On Sabaody Archipelago's Area 61, Sephiroth opened the door to space again, as he brought Iska who was carrying a large suitcase. "I'm ready! I can leave anytime," the girl said with a smile.
Sephiroth compared Perona and Iska... and nodded with satisfaction. "Hmm! Good." In Iska's astonished gaze, the silver-haired youth took a butcher knife from his waist, cut the void, and opened a door to space that connected them to the living room of the villa in Pollock city.
"Aaaaaa!"
As soon as they stepped out, a piercing scream came from the Image Shell, scaring Iska and making her hide behind him. "Don't be afraid! It's just the sound effects of a movie," Sephiroth explained with a smile.
"Movie?" A trace of curiosity appeared in Iska's eyes. She only knew a little about this new thing, thinking it was similar to an Image Phone Bug broadcast. She saw Perona on the sofa, holding a bag of potato chips. From time to time, Perona chewed with a 'click click' sound.
Iska approached Perona while carrying her suitcase and looked at the projector screen. Instantly, the projection showed a hideous face with seven bloody holes, making Iska shriek.
"Ahhhhh!"
Perona, who was initially engrossed in watching the movie, was startled by the scream. The pink-haired girl looked at Iska and then at her suitcase, and subconsciously asked, "Sephiroth... Is she also your woman? Sister Hancock, do you know her?"
Sephiroth coughed. "Cough!... No, you misunderstood! Her name is Iska, and I adopted her. Later she will live with us," he explained awkwardly.
"Oh~!" Perona agreed indifferently, then returned to looking at the screen. She was just asking casually, not caring about the answer.
However... Iska, whose shyness was slowly fading, felt a hint of disappointment in her eyes. It turned out that Sephiroth already had a girlfriend.
After arranging a room for Iska on the second floor, Sephiroth returned to open the door to space and went in.
In Shimotsuki Village, East Blue, Sephiroth saw a small child with short green hair, dressed shabbily, standing in front of the dojo's door. "Is there anyone here? Anyone?? I came to challenge the Dojo! Great person, come out and fight me!?" he shouted.
Sephiroth couldn't help but smile. He knew who that moss-headed child was. Roronoa Zoro! "The fake Zoro met the real Zoro," he thought.
Koshiro, who was a student in the dojo, was stunned for a moment. He had met many challengers, but a small child? This was the first time. "Hahaha! Came to challenge the dojo? It's rare these days!" Koshiro said with a laugh.
Zoro felt that the middle-aged uncle was underestimating him. He folded his arms over his chest and snorted coldly, "Don't underestimate me! In the next village, I'm invincible!"
Zoro was not bragging. He was born with incredible strength and was the king among the children in his village. Even some adults were not a match for him. He heard that the owner of this dojo was very strong, and decided to come and challenge him.
Koshiro's smile remained on his face. "Good! I accept your challenge!"
Zoro looked like a calf that wasn't afraid of tigers. "If I win, you hand over your plaque!" That statement was serious! In normal circumstances, such a challenger could be beaten to death or disabled. Fortunately, Koshiro had a good temper.
"What if you lose?" Koshiro asked.
Zoro scratched his head. Both his parents were dead and his family was poor. The only thing of value was himself. "If I lose... if I lose... I'll join you!"
"Hahaha! Then it's settled!" Koshiro laughed heartily. At that moment, he remembered that the child in front of him was Roronoa Zoro, his distant relative from the Shimotsuki clan!
Koshiro knew, Zoro was a descendant of Shimotsuki Shinko, who with Shimotsuki Kozaburo illegally left Wano Country decades ago.
Given that Zoro was a distant relative, and he was still very young, it was not appropriate for Koshiro to fight him himself. So he turned his head and shouted into the dojo, "Kuina, come here! Duel with him!"
"Yes! Father-sama."
Kuina, armed with a bamboo sword, stepped out.
When Zoro saw that his dueling opponent was a girl, he protested. "What?! Aren't you the one who's going to duel with me?"
"Uh!? Although Kuina is a girl, she is much stronger than the adults who practice swordsmanship in this dojo! Even if it looks inappropriate for me as a father," Koshiro explained.
Kuina's talent was extraordinary. With Sephiroth's guidance, she had no opponents in the dojo. What was even more satisfying for Koshiro was, Kuina had recently been able to vaguely "hear the breath of all things," an ability known on the Grand Line as Observation Haki! As long as she could master this power, she would definitely become a formidable swordsman. After realizing his daughter's talent, Koshiro no longer tried to stop Kuina's dream of becoming the strongest swordsman in the world. He would regret it if he forced her.
"Okay! Don't regret it!" Zoro said with a pouting face. In his heart, how could he, a child king who could beat adult gangsters, lose to a girl who was not much older than him?
"Sephiroth!"
Kuina, who was originally staring at Zoro with a cold face, saw the silver-haired youth coming from a distance. Instantly, her cold expression melted. She smiled sweetly and walked quickly toward him.
The girl pouted slightly, "Long time no see! Why haven't you come to see me lately?"
"Uh?! That... I've been busy with work! Hahaha!" Sephiroth scratched his head in embarrassment. How could he say he was too busy to come? Besides managing power in Wano, he also had to serve Hancock, Perona, Scarlett, and the other girls. On the East Blue side, because his Meito sword was already forged, he had no strong reason to return often. If he didn't think Kuina would fall down the stairs in the future, he might not even bother to return to East Blue! After all, here there was Dragon, the leader of the Revolutionary Army, who often wanted to borrow money from him or force him to join investment projects with low returns.
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