East Blue.
Shimotsuki Town.
"Koushiro Sensei, Koushiro Sensei, can you teach me swordsmanship so I can become a hundred million Berries Grand Pirate?"
"Yeah, we want to become three sword style Grand Pirates worth a hundred million Berries too!"
A crowd of children surrounded Shimotsuki Koushiro, each clutching three wooden swords. They spoke over one another, their eyes shining with excitement.
Koushiro adjusted his glasses and gave a helpless smile. "There is no easy path to becoming a pirate worth a hundred million Berries. And more importantly, you should not train with the goal of becoming pirates."
He tried to look stern, but the enthusiasm before him was difficult to suppress.
"By the way," he added, changing the subject, "didn't you all say you wanted to visit Sky Island? I heard members of the Sky Island Alliance have arrived at the town entrance to register the first group allowed to go up. Are you not interested?"
"Really? Then let's go!"
In an instant, the talk of three sword style glory and hundred million Berries bounties vanished from their minds. The children sprinted toward the town entrance in a cloud of dust.
Koushiro exhaled slowly.
"What a troublesome bunch. Still, that passion for the sword is not a bad thing."
He watched them disappear with a faint smile.
"This is the power of admiration. Just like how Zoro once admired someone."
"Yes, Father."
Behind him sat a short haired female swordswoman with a blade resting at her waist. She carried herself with quiet confidence. Her face was identical to Kuina's.
If Roronoa Zoro were present, he would have stood frozen in disbelief.
Koushiro rubbed his temple. "It seems Zoro has found himself aboard a pirate crew capable of shaking the entire world. Their vice captain changed the world in less than a year. That kind of power is unsettling."
"It should be a good thing," Kuina replied calmly. "A few months ago, Admiral Issho arrived here aboard a Sky Island airship. He was incredibly strong. If someone of his caliber respects that man, he cannot be evil."
Koushiro's expression darkened slightly.
"There are things you do not yet understand."
He recalled the ancient records left behind by his ancestors, the passages describing the Ancient Weapon Pluton and the catastrophe tied to it.
"This so called God King seems to know secrets that should never have been uncovered. The era he is pushing forward, the rise of the Sky Island Alliance, it is clearly directed at those who hide in the shadows of this world. But the time to awaken certain powers has not yet come. If those people are provoked too early, the consequences may be severe."
His voice grew heavy.
Though their family had long left Wano Country, it remained their homeland. If the calamity hinted at in their ancestral texts were to occur before that land was freed, the outcome would be unthinkable.
"Long ago, there were preparations made for a day like this. Countermeasures set in place. Yet this Shirogai does not seem interested in following the path laid down by the ancients."
He drew in a steady breath and forced the tension from his heart.
"Still, the world is changing for the better. With Sky Islands above, ordinary islands may no longer struggle with food shortages."
Kuina nodded thoughtfully. "The Sky Islands do offer advantages. But I heard that on several nearby islands, people have protested against their construction. They fear a floating island above their homes will threaten their safety. Some airships have already been destroyed."
A sharp glint flashed behind Koushiro's lenses.
"So the World Government has finally begun to move."
"You think it is CP?"
"Without question." Koushiro folded his arms. "You have been away exploring ancient ruins. You have not witnessed the true reach of the Celestial Dragons. Their agents are everywhere."
Kuina frowned slightly. "Will the Sky Island Alliance simply ignore it? Will they allow their members' nations to be sabotaged?"
"Perhaps they do not care."
Koushiro recalled the night Admiral Issho had come.
The man had arrived silently, releasing a faint aura that stirred Koushiro awake. Beneath the moonlight, he spoke with composed authority.
"Shirogai sent me to establish a Sky Island above Shimotsuki Town. It is done in consideration of Roronoa Zoro, who sails under him. You are aware that a global disaster will descend in the future. The existence of Sky Islands can mitigate that destruction. Accept this gift. Few are offered such consideration."
Koushiro sighed softly at the memory.
"When the day of disaster truly arrives, those who rejected Sky Island and destroyed its airships may regret their choices."
Kuina said nothing. Her eyes reflected the drifting clouds above.
Koushiro looked skyward.
"The waters of destruction will descend again. History will repeat itself. The only question is who will stand victorious this time, and what path they will choose."
Far out at sea, a pod of massive white whales swam joyfully through the waves.
"Oh dear, this book contains several inaccuracies."
A small reindeer sat atop the lead whale's head, reading intently and marking errors with a red pen.
The lead whale bore a partially healed wound wrapped in bandages.
Suddenly, it emitted a deep vibrating cry, a warning that rippled through the surrounding whales.
The reindeer looked up. "Are those people trying to capture you again?"
The whale answered with another urgent call.
"Alright, dive to the seabed."
Without hesitation, the reindeer leaped forward and slipped into the whale's open mouth as it submerged, vanishing beneath the surface in a surge of white foam.
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