章 21: Chapter – 21 Third Defeat & the News
Isshin Dojo, Shimotsuki Village, East Blue
Smack!
A resounding sound of two Shinai colliding was heard as the Shinai in Kuina's hand flew off and fell far away.
At the same time, Kuina also fell on her butt with a THUD!
"The winner is... Ryuma!" Rio declared the result.
Realizing that she has lost to Ryuma yet again, Kuina slammed her fist to the ground in frustration, "Damn it!"
Ryuma smirked as he looked at Kuina's frustrated expression, "That's three wins in a row for me Kuina-chan…!"
Kuina glared at Ryuma, "Don't think I have accepted defeat!"
Ryuma tilted his head in confusion, "But you have lost… what do you mean by 'I haven't accepted defeat'?"
Getting up, Kuina dusted her clothes, then went on to pick up her Shinai as she said, "You have won this time… but next time… next time I will definitely defeat you!" Then she ran towards the door of the Dojo and stopped just before disappearing, "You better be ready… next time I am going to come stronger!"
Ryuma grinned as he tapped his Shinai on his shoulder, "I see…? So, you wish to challenge me again, huh?" and said, "Very well… come as many times as you want, I shall accept your challenge every time... But know that by challenging me, you are facing an insurmountable wall that you would never be able to cross!"
Kuina gritted her teeth as she retorted, "Oh yeah? Sooner or later, I will prove you wrong!"
Ryuma smirked, "That will only happen in your dreams."
"We shall see," spoke Kuina as she disappeared.
Watching Kuina leave, Ryuma wondered with a smile, 'I wonder if the events will play out the way I want.'
It was clear as day that Kuina had been greatly stimulated by the three defeats she suffered from Ryuma. However, whether this would bring forth a positive change or a negative change in Kuina remained to be seen.
…
Unaware of Ryuma's thoughts, Kuina, who had just walked out of the Dojo, stumbled upon one of the disciples at the Dojo.
With moss-green hair, wearing the standard uniform of Isshin Dojo, and carrying two Shinai, he stood in front of Kuina, blocking her way, and screamed, "Kuina… I have come to challenge you!"
Kuina was taken aback by the boy's shout and whispered lightly, "Zoro."
That's right, this young boy was none other than Roronoa Zoro, the guy who had lost 1000 duels since the day he stepped foot at Isshin Dojo.
Three disciples who were walking by the scene looked at Kuina and the boy, then shook their heads.
"Look… Zoro has once again come to challenge Kuina!" spoke one of the disciples.
"This guy doesn't know when to give up, does he?" added another disciple, feeling pity for Zoro.
"Yeah… Kuina has been undefeated… except for Koushirou-sensei, no one has been able to defeat her!" said the third disciple.
Hearing their conversation, Kuina's mood turned sour. When the disciples called her 'undefeated,' she didn't like that and remembered the defeat she had just suffered a few moments ago. Of course, none of the disciples at the Isshin Dojo knew about it, so they still thought that she was the same undefeated fighter.
Her anger only escalated when recalling her recent defeat, and she ignored Zoro's challenge as she said, "How many times should I tell you already, Zoro? I am not interested in entertaining your pitiful swordplay anymore… go and bother someone else. I have much more important things to take care of." Then she walked past him, no longer paying any attention to him.
Kuina was no longer interested in accepting Zoro's challenges. With Ryuma in the picture, she had her eyes on a bigger target...
Zoro was stunned by Kuina's response, and not only Zoro but also the other disciples at the Dojo were taken aback.
However, Zoro wasn't about to accept this answer so easily and once again stood in front of Kuina with both his Shinai drawn out, "Accept my challenge, Kuina…!"
"Haven't I given you my response already?" said Kuina with a frown. She didn't want to bother with Zoro any longer, and yet he was standing in front of her once again, much to her annoyance.
Zoro said while gritting his teeth, "Well… I refuse your refusal to accept my challenge," and added, "You have been refusing my challenges again and again for the past week… And I don't like that… I am going to become the world's greatest Swordsman… and to do that, I have to first overcome you, the biggest hurdle before me! So… accept my challenge. I am going to defeat you this time for sure!"
"Tch!" she clicked her tongue in annoyance and drew out her Shinai, "Fine, come!"
"Sure!" A bright smile blossomed on Zoro's face as he dashed toward Kuina with a war cry, "Haaaaaaa!"
…
A few moves later
"Now stay there, and don't bother me anymore…" said Kuina as she sheathed her Shinai at her waist and disappeared.
Looking at the disappearing back of Kuina and at the miserable state of Zoro, the disciples sighed, "She is brutal…"
At this time, a disciple with tanned skin and white hair stepped forward to help Zoro get back on his feet and said while looking at the disappearing back of Kuina, "She doesn't show any mercy, huh?"
"Thanks, Saga," Zoro thanked the disciple, then he too looked at the disappearing back of Kuina as he muttered with a thoughtful expression, "Her strikes… they were stronger and hurt more."
"Did they?" asked Saga in confusion.
Zoro nodded, "Yes…" and added, "Moreover, her swordplay…" but stopped midway and shook his head, "Forget it… I have to train… I must surpass her!"
Zoro didn't speak it, however, there was something about Kuina's swordplay that bothered him. It wasn't the same as their last duel… It felt as if her swordplay wasn't as free as it used to be, and it carried traces of frustration. Although the reflection was very subtle, Zoro was able to sense it for some reason, and this bothered him. Moreover, there was also the fact that she did not accept his challenges for the past week.
Initially, he assumed that Kuina was just looking down on him because he had already lost 1000 duels and trained crazily hard in the last week. However, now that he had crossed blades with her, he instinctively felt something off about it. Inwardly, he couldn't help but think, 'Is something bothering Kuina? Maybe I should investigate…'
…
After Kuina ran away with a frustrated expression upon suffering her third defeat, Ryuma decided to head to the Smithy. However, just as he passed by Koushirou, who was reading the newspaper, a headline caught his attention and caused him to suddenly halt, "!!!" as he tried to read the complete news.
Koushirou noticed Ryuma's gaze and thought to himself, 'Come to think of it, Ryuma-kun is half-merfolk... maybe...' and questioned him, "Ryuma-kun, do you want to read this article?"
After a moment of thinking, Ryuma nodded, "Ah... yes... if that's all right with you, Koushirou-san."
"Of course, there is no problem... here you go..." smiled Koushirou as he passed the newspaper.
Ryuma took the newspaper handed to him by Koushirou, then sat down beside him and started to read the article.
Rio, who was perched up on Ryuma's back, also paid attention to the article. In the parrot's view, although Ryuma often reads the newspaper, the number of times he had such a serious expression as he read something could be counted on one hand.
As far as Rio recalls, the last time was about a year ago, and it was about the coronation of the Empress of Amazon Lily and the captain of Kuja Pirates to the Warlord System.
The news was simply about a human woman named Boa Hancock accepting the position of one of the Warlords of the Sea.
A pirate crew joining the Warlord System is, of course, a matter of great importance, and Rio understood the seriousness of the news. Curious about what caught Ryuma's attention, he read out loud, "Captain of the Sun Pirates, Fisher Tiger, with a bounty of 230 million Beri, executed by the efforts of Rear Admiral Strawberry!"
The headline itself explained the entire news. Ryuma continued to read the rest of the article.
"At Foolshout Island, the forces led by Rear Admiral Strawberry encountered the Sun Pirates, who were about to ravage the island. In order to protect the people and stop the rampage of Fisher Tiger, the captain of the Sun Pirates with a bounty of 230 Million Beli, Rear Admiral Strawberry led his forces to confront the Sun Pirates, resulting in the death of the Captain of the Sun Pirates... Fisher Tiger, and the capture of one of the top officers... Saw-Tooth Arlong.
For his act of bravery in protecting the people of Foolshout Island by confronting a fearsome pirate crew, Rear Admiral Strawberry has been promoted to the rank of Vice Admiral of the Marine HQ!"
By the time he finished reading the news, Ryuma muttered in disdain, "What a load of bullcrap!"
If he were an ignorant person, Ryuma might have believed the news at face value. After all, there is no shortage of pirates who pillage and ravage islands. However, due to retaining the memories of his past life and having knowledge of the One Piece canon, he is aware of the series of events that led to Fisher Tiger's death. Fisher Tiger, who hated humans, had a specific reason for stepping foot on an island inhabited by humans: to bring Koala, one of the slaves he freed from the Holy Land Mary Geoise three years ago, back to her home.
But he was betrayed by the people of Foolshout Island who sold him to the Marines. Moreover, it wasn't even the Marines who killed him; it was Fisher Tiger's hatred for humans that led to his death when he refused to accept a human's blood. So, although Rear Admiral Strawberry is credited with his death, the reality is that he only became a contributing factor.
Normally, the 'execution' of a pirate worth only 230 million Beli wouldn't be enough to promote a Rear Admiral to Vice Admiral. Even with additional credit, it wouldn't be sufficient for such a major promotion. However, considering the fact that Fisher Tiger's actions had offended the World Government and all the Celestial Dragons, many higher-ups were delighted with his death, leading to the promotion of Strawberry.
After reading the news, Ryuma put down the newspaper and murmured in a melancholic tone of voice, "A good man has passed away, huh?"
Koushirou heard Ryuma's murmur and questioned him, "Ryuma-kun... did you by any chance know Fisher Tiger?" There was a peculiar light in his eyes as he asked this question. He seemed to want to gauge something.
Of course, Koushirou and Kozaburo are aware of Ryuma's half-Oni-half-merfolk lineage. Therefore, when the matter came to news about the death of Fisher Tiger, a legendary figure among the Fishmen and a certain group of humans—the slaves who were freed by him—and the fact that Ryuma called him a 'good man' despite his heinous crime (at least in the eyes of the World Government and the general public who did not know the true story), Koushirou couldn't help but wonder if Ryuma knew Fisher Tiger personally.
Unaware of Koushirou's thoughts, Ryuma simply shook his head, "No, I did not know him personally, and never had the opportunity to meet him," and explained, "I was only six years old when I was swept away by the currents of the Grand Line... and before I knew it... I was in East Blue..."
The background Ryuma has created for himself is that he used to live on the Grand Line. However, suddenly a giant wave swept the island and washed him away. The dangerous currents of the Grand Line carried him all the way to the East Blue.
As for his parents, Ryuma does not know who they are or their identities. By the time he could process things around him, they were long gone.
Although the story is a little unbelievable, it is not completely unacceptable.
'So, Ryuma-kun has been in the East Blue for the past 6 years. I guess he is not one of those... after all, that incident at Mary Geoise occurred only about 3 years ago...' thought Koushirou as he nodded, "I see."
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