"The fake death plan."
Roy held up a finger, the slyness in his eyes impossible to hide.
"To be specific, it means this: publicly announce that Kuina died in an accident after falling down the stairs."
Everyone in the dojo believed Kuina was really dead, especially Zoro his Moss Head.
Kuina's brows furrowed even more, and her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but Koshiro's reaction was more direct than hers.
He took off his glasses, wiped them, put them back on, wiped them again, put them back on, and then asked a question.
"Mr. Roy, may I ask why?"
"It's very simple."
Roy put down his teacup, his tone shifting from joking to serious.
" Zoro considers Kuina his lifelong goal to surpass. Those two thousand+ failures weren't for nothing; how could that kid improve so quickly?"
It was all thanks to that unwavering determination to defeat Kuina.
If he knew now that Kuina had gone to Hachinosu and was being mentored by the World's Greatest Swordsman, what do you think he would think?
Koshiro didn't reply, but his eyes clearly showed he was thinking.
Two possibilities.
Roy held up two fingers,
"In the first scenario, he would work even harder to catch up with Kuina."
But this possibility is very low.
Because he knew that Kuina was training under the World's Greatest Swordsman, and the gap between them was too great, so great that it was despair-inducing.
The second type is that he feels he can't catch up no matter how hard he tries, and gradually loses his drive.
You know Zoro better than I do; that kid may be as stubborn as a bull,
But it was precisely because he placed all his competitive spirit on Kuina that the relationship was so fragile.
Kuina's lips pressed into a thin line.
Of course she knew Zoro. That Moss Head would yell every time he lost, but he would always get up and keep fighting.
He has never admitted defeat, but what if he truly believes he can never catch up?
"So--"
Roy spread his hands.
"Let him believe that Kuina is dead, and transform that resentment into an obsession to become stronger with Kuina's sake in his entire life."
Once he has established himself in the New World, he can reunite with Kuina.
By then, he would already be Great Swordsman capable of standing alone.
Seeing his childhood friend, whom he thought was dead, not only alive but also stronger than him, filled him with a mixture of anger at being deceived and the joy of reunion—"
Roy stroked his chin, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"It sounds really interesting."
Looking at Roy's excited face, Kuina, who had been holding back for a long time, couldn't help but glare at him fiercely.
"You just want to see Zoro's expression when he finds out I'm still alive, don't you?"
"Isn't that obvious?"
Roy was completely self-righteous, showing absolutely no shame at being exposed.
"Aren't you curious about his reaction?"
Kuina opened her mouth as if to retort, but suddenly couldn't finish her sentence.
Because she couldn't help but start imagining that scene in her mind.
Zoro wept bitterly in front of the funeral hall, kneeling on the ground while holding her Wado Ichimonji.
Then, many years later, when they met again in New World, he discovered that not only had he failed to catch up with her, but she had left him even further behind...
What kind of expression will appear on that green algae-covered face?
"That's not entirely impossible."
Kuina's lips involuntarily curled up, but she immediately forced it back down, trying to keep a straight face, and added in the most serious tone,
"Just consider it a way to make him work harder. He deserves to be taught a lesson anyway."
Looking at his daughter's face, which was clearly struggling to suppress laughter while trying to appear serious, Koshiro suddenly realized that he might not have truly understood Kuina all these years.
When did his daughter start smiling like that?
But never mind—she'll meet all sorts of people and make all sorts of friends in the future, and then she'll become more and more vibrant.
At least for this plan, he couldn't give a reason to object.
"What are the specific details of the plan?" Koshiro asked.
"Tomorrow morning, you will announce to the public that Kuina went to the warehouse last night to get a whetstone, fell down the stairs, and died from her injuries."
I can use my Telekinesis to create the illusion of Kuina's 'death'—it's not difficult for me."
Koshiro nodded.
"At the funeral, you give Zoro Kuina's sword Wado Ichimonji."
Roy continued,
"That Moss Head will definitely cry his heart out and then make some earth-shattering vow."
You should agree to whatever he says, because that will be the most serious moment of his life.
Kuina lowered her eyelids, her fingers gently curling into her palm.
She didn't want to hurt Zoro's feelings—over two thousand encounters had long made her regard him as her most important rival and her most special friend.
But if this lie can help him fly higher and farther, she is willing to temporarily withdraw from Zoro's life.
" Kuina."
Roy looked at her,
"You must stay in the room until the funeral is over, without making any noise or letting anyone see you."
"I can do it," Kuina without hesitation.
The next morning, Shimotsuki Village was shattered by a sharp scream of pain at dawn.
The call came from the depths of the Isshin Dojo, carrying a trembling and fear on the verge of collapse.
The boys who got up early to sweep the yard were the first to hear it, and then one by one they stopped sweeping and wiping.
Koshiro, wearing his morning robe, rushed out from under the eaves and stumbled as he broke open the warehouse door.
A moment later, he carried Kuina out of the warehouse.
The girl lay quietly in his arms, wearing her kendo uniform from the previous night, the hem still stained with mud, her hair disheveled and scattered outside her father's arm.
She looked as if she were asleep, except that her chest was no longer rising and falling.
Koshiro knelt at the warehouse entrance, holding his daughter motionless, his eyes behind his glasses empty.
There were no tears, no cries, but that deathly silence was more chilling than any weeping.
The news spread throughout the entire monastery in less than the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea.
The boys who usually practiced swordsmanship with Kuina were all dumbfounded; some didn't even pick up their wooden swords that had fallen to the ground.
Someone rushed to the warehouse door to see what was going on, but when they saw Koshiro holding Kuina, they retreated and squatted in the corner, burying their face in their arms.
Zoro was the last to find out.
Last night, he practiced swordsmanship at the dojo until late at night, until he was so tired that he could barely lift his arms before going back to his room and falling into a deep sleep.
He heard a commotion in the yard when he woke up early, and thought it was Kuina scolding some lazy freshman. He yawned and pushed open the door.
Seeing the tear tracks on everyone's faces, a junior brother who was close to him rushed in front of him, blocking his way at the door, and stammered out a sentence.
" Kuina... Kuina is dead."
Zoro's first reaction was to burst into laughter.
"Are you trying to play another prank? Let me tell you, that won't work. Kuina is perfectly healthy—"
But the junior brother didn't laugh, or even look up; his hand gripping Zoro's clothes trembled like an autumn leaf.
Zoro's smile froze on his face.
His body realized this was no joke before his brain did.
Before he could figure out why everyone was crying, he was already sprinting toward the main hall, his bare feet barely touching the cold stone floor.
Kuina's memorial hall was set up in the main hall of the dojo.
White cloth curtains hung from the beams, and wisps of smoke rose slowly from the incense burner.
Her favorite wooden sword was enshrined before the memorial tablet, next to the whetstone she had been holding just yesterday.
Zoro stood at the entrance of the mourning hall, refusing to go in.
He stood outside the threshold, his eyes fixed on the wooden sword in front of the memorial tablet, the same wooden sword she had snatched from him just yesterday, its blade still bearing the familiar wear and tear.
"Fake."
Zoro spoke softly, almost to himself. Then he raised his voice, almost shouting.
"Fake!"
How could she be dead?
"She's so strong—so much stronger than me!"
"She was still lecturing me yesterday, saying that I took two extra steps forward with my left foot again—"
How could she die!