A fine drizzle fell beyond the eaves, shrouding all of Shimotsuki Village.
Beneath the covered bridge of Isshin Dojo, Bane leaned against a pillar, a cup of tea beside him and a newspaper in his hands.
Only two pieces of information caught his attention.
The first was an article in the newspaper's world section: Fire Fist Ace, Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, had attacked Drum Kingdom and killed its king, Wapol.
The newspaper also claimed that the incident might have been related to a Devil Fruit.
"Has he already tracked them to Drum Kingdom? Then he's not far from East Blue now." Bane took a sip of tea and muttered to himself.
Over the past half year, Fire Fist Ace had frequently appeared in the papers. Judging from the trail of incidents he had caused, he had likely fought his way from Fish-Man Island into the first half of the Grand Line and was heading straight for East Blue.
Bane figured that the Whitebeard Pirates had already learned he was hiding in East Blue.
That was hardly surprising. Shimotsuki Village was one thing, but when he had appeared in Loguetown, he had made no effort to conceal his whereabouts.
The only thing that left Bane somewhat emotional was that Ace was the one making all the headlines. No one mentioned Teach at all. That old bastard really was unbelievably low-key and patient.
Things had also changed in Drum Kingdom. In the original story, it had been Teach's Blackbeard Pirates who attacked the place, and Wapol had not been killed but escaped.
Now, though, the papers had published his obituary outright. He was clearly dead beyond doubt. Bane even suspected that the Munch-Munch Fruit had already fallen into Blackbeard's hands. Perhaps that guy had learned Bane had eaten the Dark-Dark Fruit and was looking for another way out?
Aside from that news, the East Blue section of the local paper carried another article that concerned Bane.
Smoker, former colonel and commander of the Loguetown Marine base, had assumed the post of East Blue Admiral. He had forcefully purged the Marine base at Branch 153, dismissed and arrested its commander, Axe-Hand Morgan, and led a team to Syrup Village, where he killed Kuro of a Hundred Plans, the former captain of the Black Cat Pirates, who had brutally murdered numerous Marines.
East Blue Admiral Colonel Smoker made a solemn statement in the paper that he would continue supervising and rectifying discipline among the East Blue Marines, and welcomed reports from all walks of life regarding corruption and misconduct within the East Blue Marines.
That was right. This whole affair was Bane's doing again.
Before leaving Loguetown, he had bought his own Den Den Mushi and exchanged signal waves with Smoker. Over the past half year, the two had occasionally kept in touch.
During that time, Bane had continued filing reports. First, he exposed the bloated East Blue Admiral. Then, he dug up the secrets between Morgan and the Black Cat Pirates, compiled them into a detailed report, and mailed it to Smoker.
Originally, Smoker had no authority to interfere in the affairs of the East Blue Admiral or the other branch bases. Bane had only planted the seed in advance, in case it proved useful later. That way, if conflict truly arose, he would not end up creating a rift with the Marines.
As it turned out, just when his materials reached Smoker, Garp, one of Marine Headquarters' big shots, had come to East Blue for a vacation. Garp and Smoker already had some ties, so his first stop upon arriving was Smoker's place. Before long, he learned about everything.
As a Marine Headquarters big shot, Garp could handle what Smoker could not. With Garp's support, Smoker began sweeping through his own allies and successfully earned a promotion and a raise, becoming the East Blue Admiral.
With that, Morgan was finished, and Kuro's dream of becoming a wealthy country gentleman was shattered. It was said that during the purge, Garp and Smoker had also wiped out quite a few East Blue Pirates along the way, including the Alvida Pirates.
Bane had not remembered much about that pirate crew at first, until he discovered its captain was named Alvida.
All he could say was that they were truly unlucky.
Because of that, as far as Bane knew, among the scum of the East Blue Marines, only Colonel Nezumi remained to be properly dealt with.
He intended to handle that personally, for one reason only: to bring the world's finest navigator under his command!
While Bane read the paper and drank tea, footsteps sounded from the corridor behind him.
Before long, Koushiro arrived behind him, and Bane prepared to rise and bow to his master.
Over the past half year, Bane had gradually come to regard Koushiro as his true master. He had been rude first, yet Koushiro had completely tolerated him and taught him everything without holding anything back. Even knowing Bane was being hunted by the Whitebeard Pirates, he had still chosen to shelter him. Bane acknowledged that debt of gratitude.
"No need to get up." Koushiro pressed a hand onto Bane's shoulder, stopping him, then casually sat across from him. He picked up the teapot from the tray and poured himself a cup.
As rain pattered beyond the covered bridge, Koushiro took a sip of tea and asked softly, "Where's Zoro? It's rare for him not to be with you."
The strong were always lonely, and within Isshin Dojo, Zoro was undoubtedly a lonely strong man. After Kuina's death, Zoro still got along well with his fellow disciples, but at their core stood an insurmountable gulf: they could not walk the same path, nor could they advance together toward greater heights.
That was one of the reasons why, before Bane arrived, Zoro had planned to leave the dojo and head out to sea to train.
Bane's arrival quickly shattered Zoro's loneliness. In Sword Arts, Bane was not Zoro's match, but he was far stronger overall and had brought Zoro many fresh experiences. Though the kid acted proud and aloof on the surface, whenever he had nothing to do, he would stick close to Bane.
As for Bane, he had always admired Zoro. He also knew Zoro would one day walk the path of the world's greatest powerhouses. On top of that, the two got along well, so naturally Bane was happy to spend time with him.
They had even agreed that they would set sail together one day and see this world together.
Hearing Koushiro's question, Bane looked out at the curtain of rain. After a moment, he replied, "He went to visit Kuina."
Koushiro froze for a moment. Then a gentle look flashed through his eyes. "I nearly forgot. Whenever it rains, he always goes to keep Kuina company."
Bane did not respond, merely drinking his tea in silence. He knew Kuina was perhaps an eternal pain in his master's heart, but his master did not need anyone's comfort.
After a long while, Koushiro finally emerged from his thoughts. He looked at the newspaper in Bane's hand, his gaze lingering briefly on the news about Fire Fist Ace before he asked, "Are you two planning to leave?"
Bane smiled. "That kid Zoro has wanted to go out and see the world for a long time. As for me... honestly, if I stay here any longer, I may bring you some trouble, Master."
"Your master would not drive his disciple away simply because of trouble." Koushiro spoke gently, smiling.
"But your disciple does not wish to make things difficult for his master either," Bane replied with a smile.
Koushiro sighed at that. After hesitating briefly, he still said, "As you know, I have some connections with the Revolutionary Army. If you want to seek shelter, I can introduce you."
"That won't be necessary, Master." Bane grinned brightly. "I didn't come to this sea to hide everywhere and seek someone's protection!"
Looking at Bane's confident smile, Koushiro eventually smiled as well. "That's true. Without weathering wind and rain, one cannot become stronger."
After a slight pause, Koushiro took a notebook from his robes and handed it to Bane. "I had planned to give you this, as we agreed, once your skills had matured. But now, if I don't give it to you, it may be too late."
Before you continue