Zoro stared up at the rack of bamboo swords.
"Can I just grab any of them?" he asked.
Koushirou smiled with his eyes narrowed. "Of course."
"Yoshi…"
A moment later—
The brat turned around with three bamboo swords in his mouth and three more jammed into his hands like some kind of wooden hedgehog.
Click.
Jin hurriedly hid his camera.
He really wanted to know how Zoro would react in the future if he ever saw this photo.
Everyone else in the dojo twitched at the corners of their mouths.
"Let's begin."
Koushirou stood and took command of the match.
"Bow to the shrine."
Zoro bowed his head. One of the swords slipped from his mouth and hit the floor.
"Bow to each other."
He bowed again. Another sword dropped.
Jin slapped a hand over his mouth, shoulders shaking as he tried not to laugh.
"Mmm—mmph—"
"Shut up, you boring bastard!" Zoro yelled at him, face flushing.
"Begin."
Kuina held her bamboo sword in both hands, looking down at Zoro from slightly above.
Seeing the disdain in her expression, Zoro charged forward.
"Yaaah!"
Two crisp strikes later—
Smack, smack!
Zoro was sent flying and crashed onto the floor.
"Damn it…"
He grabbed two dropped bamboo swords and pushed himself up again.
Kuina paused. "You can use dual-sword style?"
Zoro's face turned red. "No! This is my first day even holding a sword!"
"His first day?" Koushirou said, amused.
The match continued.
Zoro roared and charged again.
Kuina watched him come, wide open down the center, and brought her sword down in a clean diagonal strike.
Smack.
"…Argh!" Zoro yelped as he hit the mat.
"Winner decided. Match over," Koushirou announced.
Zoro glared at Kuina, a bright red welt across his face.
"Damn it… I'll train and train and get stronger and stronger… and then I'll beat you!"
"Hmph."
Kuina turned and walked away.
Zoro kept his promise and formally bowed to Koushirou as his master.
After that, day after day, he threw himself into training like a demon.
Watching that tiny body swing and run and fall and get up again, Jin couldn't help thinking of his own early days—when he'd been nothing but skin and bones, forcing himself to get stronger.
To be strong enough to seize his own fate.
To live on his own terms.
"To get stronger just for the sake of being strong, huh? And after that… then what?"
He got so lost in thought he didn't even notice when Kuina came to stand at his side.
Stronger. Then what?
Live free and unrestrained?
No.
If you're strong enough, only then can you live however you want.
Boom.
Conqueror's Haki exploded out of him, surging over the entire village.
Thud, thud.
Zoro and Kuina both collapsed where they stood.
Koushirou rushed out, snatching the two kids back and shielding them, cold sweat on his forehead.
"You broke through with your Conqueror's… It's that strong now?"
Jin pulled his Haki back in, realized what he'd done, and scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"Sorry. Got a bit too into my own head and slipped."
Koushirou looked at him with a complicated expression.
"It's fine. Congratulations on getting stronger."
Jin clenched his fists.
"This is nothing. Compared to the monsters at the top, I'm still miles away."
"Big words," Koushirou said. "I hope you really do reach that summit."
He guided the two unconscious kids away.
The days drifted by.
Jin watched Zoro train, get hit, get back up. It was actually… pretty relaxing.
Until one afternoon, Kuina walked over and looked him straight in the eye.
"That day… what was that power you released?"
Jin glanced at her.
"Conqueror's Haki. Among a million people, maybe one awakens it. It's also your 'will' made manifest."
"In my opinion, anyone could awaken it if they manage to take that step. But that step is… very, very hard."
Kuina said nothing.
She stared at Zoro practicing dual-wield with bamboo swords, silent for a long time.
Then she spoke again, voice low.
"Can a woman really not become the world's greatest swordsman?"
Jin turned his head.
She turned hers.
The two of them held each other's gaze for a long, long moment.
Only when disappointment began to dim her eyes did Jin finally speak.
"Not necessarily."
"Huh?" Kuina's eyes lit up, something bright and sharp flashing inside them.
Jin saw that spark.
"In Marine Headquarters," he said, "there's a woman called Gion. Vice Admiral now."
"I've heard that in her youth, she stood at the peak of swordmasters. By now… she's probably gone beyond that."
Kuina's eyes grew brighter and brighter.
"Really? You're not lying?"
Jin nodded without hesitation.
"Yeah. I'm not lying. It's true."
"Thank you."
She bowed deeply to him.
Jin sighed and said lazily, "You can come out now."
Koushirou stepped out from the shadows, face blank.
"You shouldn't have told her that."
Jin watched Kuina's back as she walked away, her presence completely different from before.
"Why not? It's the truth."
"I don't know if you really look down on women, or if you're just scared Kuina will walk this road and get hurt."
"But don't you think… it's best if people can choose their own path?"
"Look at her. After just a few words, her whole aura changed."
Koushirou looked at his daughter again, then turned away in silence.
"Tch."
From then on, Kuina trained even harder.
She asked Jin about swordsmanship whenever she could.
Jin didn't hide anything. He freely shared his own understanding of the sword.
Sometimes Zoro tagged along to listen.
"Most people on these seas divide swordsmen into three levels," Jin said one day.
"Swordsman. Swordmaster. Great Swordsman."
"What about you?" Kuina asked.
Jin thought it over.
"Me? I see it a bit differently."
"Right now, I think of four stages.
"First, 'swordsman'—that's like a baby learning to walk. Stumbling everywhere.
"Second, 'sword-user'—someone who can wield the sword freely, like a child who can walk on their own without falling.
"Third, 'swordmaster'—someone learning to run.
"As for 'great swordsman'… I'm not there yet. So I can't really define it clearly."
Kuina and Zoro both looked thoughtful.
"How far are you from being a great swordmaster?" Kuina asked.
Jin spun the bamboo sword in his hand.
"No idea."
"Once you get to swordmaster, everyone walks their own path. It depends on each person's understanding."
He didn't say more.
He just walked up the mountain alone to train.
Fist intent.
Garp's punches had never felt like simple Haki.
Every hit had hurt in a way that wasn't just physical.
He'd told Jin once that he added his own will to his fist.
Jin had been trying to find that feeling ever since.
Still nothing.
His punches grew faster and stronger, slamming into the mountainside.
Boom!
A single blow shattered a huge chunk of the cliff—
But he still couldn't grasp that sensation.
Frustration gnawed at him.
"Huuuh… huuuh…"
Koushirou stepped quietly out of the trees behind him.
"What are you trying to feel?"
Jin panted, sweat dripping from his chin.
"Some kind of 'intent.' Fist intent. I just can't get it."
"Intent…"
Koushirou looked at him.
"That sort of thing is vague and hard to catch. But your heart is in chaos."
"With a heart like that, nothing you do will succeed."
"I know," Jin said. "But lately I just can't make my heart still."
Koushirou considered him.
"Then you should go look at the sea."
"The sea?"
"Sit and watch it. For as long as it takes. You'll gain something."
Watching the sea to calm the heart, huh?
He hadn't tried that.
And at the moment, he was stuck. It felt like his strength had hit the bottom of a bottle.
Might as well.
Right then, the transponder snail in his pocket buzzed.
"Buru-buru, buru-buru…"
Jin picked it up. "Yeah?"
"It's me. Colonel Mao," came the exasperated voice. "Jin, what are you doing? You've been gone a month! If you don't come back, I won't be able to explain things to Headquarters!"
"Oh, hey, Commander. Just tell them I'm training. Been training swordsmanship the whole time."
Mao sounded like he was about to explode.
"You idiot! You think they'll believe that?!"
"They can believe what they want. I don't want a promotion anyway."
"You bastard! You damn idiot—!"
Click.
Jin hung up.
Back in Loguetown, Mao slammed the snail down.
"That brat! What kind of attitude is that?!"
He paced angrily for a while, then sagged.
"Fine. I'll just say he's on extended patrol."
"Unbelievable. I'm always cleaning up after that kid…"
Jin returned to the dojo and was promptly dragged down to the shore.
So they really wanted him to sit and watch the sea, huh?
Interesting.
Soon, he arrived at the coastline.
Shimotsuki Kousaburou was already sitting on a rock, smoking, a big box next to him.
Jin understood at once.
He looked at the box. "Is it done, old man?"
Kousaburou exhaled smoke. "See for yourself."
Jin opened the lid.
Inside lay the greatsword he'd missed like a lost limb.
"Whoa, that's a huge sword," Zoro blurted, eyes shining.
"I reforged it completely," Kousaburou explained.
"Added some material. Melted and fused it again and again."
"I couldn't quite bring it up to Great Grade level… but it's close. If you turn it into a black blade one day, who knows."
"It's a bit long. But I figured you'd like that."
He glanced at Jin's satisfied face and snorted.
Jin stood and lifted the sword.
He swung it twice.
The air howled around the blade; wind kicked up, making the two kids' eyes go wide.
He weighed it quickly.
Roughly a hundred jin in weight. Length, about 2.2 meters. Width, maybe fifteen centimeters.
Taller than he was.
Perfect.
"Thank you, old man."
He bowed deeply.
Kousaburou sidestepped the bow.
"No thanks needed. A sword chooses its wielder, same as a man chooses his path."
Jin felt like a weight had fallen from his shoulders.
With the sword in hand, everything in his chest loosened.
He kept swinging, feeling out its balance and weight.
At last, he faced the ocean and slashed diagonally.
Whoosh!
A blade of aura flew out.
The sea itself split open, a massive gash appearing in the water.
"Sugoi! So cool, Jin!" Kuina and Zoro shouted, eyes full of awe.
Koushirou watched quietly.
"This is what a calm heart produces," he said.
"If one road won't open for you… why not try another?"
Another road?
Sword intent?
If he couldn't reach fist intent yet, why cling to it?
Ever since he'd picked the sword back up, he'd felt more alive than he did with his fists.
So why force himself to punch?
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.