Kaito took his leave with Kuina and went directly to the dojo. After exchanging brief greetings with the students, he made his way to Master Koshiro's room.
He knocked softly.
"Come in."
Koshiro looked up from his desk as they entered. "How did it go?"
"It went well," Kaito replied with a nod. "How are things on your end?"
"They will be released tomorrow," Koshiro said, a weight visibly lifting from his shoulders.
"After some pressure from merchant groups with noble connections—ones I called in for a favor—the Marines agreed to let them go.
The condition is that we must make significant changes to the guard post to avoid... further complications."
"That's good. We can adapt afterwards," Kaito said, the pragmatic response masking his relief.
Kuina, who had been silent, finally spoke up. "What are you two talking about?"
"Nothing," Kaito and Koshiro said in unison, then shared a brief, knowing look.
"Actually, I came here because of this," Kaito said, placing the sheathed Wado Ichimonji on Koshiro's desk.
Koshiro's eyebrows shot up. "Where did you find this? I had it locked away."
Kaito recounted the entire story. When he mentioned that he believed he had found a worthy wielder for the sword, Koshiro was visibly shocked.
"Are you certain?"
"I felt it myself. The sword's will calmed in his hand. But Master, what is the history here? Why does this blade feel so... antagonistic?"
Koshiro was silent for a long moment, his gaze flicking to his daughter and then back to the sword. "I also once planned to pass this sword to Kuina," he began, his voice heavy. "But as I awakened my Observation Haki and it grew stronger, I began to perceive the danger within it. It was not a fit vessel for my child. My wife... she believed my reluctance was due to my old, foolish notions that women were inherently weaker. It was not."
Kuina remained quiet. She had heard her father express those outdated views long ago, but it had been years.
Kaito frowned. "Master, you can't still believe that. You know the state of the world." If it were before, Kaito might have understood, but now he knew a person's upper limit relied on far more than physical strength.
"Of course not," Koshiro said firmly. "I need not look further than legends like Big Mom or Vice Admiral Tsuru to know that. There are entire pirate crews comprised solely of powerful women. That mindset is a relic of my past. The reason is simply that this sword gave me a premonition of tragedy. When my father gave it to me, I was proud. But over time, a sense of foreboding grew. When I finally set it aside for a common blade, I felt... stronger. It wasn't until we began formal Haki training that I understood why. This sword has a will, and it is not a benevolent one."
He took a deep breath and looked directly at his daughter. "Kuina, this sword is yours by ancestral right. I lost any say in the matter the day I chose to abandon it. I will not interfere with your decision. I only ever wanted to protect you."
Kaito said after watching the exchange.
"Its choice of Zoro suggests his inherent destiny is tied to that weight. To force the blade on another would be to court disaster."
Kuina looked from her father's earnest face to Kaito, who gave her a small, encouraging nod. She squared her shoulders. "Alright. I will respect the sword's choice for now. But I will prove to it one day that it chose wrong."
With the matter settled, Kaito stayed to talk with Koshiro. "I'm planning to travel for a while, after my father returns."
"Will your mother allow it?" Koshiro asked, concern etching his features.
"I think she understands I've wanted to leave. I held back to avoid worrying her. But this incident was a reminder—in this world, strength is the only currency that buys you the right to exist on your own terms."
Koshiro's frown deepened. "Kaito, do not lose yourself in the pursuit of strength. That path leads to emptiness."
"Master, I may lose myself seeking strength," Kaito countered, his voice low and intense. "But if I am weak, I will certainly be lost, because my right to exist will be denied by those who are strong. My only choices are to die or live by their rules. I choose a third option: to be strong enough to make my own."
Koshiro studied him for a long moment. "So what will you do? Become a pirate?"
"I don't know," Kaito admitted. "The three major forces are all flawed. The World Government and Marines are the root of the world's corruption. Most pirates are traumatized misfits; building a crew I could trust would take a lifetime. The only ideology that makes sense is the Revolutionary Army's, but they are elusive, and their strength is an unknown."
"Actually," Koshiro said, lowering his voice. "I know something of the Revolutionaries. Their strength is still growing, but their cause may be what you're looking for."
Kaito was silent, considering. "Even if I agreed with them, joining would put a target on this village, on my parents. That is too high a price."
"A wise and difficult calculation," Koshiro nodded. "I found myself at the same crossroads once. I could not join him, in the end. I can only offer support from the shadows."
Kaito's eyes widened in surprise. "You know their leader personally."
"I do. Monkey D. Dragon. He is a man with a profound, world-changing dream."
"Would he come to east blue anytime soon?" Kaito asked, a new idea forming.
"Yes. I expect him within a week or two."
"Good. I will decide what to do after I meet him."
Koshiro nodded. "A prudent plan. I will inform you when I receive word."
Kaito stood and said his farewells.
---
The days passed quickly in a rhythm of intense training. A week later, his father, Menma, returned.
Kaito noticed the change immediately. A dark, confused aura clung to his father like a shroud. He tried to act naturally, but when they were finally alone, Kaito asked, "What happened?"
Menma looked at his son and sighed in resignation. "Your Observation Haki is a headache. Can't you pretend you didn't notice and stop being so nosy?"
"I would," Kaito said gently, "if you weren't looking at me like a man who's seen a ghost."
Menma was quiet for a beat. "I always felt your disdain for the World Government. I dismissed it as another of your eccentricities. You awakened Haki and taught it to us before we knew what it was. You trained in Armament before Master Koshiro could even guide you. I thought it was just the quirk of a prodigy. But this trip... I saw things. It made me understand your contempt."
Kaito waited patiently. "What answer did you find out there?"
"I found that you're right. The world is deeply wrong. And it left me feeling powerless to change any of it."
After a moment of silence, Kaito placed a hand on his father's shoulder. "What you do here is enough. Knowing something is wrong and teaching the next generation to know it too—that is how change begins. It's slow, but it is not powerless."
Menma thought this over before nodding slowly. Then he turned, his expression shifting. "I heard you intend to leave."
"Yes. I need to see the world for myself."
"I knew this day would come from the moment you first beat Koshiro in a spar," Menma said, a proud, wistful smile touching his lips.
Kaito laughed but didn't deny it.
"There's a new kid at the dojo," Kaito said after a moment. "Roronoa Zoro. He's a pure swordsman, like you and the Master. His will is immense. Pay attention to him. Try to teach him Observation Haki as soon as you can."
He thought wryly of how it had taken Zoro three hours to find the dojo that morning. Saving his parents had unforeseen consequences; in the original timeline, the boy had lived at the dojo, never getting lost.
They talked and laughed until night fell. After two more days, Kaito made his decision to leave.
Kaito found the master finalizing dojo ledgers in his office. The exchange was quiet and efficient.
"The world is a system of levers and pressures, Kaito," Koshiro said, not looking up from his paperwork.
"You understand this. Swordsmanship is one lever. Haki is another. Information and alliances are often heavier ones."
He slid a sealed letter and a heavy pouch of Berry across the desk.
"Names you can mention, places you can go. And funding. A pragmatic man never apologizes for being prepared."
Kaito took the items and offered a deep, formal bow.
"The lesson is appreciated, Master."
"Be sharp, Kaito. In all things."
With Kuina
He found her in the dojo's yard, relentlessly striking a single post with a shinai. Thwack. Thwack. Thwack.
She saw him and stopped, wiping her brow with her sleeve.
"You're leaving," she stated.
"I am."
She nodded, a strategic fact accepted. She walked over and pulled out a single, well-used whetstone wrapped in a clean cloth.
"Here. For your sword. A dull blade is a useless tool. I have a new one."
It was a profoundly practical gift. Kaito accepted it gravely.
"Thank you, Kuina. I'll use it."
Her brow furrowed.
"The next time you come back," she announced, "I'm gonna be so strong that stupid sword will have to pick me. And I'm gonna beat you."
It was her ultimate declaration of respect. "I know you will. That's why I have to go get stronger, too." He offered a final piece of advice, "Keep training. And keep an eye on that green-haired kid. He's going to need someone strong to practice on."
A competitive spark lit in her eyes. She gave a sharp nod, turned, and resumed her assault on the post. Thwack. Thwack. Her goodbye was already over.
With Zoro:
Finding Zoro meant checking wrong turns. Kaito found him sitting under a tree, trying to tie three sticks together with string.
Kaito sat down. "The dojo is the other way."
Zoro jumped, scowling. "I wasn't going to the dojo! I was... exploring."
"Right. Well, I'm exploring too. I'm leaving the island."
Zoro's scowl deepened.
"But you didn't teach me the cool move!"
"Because you're not ready," Kaito said plainly. "Your job is to learn how to hold one properly first. Master Koshiro will show you. Your job is to listen and stop getting lost."
"Tch. I don't need help," Zoro muttered.
"I know." Kaito pulled a small, simple wooden compass from his pocket.
"Here. This is a... direction-finder. The red arrow always points to the dojo. So if you get lost, you can find your way back to train."
Zoro's eyes went wide. He stared at the compass, a war between pride and utility on his face. He snatched it quickly.
"...Thanks," he mumbled.
"Get strong, Zoro," Kaito said simply, and left.
The last thing he heard was Zoro's small, fierce voice muttering to the compass, "I don't need you... but I'll keep you just in case."
Then he went with his parents to the pier.
Ino was struggling to accept her son's departure, and Menma stood by her side, offering quiet comfort.
"Don't worry, Mother," Kaito said, his pack slung over his shoulder. "I will find a way to contact you every chance I get."
Menma chuckled, pulling his wife closer. "Well, we might try for another one. This kid took a whole lifetime's supply of weirdness. I'm sure the next one will be normal."
Ino flushed and swatted his arm. "What are you saying in front of the child!"
Kaito laughed, then pulled them both into a firm embrace. Letting go, he turned and boarded the ship destined for Foosha Village, and a meeting with the world's most wanted man.