Chapter 25

On the courtyard wall under the thatched roof, Siano drew a bunch of "E"s facing different directions from top to bottom.

"Which way is this?"

"Up."

"How about this one?"

"……Left?"

"Close the other eye, how about this one?"

"Uh... can't see clearly."

No hope.

Siano slapped his forehead. Except for the largest E at the very top, she couldn't identify the direction of any of the ones below.

Kuina's vision was at most 4.0.

According to the standards of his previous life, she would need glasses of over 600 degrees, classifying her as severely nearsighted.

"Has your father never paid attention to your vision problems?" he couldn't help but ask.

"……Father is usually very busy. I couldn't see things clearly, it should have only started last year. I never mentioned it either, so it's normal that he didn't notice, right?"

One didn't mention it, the other didn't notice at all.

This father and daughter were a bit too careless.

"Anyway, get a pair of glasses quickly."

Siano sighed, "It doesn't matter if you're just messing around with bamboo swords in the dojo, but when you're really fighting, isn't that joking with your own life? You don't even need to wait for a fight; you could just be walking down the stairs, not see the path clearly, slip, and fall to your death."

"Mm, I'll talk to Father about this when he gets back later."

Kuina nodded seriously.

If someone else had said it, given her temper, she might have been unable to resist arguing, especially the second half—how could she be that weak?

But coming from Siano, it sounded so pleasant.

She sat down along the wooden corridor under the eaves and looked up at Siano.

"It seems like I've always been making Mr. Siano worry, talking about my affairs. Why don't we talk about yours?"

"Me? What's there to talk about regarding me."

Siano shrugged and sat down as well.

"I haven't officially set sail yet, so there's nothing worth mentioning. I just did that one thing on Shallow Cherry Island, and you know the specific details better than I do."

"Haven't officially set sail yet?"

"Yeah, I'm only thirteen. Why would I set sail? I have to wait until I'm seventeen or eighteen to go out and explore, that would be more appropriate, right?"

"Eh? Thirteen?!! That means you're only two years older than me!"

"Doesn't look like it?"

"It doesn't! It's not just about the appearance... mainly, Mr. Siano, you look so steady, and at such a young age, you've already gained such great fame!"

Kuina made a gesture of swinging a sword, "Seeing injustice and stepping in to uphold justice, no matter how you look at it, it's too cool! When you officially set sail, if you join the military, you'll surely become an amazing Marine!"

"Marines?"

Siano thought for a moment and shook his head, "No interest."

Perhaps if he had transmigrated a few years earlier, he really would have made joining the Marines his goal. After all, in his view at that time, even the worst order was better than chaos and turmoil.

And the Marines' white justice coat was, honestly, really cool.

But he happened to have been reborn after finishing the God Valley chapter. Thinking back on it, it was truly disgusting.

If he were assigned some mission to escort the Celestial Dragons, he was afraid he'd vomit up his dinner from the night before.

Kuina was stunned, "Eh, then could it be a bounty hunter? Wait, it wouldn't be a pirate, would it?"

"As long as I can maintain my freedom, what exactly I am doesn't seem to matter, right?"

Siano spread his hands, "The world is so big. In any case, I definitely have to set sail and look around, otherwise it would be a waste of all the skills I've practiced, living this life in vain. But... do I really have to limit myself to an identity in advance?"

"If I run into pirates coming to rob me, I'll just rob them back. If the Marines come to disgust me, I won't be polite either. Whatever identity they label me with at that time is their business."

"I am still me, and I won't change my stance because of the labels stuck on me. Those who are on the same path are on the same path, and those who aren't, still aren't... do you understand what I mean?"

"I think I can understand."

Kuina tilted her head, "However, I've only heard of Marines putting bounties on pirates, not the other way around. So if you fight back against both sides when they provoke you, wouldn't you ultimately be judged as a pirate?"

"That really is how it is!"

Siano laughed out loud, "If that day really comes, I won't be polite either. I'll just draw a skull flag, form a pirate crew, and whoever provokes me, I'll beat them up!"

"Until the Marines and pirates tremble at the sight of my ship from afar, not even daring to approach, then I won't have to care about anyone and can continue to adventure happily!"

"Hey, Kuina!"

He suddenly lowered his head, "Didn't you make a promise with Zoro to compete on who will become the world's greatest swordsman first? How about you both join my ship then?"

"If you want to be the world's greatest swordsman, staying in a small place like the Isshin Dojo won't work. If you don't travel across the sea, how can you make the world recognize this identity!"

*Together with Mr. Siano?*

*Leave this small Shimotsuki Village and explore the entire sea?*

Kuina stared blankly at the horizon in the distance, her breathing suddenly becoming rapid.

She gripped her bamboo sword and stood up abruptly: "N-now?! It's a bit rushed, but that's fine. But Father hasn't returned yet, should I ask for his permission first before..."

"What are you thinking!"

Siano patted her head and said irritably, "Are you really in such a hurry to leave here? Who said we're setting sail now? I don't even have a ship yet!"

"That hurts!"

"Anyway, consider it a promise. Bury it in your heart for now, no rush. Keep practicing hard with Zoro for a few more years. If you leave at such a young age, Mr. Koshiro will be sad."

Siano stretched and stood up, smiling, "Don't worry, when I'm really about to set sail, I definitely won't forget to come find you."

There was silence behind him.

He turned back, puzzled, and saw Kuina staring straight at him.

"Pinky swear?"

"Uh... that's not necessary, right? You shouldn't be as childish as Zoro, right?"

"Pinky swear! Otherwise, don't think about shaking me off tonight. I'll follow you even when you go to sleep!"

"……There's really no helping you."

————

Koshiro didn't return until the next morning.

Siano had rested for a night and was feeling refreshed and full of energy after waking up early. He was doing handstand push-ups in the courtyard when he saw Koshiro leading two figures inside.

Before he could see who it was, the two of them knelt down with a thud.

"Benefactor!"

Siano hurriedly flipped back to his feet and helped Zeff and Sanji up from the ground.

"What are you doing? Just got out of bed and you're doing this? I really can't handle this. Besides, old man, didn't you already thank me a few days ago?"

"Haha, the grace of saving a life is greater than heaven, how could thanking you once be enough."

Zeff grinned and pointed to his right leg, "Besides, Benefactor, you actually saved me twice. If you hadn't rowed and accelerated with all your might and brought me here to Shimotsuki Village, how could I have met Mr. Koshiro and Dr. Ziran to help me treat this leg?"

Leg?

Siano looked down and discovered that below Zeff's right knee, which should have been empty, there was now a sturdy wooden leg.

The craftsmanship was quite exquisite, and the joints could even bend freely. If he pulled his pant leg down, you couldn't tell he was disabled at all.

It was far better than the toilet-plunger-like wooden stick in the original timeline.

"When I was young, I once followed my father to do blacksmithing, but I was dull and didn't manage to learn the true essence."

Koshiro adjusted his glasses and said with a smile, "However, I was more interested in woodworking in private and spent a lot of time studying it. I didn't expect there would be a day it would come in handy."

(End of chapter)