Under the thatched rain shelter, Xia Nuo had painted a whole row of E's on the courtyard wall, each facing a different direction.
"Which way is this?"
"Up."
"What about this one?"
"...Left?"
"Close one eye. What about this one?"
"Uh... I can't see it clearly."
Hopeless.
Xia Nuo slapped his forehead. Aside from the biggest E at the very top, Kuina couldn't tell the direction of a single one below it.
With eyesight like Kuina's, 4.0 was the absolute limit.
By the standards of his previous life, she would need glasses stronger than 600 degrees and be classified as severely nearsighted.
"Has your father really never paid attention to your eyesight?" he couldn't help asking.
"...Father is usually very busy. I think I only started having trouble seeing things last year, and I never mentioned it to him. It's normal that he didn't notice, right?"
One had never mentioned it, and the other hadn't noticed at all.
This father and daughter pair were far too careless.
"Anyway, hurry up and get a pair of glasses."
Xia Nuo sighed. "It's fine when you're fooling around with bamboo swords in the dojo, but if you get into a real fight, wouldn't that be treating your life like a joke? You don't even have to wait for a battle. You might not be able to see the stairs clearly and could slip and fall to your death."
"Mm. When Father comes back later, I'll talk to him about it."
Kuina nodded seriously.
If someone else had said that, her temperament might have made her argue, especially over the latter part. How could she possibly be that weak?
But when it came from Xia Nuo, it somehow sounded so reasonable.
She sat down along the wooden veranda beneath the eaves and looked up at Xia Nuo.
"It seems you've been going to a lot of trouble over me, Lord Xia Nuo. Instead of always discussing my affairs, why don't we talk about you?"
"Me? What's there to talk about?"
Xia Nuo shrugged and sat down as well.
"I haven't officially set out to sea yet, so there's nothing worth mentioning. I've only done that one thing on Asagiri Island, and you know the details even better than I do."
"You haven't officially set out to sea?"
"That's right. I'm only thirteen. Why would I go out to sea? It would make more sense to wait until I'm seventeen or eighteen before roaming the world, wouldn't it?"
"Eh? Thirteen?!! That means you're only two years older than me!"
"Don't I look it?"
"You don't! It's not just your appearance, either. Mainly, Lord Xia Nuo, you seem so composed, and at such a young age, you've already made such a great name for yourself!"
Kuina made a slashing motion with her hand. "You saw injustice and stepped in to uphold justice. However you look at it, that's incredibly cool! Once you officially set out to sea, if you joined the Marines, you'd definitely become an amazing Marine!"
"The Marines?"
Xia Nuo thought about it, then shook his head. "I'm not interested."
Perhaps if he had crossed over a few years earlier, he really would have set joining the Marines as his goal. After all, in his eyes at the time, even the worst order was better than chaos and turmoil.
Besides, the Marines' white coats of justice really did look cool.
But he had been reincarnated only after finishing the God Valley arc. Whenever he thought about it, he felt thoroughly disgusted.
If he were assigned some mission to escort a Celestial Dragon, he was afraid he would vomit up everything he'd eaten the night before.
Kuina was stunned. "Huh? Then could you be a bounty hunter? Wait, don't tell me you're a pirate?"
"As long as I can remain free, what I specifically am doesn't seem to matter."
Xia Nuo spread his hands. "The world is so vast. In any case, I definitely want to set out to sea and look around. Otherwise, all this training would be for nothing, and I'd be wasting my life. But... do I really have to define myself with an identity in advance?"
"If pirates come to rob me, I'll just rob them back. If the Marines come looking for trouble, I won't show them any courtesy either. Whatever identity they give me afterward is their business."
"I'm still me. A label won't change where I stand. Those who are on the same side will remain on the same side, and those who aren't will still be outsiders... Do you understand what I mean?"
"I think I do."
Kuina tilted her head. "Still, I've only heard of the Marines placing bounties on pirates. I've never heard of it happening the other way around. So if you beat up both sides whenever they provoke you, wouldn't you ultimately still be classified as a pirate?"
"That's actually true!"
Xia Nuo burst out laughing. "If that day really comes, I won't hold back. I'll draw a skull flag, establish a pirate crew, and beat up anyone who provokes me!"
"Until the Marines and pirates tremble in fear from far away whenever they see my ship, not even daring to come close. Then I can ignore everyone and continue happily adventuring wherever I please!"
"Hey, Kuina!"
He suddenly lowered his head. "Didn't you make a promise with Zoro to compete over who would become the World's Number One Great Swordsman first? How about both of you joining my ship then?"
"If you want to become the World's Number One Swordsman, staying cooped up in a little place like Isshin Dojo won't work. If you don't travel across the seas, how can you make the whole world acknowledge that title?"
Together with Lord Xia Nuo?
Leaving this tiny Shimotsuki Village and venturing across the entire sea?
Kuina stared blankly toward the distant horizon, her breathing suddenly quickening.
She clenched her bamboo sword and abruptly stood up. "N-now? It's a little sudden, but that's fine. However, Father hasn't returned yet. Shouldn't I ask for his permission first...?"
"What are you thinking?"
Xia Nuo patted her on the head and said irritably, "Are you really in such a hurry to leave? Who said we were setting out to sea now? I don't even have a ship yet!"
"That hurt!"
"Anyway, just treat it as a promise and keep it in your heart for now. There's no rush. Spend a few more years training hard with Zoro. If you leave at such a young age, Mr. Koshiro will be sad."
Xia Nuo stood up with a stretch and smiled. "Don't worry. When I really set out to sea, I definitely won't forget to come find you two."
There was no sound behind him.
Puzzled, he turned around and saw Kuina staring straight at him.
"Pinky promise?"
"Uh... That's not necessary, is it? You shouldn't be as childish as Zoro, right?"
"Pinky promise! Otherwise, don't even think about shaking me off tonight. I'll follow you even when you go to sleep!"
"...I really can't do anything with you."
Koshiro didn't return until early the next morning.
After resting for one night, Xia Nuo woke early feeling refreshed and full of energy. He was doing bodyweight training in the courtyard, balancing upside down on two fingers, when Koshiro suddenly walked in with two figures.
Before he could see who they were, both figures dropped to their knees with a thud.
"Benefactor!"
Xia Nuo hurriedly flipped upright and helped Zeff and Sanji to their feet.
"What are you doing? You just got well enough to get out of bed, and you're already pulling this? I really can't accept this kind of thing. Besides, old man, didn't you already thank me a few days ago?"
"Haha, saving my life is a favor greater than the heavens. How could thanking you once be enough?"
Zeff bared his teeth in a grin and pointed at his right leg. "Besides, Benefactor, you actually saved me twice. If you hadn't desperately rowed faster and brought me here to Shimotsuki Village, how could I have met Mr. Koshiro and Doctor Shiran and had this leg healed?"
His leg?
Xia Nuo followed his gaze and discovered that beneath Zeff's right knee, which should have been empty, there was now a sturdy wooden leg.
Its craftsmanship and appearance were exceptionally exquisite. The joint could even bend freely, and if he pulled down his trouser leg, no one would be able to tell he was disabled.
Compared to the wooden stick that resembled a toilet plunger in the original timeline, this was countless times better.
"When I was young, I followed my father in blacksmithing, but I was too dull and failed to inherit the true skills."
Koshiro pushed up his glasses and smiled. "I was more interested in woodworking, though, and spent many years studying it in private. I never expected it would finally come in handy today."
Before you continue