"You killed him?" Jorah was stunned as he saw Shirakawa execute the Marine Colonel. Although he had struck the Colonel hard, he hadn't intended to kill him.
"Damn it! The Colonel's been killed! Don't let them escape! Open fire!" the remaining Marine officer shouted, ordering his men to attack.
"Oh no!" Jorah realized the danger they were in. While he could handle a few bullets, there were over twenty Marines still capable of fighting, thanks to Shirakawa's earlier restraint.
"You want to avenge your superior? How noble of you. But you won't be able to stop us. Shame on you for resorting to guns," Shirakawa taunted.
Jorah braced himself for the incoming bullets, but then he felt a wave of Conqueror's Haki wash over him, and the Marines around them collapsed one by one.
"That power again! What is it?" Jorah asked Shirakawa.
"It's Conqueror's Haki."
"Conqueror's... Haki?"
"You don't even know what it is? How did you develop your Haki, then?"
"My master taught me."
"And he didn't tell you about Conqueror's Haki?"
"No. I only knew about one other type of Haki," Jorah said, referring to Observation Haki, which he had yet to fully master.
"Alright, let me explain. There are three types of Haki: Observation, Armament, and Conqueror's. You already know about the first two, so let me tell you about Conqueror's."
"Okay," Jorah said, listening intently.
"Conqueror's Haki is an extremely rare ability, possessed by only a select few. It's innate, not something you can learn or inherit. It's a matter of destiny. Understand?"
Jorah nodded, then shook his head. "But you didn't say what it does."
"Look around you. That's what Conqueror's Haki does."
Jorah looked at the unconscious Marines and seemed to understand.
Without another word, he turned and walked towards the sea.
"Where are you going?" Shirakawa asked.
"Home," Jorah replied, boarding a small fishing boat by the shore. It was identical to the one Shirakawa had abandoned during the storm.
Shirakawa followed him onto the boat. It felt strangely familiar.
"What are you doing here?" Jorah asked.
"Going home with you."
Jorah didn't respond, but Shirakawa continued, "Where's your home?"
"It's on a small island nearby. There's a village there, and my home is in that village."
"Where did you get this boat?"
"I found it adrift at sea."
"That's my boat! I lost it in a storm!" Shirakawa exclaimed.
"How do you know? Countless boats are lost at sea every day."
"I just know."
Jorah scoffed. "Intuition? How ridiculous."
Shirakawa didn't bother arguing. He lay down on the boat, enjoying the sun and the gentle rocking of the waves. He felt strangely peaceful and soon fell asleep.
Jorah watched him, surprised by his carefree attitude. 'Does he trust me that much?'
But seeing Shirakawa's peaceful expression, Jorah felt a sense of calm wash over him. It was as if Shirakawa's tranquility was contagious.
When Shirakawa was anxious, those around him felt uneasy too. But when he was at peace, that serenity seemed to spread to others.
Shirakawa woke up some time later.
"Wake up! We're home!" Jorah announced.
"Oh." Shirakawa sat up, rubbing his eyes. Judging by the sun's position, he hadn't slept for long.
"Jorah's back!" The villagers greeted Jorah as they disembarked.
"Did you win first place?" an elderly woman asked with a smile.
"Of course."
"I knew it! Both you and your brother are so talented!"
"Who's this?" The woman finally noticed Shirakawa, who had been feeling a bit neglected. He hadn't been ignored by anyone in a long time.
"He's my friend, Shirakawa."
"A friend?" The woman looked Shirakawa up and down.
"Is something wrong?" Shirakawa asked, uncomfortable with her scrutiny.
"I didn't know little Jorah had any friends. Congratulations!"
Shirakawa realized that Jorah must have been quite lonely.
"We met at the tournament. We hit it off and became friends."
"So he's also a swordsman! That makes sense."
"Young man, you have a lovely smile. Do you have a girlfriend? I can introduce you to someone."
"No, thank you," Shirakawa said, sweatdropping. He wasn't interested in blind dates.
He discreetly tugged on Jorah's clothes. Jorah understood and said, "Auntie, we need to go tell my master the good news. We'll be going now."
"Alright, alright. Go on then. And young man, if you ever need a girlfriend, let me know!"
"Sure," Shirakawa said with a forced smile.
Once they were out of earshot, Shirakawa sighed in relief. "That woman was intense. But you seem to be quite popular in the village."
"Yeah. We try to help out whenever we can."
"I heard you have an older brother. Is he also training to be a swordsman?"
"Yes, he's my senior."
"What's his name?"
"Dracule Mihawk."