I the King of bandits of the East Sea

Shimotsuki Village's pier.

A junk adorned with dragon decorations all around its hull gradually sailed from the horizon and approached the fleet of refugee ships docked there.

On the bow deck, the man in the green cloak—Dragon—stood there, his expression slightly fatigued.

He had rushed here as quickly as possible because of what Ivankov mentioned about CP0.

"Leader, you've finally arrived!"

A revolutionary army soldier on one of the refugee ships called out in surprise.

Dragon nodded slightly and immediately asked:

"Where is Ivankov? And Mr. Sig, where are they?"

"Leader, they've gone into the village, to the Isshin Dojo."

Dragon nodded again, his expression showing faint concern as he asked once more:

"And what about the masked prisoner? Take me to see him."

A short while later, Dragon stepped out of the room where the masked prisoner was being held. His expression had grown even more troubled.

"Ivankov's judgment does make sense…"

Dragon thought for a moment, then took a Den Den Mushi out from under his cloak and dialed Ivankov's number.

...

Sig's so-called two pieces of advice weren't related to Kuina's dream in the slightest, but they were connected to her life.

According to the original storyline, Kuina was supposed to die because she went up to the attic looking for a whetstone, accidentally fell down the stairs, and suffered fatal injuries.

What Sig did was to subtly remind her about this.

However, when hearing those two pieces of advice, Kuina was utterly baffled.

She wanted to become the strongest swordsman, so the advice was to keep the whetstone in an easily reachable place?

That seemed to make a little sense.

But the part about being careful with the stairs—what was that supposed to mean?

"Is he treating me like a child? Does he think I can't even manage to walk down stairs?"

Kuina's expression soured.

This swordsman, who wielded a chainsaw, had given Zoro advice encouraging him to become the world's strongest swordsman and to forge his own swordsmanship style.

But for her, it was this kind of dismissive, childish "be careful with the stairs"?

"Buru buru…"

The Den Den Mushi sitting in Ivankov's arms nearby began to make a sound.

He stepped outside to take the call and returned with a heavier expression on his face.

"Mr. Koshiro, we have some urgent matters and must leave early," Ivankov said.

Hearing this, Sig immediately felt a surge of caution and quickly added:

"Mr. Koshiro, we will also take our leave."

Having just told Kuina what he had, he worried it might provoke Koshiro's displeasure.

Without Ivankov and the others around, lingering here any longer made Sig feel a bit uneasy.

Moreover, the purpose of this visit to the Isshin Dojo had essentially been fulfilled.

Li Jing's compatibility rating had risen from the initial 11% to 17%. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing.

Hearing this, Ivankov gave Sig a surprised look.

He had just been contemplating how to convince Sig to return with him as quickly as possible to help deal with the CP0 matter. Unexpectedly, Sig had volunteered to leave.

Thus, the group walked out of the dojo gates, preparing to depart.

However, at the back of the group, the bald-headed man stopped in his tracks, seemingly deep in thought.

His gaze landed on the girl inside the dojo, holding her sword and looking somewhat confused.

"Another lost lamb... a child who doesn't yet grasp the true meaning behind Sig's words," he sighed softly before walking over.

He couldn't help it—whenever he saw lost lambs, he felt compelled to help.

"Confused young girl, are you pondering the advice that Mr. Sig gave you just now?"

Kuina lifted her head, trying to recognize the bald-headed man in front of her.

"You're… the person by Mr. Sig's side earlier?"

"Correct. I'm here to help you interpret his words. Did you fail to fully understand what Mr. Sig meant?"

Kuina, somewhat bewildered, nodded her head.

Blinking, Kuina hesitated before asking tentatively, "What does 'keep the whetstone in an easily reachable place' mean?"

The bald-headed man quickly replied, "It means to always maintain an empty-cup mindset and continuously hone yourself."

Kuina frowned and asked further, "And what about 'be careful with the stairs'?"

"The stairs are a metaphor. Life is like a spiral staircase, ascending step by step. Mr. Sig meant that after achieving certain milestones, you should not grow complacent. After all, your goal is to become the world's greatest swordsman—a lofty aspiration. Avoid arrogance at all costs."

Kuina was even more confused. She asked again, "If that's what he meant, why didn't he just say so?"

"That's part of the test Mr. Sig gave you. I had a similar experience in the past. It took me a long time to grasp the deeper meaning behind his words."

"Mr. Sig speaking so indirectly shows he has high hopes for you. In fact, I was once someone Mr. Sig had high hopes for, but I was too weak and failed to live up to his expectations."

As he spoke, the bald-headed man touched his previously swollen forehead with a sentimental look.

After finishing his explanation, the bald-headed man left decisively, hiding his achievements and reputation.

Kuina stared blankly at the bald-headed man's retreating figure, still somewhat stunned.

"Mr. Sig has high hopes for me?"

Kuina felt a faint stir in her heart.

Shimotsuki Village was just a remote, small place with no real swordsmanship masters around.

The ten-year-old Kuina and Zoro had already been able to defeat the adults in the dojo.

Sig could be said to be the only swordsmanship master Kuina had ever encountered up to this point.

Her father, Koshiro, might count as one, but he was always discouraging her dream.

The fact that someone like Sig had high hopes for her gave her some comfort.

"Does Mr. Sig really mean all that?"

Kuina hadn't fully figured it out, but she preferred to believe in the possibility that she was valued.

"Forget it. Next, I'd better move that whetstone down from the attic first."

...............

On the other side.

As Sig was walking back to the dock, he had just learned about the matter regarding the Masked Man from Ivankov.

"What? You guys want to send that CP0 agent back into my hands?"

Sig's expression immediately changed, his thoughts racing.

Damn it. Back then, he had handed over the CP0 agent to the Revolutionary Army as a gift precisely because he couldn't handle the situation himself...

Now, the Revolutionary Army is actually considering returning the gift? Most likely because... they've realized that the Masked Man is more troublesome than they had anticipated!

"Once a gift is given, how can it be taken back?"

"Let's not talk about this dangerous matter anymore."

Bang bang bang bang bang bang…

Sig's voice carried a faint hint of pressure.

"Sig-boy, calm down first…" Ivankov wiped his sweat.

It seemed he had said something wrong, as Sig was already issuing warnings with words like "dangerous."

"Let's set aside the matter of the gift for now."

"As for how to deal with CP0, let's wait until you, Sig-boy, meet the CP0 agent and then discuss it."

Sig was feeling quite a headache.

But it seemed there was no avoiding a meeting with the Masked Man.

________

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