Pirates: Invincible from the Start

Otherwise, Zoro would soon surpass her.

She stared at the distant beach.

Her resolve grew even stronger.

She would become the greatest swordswoman.

So It Was "Ku" as in Cutting Through Space

Boom!

Ivankov pulled himself out of the cliff face and dusted himself off.

Then he looked up at the unscathed Kuta, surprise on his face.

That didn't hurt him?

Easing the tightness in his chest, he caught his breath and exclaimed, "Little Kuta, that power of yours is astonishing!"

Incredible. What kind of Devil Fruit ability is that?

Kuta, meanwhile, was suffering in silence. Taking that blow had pushed his stamina to its limit.

It was a move that could send Kuma flying with a single hit.

Yet Ivankov was only slightly out of breath.

Kuta was only twelve, after all. His body was still growing.

As he grew older, his strength would surely surge.

After resting a while, he recovered a little stamina, and a glint flashed in his eyes.

He called to Ivankov, "Iva, how about we call today's fight a draw?"

"Sure."

"It's your call."

Ivankov had noticed Kuta's condition, but he didn't say a word about it.

"What about the food?"

"The food, the food..." Kuta stroked his chin.

Ivankov watched him nervously.

"Of course we're giving it to you!"

Kuta suddenly imitated Ivankov, spinning around dramatically and throwing both hands high.

"What?!"

"So you really are giving it to us!"

Ivankov played along, shouting at the top of his lungs.

"You got me again!"

They looked at each other and burst out laughing.

"Hahaha..."

"Iva, there's something I want to ask you."

Ivankov paused and stopped laughing when Kuta suddenly appeared on his shoulder.

"What is it?"

"Is everyone in Kamabakka Kingdom really an okama?"

Ivankov answered as he walked toward the village. "The cuties there were ordinary people who longed to live in an okama kingdom, so they came over."

"Oh!"

"So that's how it is."

Kuta stroked his chin, looking as though his suspicions had been confirmed.

Then he nodded. "I knew it. How could they all be okama? If they were, how would the population grow?"

"You should come visit Kamabakka Kingdom someday, little Kuta. I'm sure the cuties there would love you."

Ivankov looked at Kuta, excitement in his voice.

"You're so cute and pretty, after all."

"Kamabakka Kingdom?"

Kuta thought of the Perverted Cook Sanji's miserable fate and shuddered. He blurted out in a panic,

"No, thanks."

"Really, no thanks."

"I'm still young. I'm not ready to go to sea."

"Is that so?"

"I was thinking that if you came

to Kamabakka Kingdom, I could introduce you to the prettiest cutie in our country!"

Ivankov sounded a little disappointed.

All Kuta could picture was a crowd of burly, bearded men in pink dresses running along the beach.

Cold sweat poured off him.

"Are you all right, little Kuta?"

"Why are you sweating so much?"

"Ahem... cough...!"

"I'm fine."

"Really, I'm fine..."

Kuta hurriedly changed the subject.

"Let's get over there!"

Seeing everyone waiting for them on the docks, he teleported over first.

"Hey, wait for me!"

"Is Kamabakka Kingdom really that scary?"

Ivankov watched Kuta vanish, then hurried after him.

Shimotsuki Village.

Isshin Dojo.

Kuta lay on the dojo roof, watching the busy figures below, and sighed.

The fight might have looked impressive, but only he knew how wide the gap between them really was.

Even going all out, he had only made Ivankov take him a little seriously.

By the end, Kuta had exhausted himself, while Ivankov was merely a little winded.

From the look of it, that fight had been little more than a warm-up for Ivankov.

His age was the main thing holding back his stamina and Haki.

There was nothing he could do about that. It was a natural limitation, not something effort could change.

"Kuta, what are you staring off into space for?"

Koshiro came over and sat beside him.

"Nothing."

"I'm just frustrated that it'll be so long before I can go to sea."

"Master, I want to see the world sooner!" Kuta sat up straight and looked at Koshiro, his eyes shining.

For the first time, he felt such a desperate urge to see it.

To see that vast, turbulent world.

To see those legends for himself.

To see the strange and wondrous species of the Grand Line.

And Sky Island, Bubble Island, Fish-Man Island...

Just thinking about them filled him with excitement.

He had never felt this impatient before.

But today, he had met someone so utterly different from an ordinary human.

Excited and exhilarated, he was desperate to see more.

This wasn't a manga world from his past life.

It was a real world he could touch, where he could talk to people and fight alongside them.

"Kuta, it isn't time for you to go to sea yet. You're too young. You should at least wait until you're an adult."

Koshiro adjusted his glasses and looked toward the hill behind the dojo.

"I'm not trying to stop you from going to sea. The world out there isn't as wonderful as you imagine."

He paused, an unreadable look passing through his eyes.

"Even if you do go, you need to wait for Kuina."

"That child has eyes only for you now.

If you left, I don't know what she'd do."

Following Koshiro's gaze, Kuta could see Zoro and Kuina training furiously on the hill behind the dojo.

Since returning from the harbor, they had thrown themselves into training harder than ever.

"Don't worry, Master! I know when to go to sea, and I know what this world is really like. I read the newspaper every day!"

Kuta looked toward Kuina on the hill, tenderness flickering in his eyes.

"As for Kuina, I know one thing: I'll never leave her behind."

"Mm."

"I'm glad you understand."

Koshiro looked away, removed the long sword in its black sheath from his waist, and turned to Kuta.

"I'd meant to give this to you when you went to sea."

"But after seeing you fight today, I realized your strength is growing too quickly. Ordinary swords probably won't do much for your training anymore."

With that, Koshiro held out the sword.

"Take it."

"It takes time to get used to a sword. I had this one made longer in proportion to the swords you normally use, so it should still suit you when you're grown."

"Thank you, Master."

Kuta eagerly took the sword in both hands. Gripping the hilt with his right hand, he drew it with a ring.

He raised the blade before his eyes and studied it closely.

Its spine was thicker than that of an ordinary sword, its edge was a Great Reverse-Character Irregular Blade, and its silver-gray body bore a pale purple sawtooth pattern.

He ran his palm along the edge and could clearly feel how sharp it was.

"What a fine sword."

Seeing Kuta's excitement, Koshiro explained.