Ethan's hatred came from the fact that Roger had opened the Great Age of Pirates, creating countless breeding grounds for evil across the seas.
The chaos and misery Ethan had endured in the early days after his transmigration, his tragic life, could all be traced back to that one declaration from Roger.
Yet he also felt a measure of respect.
After all, Roger's true goal was to use the will of freedom to oppose the World Government. In terms of ideological confrontation, the Pirate King could be considered his predecessor.
"The Pirate King… I will probably be the one to end that title in the future…"
In the end, all that remained was a sigh as he turned and walked away.
They were still wanted criminals, after all. It was not wise for the two of them to linger in such a sensitive place, or they would invite a Marine inspection.
A place like Roger's execution platform had a powerful pull on pirates.
There would always be countless rookie pirates sneaking in, trying to stir up trouble just to make a name for themselves and cause a big scene.
If they were lucky, they would be captured quickly, thrown into prison, and many years later be released to go home and farm.
If they were unlucky, they would be killed on the spot and recorded as nameless corpses.
Even though Smoker had not been stationed here yet, the officer in charge of a place like Loguetown usually came from Marine Headquarters with the rank of at least commander or above. Knowing one or two techniques from the Navy's Six Styles was completely normal.
Their strength was top tier within the Four Seas and not something to provoke lightly.
After leaving the execution platform, Ethan and Robin headed to the newspaper office to submit his manuscript.
Back in the West Blue, Ethan had already been publishing short stories in the papers under the pen name Adam, and the response had been excellent. This time, for a long running series, the World Economic News had even sent a senior chief editor to meet him in person.
"My, my, Mr. Adam, you are truly a young talent. I never expected you to be this young in person. It is truly admirable.
"Our president often tells us to learn from Mr. Adam's writing. To have the honor of meeting you face to face today, I hope you will guide us in the future."
Who said the style of the One Piece world was always straightforward? The tone of this little speech felt exactly like the professional flattery from Ethan's previous world. It was oddly comforting.
After a round of polite small talk, Ethan pulled out a thick manuscript.
"This time it will be an illustrated serial. The title is JoJo's Bizarre Adventure."
He had chosen this series very carefully.
First, the art and style were strange, the lines ridiculously dramatic. It just felt like it fit the world of One Piece very well.
Second, the story contained supernatural powers, which would strongly attract ordinary readers. In the world of One Piece, ordinary people also longed for strength.
Third, JoJo was hot blooded to the core. It could awaken the courage of regular people. He did not expect them to become heroes who stood up in every crisis, but as long as they stopped turning a blind eye to evil, that would be enough.
The chief editor could not put down a story that clearly screamed best seller at first glance.
He sighed again and again over Ethan's talent, marveling that someone so young could produce such a gripping work.
They quickly signed a serialization contract. Ethan would become a special contributor for the World Economic News, with his own column in the paper to serialize JoJo's Bizarre Adventure.
After the signing, the newspaper company generously paid him an initial manuscript fee, filling Ethan's pockets nicely.
The two then spent a week in Loguetown shopping. Since they were going to study under a teacher, they naturally needed to bring gifts.
They picked up a good quality Grade Fifty sword from a high end weapon shop and a formal gift box.
After placing the money gift inside, they boarded the ship bound for Shimotsuki Village, also known as Shimotsuki Village in the East Blue.
Loguetown was not far from Shimotsuki Village, and the trip would take about a week.
Among the Four Seas, the East Blue had always been known as the weakest sea. That also meant it was relatively safe, and passenger ships sailed smoothly.
But Ethan did not let his guard down. For him and Robin, the East Blue was actually the most dangerous place.
Far too many big names had been born here, and none of them were easy to deal with. Fortunately, the journey ended without any trouble, and they safely arrived in Shimotsuki Village.
…
Lately, Koushirou had been in high spirits, because his daughter Kuina had just been born.
At first, he had thought of giving her a traditional Wano name. But then he realized that he had already given up the name Shimotsuki, and there was no need to cling too tightly to those customs.
Now the bloodline had been passed on, but the legacy of swordsmanship had yet to find a successor.
Kuina was a girl, and after examining her bones and physique, he found that she was not an extraordinary talent. It was unlikely she would be able to inherit the full strength of the Shimotsuki sword style.
According to the family records, the bodies of the Kozuki clan were stronger than those of the Shimotsuki. Once every few generations, a peerless warrior would appear among them, which truly inspired envy.
His hand resting on the hilt of Wado Ichimonji at his waist, Koushirou knew that his own swordsmanship was slowly declining. But that was the path he had chosen.
When he chose to hide away in the East Blue, he knew his swordsmanship had reached its limit.
Swordsmanship, Haki and the body could not be allowed to stagnate. If they did not advance, they would inevitably decline. Without outside disturbances to spur them on, such people would end up spending their remaining years in quiet corners of the world, their glory fading away.
For the strong on the seas, their conviction must never falter.
Haki and swordsmanship especially could not coexist with seclusion. Once a warrior's spirit cooled, their strength would fall from its peak. There were countless examples of this across the oceans.
Golden Lion Shiki had once been a top tier powerhouse who rivaled Roger and Whitebeard. But after he escaped from Impel Down and went into hiding to plot in the shadows, his Haki and swordsmanship both declined sharply.
His Haki dulled, his sword aura scattered, even his Float-Float Fruit abilities became flashy and frivolous.
It no longer matched the level of the man who had once stormed Marine Headquarters alone. The fact that the story later let Luffy defeat him could be partially justified by this decline.
Although not giving him any chance to show Haki at all still felt a bit too much.
Then there was the shame of the Seven Warlords, Gecko Moria. In the New World, he had once been a madman who dared swing his giant blade at Kaido.
After his defeat, he relied on zombies and puppets for revenge. But if he really stood before Kaido again, it would all be over with a single swing. He might not even live long enough to see a Thunder Bagua.
The stronger a person was, the more pure and relentless they needed to be.
The future Four Emperors and three admirals all shared this trait. Although they walked different paths, none of them feared roaming the seas.
Pure to the bone like Garp, who was still going strong in his old age. He had charged to the summit when fighting the Rocks Pirates and still retained tremendous strength during the Marineford war. It all came from how pure he was at heart.
Back to Koushirou. Although Kuina likely could not inherit the full Shimotsuki style, he was not too worried. Some things could only be left to fate.
Running his dojo in Shimotsuki Village, he would quietly look for a worthy candidate. Sooner or later, some young swordsman would appear to carry the Shimotsuki name again.
(End of Chapter)
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