Damn it, that Little Black Room was such a trap. It kept me locked up for four hours, and I only got out after finishing three chapters. I almost missed midnight. That was close.
Brothers, it's a new week, and a new bloody battle! Please vote for me so Xiao Jiao can charge onto the second-dimensional new-book ranking again!
There'll be another update after midnight!
The instant their swords clashed, Bai Ina felt an indescribable wave of heat wash over him. In almost no time, his slightly long black hair curled and singed. Even the blood on his body that had yet to dry completely evaporated, giving off a pungent smell.
A flicker of shock flashed in Bai Ina's eyes, but he didn't slow down at all. He spun the sword in his hand, switching his grip from overhand to reverse in an instant.
"Ghost Slash—"
Bai Ina's sword swept straight toward the side of Kubo Yamato's neck. Their figures crossed in a flash.
The instant he landed, Bai Ina pivoted on one leg and spun around to face Kubo Yamato, his expression utterly solemn.
Kubo Yamato slowly turned around. There was something strange in his gaze as he looked at Bai Ina. He raised a hand and wiped the blood from the side of his neck, his expression tinged with amazement. He had tilted his head slightly on instinct, but he had still been grazed by the sword's force. It was only a flesh wound, though.
But for a nine-year-old like Bai Ina to wound him was already astonishing.
"As expected, you're a genius with a sword. But... was your swordsmanship teacher a woman?"
Bai Ina froze at the question, then nodded before shaking his head. "I don't have a teacher, but the woman who first taught me swordsmanship was a woman."
In Bai Ina's heart, Kuina wasn't his teacher—she was his wife. Besides, most of his sword techniques were his own creations, not something he had inherited from Kuina. After all, Kuina was only ten, and her father hadn't taught her many of those techniques.
"She only taught you the basics..." Kubo Yamato's gaze grew even stranger. He even studied Bai Ina carefully, paying close attention to his Adam's apple.
"What do you mean?"
Bai Ina frowned. A sense of displeasure rose in his heart.
"Your situation is truly unheard of... Never mind. Let's continue!" Kubo Yamato shook his head. He held the black rapier before him, his expression turning serious.
"You've been attacking all along. Now it's my turn. Don't die."
As soon as he finished speaking, Bai Ina felt an indescribable pressure bear down on him, making his body sink. Kubo Yamato gave him no time to adjust. He seemed to cross through space and attacked in an instant.
Kubo Yamato's black rapier came down in an ordinary slash, but in Bai Ina's eyes, the slender sword seemed to grow several times larger in an instant, swallowing up his entire field of vision.
At that moment, Bai Ina was so horrified that he seemed to forget how to move. He could only watch as the black rapier came for him.
"Ina—!"
Loxi's panicked shout reached his ears and jolted him back to his senses. He hurriedly raised his sword to meet the attack, while shifting half a step to the side.
Crack—
The instant Bai Ina's sword met Kubo Yamato's, it broke with a sharp snap... and the black blade continued its downward slash toward Bai Ina without slowing.
Squelch—
The sound of a blade cutting through flesh rang out. Bai Ina's body flew backward and slammed into the dojo's outer wall before coming to a stop.
"Pfft—"
Blood burst from Bai Ina's mouth, and his face turned deathly pale. A huge wound stretched from his left shoulder to his waist, spraying blood everywhere. That half-step backward had saved him from being cut in two, but he hadn't managed to dodge the attack completely.
Yet Bai Ina seemed not to feel the pain at all. Instead, he stared at the broken sword in his hand, his expression desolate.
The sword that had always stayed by his side... was broken?
The sword buried with Kuina... was broken?
The symbol that had always reminded Bai Ina of Kuina urging him to grow stronger... was broken!!!
"Ina!!!"
Loxi ran over in a panic. When he saw the terrifying wound on Bai Ina's chest, tears streamed down his face. He fumbled to stop the blood pouring from it, but there was no way his hands could cover such a huge wound.
Just then, Kubo Yamato took a roll of bandages from Zongcilang nearby, walked over, and tossed them to Loxi.
When Loxi saw Kubo Yamato approaching, his body tensed. He stood firmly in front of Bai Ina, glaring at Kubo Yamato with deep resentment. Only when he saw the bandages did his expression soften. After shooting Kubo Yamato a fierce glare, he turned and began bandaging Bai Ina.
Kubo Yamato stood behind Loxi. Seeing Bai Ina's hollow expression, a look of understanding flickered across his face. He spoke softly. "So it's all because of that sword."
His words made Bai Ina's motionless body tremble. His vacant gaze slowly shifted to Kubo Yamato, filled with emptiness and... sorrow.
"Was that sword what kept you from letting go of your distrust of strangers, made you willing to do anything to grow stronger, and turned you into something like a sword demon?"
Looking at Bai Ina's lifeless eyes, Kubo Yamato's face showed a flicker of pity. He continued, "I don't know what happened to you, but you've shut yourself away because of something that happened. You've cut yourself off from the world, all on your own. Does that make your empty heart feel any better?"
"No. It doesn't. It only makes you more pitiful, smaller and smaller, until you've shut yourself into a cramped little space where you can't trust anyone in the whole world."
Bai Ina's body trembled at his words. But the next moment, his gaze changed. Madness surged across his face, and his anguished roar rang through the entire dojo.
"What do you know about me?"
That was right. What could this endlessly talking man possibly know?
Five years ago, he had suddenly appeared in this strange yet familiar world... He had gone from a life of luxury to scavenging to survive, from an era of peace to a world where the strong ruled. How could time alone erase all that?
Was the world of pirates dangerous?
No. It was terrifying. The anime might not have shown much, but even the few scenes it did show had made it clear: in this mad world, there was nowhere safe...
At any moment, anyone could be killed for any reason. Some day, pirates might come ashore to kill, loot, and burn, and casually kill a helpless child like him without even remembering what he looked like.
That was the fate awaiting the weak in a world where the strong ruled...
Bai Ina knew how terrifying the world was. He had lost his family, his friends, and even the familiar... world he had known. How could he not be wary of everything around him?
So Bai Ina had already been a little mad the moment he came to this world. And half a year ago, when his life had been threatened, he had gone completely mad. He needed to stay alive, to become strong in a world ruled by the strong... He had gone completely mad!
So, the instant he had joined with Kuina, the former Bai Junyi had already died. The only one left was the madman Bai Ina, who had become a second Kuina...
Having inherited everything from Kuina, he was doomed to spend his life bound to the curse named 'Kuina.' He was destined to live for her, thinking every day like a madman about everything in Kuina's memories, unable to resist falling in love with her.
If every Devil Fruit came with a fatal side effect, then the side effect of the Devil Fruit Bai Ina had eaten was... that it made him fall madly in love with the woman he had joined with!
And Kubo Yamato knew none of this...
"What do you understand..."
It was the same question, with almost the same meaning. But this time there was no madness in his voice... only an indescribable sorrow that weighed on everyone in the dojo.
Kubo Yamato fell silent as well, a trace of shame in his expression. After a moment's thought, he walked right up to Bai Ina and looked at him gently. "I'm sorry. Maybe I was too quick to assume, but..."
He paused, then continued with firm conviction. "But I don't think I was wrong about one thing: you've chosen the wrong signpost for your journey through life. If you keep going like this, all you'll find is endless loneliness and a body and soul covered in wounds..."
As he spoke, Kubo Yamato suddenly took the black sword from his waist and held it out to Bai Ina. A tender smile appeared on his face as he said softly, "If the sword that broke was the signpost on your journey through life, then its breaking proves it was the wrong one."
"This sword in my hand, Black Blade Dawn, was forged in the same furnace as one of the twelve Supreme Grade Swords, Black Blade Night. Although it hasn't reached the Supreme Grade and is only at the top of the twenty-one Great Grade Swords, its toughness is in no way inferior to Black Blade Night's. It will become a new signpost on your journey through life—a true signpost, one that will never... break!!!"
Bai Ina froze, gazing in a daze at the priceless sword before him: Dawn!
"It'll lead you out through the breaking dawn and guide you along the beautiful road toward the morning light. As for me... I'll be just a passerby beside the road of your life, ready to guide you whenever you need it!"
"Would you... accept this hope of dawn and stay?"
Before you continue