"What else could it be? The world's greatest swordsman, of course!"
"Hey!" Teresa giggled and asked, "Do you really think I'd say that?"
Fulvio smiled. "The future? I haven't decided yet. But I think I'll leave the North Blue for the Grand Line one day, visit the Sabaody Archipelago and Fish-Man Island, and finally head to the New World in the second half of the Grand Line.
"Men should be eager to challenge beautiful women from all kinds of seas and cultures!
"So, for the sake of my dreams—and so I don't get beaten to death later—I have to get stronger, whether through swordsmanship or a Devil Fruit.
"If there's any chance of making me stronger, I'll do everything I can to pursue it."
"Ugh, your dream is disgusting!" Teresa said, looking at her brother with disdain. "You're getting stronger for something so shameless? Your Hua Lang sword must be weeping!
"As a swordsman, your sword heart is way too impure!"
Fulvio smiled, completely unfazed. "Swordsmanship is the art of using a blade to unleash everything you are.
"A sword is wielded to protect what you believe in. As long as my actions match my words, my sword is pure."
"Besides, little sis, don't you want to eat a Devil Fruit yourself?"
Listening to the siblings, Merlin's lips curled into a smile. "Fulvio, you understand it better than most. Swordsmanship isn't some flashy nonsense. It's a way to carry out your own will."
Fulvio's eyes lit up. He immediately raised his bottle toward Merlin, who smiled and clinked his own against it. Their bottles rang out.
"A kindred spirit! Merlin, it can't be a coincidence that we get along so well!
"This is a fated encounter!"
"Ugh, gross!" Teresa said, looking at her brother with revulsion. "Stop going on about