"Come on! Let's make a promise! Let's charge towards the title of the world's greatest swordsman together!"
Zoro was completely caught up in a frenzy, so excited it looked like he might pass out at any moment.
However, no one responded to his excitement.
A cold wind blew past, and the trees in the woods rustled.
Even Zoro felt a little awkward.
"I never said I wanted to become the world's greatest swordsman!" Cyrus said, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
"You're learning swordmanship, don't you want to become the strongest?"
Zoro's eyes were wide, and he clenched his fists tightly, seemingly in disbelief of Cyrus's words.
Kuina was also a little curious.
"I'm different from you two. You both have firm ideals, but I don't. Maybe by the time you become the world's greatest swordsman, I'll still be an insignificant nobody. Then when I go out and someone bullies me, I'll just said that my juniors is the world's greatest swordsman. Then I can eat and drink without paying." Cyrus said with a grin.
In response, Zoro and Kuina's gazes turned scornful.
"What a scummy guy you are!" Zoro said, as if disappointed in someone who wouldn't live up to their potential.
But then he frowned.
"Wait, I'm supposed to be the senpai." Zoro realized.
"I was the one who taught you swordsmanship. You should call me senpai too." Kuina also nodded repeatedly.
"Look at you two. You're about to become the world's greatest swordsmen, and you're still so petty. It's just a title. I'm older than you, so it's reasonable for me to call you my juniors, right?"
Cyrus said with a helpless look.
"Is it reasonable?" Zoro raised a hand to scratch his short green hair and looked at Kuina.
"Uhh..." Kuina raised a hand to scratch her face, not giving an answer.
"Besides, we're so close. It's also reasonable for me to dine and dash using your names in the future, right?" Cyrus said again.
Zoro and Kuina looked at each other, not knowing how to reply.
They both felt there was something wrong with Cyrus's words, but they didn't know how to refute them.
"Hee-haw! You're quite the talker, little brat. You've got them both confused."
Abruptly, a voice appeared, and Cyrus whipped his head around.
Behind a tree in the direction of the dojo, a person whose head was bigger than his body stood there, with half his head peeking out.
"AHHHH A MOSNTER!" Zoro's eyeballs nearly popped out of his head.
"Don't talk nonsense!" Cyrus slapped the leaping Zoro back to the ground.
"This person is from a special race on the grandline, the Big-head Tribe," Cyrus said with a serious face.
Zoro looked shocked, while Kuina looked curious.
"So this is one of the strange races from the sea you mentioned. It really is strange."
Kuina was full of emotion.
The sea was truly mysterious!
Meanwhile, Ivankov, who had been eavesdropping, was completely speechless.
While Dragon and Koshiro were discussing matters, he had wandered off on his own.
Hearing voices from afar, he had approached and listened to the three children's conversation.
Their spirit wasn't bad, wanting to become the strongest on the sea, the world's greatest swordsman.
Then, he heard the older one tricking the two younger ones.
And now, he had even been assigned to a random race!
"Hee-haw! Little brat, I'm not from some Big-head Tribe. I'm just a human."
Ivankov walked out, approaching under the curious gazes of Zoro and Kuina, still talking.
"How do you know you're not?"
Cyrus turned his head to look at the approaching Ivankov and asked in a calm tone.
"What if your ancestors were? But your race been wipe out long ago, and you're the only one left?"
Zoro and Kuina nodded repeatedly, feeling that what Cyrus said made a lot of sense.
"My parents were both human."
Ivankov was taken aback and retorted subconsciously.
"That's also possible. Like I said, over the long years, the Big-head Tribe nearly died out. The remaining ones married humans, and the bloodline was hidden. It just so happens that in your generation, the bloodline has reawakened in you."
Cyrus said with a dead-serious expression.
"So that's how it is!" Zoro said, a look of sudden realization on his face.
"Don't believe him. He's obviously talking nonsense."
Seeing Zoro actually playing along, Ivankov was speechless.
This older kid was truly eloquent; he was starting to believe it himself.
"You say I'm talking nonsense, then show me the proof."
Cyrus was unperturbed, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly.
Then, Kuina and Zoro looked at Ivankov expectantly, clearly waiting for him to produce evidence.
"I... I don't have any proof."
Ivankov hesitated for a moment, then shook his head.
How could one produce evidence for something like this?
"See? Since you have no proof, that means it's indeed possible you're from the Big-head Tribe, right?"
Cyrus spread his hands.
Ivankov hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
"Isn't this race something you just made up? I'm very knowledgeable about history, but I've never heard of such a tribe."
Another voice suddenly joined in.
A tall figure in a hooded cloak walked over. His voice was sharp, sounding like the clash of metal when he spoke.
Three blood-red question marks hovered above his head.
Monkey D Dragon!
The approaching Dragon was also sizing up Cyrus.
Just after he finished discussing the food supplies with Koshiro, Koshiro had mentioned the highly talented youth who had recently arrived at the Isshin Dojo.
Dragon was naturally curious, so he came over to have a look.
Everything that happened here naturally couldn't escape the perception of his Observation Haki.
He had witnessed the entire process of the two younger children being tricked, and even Ivankov being made unconfident by the sophistry.
"Just because you haven't heard of it doesn't mean it doesn't exist."
Cyrus's eyes scanned Dragon, lingering a little longer on the shoe print on his face.
"If you put it that way, you have a point." Dragon nodded slightly.
"Chief!" Ivankov was a little embarrassed!
What Cyrus said was definitely wrong, but he didn't know how to refute it.
"Any thoughts about going out to sea?"
Dragon waved a hand at Ivankov, then looked at Cyrus and asked.
"Go to sea? No way."
Hearing this, Cyrus immediately shook his head.
Whether it was going to sea now or Dragon trying to recruit him, he had no intention of doing either.
"So, your dream is to wait for these two to become powerhouses on the sea, then use their fame to eat without paying?" Dragon was amused.
Of course, he didn't believe it.
After all, during this food drive, Koshiro's side had collected much more than expected, and the reason, naturally, was the money this boy named Cyrus had provided.
"Is that not allowed? Zoro, you're gonna treat your senpai once you're become famous right?" Cyrus said, turning his head to ask Zoro.
Zoro scratched his head.
He actually felt it wasn't right.
But on second thought, if he was already the greatest swordsman, letting his junior eat without paying should be fine, right?
"It's... it's fine!" Zoro nodded.
Dragon's gaze fell on Zoro.
He could already see that this green-haired kid was a dumbass!
"Koshiro said you're learning how to awaken your Armament Haki?"