The next morning, the warship slowly approached the Marineford port.
On the deck, Enel had his arms crossed, indifferently looking down at the naval base below. Zoro, beside him, was already restless, his eyes fervent. The moment the anchor dropped, he leaped from the warship like an arrow from a bow, his three swords shining coldly in the sunlight. He ran towards the training ground, shouting—
"KUINA!! I'll definitely beat you this time!!!"
Enel watched Zoro's back, a rare smile on his lips as he murmured, "This moss-head is really persistent..."
Marineford Training Ground
On the training ground, the morning sun fell like golden powder. Kuina had already started her daily training. She wore a light kendo uniform, a few strands of sweaty hair dancing with her movements. Her Wado Ichimonji drew a series of cold, silver arcs in the air, each slash steady and powerful, without a trace of hesitation. Her figure and the morning light intertwined, like a sword-dancing spirit, quiet and deadly.
"KUINA!! I challenge you!!!"
A familiar roar cut through the air. Kuina paused for a moment and suddenly turned her head. It was a figure she was all too familiar with. Zoro had finally arrived. He charged into the field with a menacing presence, Yubashiri in his mouth, Sandai Kitetsu in his left hand, and Shusui in his right. The three swords hummed together, their killing intent pressing.
Kuina smiled slightly, her gaze as sharp as a blade. "Oh? You finally have three swords this time?"
Zoro grinned, his familiar confidence and defiance showing. "This time, I will definitely win."
"CLANG!!!"
The two of them moved at the same time. Their blades clashed, and sparks flew. Zoro attacked with all three swords, his sword's presence like a storm, kicking up the dust on the ground. His steps were faster than before, his attacks fiercer, and the coordination of his three swords was becoming more and more harmonious. "Three-Sword Style: Oni Giri!!!"
Kuina's gaze sharpened. Her figure dodged like a phantom, and she countered with an upward slash. "Shimotsuki Style: Moonlight!" A cold light exploded. Zoro timely blocked with his sword held horizontally, used the force to flip up, and his two swords slashed out again. "Three-Sword Style: Tiger Hunt!"
—but it missed!
Kuina's steps were light, like water flowing around a rock. Her blade precisely dismantled his attacks layer by layer. Zoro was shocked. "She... she doesn't even have a single wasted movement?!"
After one round of clashes, the two figures were almost too fast for the naked eye to follow. Their sword lights crisscrossed, and a continuous sword pressure filled the air. After over a dozen rounds, a fine sweat was already on Zoro's forehead, while Kuina's breathing was still steady, her eyes like a calm lake. "Damn it... I've clearly gotten stronger! My three-sword style is also more mature, why... why can't I still keep up with her rhythm?!" Zoro's heart was screaming.
And Kuina, her gaze was still the same as before. "Your sword has more power than before," she said in a low voice, then she swung her sword again, her sword's presence changing from defensive to offensive, like a suddenly pouring waterfall, pressing Zoro back step by step.
In a flash, Kuina caught a tiny opening in Zoro's defense. "Shimotsuki Style: Waning Moon!"
"BANG!"
Zoro's sword was sent flying, and the tip of Wado Ichimonji was steadily stopped an inch from his throat. The air froze. Kuina panted lightly, her gaze still sharp. "2315 wins, 0 losses."
Zoro's face was full of unwillingness, but he did not retreat, his fighting spirit even stronger. "Damn it...!" He looked down at his slightly trembling hand, then up at Kuina's rock-steady figure. "Why... is her breathing not even disturbed in the slightest?"
In that moment, he understood. Although he had become stronger—Kuina had also been getting stronger, and she had never stopped. His fighting spirit rekindled. He gripped his three swords, his gaze as hot as a flame. "Kuina... next time, I will definitely win."
A light breeze blew through the treetops, and the sunlight danced on the ground in mottled patterns. The leaves fell gently, spinning silently between the two of them. Kuina looked at the unwillingness in Zoro's eyes, and that fiery, unyielding spirit, and her heart trembled slightly. She was silent for a moment, then suddenly turned around. "Come with me."
Zoro was taken aback for a moment, his brow furrowing, but in the end, he didn't ask any questions. He shouldered his three swords and followed closely behind her. They went around the edge of the training ground and into a quiet forest deep within the base. The sunlight filtered through the leaves, creating mottled patterns of light on the grass. Kuina walked to a thick old tree, sat down gently, and patted the spot beside her. "Sit."
Zoro looked at her hesitantly for a moment, then finally sat down cross-legged, his eyes still filled with the frustration of having lost. "What? Are you going to comfort me because I lost?" he grumbled.
Kuina didn't answer immediately but just quietly looked at the distant sea horizon. The wind blew her long hair, and her silhouette in the light held an indescribable loneliness. After a long while, she finally spoke slowly. "Zoro... I ate a Devil Fruit."
"CRACK—"
Zoro's pupils constricted, and his entire body was as if it had been turned to stone. His back was straight, and even his breathing seemed to have frozen. "You... what?" he murmured, as if he couldn't believe what he had just heard.
The Kuina who had insisted on "the purity of the path of the sword" at the Shimotsuki Dojo; the Kuina who would not compromise for a moment even though her natural talent was not as good as a man's; the Kuina who would never rely on shortcuts even when she was whispered about by the world and looked down on by her male peers... had actually chosen to eat a Devil Fruit?
In his mind, a series of memories surfaced:
—That lonely yet stubborn little girl, who would practice with a wooden sword at night until her palms bled;
—That light that burned in her eyes when she stood in a corner of the dojo, silently listening to others say, "A girl can never become the world's strongest swordsman";
—And that, after coming to the Marines, when she faced Garp's mountain-like fist, the three Admirals' overwhelming Haki, and Roy's almost invincible strength, that momentary... despair in her eyes.
Silence, like an undercurrent at the bottom of the sea, separated the two of them.
Kuina's voice sounded again, low and hoarse. "As expected, you also think that I'm... no longer a pure swordsman, right?" There was a slight tremor in her voice, imperceptible but enough to pierce the silence.
However, the next second—
"...So you've been pushed to this point," Zoro finally spoke, his tone not one of anger or doubt, but of an indescribable, heavy understanding. "I get it."
He slowly clenched his fists, his green hair blowing slightly in the wind, but his gaze was still locked on her. "Ever since we came to the Marines, I've personally seen Grandpa Garp's fist easily shatter an entire warship."
"And I've also personally seen Big Brother Roy take Luffy and Ace's big moves with his body without a scratch."
"I know better than anyone... what you're thinking when you look at them."
Kuina was stunned.
He took a deep breath, his lowered voice as if it had passed through a long river of time. "From Shimotsuki Village, you've worked harder than anyone. But you also know better than anyone—just by working hard, you can't catch up to some people."
"In this world, there is a gap in talent that cannot be crossed by training." He looked up, his gaze as hot as a burning flame. "So you chose to eat a fruit, right?"
Kuina was shaken, her eyes trembling slightly, but she didn't answer.
Zoro slowly stood up, his three swords clinking softly behind him as he moved. The wind rose, and the leaves of grass moved slightly. His back was stretched long in the sunlight, and those eyes, which seemed to have been burned through, looked directly at her, his voice as sharp as a blade, cutting through the silence. "That's even better!!!"
That one sound was like a sword energy splitting a mountain river. "CLANG—!" Yubashiri fell to the ground, and all three swords were stuck in the grass. The blades of the swords sent out a shockwave, and dust flew.
His gaze was like iron, his voice low but so hot it was heart-pounding. "Let me beat the strongest you!!—That's what makes it interesting!!!"
Kuina suddenly looked up, her eyes reflecting that familiar yet strange figure.
Zoro grinned, his smile carrying its usual wildness and an uncompromising conviction. "I've never struggled with 'how to get stronger'—I only care about 'whether I can beat the strongest'!"
"It doesn't matter if you use a fruit's ability or the power of a god... as long as you become stronger!" He suddenly drew Shusui, the light of the blade like a black dragon roaring, and pointed it at Kuina. "Then I will become even crazier, even more ruthless—and with a sharper sword, I will cut open your 'higher realm'!!!"
The wind swept in again, and the leaves flew, like a silent vow. Kuina stared blankly at the swordsman who had walked with her since childhood, her emotions churning. A corner of her lip finally, slowly, lifted. It was not a restrained smile, nor was it a relieved compromise, but a smile that was completely unrestrained and exhilarating.
"...Hahaha!!!" She stood up, drew Wado Ichimonji, and the blade of the sword reflected a light like a cold moon in the sunlight. She said softly, "Then let's see, Zoro."
"I'll be waiting."
The two of them stood side-by-side, their gazes clashing, their sword hearts like fire, with a golden-lit forest behind them. The fallen leaves slowly fell, spinning and dancing between them, as if placing an invisible seal on this fated promise.
In the distance.
Roy leaned against a stone wall at the end of the training ground. He looked at the two backs, a slight smile on his lips, as if he were pleased, and as if he were waiting for an answer. "These two little brats..."
A bolt of lightning flashed beside him with a "crackle." Enel had appeared at some point, one hand picking his ear, his expression lazy. "The moss-head kid is quite the talker~"
Roy looked at him sideways, a hint of seriousness in his eyes. "Because he understands 'despair' better than anyone, and also believes in 'possibilities' more than anyone."
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