My voyage ended that day. Now I'm just an old man who wants to play with kids. I'd rather stay here with Ruki. We talked about visiting Rayleigh and the others anyway. Don't worry. Leave the kids to me."
Then he lowered his voice.
"And besides…"
He pointed not far away. Ruki was smiling gently, holding a fresh, vibrant bitter melon.
Reed fell silent.
"…Understood."
The ship slowly left the harbor.
Perona floated up beside Reed, her teddy bear brushing against his cheek.
"Lord Reed, where are we going next?"
Reed looked toward the distant sky.
"Back to Sky Island first. Then…"
A deep light flashed in his eyes.
"The moon."
Let's skip the unnecessary buildup here. I feel like if I ramble, people will complain, so let's get straight to the point.
Under the sunlight, the sea of clouds over Sky Island shimmered with gold. The Blumarine Jackson descended slowly into Angel Island's harbor. The moment it docked, Enel shot out like a bolt of lightning.
"Yahahahaha! Your god has returned!"
"This guy…"
Moria emerged from the shadows, shaking his head helplessly.
"He's always this excited when he comes back to Sky Island."
Tesoro adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses.
"Well, it is his hometown."
Reed stretched lazily, blood mist curling around his fingers.
"Let's go. I want to see what the Doctor turned the Ark into. We might be in for a long journey."
Standing before the massive Ark Maxim, Olga's father, Dr. Akira Misquina, enthusiastically introduced the upgrades.
"The power system has been fully upgraded! It can now run not only on lightning, but also directly absorb Island Clouds from Sky Island as energy!"
He pushed up his goggles.
"We added Seastone components to the hull armor, so even if we run into Navy fleets in the New World, we'll be fine. And it's now fully tri-mode. It can travel through sky, land, and sea!"
Reed walked around the Ark once, then frowned.
"Wait. Why is the figurehead…"
The once-majestic dragon head had been replaced with a chibi version of Reed's face, grinning wildly, a small cloud of blood mist floating above it.
Hard to imagine, perhaps. Just think of the Barto Club.
Once, Reed had mocked Luffy's ship design as overly abstract. Now, he was tasting the bitter fruit of karma.
Perona covered her mouth, barely holding in laughter.
"The Doctor said it needed 'the captain's defining features'."
Reed fell silent.
Laboon pointed his fin toward the stern.
"Wah? This is even worse."
Everyone turned to look. Engraved prominently on the stern in gilded letters were the words:
"Exclusive Throne of the Mist Lord Reed"
Tesoro
Tesoro cleared his throat.
"Isn't this to showcase our noble spirit?"
He shot Reed a sly look.
"Just like how the captain works tirelessly to train my subordinates, calling me 'Vice-Captain, you've worked hard' and 'Vice-Captain, welcome home'. This will become our company's corporate culture."
Reed stared at him.
"You still remember that after all these years?"
"Of course, Captain. Your teachings are etched into my soul."
"Careful not to get ambushed on the journey. It might hurt a little."
"Who took half your allowance? Such a mystery."
"Oh, what lovely weather today. Doctor, where were we just now?"
He put on a perfectly attentive expression.
"I'm listening very carefully. Please continue."