The lost way aura is truly invincible.
After wandering with Zoro in the village for half an hour, Shano's head spun. In the end, he had to ask an uncle for directions to finally find the gate of Isshin Dojo.
Unexpectedly, Koushirou was already waiting at the door.
"Why are you so late?"
The middle-aged man, wearing a kimono and black-framed glasses, looked at Zoro with a smile, "Was it your fault, leading Shano-sama astray?"
"..." Zoro's face turned red again.
He could lie to Shano, but he was powerless to argue in front of his familiar teacher.
Muttering under his breath, he turned around, "So annoying. I've brought him here, haven't I? I'm leaving, don't call me for dinner, I still haven't finished today's extra training!"
Watching Zoro leave, Koushirou chuckled and turned to walk into the dojo.
"Dinner is already being prepared. Shano-sama, you probably haven't eaten yet. Would you like to join us later?"
"I am indeed a bit hungry. Thank you for the invitation."
Shano was not shy and followed closely, a bit curious, "Does Koushirou-san know my name? Could Junichi have returned from the medical hall already, so quickly?"
"Junichi?"
Koushirou was slightly startled and shook his head, "No, I only know about his return. I haven't met him personally yet. Speaking of which, I should thank you on his behalf. The Asakura Island trip turned out to be quite dangerous. If it weren't for meeting you, he might not have returned alive."
"Then how do you know so much..."
"Well, it's because Shano-sama has been quite famed in recent times."
Koushirou retrieved a few newspapers from the middle shelf and handed them to Shano with a smile, "Reading these should help you understand."
Newspapers?
Curiously, Shano took them. He had been drifting on the sea these past days and hadn't come across a News Bird.
Or perhaps the News Bird flying high above didn't notice their small boat.
"Here, have some tea." Koushirou personally brewed a cup of green tea and handed it over.
"Thank you."
They sat across from each other at the tea table on the tatami, and Shano unfolded the newspapers, reading them carefully.
These newspapers were mostly from East Sea local publishers, and the front page headlines were unanimously about the Asakura Island incident.
"Shimotsuki Village is isolated from the world. Except for me, who orders the newspaper daily, not many people know about your feats."
Koushirou said smilingly, "But it's different on other islands. In the surrounding sea, you're the focal figure these days. Saying you're the brightest new star in East Sea is no exaggeration."
He was by no means exaggerating.
From Shano's unstoppable advance into the finals with overwhelming momentum, to a series of unexpected events inside the contest dojo;
Then to the strange and terrifying complete puppetization of the Seven Great Dojo's masters, with the mastermind being the long-dead president Sakuraba Itsuki…
This bizarre story was already eye-catching, and in this despairing situation, a young swordsman suddenly stood up and single-handedly shattered the conspiracy.
After finding the mastermind's treasure chamber, he took none of it for himself but decided to distribute the immense treasure among all victims.
Eventually, before dawn, the young swordsman quietly departed, hiding his achievements and fame.
—This is almost the standard template for young heroes in traditional folk tales, and it's no wonder it's exploding in popularity.
Several East Sea local papers spared no ink, reporting continuously for days, with soaring sales.
Even the World Economic News was stirred, urgently following up, and although it wasn't front-page, it occupied considerable space on the second page.
After some fermentation.
The title "East Sea's strongest swordsman of the young generation" has quietly spread across most of the East Sea.
"This, this is too much flattery..."
Holding the newspaper, Shano blushed.
Most of the time, reporters weren't on-site. The report content was mostly organized from testimonies afterward, leading to many details being inaccurate.
For instance, he left behind two million Belly in the secret room, but he had four million Belly from Log Town's treasury firmly in his hands, hardly noble enough to leave empty-handed.
Junichi's involvement was entirely overlooked, but this was also a form of protection, barely a good thing.
After all, being Sakuraba Itsuki's son as the mastermind made his identity incredibly sensitive.
As fame rose, many victims' families might mistake him for an enemy seeking revenge.
But to put it another way.
The most inappropriate part is still—
"I'm portrayed as the strongest swordsman?!!"
Swordsman?
Are you kidding!
His half-hearted swordsmanship can't hold up in a big battle—the final victory was clearly achieved with punches from his sturdy body!
"Hiss..."
Shano scratched his head, slightly troubled.
Won't he encounter swordsmen requesting duels or guidance in the future?
However, this outcome wasn't unexpected.
After all, when the true battle started, everyone who could escape did so, but his progression in the Sword Dao competition was recorded from start to finish.
A genius swordsman advancing undefeated into the finals, who then defeated the terrifying Devil Fruit Ability User...
If not swordsmanship, then with what?
It's quite logical.
Even the front-page photos of these newspapers used earlier pictures taken during the preliminaries when he was photographed by a reporter.
—A black-haired youth wielding a Bamboo Sword, standing proudly on a wooden stage, undefeated, surrounded by a crowd of amazed spectators.
At a glance.
It truly has a flair of a young swordsman invincible upon leaving the mountain.
"Ah."
Shano sighed again.
Koushirou misunderstood his meaning, smiling:
"How troubled you look after gaining fame, it seems Shano-sama prefers to be low-key. No wonder you quietly left after everything was done."
He unabashedly showed his admiration, making Shano even more uneasy.
Afraid that the next sentence would be "I'd like to witness your swordsmanship," "Dinner is being prepared," or "How about a duel to see."
Luckily, the figure that pushed the door open saved him from the awkwardness.
"Father."
A cold-faced black-haired girl stood at the door, speaking calmly, "Grandma said the food is ready, she sent me to call you over, come now... Eh eh eh eh!!!!!!"
She suddenly cried out in surprise, her gaze turning to Shano, her face full of joy, "Sha... Shano-sama! How are you here!"
Thumping, before Shano could react, she dashed over, hugging his arm, touching it left and right, "Illusion? No! It's not an illusion! It's really him!"
Shano's heart skipped a beat, glancing at Koushirou.
"This is my daughter Kuina, pardon her manners. She doesn't usually act this way."
Koushirou chuckled, "It's because she saw you in person that she's a bit out of sorts. Speaking of which, besides practicing swordsmanship, she really likes reading. She often reads the newspapers I subscribe to, and these days, she's quite fascinated with your story, often going through it over and over."