One Piece: The True Codex

"If you weren't my junior sister, I'd beat you up first and then take the Wado Ichimonji from you. Let's see how you'd explain that to Master when you go back," William said sternly, trying to intimidate her.

He picked up the Wado Ichimonji, slid it back into its sheath along with his own katana, and then scooped Kuina up into his arms in a princess carry. "I'm very busy. If you want to challenge me, at least defeat Aramis and the others first."

Being carried in such a manner made Kuina blush slightly. She gently pushed against William's chest but failed to budge him. When she heard his words, however, she cast aside her embarrassment and retorted confidently, "They follow you around all day, obeying your every word. What's the point of defeating them? If I'm going to fight, I'll fight the strongest! If I beat you, it's as good as beating all of them!"

Feeling disrespected by the little girl, Aramis grew indignant. He bared his teeth at Kuina and raised his hand as if to slap her. "If you weren't Master Koushirou's daughter, I would—"

Kuina glanced at Aramis, then deliberately leaned her face closer to him. "You would what?"

Aramis grabbed his own wrist, turned his head away, and ignored her.

Watching the two bicker, William couldn't help but chuckle. He handed Kuina over to Gin, instructing him, "Take her to see a doctor and make sure her bones aren't injured."

To ensure Kuina wouldn't act up, William added, "Once you've healed, I'll play with you."

"Play? It's a challenge!" Kuina puffed up her cheeks, protesting angrily.

"Fine, a challenge," William replied with a smile. He gave Gin a knowing look, and the latter, understanding his intent, carried Kuina away.

William had always taken good care of Kuina. Part of it was out of respect for her father, Koushirou. Another part stemmed from the natural affection of someone with a much older mental age for a child like Kuina. And perhaps, there was also a trace of pity.

Kuina's determination and relentless desire to defeat William could largely be attributed to the pressure from her father, Koushirou.

Whether from his past life or his experiences in this world, William understood one undeniable truth: innate talent varies from person to person.

When it came to swordsmanship and combat, even within William's small group, there were clear differences in talent. With the help of the Plaza of Fate and its unique abilities, William and Gin were the most gifted, followed by Edmond, then Aramis, and finally Vallon.

Without the Plaza of Fate, William's natural talent would actually be inferior to Gin's. His initial advantage lay in his education and systematic training in combat knowledge, whereas Gin had relied entirely on self-learning.

After they all began training at the dojo, Gin's progress quickly caught up. Without the Plaza of Fate, William's title as the strongest in the group might not have lasted. While Gin was loyal to him, as their crew expanded in the future and various personalities joined, this imbalance could lead to potential issues.

If William could clearly recognize the disparities in talent, how could Koushirou, a seasoned instructor, not understand?

As a girl, Kuina was naturally limited by her physical attributes. While her progress in the early stages of swordsmanship was rapid, the ceiling above her grew increasingly unbreakable as she advanced.

Koushirou's attitude toward Kuina revealed that he never truly expected her to become an unparalleled swordsman. After all, Kuina was his own child. Even if only to avoid criticism, he wouldn't have treated her with the same detached impartiality as the other disciples.

To put it kindly, Koushirou's approach was "fair treatment." To put it bluntly, it was neglect, akin to raising her with a hands-off approach.

Kuina, precocious as she was, had sensed this on some level. This was why she so desperately sought the title of the dojo's strongest disciple, always striving to defeat the highly regarded William and prove her father wrong.

William snapped out of his thoughts. Because of the time spent dealing with Kuina, the departure of their ship had been delayed. He gave Edmond and Vallon a few brief instructions before sending them aboard.

Among William, Gin, Edmond, Aramis, and Vallon, William was undoubtedly the strongest. As such, he usually took it upon himself to guard the ship during voyages.

Of the remaining four, Gin was the most naturally talented, mature, and diligent, making him the strongest after William. Next was Edmond, who had decent talent, the longest training history, and some battle experience. Then came Aramis, who had some talent but a carefree disposition. Finally, there was Vallon, whose talent was average but who made up for it with hard work.

William divided them into two groups. Initially, he planned to pair Edmond with the clever Aramis and the steady Gin with Vallon. However, due to the friction between Aramis and Edmond, he had to separate them. Thus, Gin and Aramis were paired together, while Edmond and Vallon formed the other team, taking turns guarding the cargo on the ship.

Over the past year, they hadn't encountered any major incidents. In the few naval skirmishes they did face, their enemies were no match for William and his crew.

Suddenly, a raindrop fell on William's face.

"This rain came out of nowhere." Another drop landed on Aramis, prompting him to complain.

William squinted toward the horizon, where thick clouds had quietly gathered.

"Looks like a storm's coming," he murmured.

"Looks like a storm's coming."

In Navia Kingdom, within the noble district of Kalmar City, at the residence of the Minister of Finance.

Butler Eaton glanced at the gloomy sky and muttered to himself. He quickly regained his composure and carried a tray of refreshments into the drawing room.

The master of the house, Count Arcadio, was listening to a report from his trading company's secretary.

"...Based on the intelligence, the local markets have nearly been completely divided. Their strategy is clever. Even with your influence helping us establish a foothold in these regions, opening up markets and seizing space one by one will still require significant time and effort."

Eaton focused on pouring tea, feigning indifference to the secretary's words. Having served Arcadio for many years, he knew his master disliked servants who displayed too much intelligence.

Arcadio blew on his tea to cool it and said casually, "Are the members of the trading company complaining about me? Even in the provinces, I've forbidden them from participating in the smuggling of alcohol this past year."

The secretary, a well-dressed man who often mingled with high society, suddenly dropped to his knees with a loud thud. Sweat poured down his face as he stammered, "My lord, the trading company owes everything to you. We all understand that. Who would be so ungrateful as to harbor even the slightest complaint against you?"

Arcadio let out a nonchalant "Hmm," acknowledging the response. After letting the secretary tremble for a moment longer, he said, "Stand up."

Relieved, the secretary rose as if granted a pardon. Arcadio then spoke in a calm, detached tone, "I trust that none of you are ungrateful. However, I'm sure some of you are curious, so let me explain. The scattered local markets aren't unimportant to me; I simply find them troublesome."

"Since there are fools willing to construct a ready-made network for us, why should we waste our own efforts?"

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