This time, Lin Yuan wasn't heading to the Grand Line. Instead, he planned to visit a nearby island, home to Shimotsuki Village.
In his previous life, one person had left a deep impression on him when he watched the anime: Kuina, Shimotsuki Koshiro's daughter.
She was also the childhood friend of Zoro of the Three-Sword Style, and many One Piece fans had regretted her death.
Lin Yuan naturally admired the strong-willed girl as well. If he hadn't had the strength after coming here, that would have been one thing, but now that he did, he wanted to change things a little.
He was also curious about Shimotsuki Koshiro's strength. After all, many people speculated that he was a great swordsman.
With that in mind, Lin Yuan decided to try to save Kuina before heading to the Grand Line.
Before leaving, Lin Yuan had spoken to Robin and the others, telling them to prepare, as they would be heading to the Grand Line once he returned.
He had originally planned to take Tesoro there first, but he would have to make a special trip back afterward. To save himself the trouble, Lin Yuan decided to take everyone there together.
Shimotsuki Village wasn't very far from Cocoyasi Village, and Ji Yuan arrived in a little over half a day by riding Flame Clouds.
Shimotsuki Village wasn't the only village on the island. Several villages surrounded a mountain, sharing the island.
Lin Yuan looked down and soon spotted a building that resembled a dojo. He sensed a peaceful yet sharp presence below.
Lin Yuan smiled, then leaped straight off the Flame Clouds. As his body plummeted, he didn't panic in the slightest. Instead, he spread his arms and let himself free-fall.
Boom...
Just before he hit the ground, Lin Yuan abruptly righted himself and slammed both feet into the earth.
Although he had only fallen from Flame Clouds eight hundred meters up, nowhere near as monstrously high as Kaido, he still stamped a deep crater into the ground not far from the Isshin Dojo.
Dust shot more than ten meters into the air, as though a cannonball had struck the spot.
At the Isshin Dojo, a girl with short, dark blue hair was diligently swinging her sword when a tremendous sound suddenly came from outside, and the ground seemed to shake.
The girl was none other than Shimotsuki Kuina. Although she looked only around seven years old, she was considered a genius at the Isshin Dojo.
With her swordsmanship alone, she could already spar with ordinary adults and trade wins and losses with them. She was the Isshin Dojo's undisputed senior sister.
When she heard the noise, she abruptly stopped practicing and ran outside to see what had happened.
Just as Kuina left the dojo, a bespectacled middle-aged man slowly emerged from a nearby house. He was Kuina's father, Shimotsuki Koshiro.
He frowned slightly, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. Watching Kuina run off, Shimotsuki Koshiro turned his gaze outside.
After a moment's thought, he took the Wado Ichimonji down from the wall and went after Kuina.
"Pah, pah, pah..."
"The ground here is way too sandy. I didn't expect so much dust. I was trying to look cool, and instead I just ended up getting a nasty surprise."
Lin Yuan spat out the dust he had accidentally gotten in his mouth, a hint of embarrassment crossing his face.
On a whim, he had wanted to experience what it felt like when Kaido fell from ten thousand meters up. He hadn't expected to land on sandy soil, and now Lin Yuan was at a loss.
Lin Yuan shattered the soil that had buried him to his waist and leaped out of the crater. Just then, a pleasant voice rang out.
"Are you all right? Did you fall from the sky?"
Lin Yuan had naturally noticed the girl long ago, but he had been surrounded by dust and hadn't taken a close look.
Only when he heard her voice did he look up at her. She was about 1.3 meters tall, reaching only his waist, with dark blue hair and lively black eyes.
Seeing the girl looking at him nervously, Lin Yuan smiled.
"I'm fine. I just accidentally jumped down from the sky. I didn't expect the ground here to be so loose. Sorry you had to see that."
"Uh, you really fell from the sky? How is that possible?"
Kuina stared at Lin Yuan suspiciously as she spoke. With all the dust on him, he looked funny no matter how she looked at him.
But when she saw the Famous Sword at his waist, a flash of eagerness appeared in her eyes.
"You're a swordsman too? Will you spar with me?"
Lin Yuan's first reaction was amusement. He was a great swordsman, after all, yet the girl before him, who looked only six or seven, wanted to challenge him.
But Lin Yuan didn't refuse, because he had already recognized the little girl before him as one of his targets on this trip: Shimotsuki Kuina.
Lin Yuan shook the dust off his body. Although he still looked a little disheveled, he was noticeably better off.
The man whose face had been covered in dust moments ago suddenly revealed a stern, handsome face with swordlike brows and starry eyes. Little Kuina looked surprised and thought to herself, This big brother is so good-looking.
While Kuina was still surprised by his appearance, Lin Yuan spoke.
"Oh? What made you want to spar with me? You should know that a match between real swordsmen can be very dangerous."
"I know, but I want to become a real great swordsman, the first female great swordsman, and even the World's Greatest Swordsman. But yesterday, Father said that because of their physical limitations, women could never become number one."
At that, Kuina couldn't help looking downcast, and her lively eyes were full of unwillingness.
Just then, a voice rang out, taking her by surprise and shocking her.
"Who told you a woman can't become a great swordsman? Even becoming the World's Greatest Swordsman isn't impossible."
Lin Yuan naturally knew how extraordinary Kuina's talent for swordsmanship was. She could fight adults at such a young age, and although Zoro had been held back by his age, the girl before him had defeated him a full two thousand times.
That was no ordinary feat, especially for a girl. So Lin Yuan didn't doubt that, given enough time, Kuina could definitely become a great swordsman.
But Lin Yuan also had to admit that becoming the World's Greatest Swordsman was extraordinarily difficult.
"Is that true? Can women become great swordsmen and compete for the title of World's Greatest Swordsman too?"
Looking at the young girl, whose face bore a mixture of determination and apprehension, Lin Yuan crouched down and reached out to ruffle her head.
"Of course. In this world, the path to becoming stronger is the one thing that treats everyone equally. Who says women are inferior to men? As long as you work hard, with your talent, you can definitely pursue that dream."
Kuina looked a little excited when she heard that, but then grew downcast again.
"But Father said..."
Before Kuina could finish, Lin Yuan cut her off.
"Your father isn't entirely right. Although becoming the World's Greatest Swordsman is difficult, it isn't impossible. Besides, if I defeated your father, wouldn't that make what I said more convincing?"
"You say you can defeat my father? Huh?! That's true, but you probably can't beat him. If you can do it, I'll agree."
A glint flashed in Kuina's lively eyes as she spoke with a goofy smile.
"Hahahaha, Senior Koshiro, how much longer are you going to stand there? You heard what your daughter said. How about a match?"
Lin Yuan laughed as he looked toward a spot not far away. Hearing him, Kuina quickly turned around too, a flustered look crossing her face, as though she had been caught doing something wrong.
"Hehe, those were just a child's words. Please don't take them seriously. May I ask what brings you here?"
The bespectacled Shimotsuki Koshiro walked out in wooden clogs, a gentle smile on his face.
But Lin Yuan frowned slightly when he saw what Koshiro was wearing.
"Oh, I didn't have any particular business here, but now, I really do want to prove what I said!"
(Dear readers, this is the book's debut, and the story is about to reach a small climax. This humble author shamelessly begs you to request updates and add the book to your shelves. If you can send a gift too, that would be even better. Thank you all for your support!)