"I'd like to go back, but what about my promise to Zoro?"
Kuina has been away from Shimotsuki Village for ten years. It would be a lie to say she doesn't miss her father and grandfather, but thinking of her promise to Zoro, she doesn't want to go back now. The battle with Zoro must be saved for last, otherwise all the motivation she had put in would be for nothing.
"Don't worry about Zoro. He left Shimotsuki Village to train on his own two years ago. You most likely won't run into him when you go back. And even if you do, with your current strength, you can easily avoid him. It's a minor issue. It just depends on whether you're willing to."
Even without Ban's intelligence network, Vic knew that Zoro had already set sail alone before Luffy, but his terrible sense of direction kept him wandering around the East Blue. Otherwise, he would have reached the Grand Line long ago.
However, Zoro's strength earned him a great reputation as Pirate Hunter in the East Blue, even attracting the attention of Crocodile's Baroque Works, who invited him to join the mysterious organization.
Furthermore, Kuina trained with Vic for ten years, making her stronger than Zoro two years later. Dodging Zoro, who couldn't even Cutting Steel, would be incredibly easy for her.
Although Kuina acknowledged Zoro's hard work and talent, she was unaware of how small the East Blue platform was, how much it limited geniuses, and how much progress she herself had made in her training with Vic, noting how much she had cheated. She misjudged the training environment she and Zoro were in.
"They've left? Then I'll go back and check on them. Are we just the two of us? Are there any other people coming with us?"
Kuina didn't doubt Vic's information. Since Zoro wasn't in Shimotsuki Village, she decided to go back and check on him.
Putting Zoro aside, Kuina focused her attention on whether to return alone with Vic. Although her face remained expressionless, still behaving like a cool and aloof female swordswoman, there was a glimmer of hope in her eyes, which Vic did not notice. He would have had difficulty detecting it unless he used his powers to penetrate Kuina's body.
"Just the two of us are going back. You pack your things, we'll leave tomorrow."
Vic gave a brief explanation and left, but Kuina remained standing there, seemingly lost in thought. At 21 years old, Kuina still had short hair, but her beautiful face combined with the aura of a female swordsman made her look extremely cold and aloof!
Ten years ago, Kuina grew into this body under the influence of Vic's illusion. Although Kuina had an adult body back then, her expression still looked somewhat childish. However, after ten years of growth and experience, Kuina has truly become a cold and beautiful female swordswoman. How many people could see her without being bewildered?
The next day, Vic took Kuina away from Titan Island. However, this time he did not take Kuina directly by flying. Instead, he took a small boat equipped with an electric propeller, which was powered by electricity.
There's still some time before Luffy's birthday and departure, so Vic isn't in a hurry. It would be nice to take Kuina to experience the customs and culture of the first half of the Grand Line. Kuina has been active in the New World since Vic brought her here, and she only briefly experienced the first half of the Grand Line when she was first brought here, so it wasn't a complete experience.
Vic sailed the small boat with Kuina on board, stopping and starting along the Grand Line, enjoying themselves to the fullest. Kuina's aloof expression was no longer so frequent, and she occasionally glanced at Vic with a strange glint in her eyes.
Of course, the journey wasn't all happy. This was the Grand Line, a gathering place for pirates. The two of them were powerful and had a wide range of senses. In addition, Kuina had outstanding looks and temperament, so it was inevitable that some unpleasant things would happen.
However, Vic did not intervene and left it to Kuina to handle. This was something that had to be done sooner or later. It took the two of them a month to return to the East Blue.
"Teacher! There are two strangers outside, each with a knife tucked into their waistband. They don't look friendly! Could they be here to cause trouble?"
"Oh! What do they look like?"
"The man is handsome and dashing, the woman is aloof and stunningly beautiful—could they be the legendary Black Wind Twin Fiends?"
"Haha! The Black Wind Twin Fiends don't look like that at all. It must be your senior brothers and sisters who have returned. Come on, take me to see them!"
Such a conversation came from Koshiro's courtyard in Shimotsuki Village. When Koshiro arrived at the front yard, he indeed saw a familiar figure. However, the tall, aloof, and beautiful short-haired woman beside him made him unable to look away.
Although Koshiro held deeply ingrained patriarchal views, Kuina was still his child, and ten years had passed since she left. What father wouldn't miss her?
Moreover, Koshiro's preference for sons over daughters was mainly reflected in his swordsmanship training, but not in his daily life. He was quite protective of his daughter, and now that father and daughter had met, his eyes behind his glasses were already a little red.
" Kuina! You've come back to see me!"
Koshiro's voice trembled slightly, barely concealing his feelings. Although he had initially sent Kuina and Vic away out of a lingering attachment, and later had Zoro, his good apprentice, by his side, how could an apprentice compare to a biological daughter?
In addition, Zoro has been gone for almost two years, and he misses Kuina more and more. His hair has turned gray. Now that he sees Kuina again, he can sense Kuina presence.
Kuina's strength has surpassed that of her father, Koshiro. He felt both gratified and guilty, realizing that outdated ideas were indeed unacceptable.
"Father! I've come back to see you and Grandpa. How is Grandpa's health?"
Compared to her rather serious father, Koshiro, Kuina is closer to her grandfather, Kozaburo —a classic case of grandparents having a special bond with their grandchildren. Kozaburo doesn't care how high his granddaughter's achievements in kendo are; he just wants her to be happy.
So, when facing Koshiro, Kuina couldn't bring herself to say the words of care and concern she should have for her father, even though she really wanted to tell him, "Father, you've gotten so old. Don't work so hard anymore!" But she didn't say it. Instead, she talked about her grandfather. Vic stood by, not interrupting the conversation between father and daughter.
"Your grandfather is in good health, but he's a bit stubborn. He won't listen to us when we tell him to stop forging weapons, saying it's his hobby and he'll get sick if he doesn't. I can only let him be. I'll send someone to invite him home right now!"
According to the timeline of the original story, Kozaburo should have died of old age by now, but when Vic came to take Kuina away last time, he specially used the power of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit to give him a good treatment.
His injuries, illnesses, and hidden dangers disappeared, and coupled with the forging master's robust physique, Kozaburo has survived to this day and remains active on the front lines of weapon forging.
"No need, Father! It should be the granddaughter visiting the grandfather, not the grandfather visiting the granddaughter. Vic and I will go together and be right back. It won't be long before our family is reunited."
Kuina wasn't a naive girl; she couldn't possibly let her grandfather rush back to see her. Since she had already gone home and told Kozaburo, and she wasn't leaving Shimotsuki Village anytime soon, it was natural for her to visit her grandfather and bring him back for a reunion.
"A family reunion!... Great! I'll wait for you to come home, Vic! We'll have a good talk when you get back!"
"Okay, teacher!"