Chapter 278: Kuina's Determination
Among the three former disciples, Ian was the oldest, Kuina was second, and Zoro was the youngest. So, according to Master Koushirou's logic, even when it came to letting them set sail, the order would follow this sequence.
Zoro's most unfortunate situation was that, originally, he only had a few more months to wait before it was his turn to go to sea, but he was cut in line by the suddenly awakened Kuina!
Kuina wanted to go to sea—Zoro had known this for a long time. He and Kuina had made a pact to become the world's greatest swordsmen, and that couldn't be achieved by staying cooped up in Shimotsuki Village. The idea of going out to see the world had already formed in their minds long ago. Zoro wasn't surprised by this, but Kuina... barging in so forcefully like this made it hard to keep friends!
So Zoro said angrily, "Why!? That's my ship!"
"I'm going to sea first, so you have to give it to me!" Kuina refused to back down. "You still have so long before you turn 18, what are you doing with a ship!?"
"No! The ship is mine!" Zoro stood up, pressing his forehead against Kuina's. "If you want a ship, get your own!"
"Is this how you treat a companion you haven't seen in years?" Kuina slapped the floor and shouted back.
The two stared into each other's eyes without giving an inch, making Koushirou break out in a cold sweat as he watched. He tried to mediate, "Alright, alright, there's no rush for this. Kuina, you want to go to sea, but can your body handle it?"
"I need one or two weeks of recovery training!" Kuina said. She tried moving her arms and legs, then found her long hair getting in the way.
Kuina had always had a boyish short haircut. This long black hair had grown gradually during her coma. Koushirou had trimmed it a few times, but for some reason, he had let her keep it at this length.
Still, this made Kuina uncomfortable, so she asked Koushirou, "Father, do you have scissors?"
Koushirou didn't say anything. He fetched a pair of scissors and handed them to Kuina. But after looking at them, she handed them back to him and said, "Father, could you cut my hair for me again?"
Koushirou smiled, softly agreed, and sat behind Kuina, scissors in hand, beginning to trim her hair.
"By the way," Kuina said, letting Koushirou work on her hair, "can you tell me in detail about what happened after Ian Big Brother went to sea?"
So, as he trimmed, Koushirou slowly recounted to Kuina the events of Ian's departure.
Zoro couldn't argue anymore either. He could only quietly watch as strands of Kuina's hair fell one by one. Finally, the image of Kuina he remembered returned.
For some reason, seeing Kuina with short hair again suddenly calmed Zoro's heart. It reminded him of the times when the three of them were together.
After the haircut was finished, Koushirou put away the scissors and asked Kuina, "Kuina, now that you're going to sea, have you thought about what you want to do?"
Zoro also crossed his arms and said, "Yeah, Ian Big Brother is a big pirate now. You're not planning to go join him, are you?"
Kuina shook her head. "Ian Big Brother has his own adventures. Besides, how can I become the world's greatest female swordsman if I'm under his wing?"
"But you're a girl, going out to sea alone—is that a good idea?" Zoro asked with a frown.
Kuina nodded. "So, I want to join the Marines!"
"Join the Marines?" Koushirou frowned upon hearing this.
Zoro might be an idiot and not realize it, but Koushirou understood clearly. Ian was probably connected to the Revolutionary Army. When Kuma and Ivankov had visited him, Koushirou had seen the hat Kuma gave Ian. Later, not long after Ian rescued the slaves at Mary Geoise, he sent back a Devil Fruit. That fruit had flown through the air, and Koushirou knew that was Kuma's ability. So, shortly after rescuing the slaves, Ian had met with Kuma again.
In the subsequent developments, Ian took Kuma's place as a Warlord, while Kuma stepped down on his own. Only someone who knew Ian deeply, like Koushirou, could see the connections. He suspected Ian had already joined the Revolutionary Army.
So, under these circumstances, Kuina's decision worried him. Could it be that Kuina thought Ian becoming a Warlord meant he was on the World Government's side? That's why she wanted to join the Marines?
Thinking this, Koushirou asked, "Kuina, why do you suddenly want to join the Marines? If you want to gain experience at sea, wouldn't it be better to become a Pirate Hunter like Ian did?"
"It's not like that!" Kuina shook her head. "I can tell that Ian Big Brother becoming a Warlord is probably just a transition. I know him well. He's a kind person. With his personality, he might one day do something similar to the Mary Geoise incident. When that time comes, he'll probably be at odds with the World Government and the Marines again!"
"Then why do you still want to join the Marines?" Zoro asked, confused. "You're not planning to capture him yourself, are you?"
Kuina glared at Zoro. "Of course not! Ian Big Brother is my brother. How could I capture him?"
Zoro was baffled. A girl's mind was hard to figure out. Frustrated, he said, "Can you just say it all at once?"
"It's simple. I think Ian Big Brother might need help from within the Marines!" Kuina said. "The three of us grew up together. Even if I can't join his crew to help him, maybe I can lend him a hand from another direction. I'll work hard to become a Marine and find a way to get promoted to Marine Headquarters. That way, if Ian Big Brother really falls out with the World Government again and gets hunted by the Marines, I can at least pass him some information!"
When Kuina said this, her demeanor was resolute. Unlike ordinary girls, she wasn't weak or indecisive. Her reason for joining the Marines wasn't some clichéd, melodramatic story of grudges and romance. She simply wanted to pass information to Ian.
Earlier, when Koushirou was telling her about Ian, Kuina had learned that he had gone to great lengths, traveling across the Grand Line, even risking offending the Celestial Dragons, to snatch a Devil Fruit for her. Kuina was deeply grateful for this. She wanted to repay Ian's care for her, nothing more.
"If that's the case, then it's actually a pretty good idea!" Zoro said, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Ian Big Brother doesn't have many friends in the Marines. If the Marines try to move against him, that would be bad. If you join the Marines, you can at least give him a heads-up in time."
Koushirou was also pondering this. The bond between Ian and Kuina was deep-rooted and unbreakable. Besides, letting a girl like Kuina go to sea as a pirate or a pirate hunter made Koushirou a bit uneasy. All things considered, the Marines were actually a very good choice.
"Since you've made up your mind, then go ahead with your plan!" Koushirou said to Kuina. "Loguetown has been recruiting new Marine soldiers recently. With your skills, joining shouldn't be a problem."
"Right!" Zoro nodded. "Loguetown is great. I've heard it's called the town of the beginning and the end. Your Marine career can start there!"
Saying this, Zoro suddenly remembered something. He got up and ran out, returning shortly with a box in his hands.
"This was sent by Ian Big Brother!" Zoro set the box down. "He said it's a Devil Fruit, for you!"
Kuina lifted the lid of the box and looked at the golden Devil Fruit inside. "Is this the Devil Fruit you almost ate, Father, as you mentioned earlier?"
"Sh-shut up!" Zoro said, a bit embarrassed. "I didn't see the note inside at the time, okay?"
Koushirou spoke up, "Kuina, think carefully. Even Ian doesn't know what ability this Devil Fruit grants. And anyone who eats a Devil Fruit is cursed by the sea, becoming unable to swim. While you gain power, falling into the sea could easily drown you."
Kuina stared at the Devil Fruit, hesitating. She had always pursued her own swordsmanship. She wanted to be a pure swordsman. Eating a Devil Fruit might make her dependent on its power, and Kuina didn't want that.
But because of her gender, her physical strength couldn't match a boy's. Especially now that she had grown up, she could feel that her strength was already far behind Zoro's. And after lying in a coma for so many years without continuous training, her strength had fallen even further behind Zoro's.
Koushirou saw Kuina's struggle and suddenly said, "A Devil Fruit ability doesn't have to affect your swordsmanship. Maybe this fruit will allow you to develop your own unique sword style... This is Ian's heartfelt effort. Don't waste it."
Kuina wanted to become stronger. She didn't want to lose to Zoro, and she didn't want to lose to Ian. Her strong-willed personality had never changed. And as Koushirou said, this was a Devil Fruit Ian had risked danger to find for her. Kuina felt she shouldn't let Ian's kindness go to waste.
So she smiled and nodded. "Mm, Father, I've made up my mind. I'm going to eat this Devil Fruit!"
With that, she gently took the Devil Fruit out of the box, held it in her hands and observed it for a moment, then made up her mind and took a big bite!