All I could say was that the directionally challenged halo was truly invincible.
After wandering around the village with Zoro for half an hour, Xia Nuo's head was almost spinning. In the end, he had to ask an older man for directions before finally finding the entrance to Isshin Dojo.
To his surprise, Koshiro was already waiting at the gate.
"Why did you arrive so late?"
The middle-aged man wore a kimono and black-rimmed glasses. He looked at Zoro with a beaming smile. "It was your fault, wasn't it? You got lost and dragged Lord Xianuo along with you?"
"..."
Zoro's face reddened again.
He could lie in front of Xia Nuo, but he was completely unable to argue in front of the teacher who knew him so well.
Grumbling, he turned around. "So annoying. As long as I brought him here, what's the big deal? I'm leaving. Don't call me for dinner. I haven't finished today's extra training yet!"
Watching Zoro leave, Koshiro smiled and turned to walk into the dojo.
"Dinner is already being prepared. Lord Xianuo, you probably haven't eaten yet, right? Why don't you join us later?"
"I am a little hungry, actually. Then I'll have to trouble you."
Xia Nuo did not stand on ceremony. Following behind him, he asked curiously, "Mr. Koshiro, how do you know my name? Has Junichi already returned from the clinic? That was fast."
"Junichi?"
Koshiro was slightly taken aback and shook his head. "No. I only heard that the boy had returned. I haven't seen him yet. Speaking of which, I should thank you on his behalf. I never expected this trip to Asagiri Island to be so dangerous. If he hadn't run into you, he might not have made it back alive."
"Then how do you know so much..."
"Well, that's naturally because Lord Xianuo has become quite famous recently."
Koshiro took several newspapers from the middle shelf of a cabinet and handed them all to Xia Nuo with a chuckle. "Once you read these, you should understand."
Newspapers?
Xia Nuo took them over curiously. He had been drifting at sea these past few days and genuinely had not run into any News Coo.
Or perhaps the News Coo that had flown past high above simply had not noticed their little boat.
"Here, have some tea." Koshiro personally brewed another cup of green tea and handed it over.
"Thank you."
The two sat across from each other with a tea table between them on the tatami. Xia Nuo spread out the newspapers and began reading them carefully.
These newspapers were mostly from local East Blue publishers. Without exception, every one of their front-page headlines reported on the Asagiri Island incident.
"Shimotsuki Village is isolated from the outside world. Apart from me, who orders newspapers every day, not many people know about your deeds."
Koshiro smiled. "But things are different on the other islands. In many places across the nearby waters, you've been the focus of attention these past few days. Calling you the East Blue's brightest new star would not be an exaggeration."
He was not exaggerating in the slightest.
From Xia Nuo's unstoppable advance into the finals, crushing every opponent along the way, to the series of unexpected incidents that occurred inside the tournament dojo;
Then there was the eerie terror of the Seven Great Dojos' masters being completely puppetized, and the shocking revelation that the mastermind behind it all was the long-dead chairman, Sakuraba Tree...
The bizarre story was already captivating enough. Then, in the midst of that desperate situation, a young swordsman had suddenly stepped forward and single-handedly smashed the conspiracy to pieces.
After finding the mastermind's treasure vault, he had not taken a single coin for himself. Instead, he had decided to distribute the enormous fortune inside among all the victims.
In the end, before dawn, the young swordsman had quietly departed, hiding his achievements and his identity.
This was practically the archetypal young hero from traditional folk tales. It would have been strange if his popularity had not exploded.
Several local East Blue newspapers spared no ink, reporting on the matter continuously for days as their sales climbed higher and higher.
Even World Economic News had been stirred into action and hurried to follow up. It was not on the front page, but it still occupied a considerable section of the second page.
After all the buzz had fermented,
The title of "the strongest swordsman of the East Blue's younger generation" had already begun circulating quietly across more than half of the East Blue.
"T-This is way too much praise..."
Holding the newspaper, Xia Nuo felt his old face grow red.
Most of the time, the reporters had not been present at the scene. Much of the reporting had been pieced together from testimony afterward, so many of the details were not quite accurate.
For example, he had indeed left the two hundred million Beli in the vault behind, but the four hundred million Beli from the Loguetown treasury was still in his hands. How could that count as taking nothing and being so noble?
Junichi's involvement had also been completely omitted. But that was a form of protection in disguise, so it could barely be considered a good thing.
After all, as Sakuraba Tree's son, his identity was extremely sensitive.
Now that his fame had been stirred up, many victims' families might fail to distinguish right from wrong and come seeking revenge.
But that aside,
The most outrageous part was still--
"I've actually been made out to be the strongest swordsman?!!"
A swordsman?
Were they kidding?
How could his mediocre swordsmanship possibly hold up in a major battle? The final victory had clearly been smashed out punch by punch with this strong body of his!
"Tsk..."
Xia Nuo scratched his hair, feeling somewhat troubled.
Would he start running into swordsmen who asked to spar with him or requested his guidance from now on?
Still, this outcome was not entirely unexpected.
After all, once the real battle began later, everyone in the dojo who could escape had fled. On the other hand, his path through the Kendo Tournament had been recorded from beginning to end.
A genius swordsman who had entered the finals undefeated and ultimately defeated a terrifying Devil Fruit user...
If it was not swordsmanship, what else could it have been?
It made perfect sense.
Even the photos on the front pages of these newspapers were pictures reporters had taken of him during the early qualifying rounds.
A black-haired boy stood proudly atop the wooden platform with a bamboo sword in his arms, impossible to defeat, while a large crowd of astonished spectators gathered below.
At a glance,
He really did have the bearing of a young swordsman who had just come down from the mountains and was already without equal.
"Ah."
Xia Nuo let out another long sigh.
Koshiro misunderstood what he meant and smiled.
"Now that you've become famous, you're wearing an even more troubled expression. It seems Lord Xianuo is the sort who prefers to keep a low profile. That makes sense. Otherwise, why would you have left quietly after everything was over?"
He did not conceal his admiration in the slightest, which only made Xia Nuo feel even more restless.
He was afraid Koshiro's next words would be something like, "I'd like to see your swordsmanship," "Dinner is still being prepared," or "Why don't you and I have a little spar?"
Fortunately, the figure who entered through the sliding door rescued him from his awkwardness.
"Father."
A short-haired girl with an impassive expression stood at the doorway and spoke calmly. "Grandma says the food is ready and asked me to call you. We should go over now... Eeeeh!!!!"
She suddenly cried out, turning her gaze toward Xia Nuo. Her little face filled with delight. "L-Lord Xianuo! What are you doing here?"
Before Xia Nuo could react, she dashed straight over with a series of thumping footsteps and hugged his arm, touching it here and looking there. "An illusion? No! It's not an illusion! It's really you!"
Xia Nuo's heart skipped a beat, and he turned to glance at Koshiro.
"This is my daughter, Kuina. Please forgive her. She normally doesn't act like this."
Koshiro chuckled. "She only lost her composure because she got to see you in person. Speaking of which, apart from practicing swordsmanship, she also enjoys reading. She often looks through the newspapers I subscribe to. These past few days, she has been utterly fascinated by your story and keeps reading it over and over."
Before you continue