OPTC Chapter 277: Kuina
"So that's how it is, you actually came from the Grand Line?" Koushirou ordered a few of his disciples to prepare tea.
Zhang Da Ye and the others sat opposite Koushirou and Zoro, following their kneeling posture as best they could—except for Shark Chili, whose legs refused to cooperate no matter how hard he tried.
After brief introductions, the dojo disciples returned with tea, though many of their gazes lingered on Shark Chili and Brook for a long time, unable to hide their curiosity.
Everyone picked up their cups to drink. Tom, dissatisfied, walked over, took one of the teacups back, and poured tea for Carla and himself. These people were outrageous—they didn't even think to serve a cat.
"Thank you," Carla said politely as she held the teacup.
Tom nodded with a proud smile, very satisfied with his manners.
"The cat poured tea!"
"The cat spoke!"
"As expected of a cat from the Grand Line!"
The disciples were utterly shocked. Young Zoro puffed up with a rare sense of superiority. "That cat doesn't just talk—it can fly too."
"It can fly?!"
"No way!"
The disciples gasped again, and even Koushirou's eyes widened in surprise.
Being surrounded and stared at made Wendy feel embarrassed, hugging Carla tighter. Luckily, Koushirou cleared his throat, and the disciples quickly returned to their seats.
"My apologies," Koushirou said politely. "You've all come from far away. Is there anything we can help you with?" He glanced again at Tom, certain the cat looked strangely familiar.
Zhang Da Ye explained, "We're just passing through and want to replenish some supplies. The main thing is—we came to the East Blue by accident, so we'd like to buy a nautical chart of the area. Without it, the next part of our journey will be difficult."
"I see, a sea chart, yes, that would be—"
"Ah!" Koushirou's words were cut off by a scream. A young girl fell from the stairs, tumbling down.
"Kuina!" Zoro recognized the voice instantly and ran toward her.
Koushirou and the others followed in alarm.
Zhang Da Ye realized what was happening. "Wendy!"
"Got it!" Wendy stood up. "Armor of Unyielding Defense—Armor!"
Wind circled around her, lifting her twin tails as she raised her arms. Her cute face turned serious, radiating a valiant air.
A glowing blue magic circle appeared beneath the falling Kuina. It flashed briefly, coating her body in a soft blue light.
Thud, thud, thud—Kuina rolled down the stairs, her sword and whetstone clattering across the floor.
Zoro lunged forward, but he was too far away to catch her.
Before their horrified eyes, Kuina's head struck the whetstone hard enough to drive it deep into the wooden floor.
"Kuina!" Koushirou, Zoro, and several disciples cried out in panic.
"Ouch!" Kuina groaned, clutching her head as she slowly sat up, dazed. "That didn't hurt as much as it should have... What's this blue light?"
"Kuina! Are you okay?" Zoro scrambled to her side, frantic with worry.
Koushirou knelt beside her, checking for injuries.
Falling from that height and striking her head should have caused a serious injury—at least a bump or some bleeding—but Kuina didn't even lose a single strand of hair. Apart from minor scrapes on her elbows and knees, she was completely fine.
"What's going on here?" Koushirou stared at the faint glow around Kuina, then turned toward Wendy. "Was that you, young lady?"
Rui Meng Meng asked curiously, "So that's Wendy's magic? It looks amazing!"
"That's right," Carla said proudly. "It's Wendy's support magic." But then she frowned when she saw Zhang Da Ye's surprised face. "Wait, why do you look shocked too? Weren't you the one who asked Wendy to help?"
"I did, but I was expecting healing magic," Zhang Da Ye admitted. "I figured if someone's still breathing, Wendy could heal them—but I didn't think she'd use a defensive buff instead."
He chuckled. "Still, quick thinking. That was perfect, Wendy."
Wendy blushed, hands behind her back and toes circling the floor. "B-because I'm not good at fighting… My job is to support everyone during battle."
That made sense. Casting supportive magic in real-time during combat required quick reflexes. One small delay could lead to mistakes—like accidentally healing the enemy instead.
Perona hugged Wendy tightly. "Wendy, you're amazing! Hey, what other magic do you know? Show me!"
"Besides Armor, which boosts defense," Carla explained proudly, "Wendy also has Arms for strength, Burner for speed, Troy for balance, and she can heal and remove toxins too."
Zhang Da Ye listened intently. Attack boost, defense boost, speed boost, healing, and status cleansing—a complete all-rounder.
And he knew that once Wendy grew stronger, her combat power could rival anyone's. The best support, after all, was someone who could wipe out enemies alone.
"Were you the ones who saved my daughter?" Koushirou asked, walking toward them. Zoro stood beside Kuina, supporting her.
"It was Wendy's magic!" Perona said, proudly linking arms with Wendy.
"I-I did it," Wendy said softly, looking guilty for no reason.
"I can't thank you enough." Koushirou bowed deeply. Without that little girl, his daughter might not be alive.
"Thank you very much!" Kuina and Zoro bowed as well.
"It's alright. You're still hurt," Wendy said, noticing the scrapes on Kuina's elbows and knees. She extended her hands, glowing with green-blue light.
Kuina smiled awkwardly. "These are just scratches. They'll heal in a few days with some bandages—"
She froze as the light touched her wounds. Before everyone's eyes, the injuries stopped bleeding and vanished completely—no scabs, no scars, nothing.
Everyone gaped as Kuina flexed her arms and bounced lightly. Even the faint warmth of a bruise had disappeared. "That's incredible!"
Wendy's healing was indeed powerful. Its only downside was the heavy energy cost—it could exhaust her more than using two Dragon Slayer techniques in a row, though she hadn't yet learned any.
Young Zoro stared wide-eyed. "What kind of power is that?"
Koushirou murmured, "Could it be a Devil Fruit?"
Perona quickly corrected him. "No! I told you—it's magic. M-A-G-I-C."
"I see," Koushirou nodded. "So you call these abilities magic. My father once told me about Devil Fruits. In Wano, people called them sorcery. I suppose magic isn't so different."
Perona opened her mouth to argue further, but Zhang Da Ye stopped her. Let them misunderstand—it wasn't a big deal. "By the way, Miss Kuina, why did you fall from the stairs?"
He had been wondering that for a while. A swordswoman skilled enough to duel daily with Zoro—how did she manage to fall that badly? Did Kaido push her off a ten-thousand-meter-high platform?
Kuina rubbed her head, embarrassed. "I still had a bit of a fever. I got dizzy coming down and missed a step. Luckily, Wendy was there."
So it was Aokiji's fault after all—because of him, Kuina got sick, then dizzy, then fell. But in the original story, without Aokiji, how did she fall? Zhang Da Ye gave up thinking about it.
Koushirou looked at Tom again. "Forgive me for asking, but… are you part of the Amber Travel Group that helped the Marines defeat Golden Lion?"
Zhang Da Ye rarely emphasized the Amber Travel Group name during introductions, and since they hadn't shown their faces publicly, Koushirou must have recognized Tom from the ship's figurehead or the newspaper's photo.
Combined with their claim of accidentally ending up in East Blue—probably due to Golden Lion's interference—it made perfect sense.
Zhang Da Ye nodded. "That's right. So you've heard about it."
"It really is the Amber Travel Group!"
"The group that faced Golden Lion without fear!"
"No wonder Wendy's so powerful!"
The disciples buzzed with awe. Only Zoro looked confused. "Who's Golden Lion?"
"It was in yesterday's paper…" Kuina began explaining, summarizing the news and Golden Lion's feats for him.
She couldn't believe that her rescuers were such renowned figures.
"You're kidding, right?" Zoro pointed at Zhang Da Ye. "You said you weren't strong!"
Koushirou placed a hand on Zoro's head. "Zoro, Mr. Da Ye is just being modest."
Wendy and Carla, still lost, glanced at each other.
Perona whispered to Wendy, "You and Carla weren't around then. I'll tell you later—it was a terrifying battle."
Zhang Da Ye shot Perona a look. So the girl did have some sense of secrecy, after all.
"I challenge you!" Zoro suddenly shouted, breaking free from Koushirou's hand. But instead of Zhang Da Ye, his gaze fell on Rui Meng Meng.
Well, that made sense. Out of five sword users, Zhang Da Ye, Tom, and Artoria rarely carried swords, and Brook's cane sword didn't look like one unless you stared. Rui Meng Meng, always with her dark alloy sword on her back, looked the part.
"Me?" Rui Meng Meng pointed at herself, then turned to Zhang Da Ye for confirmation. A kid challenging her—should she accept? Did she really look that easy to bully?
"Zoro! That's rude!" Kuina scolded. She was curious too about their strength but knew it was improper to challenge someone who had just saved her.
"It's fine! It's just a friendly match!" Zoro insisted.
Seeing Rui Meng Meng hesitate, Zhang Da Ye smiled. "If you're interested, go ahead. As long as Koushirou doesn't mind."
Koushirou chuckled politely. "My apologies for his manners. But if you're willing to guide him, it would be an honor."
He could already guess the outcome, but it was good for Zoro to see how vast the world truly was. And after two thousand losses, the boy could handle one more.
Perona egged her on. "Come on, Meng Meng, teach that little lost kid a lesson!"
"Who are you calling lost?!" Zoro shouted.
"Bleh~" Perona stuck out her tongue. She'd been educated enough lately not to throw ghosts at him for yelling.
Rui Meng Meng looked at the two of them, then at Kuina's expectant eyes. "Alright then. Where should we spar?"
…
Inside the dojo, Rui Meng Meng and Zoro faced each other with Koushirou as referee. Zhang Da Ye, the crew, and several disciples watched eagerly.
Rui Meng Meng held a bamboo sword in both hands. She hadn't used one since her early training with Artoria.
Zoro wielded two bamboo swords, ready to attack.
"Two-sword style?" Zhang Da Ye muttered. "When did he start that? Was it after Kuina's accident?"
Once both were ready, Koushirou raised his hand. "Begin!"
"Haah!" Zoro shouted and charged forward—but froze mid-step, cold sweat trickling down his temple.
The tip of Rui Meng Meng's sword rested against his throat.
Her eyes were sharp as blades—focused, merciless, and terrifying.
"The match is decided," Koushirou announced after a stunned pause. He'd expected Zoro to lose, but not this fast.
"Gulp…" Zoro swallowed hard, his swords clattering to the floor. "W-what just happened?"
Rui Meng Meng lowered her weapon and smiled gently. "You okay?"
The disciples erupted in shock.
"What just happened?!"
"Zoro lost?! Only Kuina can beat him!"
"That woman—she moved too fast to see!"
"I lost," Zoro said quietly. It was the first time he'd been defeated so utterly. Against Kuina, he could at least fight back—but here, he didn't even have time to react. The gap was overwhelming.
Of course it was. Rui Meng Meng's fighting style had always focused on speed and precision. Since upgrading her dark alloy sword—at the cost of nearly emptying their entire food supply—she had grown far beyond Zoro's current level.
Even Kuina was speechless. She knew better than anyone how strong Zoro had become. If he was defeated that effortlessly, just how powerful was this woman?
And more importantly… could a woman really become this strong?
Her father's words echoed in her mind: that women were inherently weaker and could never become the world's greatest swordsman.
Yet the image of Rui Meng Meng's clean, decisive strike lingered in her mind—igniting something bright and fierce within her.
Koushirou understood nothing.
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