Early in the morning, Muichiro was already awake, waiting for that annoying old man. By Muichiro's standards, he was a real pain in the ass, because his constant chatter was built on strange, unfamiliar metaphors, or in other words, incomprehensible bullshit. Muichiro didn't want to talk like that. On the contrary, he was a simple man with one dream and would have preferred a normal conversation, straight to the point, not learning about how salt used to be much cheaper. His dream was to find peace. But even in this goddamn world, he couldn't find it. This place was just cursed. Better to commit seppuku or let himself be killed. It was a genuine hell for Muichiro. The old man only finished off his inner world by telling old stories about his grandchildren, about how good they were, never forgetting to visit him. If Tanjiro were here, he'd probably listen to this crap for hours, which is why Muichiro found ways to avoid the conversation without giving him a reason to be offended by rudeness. Muichiro would either go for a walk or find chores around the house. But not now. This old man was supposed to come again, so Muichiro urgently needed to think of something. Even if he had to find that thing called the One Piece treasure. He definitely needed to occupy himself with something. The whole world was boring, and if any of his acquaintances were here, things probably would have changed. Even if it were that gloomy swordsmith Haganezuka, Muichiro wouldn't mind. He had wondered before if the hell had ended with his family home and if those people had found happiness.
"Good morning, neighbor. You seem bored? What's on your mind, Yui?" asked the old man.
"Nothing that would concern you. And hello to you too. Aren't your old bones tired from climbing up here?" asked Muichiro, while sharpening his blade on the back porch.
"Ahahahahaha, no, no. It's good for an old man to walk and visit a special guest. I've never seen you polishing… Is something wrong?" asked the old man.
"Nothing special. Just a habit," said Muichiro.
"Hahahahaha. A good habit. Especially since two weeks ago I found out that Orochi's lackeys are planning to pay a visit here. What do you think about that?" asked the old man.
"That… the one known as the Shogun? Right?" asked Muichiro.
"Yes. They'll make us pay tribute again, the shameless bastards," said the old man.
Muichiro stopped polishing the blade, sheathed it, and asked,
"I'll make tea. Will you have some?" Muichiro said to the old man.
"I suppose I won't refuse. Perhaps this is the last time we see each other," said the old man.
GODDAMMIT. THIS OLD MAN.....
While Muichiro was brewing the tea, he pondered many things. "That bastard Orochi. He surely knows about me and will bring his lackeys here to demand tribute. I'm so fucking sick of these assholes doing such unjust things. Maybe to hell with it all and just slit all their throats? But that would only attract the minions of that son of a bitch from the Beast Pirates. There are many of them, and I'm alone… Fuck. What to do. I don't know much about Kaido, but according to the locals, he's constantly drunk. Maybe I should use that? No. He's immortal, as many say. But you never know until you try. He's immortal as long as his heart is still beating. And what if it stops? Fuck, fuck, fuck… What the fuck is with this world? Fuck, where do I get these memories of those techniques? Did I live not 2, but 3 lives? I only remember one clearly, and the second only in fragments, and it seems I lived through that one too and was still destined to die, like Yuichiro. In my first life, I'm sure I didn't see Tanjiro perform his dance, which was the simplified Sun Breathing. And Moon Breathing? It's just a perverted version of Sun Breathing, which I also remember. But all these memories are from the second life. I remember using the breathing of that son of a bitch Michikatsu Tsugikuni. The one who called himself Kokushibo. And I also remember Tanjiro performing the Dance of the Fire God. I even learned from him and gradually trained, but I never used it in my second life. And now… I finally understand… So, I just need to remember my current life, maybe it will come with time? It took me 3 years and 4 months to piece together the puzzle from the chaos. All that's left is to remember how I ended up here. How I ended up with Usopp and what drove me, why I'm still alive. I already believe in gods, but I don't particularly like them. This world gave me a reason not to like them. Yuichiro, I hope you are in another good world and living peacefully. It's just my damn luck to end up in hell, even while alive."
Muichiro had already brewed the tea and brought it out to the porch.
"Unfortunately, I can't let you inside the house; it's very dusty and untidy. I hope you don't mind," said Muichiro to the old man.
"Oh, come on... It's fine. I'd rather sit here and look at nature. By the way, you have a nice place here. Even the lake looks different," said the old man.
"Do you know who lived here before?" asked Muichiro.
"Yes. A crazy swordsmith lived here. His name was Haganezuko," said the old man.
"HAGANEZUKO?????" Muichiro thought to himself, his eyes widening so much they almost popped out of their sockets.
"Wait… What was his full name? That swordsmith's," asked Muichiro, trying to hide the excited tone in his voice from the old man.
"I think his full name was Haganezuko Hotaru," said the old man.
"HOLY SHIT! THAT'S THE NAME OF THE VERY SWORDSMITH OF TANJIRO WHO ALMOST STRANGLED ME OVER THE UNPOLISHED KATANA. WHEN TANJIRO KILLED THE 4 UPPER MOONS" Muichiro thought in surprise, but then another thought followed. "Or maybe it's just a coincidence and this crazy swordsmith is just another crazy swordsmith. Anyway, I'll find him. Maybe he's even from my original world."
"I see… Do you know where he is now?" Muichiro asked carefully.
"Yes, I do. We can walk there when we're ready," said the old man.
"Alright, I'll go get ready then. You should walk around too, don't just sit. The weather promises to be sunny today," said Muichiro to the old man.