Chapter 306: Reunion Duel
Damn it, that fortune-teller Hawkins actually has some skill after all!
Ian thought to himself as he supported Kuina, carefully studying her appearance.
In truth, it hadn’t been that long since Ian left Shimotsuki Village. Before this, he had still been seeing Kuina regularly. But now, Kuina’s long hair had been cut short, and the tomboyish little sister from Ian’s memories had returned.
Looking at her pristine white Marine uniform, Ian clicked his tongue in admiration. He found that Kuina really suited the Marine uniform quite well.
“When did you set sail?” he asked her. “Why did you decide to join the Marines? From what you’re saying, it sounds like you’re at the Loguetown Marine Base? So that means you’re working under that guy Smoker?”
Kuina nodded and briefly told Ian about what had happened after she woke up. “Captain Smoker and Master Sergeant Tashigi have both mentioned you before.”
“Ha, I doubt it was anything good!” Ian chuckled, thinking back to when he had caused a ruckus at Mary Geoise and become a pirate. Smoker and Tashigi must have been shocked when they heard the news. Back when Ian was still a pirate hunter, they could still be considered friends, but then suddenly they became opposing enemies.
Kuina smiled and continued, “Father is in good health now too. He’s taken on another group of disciples to train. Those little junior brothers all look up to you as their role model and try to imitate you!”
The two chatted happily about Shimotsuki Village. When the topic of Zoro came up, Kuina mentioned his departure to sea.
Yes, that guy Zoro had finally set sail, just three days ago. With Kuina awake, Zoro no longer had any lingering attachments. On the very day he turned eighteen, he bid farewell to Koushirou, rowed a small boat, and set out to sea.
Kuina had originally planned to return to Loguetown to wait for him after completing this mission. But when Ian heard this, he said with a helpless expression, “Forget it. You know that guy is a complete directional idiot. Who knows how long it’ll take before he gets lost and accidentally ends up in Loguetown?”
In truth, after seeing Kuina, Ian had been wondering: since Kuina had survived and awakened, without her as his motivation, would that stubborn Zoro still pursue the path of the strongest swordsmanship?
However, after thinking it over carefully, Ian felt he was worrying too much.
Character determines destiny. Zoro was the kind of single-minded guy who wouldn’t turn back once he decided on something. Moreover, now that both Ian, his senior brother, and Kuina, his senior sister, were ahead of him, the power of such role models could be another form of motivation.
Thinking about this, Ian suddenly found it interesting. Ace, Sabo, and Luffy—those three brothers—seemed quite similar to himself, Kuina, and Zoro as siblings…
With that thought, Ian couldn’t help asking Kuina, “You’ve joined the Marines, but is your original dream still alive?”
Kuina nodded. “Of course! Brother Ian, I’ve never let go of my dream. And I feel that maybe someday, my identity as a Marine might be able to help you.”
“Is that why you became a Marine?” Ian said with a sigh. “Thank you, Kuina. You’ve been thoughtful.”
Ian wasn’t stupid. Although Kuina had only hinted at it subtly to save his pride, Ian understood that Kuina wanted to use her Marine identity to help him in the future. This little sister of his—he hadn’t spoiled her for nothing back then.
Since Kuina had this intention, perhaps he could let her slowly climb to a high position within the Marines? Let Kuina become a Marine Vice Admiral, a Marine Admiral, or even… the first female Fleet Admiral in Marine history!?
Damn, just thinking about it was exciting!
“By the way, Kuina, did you eat the Devil Fruit I sent you?” Ian asked her.
“I ate it!” Kuina winked at Ian. “But please let me keep it a secret. I’m still adapting to and developing the Devil Fruit’s abilities. When the time is right, I’ll definitely surprise you!”
“Oh, impressive! You already know about developing Devil Fruit abilities!” Ian laughed heartily. “You probably heard that from Smoggy. He’s a Devil Fruit user too.”
Since Kuina wasn’t willing to say for now, Ian didn’t press further, even though he was quite curious about what ability that Devil Fruit had.
But then Ian thought of another question. “By the way, even though you’ve become a Marine, if people find out about our relationship, could it cause problems for you?”
“Your identity as a Warlord won’t, but your other identity might…” Kuina said.
Other identity? The Revolutionary Army? Ian immediately understood. It seemed Master Koushirou had already vaguely guessed. After all, Kuma and Ivankov had visited Master Koushirou back then, and after Ian’s rampage at Mary Geoise, the Revolutionary Army must have passed on information to him. How could he not guess that Ian might join the Revolutionary Army? And since Kuina was his daughter and Ian’s junior sister, Master Koushirou would have subtly hinted at it when she set sail.
Since Kuina had joined the Marines, she could use Marine resources. If her achievements allowed her to enter Marine Headquarters as an elite Marine, she would be taught to develop and use Haki, which would benefit her growth. But if people found out she was connected to the Revolutionary Army, that would be a problem…
Of course, even if it was discovered, she could always quit the Marines, and Ian could let her join his pirate crew. But knowing Kuina’s personality, she probably wanted to make her own way for a while.
With that in mind, Ian made a decision. “In that case, let’s pretend you never saw me today. Hmm… since quite a few people saw you dragging me out earlier, maybe we can put on a little act?”
Kuina had always been a smart girl. She had already thought about this when she set sail. So when she heard Ian’s suggestion, she smiled and raised her sword. “Then, Brother Ian, how about a duel after all these years? Zoro fought me once, but he lost. What about you, Brother Ian?”
Ian couldn’t help but burst out laughing. Kuina was still the same Kuina from before. This request for a duel reminded him of the three of them back in Shimotsuki Village as children. A surge of boldness rose within him, and he raised his own sword. “The sword in your hand is Wado Ichimonji. The one in mine is now Senbonzakura!”
“Brother Ian, please instruct me!” Kuina nodded seriously.
The next moment, they separated by a short distance. Ian crouched slightly, holding his sword with both hands, pointing it diagonally downward. Kuina placed Wado Ichimonji at her waist, assuming a bow stance, ready to draw at any moment.
The space near the side entrance of the Baratie wasn’t very large. The two faced each other from a short distance, their bodies tense.
“Ha!” Kuina struck first. She dashed forward at incredible speed, simultaneously drawing her sword and slashing upward toward Ian.
But the moment she moved, Ian had already sensed her actions through his Psychic Field and made a prediction. He swung Senbonzakura sharply in the direction Kuina was charging.
A faint silver sword arc cut through the air at a right angle, slashing diagonally toward the top of Kuina’s head.
“Swift Sword: Haze – Upper Level!”
Kuina’s upward slash met Ian’s strike, which was as fast as a Iaijutsu draw. The blades clashed with a sharp *clang*, but the sword arc Ian had unleashed didn’t disappear. A silver sword energy grazed past the top of Kuina’s head and struck the wall of the Baratie behind her, carving a massive gash into it!
Inside the Baratie, the Marine soldiers were wondering why Ensign Kuina hadn’t returned for so long and were hesitating whether to go check on her. But when Ian’s slash broke through the wall, it startled everyone inside.
They’re fighting!? Ensign Kuina and that man from earlier are fighting!?
The Marines sensed trouble and hurriedly tried to rush out, but at that moment, Ian and Kuina, still locked in combat, appeared before them.
There wasn’t enough room outside to fight properly, so after breaking through the wall, they moved and continued their battle inside the restaurant!
It was a terrifying sight. Ian, after so long, was having a duel with Kuina again. He had initially planned to hold back, but he hadn’t expected Kuina’s strength to be so astonishing! He guessed it might be due to her Devil Fruit ability, so he stopped holding back and unleashed a continuous stream of sword techniques.
Now, the sword techniques he used were all imbued with powerful Psychic Power, capable of turning into sword energy slashes at any moment. This created a suffocating storm of sword energy at the center of their battle!
The rampaging sword energy, accompanied by the ringing *clang* of clashing blades, tore through various parts of the Baratie. Seeing this, the Marine soldiers didn’t dare get close. The quick-witted ones immediately hit the ground, staying far away from Ian and Kuina. The slower ones scrambled to find cover.
The Baratie was still a ship after all, and there were no stone walls on a ship. Any random sword energy slash from Ian could punch straight through the hull. Seeing this, Sanji shouted in frustration, “You bastards! Are you trying to tear our ship apart!?”
But Ian and Kuina were already too caught up in the fight to stop, no matter how much Sanji yelled…