Ian and Zoro had always firmly believed that Kuina would wake up, but they never expected the wait to be this long.
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, another six years passed.
Throughout these six years, Kuina remained in a coma.
Aside from being unable to wake up, there was nothing wrong with her body.
She continued to grow, and the girl lying on the futon had now blossomed into a graceful young woman.
Since the dojo was almost entirely filled with men, taking care of Kuina was quite inconvenient.
Therefore, Master Koushirou specifically hired an aunt from the village to look after her, feeding and washing her every day.
Ian and Zoro made time every day to talk to Kuina.
Zoro, in particular, constantly brought up how much stronger he was getting each day, hoping to stimulate her into waking up.
However, for some unknown reason—perhaps the stimulation wasn’t strong enough—Kuina would show slight reactions whenever she heard such topics, but she still couldn’t truly wake up.
Zoro’s daily training became increasingly desperate.
He seemed to be using this method to alleviate the deep-seated anxiety in his heart.
He even asked Master Koushirou for the Wado Ichimonji and began his path of the Three-Sword Style.
He believed that since Kuina could no longer train, he would have to grow strong enough for the both of them.
As for Ian?
Ian was currently sitting in the dojo, face-to-face with Master Koushirou.
Over the past six years, Ian had also gradually grown up.
Long-term training had given him a sturdy and upright physique.
Now eighteen years old and standing at 182 centimeters tall, he kept his long black hair tied back in a ponytail.
His expression was gentle, and a faint smile often graced his lips, much like Master Koushirou.
After all these years, the person who had influenced Ian the most was naturally Koushirou, who was both a master and a father figure to him.
It was no surprise that Ian resembled him in demeanor.
However, Koushirou now had quite a few white hairs on his temples.
Although he remained as calm and gentle as ever when dealing with others, Kuina’s condition still caused him a great deal of hidden anxiety.
An old teacup held freshly poured hot water.
The tea leaves unfurled one by one at the perfect temperature, creating a beautiful shade of green.
With Kuina unable to wake up, accompanying his master for tea every noon had become one of Ian’s daily routines.
Picking up the teacup, Ian gently blew away the foam.
After taking a sip, he set the cup down and looked at Koushirou.
“Master, I want to set sail!”
Koushirou wasn’t surprised by Ian’s words.
He smiled and replied, “If I remember correctly, you said the exact same thing two years ago.”
Indeed, when it came to anxiety, Ian was no less desperate than Zoro.
Even two years ago, Ian had wanted to set sail to find a cure for Kuina.
However, Koushirou had stopped him back then.
There was no way Koushirou would feel at ease letting a sixteen-year-old boy head out to sea all alone.
Now, two years later, Ian brought the matter up again.
This time, he had made up his mind.
Even if Koushirou objected, he couldn’t care less anymore.
Strangely enough, Koushirou didn’t object after hearing this.
He merely sighed and said, “Ian, do you know?
I’ve always treated you as my own true child.
Back then, the reason I didn’t want Kuina to inherit the dojo wasn’t just because she was a girl, but also because I actually wanted you to inherit it.”
Ian didn’t say a word, simply gazing quietly at Koushirou.
“But over the years, I’ve come to see things clearly.
Your heart isn’t in Shimotsuki Village!” Koushirou continued.
“Boys will be boys.
Even if your body is here, your heart yearns for the outside world.”
“I’m sorry, Master!” Ian lowered his head and apologized.
“There’s no need to apologize!” Koushirou chuckled.
“I know very well that in an era like this, no force can stop a man from setting sail.
So go if you want to.
You have your own path to walk.”
“Yeah!” Ian nodded.
“Have you decided on a time?” Koushirou asked.
“Tomorrow!” Ian replied.
“So soon?” Koushirou was a bit surprised.
“The sooner, the better!” Ian smiled as well.
“Kuina has been asleep for so long.
She must be getting anxious too.”
Ian had made up his mind to set sail as soon as possible.
Firstly, to find a cure for Kuina, and secondly, to see if he could find a Devil Fruit for her.
While comatose, Kuina naturally couldn’t train.
Given her competitive nature, if she woke up and saw the massive gap between her and Zoro, she probably wouldn’t be able to accept it no matter what.
As her older brother, Ian naturally had to consider his sister’s feelings.
A Devil Fruit was undoubtedly the best shortcut to gaining strength, though he didn’t know if Kuina would be willing to accept it.
Actually, during these six years, Ian had also tried to contact Ivankov again, but strangely enough, he couldn’t reach him at all.
Recalling what Ivankov had said last time about his affairs in the Kamabakka Kingdom, Ian suddenly remembered that in this timeline, Ivankov had likely been arrested by the Marines!
He had been locked up in the underwater prison of Impel Down on trumped-up charges…
He couldn’t be counted on at all.
Koushirou knew about Ian’s desire to find a Devil Fruit for Kuina, as Ian had mentioned it to him before.
However, he didn’t pay it much mind.
In his eyes, Devil Fruits and the like were unorthodox paths!
A true swordsman could only rely on their own sword.
Still, it was out of Ian’s good intentions, so Koushirou didn’t object.
He simply asked, “What about a boat?
What will you do for a boat?”
“I went to Uncle Hull in the village!
I asked him for his old fishing boat!” Ian said with a smile.
“Uncle Hull is a good man.
He didn’t ask for any money and even gave me a sea chart to the nearby towns.”
“The conditions at sea are unpredictable.
You must be careful out there on your own!” Koushirou warned.
Ian wasn’t too worried about this.
He was now a child who had grown up by the sea, so he was quite a strong swimmer.
Even if he encountered storms at sea, he had the ability to protect himself.
“Since you’ve decided, then go!” Koushirou said.
“Leave on your own.
I won’t see you off!”
Not seeing him off was out of fear of the sorrow that came with parting.
Ian naturally understood this and didn’t say anything.
He simply bowed down, gently kowtowing to Koushirou, before standing up and walking out of the dojo.
The next day, by the coast of Shimotsuki Village.
Master Koushirou didn’t come, but there were still many people there to see him off.
Aside from Zoro, all the other junior disciples from the dojo had come as well.
These bratty kids, who used to run around with snotty noses, had gradually grown up.
Their appearances had improved quite a bit, making them much more pleasing to the eye.
“Senior Brother Ian, you have to remember to come back and visit us!”
“Senior Brother Ian, we’ll miss you!”
The junior disciples surrounded Ian, chattering all at once.
This aspect hadn’t changed at all.
The youngest disciple looked like he was about to cry.
Although Ian was usually a bit mischievous and often played pranks on Zoro—like tricking him, tricking him, and tricking him some more—he was actually very good to these junior disciples.
With Kuina unable to wake up, he had taken over her responsibility of caring for them.
So now that Ian was setting sail, the junior disciples were naturally reluctant to see him go.
Ian patted their shoulders comfortingly, feeling a bit emotional.
If it weren’t for the system, given his aptitude, he would probably be just like these junior disciples right now.
Looking at them was like looking at himself before he turned ten.
Sensing a gaze, Ian turned his head and spotted Zoro standing off to the side with his arms crossed.
Zoro was about nine years old when he first came to the dojo.
He had dueled Kuina for a year, earning a record of 2,001 losses and zero wins.
Now, six years later, he was sixteen years old.
He already had the makings of the great Zoro of the future.
His green moss-head was as conspicuous as ever.
Whenever his hair grew out, this guy would just shave it himself with a sword, leaving it a jagged mess like it had been chewed by a dog.
He had swapped out his dojo uniform for a short-sleeved T-shirt and a haramaki around his waist, with three long swords slung at his side.
The only saving grace was that he hadn’t gotten his ears pierced yet, likely out of fear of Master Koushirou scolding him.
Seeing Ian looking over, this guy scoffed and turned his head away, ignoring him.
“What are you acting so arrogant for?” Ian couldn’t help but laugh.
“I told you I wasn’t taking you, so I’m not taking you!”
When Zoro found out Ian was setting sail, he had clamored to go with him.
However, Master Koushirou hadn’t allowed it.
Just as he had forbidden Ian from setting sail early back then, Koushirou was worried that Zoro was too young.
Ian naturally obeyed Koushirou’s words, so he rejected Zoro’s request to travel together.
Because of this, Zoro had been sulking all night.
Walking over to him, Ian patted his shoulder and said, “Just wait a little longer.
I’ll head out first to find a cure for Kuina.
If I haven’t returned in two years, then you can set sail on your own!”
“Nag!
I know that without you telling me!” Zoro still kept his head turned away, but added, “As for you, if Kuina wakes up while you’re gone, don’t blame me for talking bad about you!”
“Hah!
Say whatever you want!” Ian winked at him.
“Don’t forget, I’m Kuina’s older brother, and you’re her rival.
Who do you think she’ll believe?”
With that, Ian pressed a hand against his bear-ear hat to keep it from blowing away in the wind and smiled.
“Alright, I’m off!”
“Wait!” Zoro’s voice called out, stopping him.
He then held out a long sword with a white scabbard, keeping his head turned away as he said, “This is the Wado Ichimonji.
Why don’t you take it with you?”
*He talked tough, but was he actually worried about me?
Why else would he want me to take such a fine sword?*
Ian smiled but didn’t take it.
“No need.
This sword doesn’t suit me.
You should keep it, and when Kuina wakes up, you can give it back to her!”
Walking to the shore, Ian untied the mooring rope and tossed it into the boat.
He then pushed the small fishing boat, running hard for a few steps to launch it into the sea before leaping aboard.
“Goodbye, I’m off!” Ian waved to the crowd on the shore.
Amidst everyone’s reluctant farewells, he picked up the oars and rowed the small boat, gradually drifting further and further away…