The afterglow of the setting sun spilled across the streets of Shimotsuki Village.
Shiguangyue, Rouge, and Stella walked home together, baskets filled with freshly picked vegetables swinging lightly at their sides. Their laughter drifted through the warm evening air.
"Stella, has little Lati been sleeping well lately?" Ruki asked gently, reaching out to smooth the strands of hair the wind had blown across Stella's forehead.
Stella's cheeks flushed. She lowered her voice.
"She… she's been fine. She just wakes up several times at night. Tesoro said he'd take care of her, but in the end, he slept even better than she did…"
Shiguangyue covered her mouth and chuckled softly.
"Men are all the same. Back then, Oden said he would take turns watching Hiyori, but his snoring was louder than the baby's crying."
The three of them were chatting when a sudden commotion broke out ahead.
"Hey! You moss-head! Give the ball back!"
"You were the one who ran into me first! If you've got guts, come at me!"
A group of children surrounded a green-haired boy, shoving him back and forth. He was small, but fierce like a young tiger. In no time, several kids were knocked flat on the ground. He clutched a battered old ball tightly in his arms.
Ruki blinked.
"Oh my… this is…"
"He doesn't look like a kid from the village," Shiguangyue tilted her head slightly.
Stella hesitated.
"Should we go check on them?"
As they approached, they heard the green-haired boy roar angrily,
"Come on! Try again! I can take all ten of you by myself!"
Ruki could not help laughing. She crouched down and asked softly,
"Hey there, little guy. What's your name? Why are you fighting all by yourself?"
The boy spun around warily. When he saw Ruki's gentle smile, he froze for a second, then awkwardly turned his face away.
"I… I'm Roronoa Zoro! I'm not lost! They were the ones who provoked me first!"
Shiguangyue and Stella exchanged a look, then smiled at the same time.
Clearly lost. Still this stubborn. What an uncooperative child.
Ruki gently patted Zoro's head.
"Zoro, would you like to come home with us first? We're about to make dinner."
Zoro's stomach betrayed him with a loud growl.
"Grrr…"
His face instantly turned bright red.
"I-I'm not hungry!"
Stella laughed quietly and pulled an apple from her basket, handing it to him.
"Eat this for now. We'll have grilled meat later."
Zoro's eyes lit up immediately, though he tried hard to stay composed.
"…Since you're being so sincere, I guess I'll reluctantly accept."
Bang! Whoosh!
Zoro stood panting in front of the gates of Isshin Dojo, wiping the sweat from his forehead as he looked up at the large characters on the signboard.
"This is it!"
Ruki, who had been playing with Lati, looked over in surprise.
"Oh my, isn't that the child we met three days ago? I thought you'd gone home already."
Zoro's face reddened again.
"Huh? Ah! Yeah! I did! I went home and ate! That's right!"
He swaggered inside and shouted at the top of his lungs,
"Hey! Who's the strongest one here?! I'm here to challenge this dojo!"
The disciples froze mid-practice, staring at the filthy, disheveled green-haired kid with baffled expressions.
Koushiro stepped out from the inner room, adjusted his glasses, and asked gently,
"Little one, are you lost?"
"I'M NOT LOST!" Zoro jumped like a startled cat.
"I'm here to challenge the strongest person in this dojo! You look like the strongest. I want to fight you!"
"Oh, you've come to challenge us?" Koushiro smiled calmly.
"Annie and the others went out shopping. As for the strongest right now… that would probably be my daughter, Kuina. Many adults can't beat her, you know."
A clear, cold voice came from the back of the dojo.
"Who's looking for me?"
Kuina walked out with a bamboo sword in hand, a group of disciples following behind her. She sized Zoro up.
"You want to challenge me?"
Zoro froze when he saw she was a girl, then scoffed.
"You're the strongest? What a joke."
Kuina's eyes turned icy.
"Looking down on girls?"
"I'm not looking down on you!" Zoro straightened his neck, then glanced at Koushiro, who was calmly sipping tea.
"I just want to fight a real strong person!"
Koushiro slowly set his teacup down, smiling.
"Strongest? No, no. I'm just an ordinary kendo teacher."
Zoro frowned.
"Then who is the strongest? Say his name already!"
Kuina stepped forward, wooden sword in hand. A grid-like pattern was drawn on her forehead.
Very good. How dare he ignore her like that.
Koushiro chuckled.
"Kuina, this young guest says he wants to challenge the strongest in our dojo. At the moment, that would be you."
Zoro looked Kuina up and down, suspicion written all over his face.
Kuina's Anger +1
The disciples immediately started talking.
"Hey! What are you saying, brat!"
"Big Sister Kuina can even beat adults!"
Kuina's Anger -1
"Well, even though Fourth Sister lost to Annie and the others, she's still really strong!"
Kuina's Anger +2
Zoro caught the phrase "Fourth Sister."
"Fourth?" he asked blankly.
A kind disciple explained,
"Kuina used to be the first senior sister, but then Senior Sister Annie, Senior Brother Sabo, and Senior Brother Ace came and beat her…"
Kuina's Anger +10
Zoro looked even more dismissive.
"Huh? Only ranked fourth? Then where are the top three? Call them out!"
Kuina's Anger +999
"Rude little brat."
Zoro pouted.
"Then forget it. Let's go."
Koushiro led him to the rack of wooden swords.
"Do you know how to use a sword?"
"This is my first time. Can I take a bunch?"
Koushiro blinked in mild surprise.
"In theory… yes."
Sai was delighted.
Specific time. Specific place. Ultra-trash special. Serious viewers beware.
Zoro stuffed three swords into his mouth and held three more in one hand, like Buggy with daggers.
It was worth noting that Reed glanced at Zoro's backside.
Trash Reed was disappointed.
Not a single one.
Kuina noticed Uncle Reed staring at her opponent without blinking.
Her rage instantly skyrocketed.
Kuina: Zoro, you have already found the path to death.
"Begin!"
The moment the referee disciple shouted, Kuina shot forward like lightning. Before Zoro could react, all six wooden swords went flying with a rapid clatter.
"So fast!" Zoro's eyes went wide.
The next instant, Kuina's bamboo sword came down in a clean, merciless strike.
Bang!
Zoro was smashed into the ground, a huge lump swelling on his head.
"First round!" the referee disciple announced loudly.
Zoro staggered to his feet.
"Wait! I'm not ready yet…"
"Second round!"
Another heavy blow sent Zoro spinning like a top, crashing into a pillar inside the dojo.
"Third round!"
Kuina followed with a spinning kick that launched Zoro straight out the front gate.
From the sidelines, Reed whistled.
"Wow. Kuina's really going all out today."
Koushiro wiped the cold sweat from his brow.
"She's not usually this irritable…"
Ruki looked worriedly toward the gate.
"That green-haired child… he'll be okay, right?"