More 45 powerstones for +1 bonus chapter
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In the bustling streets of Logue town in East Blue, a petite girl with short dark blue hair briskly strolled, clutching a modestly adorned long knife in her arms. The scabbard, lacking elaborate details, was white and had a simple design.
Eagerly gripping the newspaper she had just acquired, she appeared thrilled, hardly bothering to navigate through the lively crowd. Relying on the instincts of a skilled swordsman, she headed towards the town center.
It had been over a year since Kuina arrived in Logue town. Throughout this time, she practically lived within the Marine environment. Thanks to special instructions from Admiral Atlas and Kuina's exceptional skills, Colonel Randall spared no effort in looking after her.
Kuina has undergone noticeable changes since joining the Marine. Her routine now mainly involves daily swordsmanship practice.
Yet, Kuina herself is no less remarkable. Similar to replicating Atlas's past achievements, she engaged in challenges throughout the Marine base, navigating its various levels.
Certainly, she surpassed Atlas from that time, showcasing a bit more prowess. After all, Kuina had demonstrated her ability to effortlessly defeat adults at the Isshin Dojo a few years prior.
However, what slightly saddened her was the scarcity of news about Brother Atlas over the past year. It felt like she had been overlooked in Logue town.
Yet, witnessing the live broadcast of the Summit War, she silently forgave Brother Atlas. It occurred to her that he must be occupied, leaving him with no free time to get in touch.
Furthermore, she distinctly observed — the sheer devastation unleashed by the man known as Whitebeard was so immense that even someone as resilient as Atlas couldn't be impervious to the pain it inflicted.
However, Brother Atlas emerged victorious in the end. So, these days, after finishing her morning training, Kuina rushed to the port to check for any news-carrying birds.
Engrossed in her thoughts, Kuina failed to notice another little girl making her way through the crowd.
Suddenly, a sharp sound echoed – a distinct "boom" and "snap." The noise of plastic hitting the ground was accompanied by two sounds of pain.
"Hiss~ That hurts!!" ×2
"Hey, you two, watch your step! Everyone around, give them some space, for goodness' sake!"
"Are you both alright, little girls?"
"They're a pair of spirited youngsters. With this crowd, it's easy for them to stumble and get hurt."
As the onlookers observed the two in distress, they quickly scattered, forming a protective circle around the youngsters to prevent any accidental trampling by unaware pedestrians.
Kuina instinctively rubbed her forehead, cradled Wado Ichimonji and the newspaper, and uttered a quick "sorry."
"I'm really sorry, are you okay..."
However, her sentence came to an abrupt halt. The reason being, a little girl who bore a striking resemblance to her was seated across, apologizing while feeling around on the ground with narrowed eyes.
"Is this what you're looking for?"
Kuina retrieved the glasses from the ground and handed them over.
"Ah! That's it. Thank you very much."
The little dark blue-haired girl received the glasses with surprise and placed them on the bridge of her nose. The world in front of her eyes suddenly became clearer.
"Eh?! You are..."
As if unable to believe what she saw, the little girl lifted her glasses once again, rubbed her eyes with her tiny hands, and then lowered her glasses once more.
Finally, an expression of disbelief crossed her face.
"I can't believe it. I never expected to encounter someone who looks exactly like me here."
Kuina's expression mirrored astonishment, to the extent that she didn't even notice the newspaper slipping quietly from her hand.
"Yeah, it's the first time I've seen... Eh?!"
"Eh?! This knife in your hand—"
The little black-haired girl adjusted her glasses, leaned down, and inspected Wado Ichimonji in Kuina's arms, her eyes widening in surprise.
"This is..."
"Absolutely, absolutely right!! I saw an introduction to this knife in my father's study!"
Muttering to herself, the little black-haired girl swiftly extracted a thin book from her person and flipped through it hastily.
Crash-! !
Suddenly, the little girl exclaimed, "I found it, Wado Ichimonji, it is indeed it!!"
She pointed to a specific line of notes in the book and read it aloud: "This is a famous sword that ranks among the 21 Great Grade swords!!"
"This is the sword my father gave me when I went to sea."
Kuina nodded, gazing at the word "Wado" in her hand, lost in thought.
It appears... I haven't seen my father for a long time.
However, she was determined to become the world's best swordsman one day and prove it to her father.
Even a girl can become a very powerful swordsman!!
As this thought crossed her mind, a determined expression etched itself on Kuina's face, making her young visage appear even more heroic.
"Huh? I'm so sorry, I forgot to introduce myself!"
Observing Kuina's heroic demeanor, the little dark blue-haired girl blushed visibly. She nervously wiped her sweaty hands on her clothes and extended her hand toward Kuina.
He pursed her lips and smiled, "Hello, my name is Tashigi, and I am the daughter of the owner of the sword dojo in town."
"Hello, my name is Kuina. I am from Shimotsuki Village and currently a member of the Logue Town reserve Marine."
Kuina also extended her hand, clasped it gently with Tashigi, and smiled softly.
"Eh? You're in the Marines?!"
Tashigi was stunned, a sudden expression of joy spreading across her face.
"I want to join the Marines when I grow up, but you seem to be about the same age as me. Why did you join the Marines so early?"
"I'm just temporarily staying at the Marine Base in Logue Town. I can't really join the Marines," Kuina quickly waved her hands awkwardly, explaining.
"That's still pretty awesome. Since you're with the Marines, then..."
"Eh?! Is this it?"
Out of the corner of her eye, Tashigi suddenly caught sight of a crumpled newspaper lying on the ground. She knelt down curiously and picked it up.
Carefully unfolding it, a photo that almost filled the entire newspaper came into view. The picture displayed a profile of a Marine.
He possesses short black hair, a determined countenance, and well-defined features. Streamlined muscles, akin to armor, are prominently on display across his body. In his hand, he holds an exquisite and opulent long knife, with a faint purple arc gracefully swirling around it.
At the top, a bold title is written in prominent fonts.
——Marine's new Admiral! ! The man who dethroned Whitebeard as the strongest in the world! !
"It's Mr. Hakuryu!!"
Tashigi wore an expression of admiration, her little hand unconsciously tightening its grip on the newspaper.
"Eh?! Do you know Brother Atlas too?"
"Of course, Mr. Hakuryu is the Marine I admire the most, and he is also my future goal."
Tashigi scratched her head in embarrassment as she said this.
"When I grow up, I want to become a powerful Marine swordsman and reclaim all the famous swords that have fallen into the hands of villains in the world!"
"I'll risk my life! I must retrieve the 12 Supreme Grade Blades, the 21 Great Grade Blades, and the 50 Skillful Grade Blades from the hands of villains!"
"It's really... a great dream."
Kuina smiled particularly brightly under the sunlight.
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