Chapter 008
Of course, the "like" here wasn't romantic between man and woman—just pure goodwill! Kai had the mentality of a 20-year-old. A girl like Kuina, who hadn't even fully grown or developed yet, couldn't possibly spark that kind of interest in him!
Hearing Kai's words, Kuina froze for a moment before murmuring, "But… if I can't even beat you, how can I become the world's greatest swordmaster?"
"I won't compete with you for the title of world's greatest swordmaster—that's not my dream!" Kai said with a gentle smile.
"Ah! Then what is your dream?" Kuina asked curiously, not noticing how Kai had deftly changed the subject. She didn't want to dwell on the fact that she couldn't beat him.
"My dream, huh…" Kai gazed toward the horizon, looking out at the distant sea, then smiled. "My dream is to become the Pirate King—the strongest person in the world!"
"What? The Pirate King? So… you're going to become a pirate?" Kuina's eyes widened in shock. In this Great Age of Pirates, everyone knew what the Pirate King meant. She was stunned by the sheer ambition of the boy in front of her!
"Mm! Once I'm strong enough, I'll definitely invite some crewmates and set sail for the thrilling Grand Line. We'll conquer the entire route, defeat every enemy, and I'll become the Pirate King!" Kai declared with full confidence.
"So… how about it? Want to be the first member of my crew?" At the end, Kai suddenly turned to Kuina.
"Me?" Kuina blinked in surprise.
"Yes, you! If you want to become the world's greatest swordmaster, you have to go to the Grand Line. That's where all the strongest swordsmen gather. Only by defeating them can you keep growing stronger—until you finally beat the current world's greatest and claim the title yourself!" Kai spoke slowly and earnestly, subtly amplifying Kuina's longing to become the strongest with his Emotion Fruit. He wasn't worried she'd refuse.
"Okay! When you set sail, call for me—we have a deal!" Sure enough, Kuina's face lit up with a bright smile. She extended her small, fair hand firmly.
"I'm Kuina!"
"I'm Kai!"
Slap!
As they spoke, Kai reached out his own small hand and clapped it against hers—a solid pact sealed between them!
"Am I basically kidnapping a little girl right now?" Kai inwardly mocked himself. But feeling Kuina's mood brighten through the Emotion Fruit, he shook his head and let it go.
...
After returning to the dojo with Kuina, Kai officially became Koushirou's disciple—Kuina's father. Over the next week, Koushirou taught Kai the absolute basics of swordsmanship: proper grip, overhead strikes, horizontal cuts, downward slashes, thrusts, and other fundamental movements.
In the dojo's backyard, two small figures stood side by side, each holding a bamboo sword and repeatedly performing the same motion—swinging downward in perfect form. This was the daily training Koushirou assigned every disciple: one thousand swings while maintaining perfect posture.
"Hah! Hah! Hah!"
Both Kai and Kuina executed the strikes with utmost seriousness. The repetitive motion was boring and exhausting, but both had incredibly strong wills. Every swing was focused and flawless—no slacking!
To gain real power, relentless effort and sweat were essential. Kai understood that perfectly. If he couldn't endure this much, talk of becoming the Pirate King was just empty words. Koushirou asked for one thousand swings a day—Kai did ten thousand. Innate talent mattered, but hard work mattered even more!
As for Kuina, she was originally only doing two thousand swings daily. But after seeing Kai push himself ten times harder than anyone else, she matched his pace without complaint. Kai was genuinely impressed. Her competitive, unyielding personality shone through—she refused to fall behind anyone!
"Kai, let's spar!" After finishing their swings, Kuina would always challenge him.
"Sure!" Kai would reply with a smile. Now that he had grasped the basics of using a sword, beating Kuina had become even harder for her. But Kai didn't mind sparring—real combat was the fastest way to improve!
Clack! Clack! Clack! Clack!!
Soon, the backyard echoed with the sound of bamboo swords clashing. But unlike the previous days, today Kai was clearly on the defensive—being pushed back!
Clack!
After knocking Kai back with one strike, Kuina stopped and asked in confusion, "Kai, what's going on? Your movements are slower today."
"Oh—that's because I'm wearing weights." Kai answered honestly. He had bought the lead weights in town yesterday! When he left the merchant ship, they had given him a full 10 million Berries as thanks—more than enough to spend. (They didn't lose out either; they could turn the unconscious Clart in to the Marines for his bounty!)
"Weights? What's that?" Kuina asked curiously. In the pirate world, very few people knew about or used weighted training!
(She only knew Zoro's childhood method of tying huge rocks to his arms for strength—crude, inconvenient, and far less effective than binding weights directly to the body.)
Kai showed her the lead blocks strapped to his wrists and ankles.
"Just these little things?" Kuina stared in surprise. When Kai untied one and handed it to her, she took it—and immediately yelped.
"Ah… so heavy…!"
She had underestimated the small block. Now shocked, she looked at Kai in awe. He had four of them on his body—how much did that weigh? How could he still move so freely?
"Kai! Why are you tying so much iron to yourself?" Kuina asked, puzzled.
"To train my body, of course!" Kai laughed, then explained the benefits of weighted training in detail. Kuina's eyes sparkled brighter with every word.
"So that's how you got so fast and strong?!" Kuina exclaimed in delight.
"Heh, pretty much!" Kai grinned, then added, "I bought a set for you too. I'll give it to you later."
"Really? Wow! Kai, you're the best—big sis likes you so much!"
Overjoyed, Kuina jumped up and hugged Kai tightly around the neck.
"Cough… cough… let… let go… I can't breathe…"
Caught off guard by the sudden embrace and the faint sweet scent from Kuina, Kai's face flushed red. Even though he knew she didn't mean "that" kind of like, a 20-year-old mind in an 8-year-old body being hugged and told "I like you" by an 11-year-old girl was still mortifying!
"Ah… sorry…"
Kuina quickly let go, apologizing. Only then did she realize what she had done. Her early-maturing mind made her blush too.
"Kuina… Kai…"
"Kuina… Kai…"
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