Chapter 276: Awakening
Ian’s transformation over the past year or so had been nothing short of breathtaking, leaving those who knew him utterly stunned. At the Loguetown Marine Base, Captain Smoker the White Hunter and Tashigi had been shocked out of their minds when Ian’s masked photo was first exposed.
Smoker’s earlier premonition had come true. Back when he first met Ian, he had sensed that if Ian ever became a pirate, he would be a major threat to the Marines. And sure enough, Ian didn’t follow the usual path of climbing over other pirates step by step. Instead, he had burst onto the scene with a massive headline—a slave liberation movement at Holy Land Mary Geoise. He was the kind who remained silent for ages, only to stun everyone with a single move.
Smoker had initially thought Ian would be captured by a Marine Admiral and thrown into prison. But when the news of Ian becoming a Warlord of the Sea was published in the newspapers, Smoker was left dumbfounded.
Tashigi felt the same way. Ian had left a deep impression on her. Back in the East Blue, he had dared to use a military exercise as a pretext to lead Marines in capturing pirates. At the time, Tashigi thought Ian was bold enough. However, his subsequent exploits kept pushing the boundaries of his audacity, to the point where even Tashigi couldn’t help but feel a sense of dread.
Yet, in the end, this very person became a Warlord of the Sea recognized by the World Government. This left both Smoker and Tashigi questioning their own ideals of justice.
What had turned a former pirate hunter into a wanted criminal? And what had transformed that wanted criminal into a pardoned pirate?
They couldn’t understand it, couldn’t grasp it… but that didn’t stop Smoker from ordering a recruitment drive for Marines in the East Blue.
With the emergence of a Warlord of the Sea in the East Blue, the number of pirates in the region had exploded. Inspired by Ian’s example, these pirates all dreamed of entering the Grand Line, hoping that one day they too would gain fame and be invited by the World Government to join the Warlords.
The Loguetown Marine Base, which guarded the entrance to the Grand Line from the East Blue, faced a massive shortage of personnel under these circumstances. After reporting to Marine Headquarters, Smoker secured recruitment quotas and began expanding his forces.
This chain of events led to a very special individual joining the Marines…
………………
In the East Blue’s Shimotsuki Village, at the Isshin Dojo.
After Ian and Zoro’s group of disciples had grown up, Koushirou hadn’t been idle. He had taken on a new batch of students, all around eight to ten years old—little brats still wiping their noses.
But Koushirou was teaching these children diligently. At that moment, the dojo was filled with the sound of their daily sword-swinging practice. Zoro, with his green hair, stood at the front as the leader, guiding them through the exercises.
Koushirou stood nearby, arms crossed and robe draped over him, watching with a cheerful smile. In contrast, Zoro’s face was twisted in frustration.
Why? Just look at the little brats behind him. Every single one of them had torn off the sleeves of their training uniforms, baring their arms. Not only that, but they had deliberately frayed the fabric around their shoulders to create a messy look.
On top of that, several of the kids were wearing hats, with leaves attached to the sides to mimic two ears!
That’s right—these little brats were all imitating Ian’s style! But since they couldn’t buy Ian’s bear-ear hat, they were using all sorts of hats to DIY their own versions.
Ever since the news of Ian becoming a Warlord of the Sea was delivered to Shimotsuki Village by the News Coo, and the kids at the Isshin Dojo realized that the person in the photo was their senior brother, this craze had become unstoppable!
What annoyed Zoro the most was this very thing. Now, all the junior disciples in the dojo worshipped Ian, while he—Ian’s fellow third disciple from the same era—was stuck in the village every day, teaching these snot-nosed little brats how to swing swords.
And what infuriated Zoro even more was that after every practice session, these kids would pester him to tell them stories about Ian.
Today was no exception. As soon as Master Koushirou announced the end of practice, Zoro was immediately surrounded by the little brats.
“Senior Brother Zoro, can you tell us more about Big Brother Ian today?”
“Yeah! You stopped yesterday when you got to the part about meeting a wild boar in the mountains. Finish the story today, okay?”
These little brats wanted to hear exciting and funny tales. But the problem was that Shimotsuki Village was too peaceful. During the years Zoro had spent with Ian, all they did was train, train, and train again. If Zoro had to recall anything truly interesting, he couldn’t remember much. Over the past two days, he had already told them everything he could!
“Sh-shut up!” Realizing he couldn’t come up with any more stories, Zoro’s face flushed red as he shouted at the kids, “If you have that much energy, go do five hundred more sword swings each!”
“Senior Brother Zoro, you’re no fun!”
“Yeah, yeah!”
The little brats grumbled, making the veins on Zoro’s forehead bulge.
After finally driving them away, Zoro stormed into the dojo, where he found Koushirou sipping tea.
“Master, I want to set sail!” Zoro declared as soon as he saw Koushirou.
Koushirou laughed heartily upon hearing this. “Zoro, this is the hundred and ninety-second time you’ve said that to me. You’ll be eighteen in a few months. Can’t you wait that long?”
“But Big Brother Ian is already ahead of me, and the gap keeps growing!” Zoro said, unwilling to accept it. “If I keep wasting time like this, when will I ever catch up to him?”
“It’s clear that Ian has made great progress. He makes up for his lack of talent with hard work,” Koushirou said with a smile. “But don’t sell yourself short. Your talent in swordsmanship is greater than Ian’s. With a little time, you’ll catch up to him.”
Zoro slammed his fist on the ground in frustration. “But Big Brother Ian has already found a Devil Fruit for Kuina and is surely looking for a way to cure her. Meanwhile, I’m stuck here, unable to do anything. I… I…”
Koushirou smiled warmly at Zoro. Whether it was Ian or Zoro, he felt a deep sense of pride in both of them. Among all his disciples, only these two were treated like his own children. Though Zoro and Ian often argued when they were together, they shared a strong bond. Both of them cared deeply for Kuina. The three children, though not related by blood, were as close as siblings.
Shimotsuki Village was peaceful, but it was only suitable for old folks like him to retire. It wasn’t a place for young people with big dreams. Ian had left, and so should Zoro. Koushirou had no intention of stopping him. However, as a master and father figure, he insisted that they wait until they came of age before venturing out.
Still, Koushirou understood Zoro’s feelings. The closer he got to eighteen, the more anxious Zoro became about setting sail. So, Koushirou smiled and said, “Alright, Zoro. Since you’re so eager, I’ll allow you to start preparing early. From now on, you can get your own ship, compass, and everything else. Don’t forget, your sense of direction is terrible. Starting early will do you good.”
“Really?” Zoro’s face lit up with excitement. “Then I’m going to set sail with a ship full of booze!”
This was a classic case of joy turning to sorrow. Zoro had learned to drink, but he only did it in secret. Now, in his excitement, he had blurted it out in front of Koushirou, earning a swift chop to the head.
Rubbing the lump on his head, Zoro realized he had slipped up. Seeing Koushirou’s annoyed expression, he quickly said, “Master, I was joking! I’ll just prepare a ship, no booze!”
Koushirou wasn’t truly angry. But just as he was about to give Zoro some advice, a voice suddenly rang out from behind him.
“Sorry, Zoro, but I might need to borrow your ship first!”
Both of them turned around to look behind them. The sliding wall slowly opened, revealing a figure in their line of sight.
This figure had beautiful shoulder-length hair. Though their expression showed signs of fatigue, their pitch-black eyes were full of life.
The moment they saw those eyes, Koushirou and Zoro were struck as if by lightning. They shot to their feet!
“Ku… Kuina!?”