"You… you're outsiders, aren't you?"
Kuina didn't reveal why she was crying.
Her strong-willed personality didn't allow her to show her vulnerable side.
"Why are you running away from the reason for your tears? Stand up. Crying is a sign of weakness; it won't change anything. Instead of crying here, face the problem head-on. If you can't even speak up about why you're crying, how can you achieve anything? You'll just end up a coward."
The blunt voice came from Belo Betty, stunning Kuina.
Kuina stared at Belo Betty, momentarily lost for words.
Kuke sighed at Belo Betty's harshness.
"You have to remember, you no longer have the Pump Pump Fruit. How have you even managed to stay alive until now with that sharp tongue of yours?" he thought.
"What do you know!" Kuina glared at Belo Betty in anger. "All I want is to become the world's greatest swordsman! What's wrong with that? Why does everyone put me down and not believe in me? Even my own father told me to give up, saying that girls, because of physical limitations, can never become great swordsmen!"
Belo Betty opened her mouth to respond, but Kuke shot her a warning glance.
He knew she meant well, and her words could be motivating, but for a young girl like Kuina, being too blunt could do more harm than good.
Feeling wronged, Belo Betty closed her mouth.
Kuke looked at the agitated Kuina and spoke softly, "Is your dream not real just because your family denies it? Instead of dwelling on their disbelief, why not prove them wrong through your actions?"
"But... but..."
Kuina bit her lip.
Her father's denial hurt her, but even more, she had started doubting herself.
She began to believe that because of the physical limitations of women, becoming a great swordsman was impossible.
"You're not a girl; you wouldn't understand," Kuina said, glancing at Kuke, her gaze shifting to the sword at his waist.
She envied him—envied the fact that he was a man.
"But I believe women can become strong. All my comrades are women," Kuke pointed to the rest of his crew.
Curious, Kuina looked over.
They were indeed all women.
"Are they really strong?" Kuina asked skeptically.
"Gion," Kuke called.
Gion gently unsheathed her sword, giving it a single swift stroke.
She returned the blade to its scabbard without a sound.
The massive boulder in front of them, weighing several dozen tons, silently split into two, the cut perfectly smooth.
Kuina felt as if her entire world had collapsed.
"Stussy," Kuke continued.
"Yes, Captain." Stussy extended a finger, aiming at a large tree several hundred meters away. "Flying Finger Pistol!"
A crescent-shaped shockwave shot forward.
With a loud crash, the tree was severed at its middle.
"Need to see more?" Kuke asked.
Kuina shook her head in astonishment.
Her training had barely scratched the surface of swordsmanship.
She had never witnessed such powerful techniques, like those of Gion and Stussy—attacks that could casually cause such destruction. It shattered her understanding of strength.
"Are you really women?" Kuina asked Gion and Stussy, still in shock.
Were they monsters in disguise?
They barely seemed to exert themselves to unleash these attacks. Kuina couldn't even imagine the devastation they could cause if they fought with their full strength.
"Our captain knows this well," Stussy said suggestively.
Kuina's eyes shone with excitement as she looked at them.
"Can you tell me how to become stronger? I want to be as strong as you all!"
"Would you be willing to witness firsthand the journey of women conquering the peak?" Kuke extended his right hand, inviting her directly.
From his previous experience recruiting crew members, Kuke realized that the women of the seas were just as bold as the men—there was no need for any roundabout way.
"Me?" Kuina pointed at herself, disbelief evident in her eyes. "Can I?"
"You can."
The sincerity and belief in Kuke's eyes filled Kuina with strength.
Without even thinking, she placed her small hand in his.
"Let's go see your father. If you're coming with me, he deserves to know," Kuke said as he stood, his eyes fixed on the dojo in the distance.
...
"Um... are you a swordmaster?" Kuina asked Gion, looking up at her in awe.
That casual swing of Gion's blade had completely won her over.
"Call me Sister Gion. I suppose you could say that," Gion replied casually.
"Then, Sister Gion, you must be from the Grand Line, right? Are you the strongest swordsman?" Kuina asked, her eyes sparkling. The title of the strongest swordsman was her lifelong dream.
"No," Gion shook her head.
"Huh? Even someone as powerful as you isn't the strongest?" Kuina was stunned. "Then who is?"
"The most well-known swordsmen on the sea right now are Red-Haired Shanks and Dracule Mihawk. But the strongest swordsman? That title belongs to our captain," Gion said, her eyes filled with love and pride as she gazed at Kuke's back.
"Captain is the strongest swordsman?" Kuina's jaw dropped.
She looked at Kuke in awe.
"Not yet, but soon," Gion added. "He hasn't officially defeated Shanks yet, nor has he faced Mihawk. But it's only a matter of time."
"Captain, can I learn swordsmanship from you?" Kuina asked eagerly.
"Of course. I look forward to the day you surpass me," Kuke smiled.
Kuina clenched her small fist in excitement, waving it around in the air.
The eleventh member: Apprentice Pirate - Kuina [No Devil Fruit Ability, Swordsman, Combat Power: 689]
At the age of ten, having nearly 700 in combat power was rare.
Kuke was eager to see Kuina's future growth.
...