Night bled across Shimotsuki Village like a dark tide, swallowing the last embers of dusk.
The moon hung above—bright, pitiless—casting silver light on Jin's quiet yard.
Flames crackled. Sparks floated, died.
Jin sat on the cold stone bench, elbows on knees, violet eyes fixed on the heavens. His young face seemed carved from calm iron, but his thoughts churned like a hidden undertow.
"Been a year since I woke in this world," he mused silently.
"Shave mastered. Moonwalk half-learned. Tempest Kick? Just a matter of time. And my sword? I've stepped past the first threshold… a real swordsman now."
His breath steamed in the cold air.
"All that… purely from muscle and bone. But if I channel my internal force—the ancient breathing method carried from my past life—the gap widens even more. Once I break the next wall… enter Flow Stage, when that power completes its cycle through every meridian… then my whole damn body transforms."
A log fell, sending sparks dancing. Jin tossed on another, gaze steady.
"Devil Fruits… raw physical might… that's the melody of this world. But my internal force? That's my hidden card. Back in my old life, it barely kept me alive longer, toughened muscle and bone. Air was dead, the soil empty. But here? Everything breathes power. My force can't fly from my palm like those bullshit fairy tales—but it's enough to forge my flesh."
His lips twitched into something like amusement.
"And that old bastard spying this afternoon… must've been Koshiro himself. My senses stretch three hundred meters now—one day it'll become Observation Haki. Armament? Not yet—body's too soft. Conqueror's? Fuck knows."
Then: gravel crunched.
Jin's head lifted. The moonlit gate creaked open, revealing Kuina. Sweat-dark hair stuck to her cheeks, bamboo sword still in hand.
"You came," he said softly.
"Of course," she shot back, dropping onto the bench across the fire. "Earlier… you said you could help me get stronger. What did you mean?"
She hesitated, then bit her lip.
"My father always told me… women can't match men in raw power. A boy with talent might cut the air at fourteen. A girl—even a gifted one—needs sixteen years."
"Koshiro's got sharp eyes," Jin admitted, voice low. "But I'm living proof he isn't fully right. I'm not even eight. And today you saw: I can cut stone."
Kuina's brows drew together. Moonlight caught the sweat on her brow, making it glimmer like steel.
"That's why I came. I thought… maybe you'd tell me how."
For the first time in weeks, Jin let his mask slip, eyes warming.
"You're damn impressive, Kuina," he said, voice barely above the fire's crackle. "Your will, your discipline… I've fought grown killers with less steel in their spine."
She blushed, the fierce mask cracking.
"No… It's all because of Father's teaching," she murmured.
"Bullshit," Jin teased. Then he straightened, shadows sharpening his face.
"Listen. If you trust me, I can help you cut air before you're fourteen."
Kuina froze. The fire popped, lighting her wide eyes.
"Truly…? You swear?"
"By every scar I've earned," Jin vowed, voice hard as drawn steel. "You saw me today. You think that was fake?"
"Yes!" she burst out, fists balled, eyes wet with stubborn hope. "I want it more than anything!"
"Hold on," Jin said, smirking. "It won't be free. I have a condition."
Her face fell.
"What is it?"
"What I teach stays between us. You tell no one—not even your father. Can you do that?"
"But why—?"
"That's my price," he cut in, tone flat, final. "No questions. Think on it."
Silence stretched. Kuina stared into the fire, bamboo sword gripped tight enough to whiten knuckles.
Then, softly, she nodded.
"Alright. I promise."
Jin rose, breath misting in the cold.
"Good," he murmured, gaze burning. "I swear I'll help you stand atop this damn world. You and me—side by side, staring down from its peak. Do you want that, Kuina?"
For a heartbeat, the crackle of flame was the only sound.
Then her voice, small yet fierce:
"Yes!"
Fire danced between them—two stubborn souls, bound by a vow neither fully understood… yet.
This story is inspired from various fanfics i have read from around the world so if you find any similarities please dont mind . Thank you
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T/N :
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