Frost Moon Village

A gentle breeze blew, stirring the emerald-green grass into waves that rippled like the surface of the sea.

Louis and his two companions walked along the path that cut through the meadow, heading toward the village in the distance.

As the three of them passed by fields of wheat, many villagers were drawn to Louis's saintly appearance, standing frozen in place, subconsciously stunned.

Louis remained indifferent to this; he had long since grown accustomed to it.

Beside him, Uta poked her head out, grinning as she looked at Louis and teased, "Louis, they're all looking at you!"

"Say, have you really not considered debuting with me? We could become world-famous superstars, conquer the world with song, and beat the World Government to a pulp!"

"I think I'll pass. One conceited, narcissistic brat is enough," Louis retorted without a hint of hesitation.

"Louis, you're so good at acting!"

Uta put on an expression of utter astonishment.

"You really should just debut as an actor instead!"

"..."

Louis ignored Uta and asked Yelena, "Did you bring a sack?"

"A sack? What for?" Uta had yet to realize the gravity of the situation.

"Here!" Yelena smiled, handing the sack she had prepared for vegetables and fruits to Louis without a shred of hesitation.

Louis took the sack and looked at Uta with a neutral expression. "Sorry, this is the only color left."

Uta's smile froze, her eyes fixed on the sack.

"!!" She quickly realized the severity of the situation and instinctively took a few steps back.

Then, she forced a stiff smile.

"Heh, can we call a truce?"

Louis: →_→

"..."

"Mmph~ Mmph!" A strange sound rang out.

A short while later, the two of them continued down the road, heading off into the distance.

Just before they reached the more populated area, Louis let Uta, who was filled with resentment, out of the sack.

As soon as she emerged, Uta blinked her teary eyes, casting a look at Yelena as if she had been betrayed.

Having long since figured out Uta's personality, Yelena smiled and stroked Uta's soft, long hair. "Do you want to come with me to see if there are any shops here that sell musical instruments?"

"Really?" Upon hearing this, Uta swept away her sorrow, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Of course!"

Louis shook his head at the sight. Uta was still too young; what kind of musical instruments would be sold in a village in the remote regions of the East Sea?

Afterward, Yelena turned her head and asked Louis, "Louis, are you coming with us?"

"No, just find me at the dojo here once you two are finished."

"Alright!" Yelena nodded.

She knew that Louis's senses had reached an astonishing level; he often knew what was nearby even from a great distance.

If he said there were shops, then there definitely were. As for them, they could just ask for directions once they were done.

A long while later, Louis walked along a road, attracting countless gazes along the way. After shaking the hearts of a large crowd of women of all ages, he arrived at his destination.

"Isshin Dojo"

Louis looked up, falling into deep thought as he gazed at the sign before him, which featured two crossed red katanas.

"Is this the crest of the Shimotsuki Family from Wano Country?"

While Louis was deep in thought, a delicate young girl with simple attire, short jet-black hair, and a white katana in her hand stood stunned not far away.

"I can't believe there are people in this world with wings..."

As a swordsman, her eyesight was excellent, and she could easily tell that the wings on the person's back were not mere decorations.

But soon, she reined in her chaotic thoughts and regained her composure. She had seen people six or seven meters tall before; having a pair of wings was nothing to be surprised about.

She took a deep breath and asked, "Excuse me, who are you? And what are you here for?"

Louis turned his head, looked at the girl with bobbed black hair before him, and smiled as he stated his purpose.

"I am looking for the master of this place."

As he spoke, Louis had already recognized the identity of the girl before him—Kuina Shimotsuki.

Louis was not surprised to see her. After all, she was said to have died in the year 1510, though the specific month was never mentioned. Since it was currently April, conservatively speaking, she might still have seven or eight months left to live.

Upon hearing his words, the girl pretended to glance casually at the longsword at the waist of the winged youth, a flash of understanding crossing her eyes.

She nodded slowly, looking as if she were accustomed to such things. "I understand. You're here to challenge the dojo, right?"

Louis: "..."

Creak. The tightly shut gate was pushed open, and a middle-aged man dressed in a simple kimono, his jet-black hair tied into a ponytail and wearing transparent glasses, appeared before Louis.

He seemed to have sensed Louis's arrival long ago and had opened the gate to welcome him in advance.

"Guest, please, come in!"

"Alright!" Louis didn't stand on ceremony and stepped into the Isshin Dojo.

Afterward, the bespectacled middle-aged man looked at the short-haired girl with a smile. "Kuina, you're heading out with a real sword—what are you planning to do?"

Upon hearing this, Kuina lowered her head and tightened her grip on her sword. "I'm going to have my two-thousand-and-first duel with Zoro!"

"And where is Zoro?" the middle-aged man asked again.

"..."

A look of existential doubt appeared on Kuina's face. "I don't know. He was just in the back a moment ago..."

The middle-aged man covered his face, speechless.

Inside the dojo, Louis, surrounded by a group of brats, felt the corner of his mouth twitch.

As expected of the King of Getting Lost... he sighed inwardly.

The next moment, he thought of the number two-thousand-and-one, and immediately retracted his previous judgment.

Kuina probably didn't have seven or eight months left; it was possible she would be taken away by the Supreme Grand Staircase as early as tonight.

A long while later, Louis sat upright in the middle of the dojo. The brats who had been pestering him with questions had already been shooed away by the middle-aged man to practice their swordsmanship.

A moment later, Koshiro Shimotsuki arrived with a teapot, sat down opposite Louis, and poured him a cup of tea.

"Guest, may I ask how I should address you?"

"Louis."

Afterward, Koshiro sat with his legs tucked beneath him, his eyes sweeping over the spear and the Seven Star Sword that Louis had placed on the floor. A flash of surprise crossed his eyes.

"Is this... a Cursed Blade?"

Outside the gate earlier, Koshiro hadn't noticed that Louis's sword was a Cursed Blade. Only now did he feel the sinister, ominous aura radiating from the double-edged longsword before him.

Out of politeness, Koshiro did not immediately ask about the sword. Instead, he looked directly into Louis's eyes and asked with a smile:

"Mr. Louis, may I ask the reason for your visit to the Isshin Dojo?"

Koshiro's discernment was far superior to Kuina's; he could tell at a glance that Louis had not come to challenge the dojo.

He could even tell that Louis was not a swordsman, nor had he arrived with any hostility.

Louis took a slow sip of tea and calmly stated his purpose: "I am looking for Kosaburo Shimotsuki. I would like to ask him to forge a weapon for my partner."

However, Louis's question caused Koshiro to lose his composure for a brief moment.

Then, he smiled and said, "I do not know how you came to know my father's name, but he passed away from natural causes a year ago."