Hope After Dawn (End of Volume 1)

Damn it. The "black room" is such a trap; it locked me up for four hours. I had to grind out three chapters just to get out, and it was almost midnight. That was a close one.

Brothers, a new week, a new bloody battle! I'm asking for recommendation votes to help Xiao Jiao charge onto the new book list for the ACG category once again!

There will be another update right after midnight!

The moment the two swords clashed, Bai Ina felt an indescribable heat rush toward his face, instantly causing his slightly long black hair to singe and curl. Even the blood on his body that hadn't yet dried evaporated, releasing a pungent, acrid odor.

Seeing this, a flash of shock crossed Bai Ina's eyes, but his movements didn't falter in the slightest. He rotated the long sword in his palm, shifting his grip from a standard hold to a reverse grip in a split second.

"Ghost Slash—"

Bai Ina's sword sliced directly toward the side of Kubo Yamato's neck, and their figures crossed in an instant.

The moment he landed, Bai Ina used one leg as a pivot to spin around, facing Kubo Yamato with an extremely grave expression.

Kubo Yamato turned around slowly, his gaze toward Bai Ina tinged with a strange color. He raised a hand to wipe the blood from his neck, his expression one of mild astonishment. Although he had used his combat instincts to tilt his head slightly, he still couldn't avoid being grazed by the Sword Qi, even if it was just a superficial wound.

But for someone of Bai Ina's age—only nine years old—to be able to injure him was already enough to leave him stunned.

"As expected, you are a genius of the sword. But... was your sword instructor a woman?"

Bai Ina froze at the question, nodded, then shook his head: "I don't have an instructor, but the person who introduced me to swordsmanship was indeed a woman."

In Bai Ina's heart, Kuina was not his instructor, but his wife. Furthermore, most of his sword techniques were self-created, not inherited from Kuina; after all, Kuina was only ten years old herself, and many techniques had not yet been passed down to her by her father.

"Just an introduction, then..." Kubo Yamato's gaze toward Bai Ina grew even stranger, and he even carefully observed Bai Ina's Adam's apple...

"What do you mean by that?"

Seeing this, Bai Ina frowned, a sense of displeasure rising in his heart.

"A situation like yours is truly unheard of... Never mind, let's continue!" Kubo Yamato shook his head, holding his pitch-black thin sword horizontally before him, his expression turning serious.

"You've been the one attacking this whole time; now it's my turn. Don't go dying on me!"

The moment his words fell, Bai Ina felt an indescribable pressure wash over him, his body sinking involuntarily. However, Kubo Yamato didn't give him any time to adapt; he moved as if he had traversed space, arriving in an instant.

Kubo Yamato's black thin sword came down in a simple, direct strike, but in Bai Ina's eyes, this slender blade seemed to grow several times larger in an instant, consuming his entire field of vision.

At this moment, the terrified Bai Ina seemed to have forgotten how to act, watching helplessly as the black sword descended.

"Yina—"

At that moment, Loxi's anxious roar reached his ears, snapping him back to his senses. He hurriedly raised his sword to intercept, while his body shifted half a step to the side.

Crack—

The moment Bai Ina's sword made contact with Kubo Yamato's, a crisp sound rang out... it shattered. The black sword continued its momentum, slashing straight toward Bai Ina...

Splurt—

The sound of a sharp blade tearing through flesh rang out instantly. Bai Ina's body was sent flying backward, stopping only when he slammed into the dojo's wall.

"Pfft—"

Blood sprayed from Bai Ina's mouth, his face turning deathly pale. A massive wound appeared on his chest, stretching from his left shoulder to his waist, blood gushing out. The half-step he had taken earlier saved him from being bisected, but it hadn't allowed him to avoid the strike entirely.

Yet, at this moment, Bai Ina seemed not to feel the intense pain at all, looking at the broken sword in his hand with a desolate expression.

This sword that had always been by his side... was broken?

This sword that was Kuina's burial object... was broken?

This sword that, in Bai Ina's eyes, had always been a symbol of Kuina urging him to keep getting stronger... was broken!!!

"Yina!!!"

Loxi ran over in a panic. Seeing the horrific wound on Bai Ina's chest, tears streamed down his face. He scrambled to plug the blood that wouldn't stop flowing, but his hands were far from enough to cover such a massive gash.

Just then, Kubo Yamato took a bandage from Zongcilang's hand, walked over, and tossed it to Loxi.

Seeing Kubo Yamato approach, Loxi's body tensed up instantly. He shielded Bai Ina tightly, his eyes filled with intense resentment. It was only when he saw the bandage that his expression softened slightly. After glaring fiercely at Kubo Yamato, he turned to bandage Bai Ina.

Kubo Yamato stood behind Loxi, watching Bai Ina's soul-lost expression. A flash of realization crossed his face as he spoke softly: "It seems this was all because of this sword."

His words made Bai Ina, who had been completely unresponsive, tremble. His vacant gaze turned slowly toward Kubo Yamato, filled with emptiness and... sorrow!

"Is it this sword that made you unable to let go of your guard against strangers, that made you use any means necessary to become strong, that made you become something akin to a sword demon?"

Kubo Yamato looked at Bai Ina's deathly gaze, a flicker of pity crossing his face before he continued: "I don't know what happened to you, but is closing off your heart and isolating yourself from the world because of certain events really making that empty heart of yours feel any better?"

"No, it doesn't. You only become more pathetic, more insignificant, gradually walking into a narrow space where you believe the whole world is untrustworthy."

Bai Ina shuddered at these words, but a moment later, his eyes shifted. A sense of madness surged within him, and a shrill, mournful roar echoed throughout the entire dojo.

"What do you know about me?"

That's right, what could this person, who was rambling on and on, possibly know?

Five years ago, he had suddenly appeared in this world that was both strange and familiar... From a life of luxury to scavenging for survival, from an era of peace to this world where the strong ruled—how could time ever erase that?

Is the world of One Piece not dangerous?

No, it is incredibly dangerous. Even though the anime didn't show too much, the few fragments that were shown were enough to prove that in this insane world, there is never a safe place...

At any time, in any place, one could be killed for any reason. Perhaps one day, pirates would land, burn, kill, and loot, casually slaughtering a powerless child without even bothering to remember his face.

This is the fate that the weak will sooner or later face in this world where the strong reign supreme...

Deeply aware of the terrors of this world, Bai Ina, having lost his family, his friends, and even the world he was familiar with, how could he not feel guarded against this world under such circumstances?

Therefore, Bai Ina was already somewhat unhinged the moment he arrived in this world, and when his life was threatened half a year ago, he went completely mad. In order to survive, in order to become a powerhouse in this world where the strong reign supreme... he went completely mad!

Thus, the moment he merged with Kuina, the former Bai Junyi had already died; the one who survived was merely a madman who had become a second Kuina—Bai Ina...

Possessing everything that was Kuina, he was destined to never escape the curse named 'Kuina' for the rest of his life. He was destined to live for Kuina, obsessively recalling every detail of Kuina's life from the inherited memories like a madman, unable to resist falling in love with Kuina.

If every Devil Fruit carries a fatal side effect, then the side effect of the Devil Fruit Bai Ina consumed is... that it forces him to fall madly in love with the woman he has merged with!

And all of this was something Kubo Yamato did not know...

"What could you possibly understand..."

The same question, words with a similar meaning, yet the previous madness was gone... replaced by an indescribable desolation that made everyone in the dojo feel a heaviness in their hearts.

Kubo Yamato could not help but fall silent, his expression tinged with shame. After a moment of contemplation, he walked straight forward and looked at Bai Ina with a gentle expression, saying: "I apologize, perhaps I was being too presumptuous, but..."

He paused here, then shifted to a look of firm conviction as he continued: "But I do not believe I was wrong about you having chosen the wrong signpost on the path of life. If you continue like this, you will only end up with endless loneliness and a body and soul covered in scars..."

As Kubo Yamato spoke, he suddenly unhooked the black longsword from his waist and extended it toward Bai Ina, whispering with a look of affection on his face: "If breaking that sword was the signpost on your life's path, its shattering has already proven that it was wrong."

"And this 'Black Blade Dawn' in my hand, forged in the same furnace as one of the Supreme Grade Swords, 'Black Blade Night'—while it has not reached the level of the Supreme Grade Swords and sits only at the pinnacle of the Great Grade Swords—its durability is in no way inferior to Black Blade Night. It shall become a new signpost on your life's path, a correct signpost, a signpost that will absolutely never... break!!!"

Bai Ina was stunned upon hearing this, looking at the priceless 'Dawn' before him with a dazed expression!

"It will lead you to break through the darkness, leading you to that beautiful path of dawn that follows the breaking of night. And I... will become a passerby on this path of your life, ready to become the guide on your life's path whenever you need me!"

"Are you... willing to accept this hope of dawn and stay?"