Koushiro was in a great mood recently because his daughter Kuina was born.
He had originally planned to name her according to Wano Country tradition, but then he thought that he, who had already abandoned the Shimotsuki name, had no reason to be too stubborn.
Now that the lineage was passed down, only the inheritance of swordsmanship remained.
It was a shame Kuina was a girl; touching her bones, she didn’t seem to have exceptional talent.
He was afraid she wouldn’t be able to inherit the Shimotsuki family’s swordsmanship.
In the family records, the Kozuki clan’s physique was much stronger than the Shimotsuki clan’s.
It was truly enviable that every few generations a peerless strongman would appear.
Touching Wado Ichimonji at his waist, Koushiro knew his swordsmanship was gradually declining, but this was his choice.
By choosing to live in seclusion in the East Blue, Koushiro knew his swordsmanship had reached its limit.
Swordsmanship, Haki, and the body all decline if not advanced.
If no other external disturbances came, he might only be able to live in seclusion here until he grew old.
For those strong on the sea, faith must never waver.
Haki and swordsmanship especially could not be practiced in seclusion.
If one’s spirit falters, strength will slip and never recover its peak.
There are countless examples of this on the sea.
Golden Lion Shiki was indeed a top-tier fighter who contended with Roger and Whitebeard.
After escaping from Impel Down, he hid and plotted, and his proficiency in Haki and swordsmanship significantly declined.
His Haki wasn’t strong, his sword energy was scattered, and even his devil fruit abilities became flashy.
It was nothing like his skill when he stormed Marine Headquarters alone.
The narrative trope of him being defeated by Luffy had some reason behind it.
But to not even show his Haki was a bit too much.
Then there’s the disgrace of the Seven Warlords, Gecko Moria.
He was once a fierce fighter who slashed at Kaido with his great sword in the New World.
After being defeated, he also created zombie puppets in hopes of revenge, but if he were to face Kaido again, it would be nothing more than a single blow.
The stronger one is, the purer they are, the more they bravely advance.
The future Four Emperors and Three Admirals are all like this.
Although they walk different paths, none of them fear roaming the seas.
Pure like Garp, still strong in his old age, he charged to the forefront against the Rocks Pirates and maintained extremely strong combat power during the Summit War.
This was all due to his extreme purity.
Returning to Koushiro, though Kuina couldn’t inherit all of the Shimotsuki swordsmanship, he wasn’t too worried.
Such things should be left to fate.
He opened his dojo in Shimotsuki Village and would slowly scout for candidates.
There would surely be some sword-wielding youth who could uphold the Shimotsuki name.
“Knock knock.”
“Hello, is this the Shimotsuki Dojo?
We’ve come to ask to be taken as students.”
The arrival of a brother and sister shattered the peaceful Shimotsuki Dojo.
Seated before Koushiro were the two siblings, Noah and Robin.
“Adam, a writer from the West Blue?
You’ve come all this way to be a student?
This is just a nameless dojo in the East Blue.
Why come here?”
Koushiro was a bit confused.
The young man who brought his sister indeed had some fame.
He remembered often seeing this person’s articles in the World Economic News.
Why would such a writer want to become a student, and insist on coming to him?
This was what Koushiro needed to understand.
“Because I accidentally saw the Shimotsuki family crest.
I knew your swordsmanship was among the best on the Four Seas.”
Koushiro’s gaze immediately fixed on Noah.
Wano Country had always enforced a strict isolationist policy.
How could outsiders possibly know the family crest?
His right hand moved to his sword hilt, his aura condensing but not released.
Noah felt a slight splitting sensation on his face.
He’s a master!
“Oh~, young man, how did you know about the Shimotsuki family?”
“Master Koushiro, we siblings are from Ohara.
My name is Noah, and my sister’s name is Robin.
Our current status is survivors of Ohara and wanted criminals by the World Government.
We’ve come simply to learn the power of self-preservation, because on the sea, one’s own sword is always trustworthy.”
Noah felt it was necessary to be honest about his identity, as he wanted to accomplish his future tasks with integrity.
If Koushiro refused to take them in due to their identity, they would simply find another channel to learn slowly.
With their analytical abilities, they were confident they could grow stronger anywhere.
Ohara…
Koushiro felt he understood why they knew information about Wano Country.
After all, the “Tree of Knowledge” was quite famous.
Then came the dilemma.
He understood the importance of Ohara’s Poneglyphs to the World Government.
If the World Government were to find out these two were learning swordsmanship here, they might launch another Buster Call on this small island.
But it was only a dilemma.
People from Wano Country would not fear the World Government.
400 years ago, their ancestor Shimotsuki Ryuma, with one sword, blocked the World Government.
Therefore, the samurai of Wano Country are all very proud.
This is even more true for those of the Shimotsuki family.
When Zoro caused a ruckus at Enies Lobby and became a Supernova pirate in the future, Koushiro calmly drank tea.
Naturally, he wouldn’t be afraid now.
However, there was no need to agonize over whether to accept the two.
The basic swordsmanship of the outer gate was not a secret art.
“I run a dojo.
As long as you are not deeply wicked people, I will treat you as ordinary students.”
Finally, Koushiro decided to accept them first.
As for the true teachings, he would consider it if they showed talent.
“Thank you, Master Koushiro.
This is the gift and tuition for becoming a student.
We’ll trouble you from now on.”
Koushiro calmly accepted the fine sword and the tuition.
The matter was settled.
After leaving the dojo, Noah and Robin bought an old house in the village, preparing to settle down for a long time.
The villages in the East Blue were still quite simple.
A two-story Western-style house in town was very cheap and even came with a full set of furniture.
The previous owner of the house was a small merchant who encountered pirates during a business trip, and then there was no more.
The house had not been lived in for some time, so there was a lot of dust and several minor issues.
However…
“Flower-Flower Fruit, Twelve Petal Bloom.”
Robin crossed her hands, and her Devil Fruit ability showed itself.
This was a special training she had done in the West Blue.
At that time, she dared not stay outside for long, so when bored at home, she would practice her Flower-Flower Fruit abilities and her multitasking skills through daily chores.
The Flower-Flower Fruit was indeed a great helper for housework.
Small hands grew in various places, some sweeping, some dusting cobwebs, some wiping furniture, and some mopping the floor.
In no time, the cleaning was done, and the house was spotless.
Then Noah and Robin went out again to buy some daily necessities, replace some old furniture, and buy some simple ingredients.
They were busy until dark before basically finishing.
This was all thanks to the Flower-Flower Fruit’s various household tips.
After eating dinner, sitting on the sofa, neither of them wanted to move.
“Will we be living here for a long time?”
Robin yearned for stability.
In the original story, she had no choice but to wander aimlessly.
Later, after finding a sense of belonging with the Straw Hat Crew, she became completely attached to that seafaring family.
“Probably a long time.
After all, the winds of the era have not yet begun to blow.”
As Noah said these words that Robin didn’t understand, he closed his eyes and fell into thought.
He was going to start making his plans.
It was now 1503.
The next major event was the 1509 Mary Geoise incident, where Fisher Tiger would climb the Red Line to liberate slaves.
He decided that if possible, he would participate, as a trial run against the World Government.
This major event was very important.
Liberating slaves would be the most fitting first shot to strike against the World Government.
There were still 6 years to go.
He needed to have the ability to protect himself before he could participate.
With his analytical abilities, he was confident in learning swordsmanship and Haki.
However, physical training could not be shortcut.
Without the proper physical condition, one wouldn’t even qualify to learn Haki.
Swordsmanship also placed a significant burden on the body.
He needed to focus on how to quickly improve his physical fitness.
As a writer of some renown, his royalties were truly high.
Perhaps Oda modeled this world after the income level and status of Japanese writers.
Noah had saved up quite a few top-tier hit novels.
His income would only increase in the future.
With money, he could purchase some medicinal herbs that would enhance physical training.
As for the sea’s treasure, Devil Fruits, he wasn’t too concerned.
Except for a very few that attracted him, he didn’t consider others.
Noah’s future path was to be an enemy to the world.
The Marines would be his enemies in the early stages, pirates were always enemies, the World Government was definitely an enemy, and the rulers of most countries were likewise enemies.
In short, most vested interests would be his enemies.
He absolutely could not leave himself with obvious weaknesses.
For the next 6 years, his tasks were to train, refine his revolutionary theoretical framework, and serialize novels to earn money.
If there was an opportunity, it would be best to contact Monkey D.
Dragon.
Operating and planning would be easier through the Revolutionary Army’s influence.
If he couldn’t contact him, then he would talk about it after the Mary Geoise incident.
Having figured things out, Noah prepared to rest.
He had to officially start his training tomorrow and couldn’t be late.