Five days later, Vic returned to Shimotsuki Village, having spent his time eating, training, eating, and training.
After landing on the island, Vic headed straight for Isshin Dojo without stopping for anything else.
Isshin Dojo was still the same dojo, unchanged since he had left.
When the apprentices saw Vic return, they all greeted him. They admired him greatly; after all, he had once walked through the sky, something they could scarcely imagine.
The younger ones called out:
"Senior brother, you're back!"
"Senior Brother Vic, you're back!"
The older ones said:
"Vic, you're back."
"Vic, you've gotten a lot taller. You must have eaten plenty of good food."
These were the ones who knew that Vic, Koshiro, and Kuina often cooked special meals for themselves.
Vic smiled and greeted each of them in turn. Now that he was back, he had to report to Koshiro first. It was a sign of respect for his teacher, a custom he couldn't abandon.
Kuina also heard the commotion over Vic's return and came running out. She froze for a moment when she saw him, then rushed straight over, leaped, and clung to his long leg. Vic's legs were very long, and Kuina was still very small.
Kuina clung to his leg like a little ornament, her face buried against it. She didn't make a sound for a long while. Vic felt a slight chill against his leg and knew she was crying, though she didn't want him to know. The dampness had given her away.
A smile appeared on Vic's face. All the time he had spent playing with her and telling her stories had paid off.
Kuina was very close to him, and Vic was fond of the little girl too. But when he thought of what would happen to her, his heart ached a little, so he would find a way to save her precious life.
Koshiro was usually very strict with Kuina, but Vic, who had come from another world, was raising her as though she were his own daughter. Vic had been in his twenties in his previous life, and he had lived a few more years in this world. His soul was nearly thirty, just the age to be a father.
Vic put down the bag on his back, reached out with both hands, and lifted Kuina in front of him. Smiling, he said, "Who bullied Kuina-chan? How about I get revenge for you?"
Kuina didn't speak. Pouting with tears in her eyes, she reached for the little bamboo sword Vic had made for him at her waist and drew it. She kept tapping Vic on the head with it, shouting, "Big dummy! Big dummy! Big dummy..."
"Hahaha, so I'm the one who made Kuina-chan angry? Then let me make it up to you. How about I cook you something tasty?" Vic's heart had practically melted at the sight of her.
The dojo apprentices nearby burst out laughing at the scene. Angry, Kuina glared at them with an adorably fierce little expression, making Vic laugh even harder.
Only after much coaxing and a whole list of promises did Kuina let him off. Vic took a lollipop from his bag and gave it to her, telling her to wait for him at his cabin, then headed for Koshiro's quiet room.
When he reached the room, Vic knocked on the doorframe. Koshiro generally left the door open.
"Come in, Vic," came Koshiro's calm voice.
"Yes, Teacher!" Vic said. He walked in and sat cross-legged across from Koshiro.
"Very good, Vic. You've understood!" Koshiro said with a smile.
Vic rolled his eyes inwardly. If he hadn't read the original story and had a somewhat clever brain, who knew when he would have understood?
Didn't it take Zoro ten years after hearing those words to understand? Isn't that taking advantage of an honest man? But he couldn't say what he was thinking, which was a little regrettable.
"Yes, I've broken through. So I wanted to ask you, Teacher, where should I go from here?" Vic continued.
Koshiro looked up at Vic-or at least, he should have glanced at him-and was a little surprised. Vic had yet to reach the peak of his current realm, yet he already wanted to learn about the next one.
Still, Koshiro didn't think Vic was aiming too high. After all, his talent was plain to see. Koshiro himself could barely understand what he had told him, yet Vic had mastered it so quickly. His talent truly was exceptional. Koshiro went on to give Vic the reading comprehension question for the next realm.
"The sword of the strongest swordsman in this world is the power to protect what one wishes to protect and cut what one wishes to cut. If, with this power, you still cannot protect what you wish to protect, then you must release once more the power gathered to protect it. That is the realm beyond!"
Vic felt like rolling his eyes again, and his heart ached a little for Zoro. It wasn't that Zoro wanted to recite poetry; he had no choice, not with a master like this. Vic kept grumbling to himself.
"Teacher, I understand. I'll go contemplate it right away." Vic stood up, bowed slightly, and turned to leave.
Are you putting on an act for me? You understood just like that? Looks like I made that reading comprehension question too easy. I'll have to put more thought into the next one.
Vic left the quiet room, picked up his bag, and walked through the back gate. A small wooden cabin stood in front of the clearing where Koshiro had tested him. Vic had built it not long after coming to Shimotsuki Village, as a place to meditate and cook.
The cabin door was open, and Vic knew Kuina was inside. He strode toward it. When he entered, Kuina was sitting at a low table, eating her lollipop. She smiled as soon as she saw him.
"Senior Brother, what tasty food are you going to make me?" Kuina asked curiously.
"Don't ask. Just wait and eat." Vic didn't tell her; she wouldn't know what it was even if he did.
Hearing that, Kuina turned her little face away and huffed, "Hmph, big meanie, bad senior brother..."
Vic said no more. He put down his bag, went outside, and brought in some charcoal. Then he took a square stone ding from the kitchen counter. The stone ding had no handles, and a short post rose from each of its four corners. He also fetched a stone slab with a slightly concave surface.
Vic placed the stone ding on the low table, put the charcoal inside, and lit it. Once the charcoal was burning evenly, he set the washed stone slab on the four short posts, concave side up. It fit perfectly over them, neither too big nor too small.
Kuina was very familiar with this routine. She and Koshiro often came over to eat. While the stone slab heated up, Vic took the zebra meat out of his bag. He had marinated it.
Vic cut a large piece of the meat into thin slices and arranged them on plates to the side, filling several of them. Kuina was curious about what kind of meat it was and whether it tasted good.
Once the slab began to smoke, Vic brushed oil over it. When the oil was hot, he laid the thin slices of zebra meat on top. The slab could cook about ten slices at a time. The meat sizzled and released its fat, and when he sprinkled on some seasoning, the aroma was simply irresistible.
Kuina could hardly keep herself from grabbing the meat with her hands, but Vic used his Observation Haki to foresee her movement and stopped her. He told her to wait a little longer, took out a plate, and transferred the cooked slices onto it before putting on the next batch.
Seeing the meat on the plate, Kuina could barely wait to grab it with her hands. Vic gave her little hand a tap, then handed her a pair of chopsticks. "Don't eat with your hands like an Indian. Using chopsticks won't burn your fingers, and it's elegant too. Remember that, and always use chopsticks from now on."
Kuina said nothing. She picked up a slice with the chopsticks, blew on it, and put it in her mouth. A look of bliss appeared on her little face.
Vic had taught Kuina to eat with chopsticks long ago. It was just that the meat smelled so good today that she could hardly wait.
After instructing Kuina, Vic went back to turning the slices of meat. Kuina didn't keep it all to herself, either. Every so often, she would pick up a slice and offer it to Vic, who ate it with a big smile.
Before long, Koshiro came over too, drawn by the aroma. There was now another food lover at the table. Vic told Koshiro that he had brought the meat back from the small island.
Koshiro was very curious. He hadn't eaten it when he was on the island before. Vic returned the Eternal Pose to Koshiro but said nothing about the mysterious fruit. There might be a conspiracy behind it, so it was better not to know.
The three ate happily, but then more uninvited guests arrived. The dojo apprentices had followed the aroma over too. Vic wasn't going to wait on them, so he tossed them a piece of meat and told them to prepare it themselves.