Chapter 25: Rising Fame [Requesting Monthly Tickets]

One can only say that the pathfinder halo is truly invincible.

After wandering back and forth in the village with Zoro for half an hour, Siano felt so dizzy he thought his head would spin; finally, he had to ask an older man for directions before locating the entrance to the One Sword Dojo.

Surprisingly, Teacher Teacher Gengsilang was already waiting at the main gate.

"Why did you arrive so late?"

The middle-aged man, dressed in a kimono and wearing black-rimmed glasses, smiled at Zoro and asked, "Was it your fault? Did you lead Lord Siano astray as well?"

"..." Zoro's face turned red again.

He could lie to Siano, but before his familiar teacher, he was powerless to argue.

Muttering indignantly, he turned around. "So annoying! As long as I delivered the person, isn't that enough? I'm leaving! Don't call me for dinner; I haven't finished today's extra training tasks yet!"

Watching Zoro depart, Teacher Teacher Gengsilang chuckled, then turned and walked into the dojo.

"Dinner is already being prepared. Since Lord Siano likely hasn't eaten yet, why not join us?"

"I am indeed a bit hungry; thank you for the hospitality."

Siano made no pretense of modesty; following behind, he asked with some curiosity, "Does Mr. Teacher Gengsilang know my name? Could it be that Junichi has already returned from the clinic, and so quickly?"

"Junichi?"

Teacher Teacher Gengsilang paused briefly, then shook his head. "No, I only heard news of the boy's return; I haven't seen him in person yet. Speaking of which, I must thank you on his behalf. This trip to Asakura Island turned out to be far more perilous than expected; had he not encountered you, he might not have survived."

"Then how do you know so much...?"

"Well, naturally, it's because Lord Siano has become quite famous during this period."

Teacher Teacher Gengsilang retrieved several newspapers from the middle shelf of a cabinet and handed them to Siano, saying with a smile, "Once you read these, you should understand."

Newspapers?

Siano accepted them curiously; having drifted at sea for the past few days, he hadn't encountered a single News Coo.

Or perhaps the News Coos flying high overhead simply hadn't noticed their small boat.

"Here, have some tea." Teacher Teacher Gengsilang personally brewed a cup of green tea and handed it over.

"Thank you."

The two sat on the tatami mats on opposite sides of the low table; Siano spread out the newspapers and began reading them carefully.

These newspapers were mostly from local East Blue presses; without exception, their front-page headlines all concerned reports on the Asakura Island incident.

"Shimotsuki Village is isolated from the world; aside from me, who subscribes to newspapers daily, few people here know of your deeds."

Teacher Teacher Gengsilang said with a gentle smile, "But other islands are different; across many areas of the nearby seas, you have been the focus of attention these past few days. Calling you the East Blue's most dazzling new star right now would not be an exaggeration."

His words contained not a shred of exaggeration.

From Siano's unstoppable advance, crushing all opposition to reach the finals, to the series of bizarre incidents that occurred within the competition dojo;

to the seven dojo masters being completely puppetized in a grotesque and terrifying manner, and the revelation that the mastermind behind it all was actually the long-dead President Sakuraba Ki...

This bizarre story alone was eye-catching enough, yet amidst such despair, a young swordsman suddenly stepped forward, single-handedly shattering the conspiracy.

After discovering the mastermind's hidden treasure vault, he reportedly took not a single penny for himself, instead taking it upon himself to distribute the enormous wealth among all the victims.

Finally, before dawn even broke, the young swordsman quietly departed, hiding his achievements and fame.

—This was practically the standard template for a young hero found only in traditional folk tales; it would be strange if this didn't explode in popularity.

Several local East Blue newspapers spared no ink, publishing continuous reports for several days, causing their sales figures to climb steadily.

Even the World Economic Journal was stirred into action, hurriedly following up; although it wasn't the headline story, it still occupied a considerable portion of the second page.

After all this fermentation.

The title of "The Strongest Swordsman of the Younger Generation in the East Blue" had quietly spread across more than half of the East Blue region.

"Th-this is too much exaggeration..."

Holding the newspapers, Siano felt his old face flushing red.

Most of the time, reporters weren't present at the scene; the report content was largely compiled from testimonies gathered afterward, resulting in many details being quite inaccurate.

For instance, while he did leave behind the two hundred million Berries in the vault, the four hundred million Berries from the Loguetown treasury were currently in his possession; where was the nobility of taking not a single penny?

Junichi's involvement was completely ignored, but this amounted to indirect protection, which could barely be considered a good thing.

After all, as the son of the mastermind Sakuraba Ki, his identity was extremely sensitive.

With his reputation hyped up like this, there was a risk that many victims' families, unable to distinguish right from wrong, might come seeking revenge.

However, speaking of which.

The most incongruous point was, without a doubt—

"I actually got promoted to the Strongest Swordsman?!!"

Swordsman?

Are you kidding me!

How could his mediocre swordsmanship stand up in a major battle? The final victory was clearly achieved by using his strong physique to punch it out, fist by fist!

"Hiss..."

Siano scratched his hair, feeling slightly headache-inducing trouble.

Won't I encounter swordsmen in the future who will request sparring matches, challenges, or guidance?

However, this outcome wasn't entirely unexpected.

After all, when the true major battle began later, everyone in the dojo who could run had fled; conversely, his entire path of advancement through the Kendo Tournament prior to that had been fully recorded.

A genius swordsman who entered the finals with a perfect record, ultimately defeating a terrifying Devil Fruit user...

If not by swordsmanship, what else could it rely on?

Quite reasonable, indeed.

Even the front-page photos in these newspapers used pictures taken by reporters during the preliminary rounds.

—A black-haired youth embracing a bamboo sword, standing proudly atop a wooden platform, rarely encountering defeat, while a large crowd of astonished spectators gathered below.

At a single glance.

He truly possessed a few traces of the demeanor of a young swordsman who leaves the mountains undefeated.

"Sigh."

Siano let out another long sigh.

Teacher Teacher Gengsilang, however, misunderstood his meaning and smiled:

"Becoming famous yet wearing a face full of worries; it seems Lord Siano is the type who prefers keeping a low profile. That makes sense; otherwise, how could you have silently departed after settling matters?"

He made no attempt to hide his admiration, making Siano even more restless.

He feared the other's next words would be something like, "I wish to witness your swordsmanship," "Dinner is still being prepared," or "Why don't we spar a little?"

Fortunately, the figure pushing open the door saved him from his social anxiety.

"Father."

A girl with short black hair and an indifferent expression stood at the doorway and spoke calmly, "Grandma said the meal is ready and told me to fetch you; let's go now... Eh? Eh? Eh? Eh?!!!!"

She suddenly let out a shriek, turning her gaze toward Siano, her small face brimming with delight, "L-Lord Siano! Why are you here!"

Thump-thump-thump; before Siano could react, she rushed straight over, grabbed his arm, touched it left and right, and looked it over. "An illusion? No! It's not an illusion! It's really him in person!"

Siano's heart gave a sudden thud, and he turned his head to look at Teacher Teacher Gengsilang.

"This is my daughter, Sister Guyina. Please forgive her; she does not normally display such behavior."

Teacher Teacher Gengsilang chuckled, "It is only because she saw you with her own eyes that she lost her composure. Speaking of which, besides practicing swordsmanship, she usually enjoys reading very much; she often browses the newspapers I subscribe to. These past few days, she has been quite captivated by your story, reading it over and over again."

(End of Chapter)