"Are you pirates?"
As soon as the red-haired boy named Edmond said this, the atmosphere became somewhat unusual.
Aramis, who had originally been absent-minded, immediately became serious. He instinctively straightened up, placing his right hand on the hilt of his curved sword, staring at Edmond with flickering eyes.
Gin and Vallon also reacted immediately. Their expressions changed as soon as Edmond spoke those words.
For the four of them, their pirate identities were supposed to be a secret, but unexpectedly, a stranger casually revealed it. William's inspiring speech by the campfire that night still echoed in their ears. To a young man full of youthful passion and dreams for the future, it was a grand blueprint. Anyone attempting to obstruct their path would be considered an enemy.
The first step of William's plan was well laid out: using the opportunity of still not revealing their identities to accumulate strength and improve their abilities, preparing for future voyages. If their pirate identities were exposed now, it would undoubtedly complicate their plans.
But the three did not act rashly. They were all waiting for William's instructions.
In fact, after Edmond asked his question, William was also startled, but he was more composed than Gin and the others. He smiled slightly and instead responded with a counter-question: "Of course not. Otherwise, why would Koushirou-sensei let us into the dojo to study?"
"I see..." Edmond sighed with some disappointment. "I heard you guys were from out of town, and I was hoping you were pirates or something."
William smiled and walked with Edmond towards the dojo, asking, "Do you ask every out-of-towner if they're pirates?"
Edmond confidently nodded and then added, "But not many people come from out of town, and a lot of them can't handle the hardships of sword training. After ten or fifteen days, they might leave."
After a brief scare, Aramis rolled his eyes, and even the usually calm Gin couldn't help but curl his lip.
The dojo of One Heart occupied a large area. Edmond led the four of them, slowly walking as he introduced the environment and chatted casually.
After a while, Edmond returned to the topic from earlier, asking the four, with a hint of provocation and expectation, "Why don't you ask me why I was so eager for you to be pirates?"
Aramis and Gin couldn't be bothered, but Vallon, being rather simple-hearted, asked honestly, "Yeah, why would you want us to be pirates?"
Edmond cleared his throat dramatically, puffing out his chest, and with a tone that seemed to cover his obvious pride, he lowered his voice as if revealing a secret: "Actually, I'm also a pirate."
As soon as he finished speaking, he noticed that William and the others didn't react at all. Naturally, he didn't know that the four in front of him were real pirates, so he curiously said, "Huh? Aren't you surprised?"
"Surprised?" Aramis smirked and mocked, "We're too surprised, so we didn't react. What's more surprising is that this dojo accepts pirates? Koushirou-sensei didn't kick you out?"
Edmond was taken aback, hesitating before answering, "Well... actually, I haven't gone to sea yet."
"Not going to sea and you still count as a pirate? You're just a bandit at best!"
Edmond turned away, ignoring Aramis, his face reddening, his ears slightly flushed.
William gestured for Aramis to stop arguing with Edmond.
Aramis shrugged indifferently, then behind Edmond and William, he playfully made a face at Gin and Vallon, silently mouthing something.
The gesture probably meant "fool," but Aramis's lips clearly said "Vallon."
Vallon was fuming, glaring at Aramis, but the latter didn't care at all.
On the other side, William tried to ease the tension, "There are many adventurous pirate stories passed down in our hometown. Many of my peers dream of becoming pirates."
When Edmond heard William talk about pirate adventure stories, for some reason, he shuddered, quickly forgetting his previous displeasure, leaving William at a loss for words.
Carefree?
"The stories you've heard are probably mostly made up," Edmond said smugly. "My father is a real pirate. He's told me many adventure stories, and even wrote a book about his experiences!"
With that, Edmond's expression became unusually serious, and with dramatic solemnity, almost in a chant-like tone, he continued, "I am the son of a pirate!"
William's expression froze, and he turned to ask politely, "Is your father still a pirate? What's his name? I'm not sure if we've heard of him."
"...You probably haven't," Edmond fell silent for a moment before responding. "He hasn't sent any news back in years."
The smile on Aramis's face faded slightly, and the atmosphere became somewhat heavy.
"Maybe he went to the Grand Line. Many pirates in adventure stories want to venture there," William said, though for some reason, his mind drifted to the pleading Danton.
"Maybe," Edmond forced a smile.
The group arrived at the training ground. The middle-aged man with a beard, named Paddison, who had introduced them to Koushirou the day before, was organizing the students for sword practice. Upon seeing William and the others, he frowned and said, "Why are you so late?"
He turned to Edmond and scolded, "Are you still telling new people about your almost well-known pirate identity?"
Laughter erupted from the surrounding students. Edmond lifted his chin, seemingly dismissing Paddison's attitude, but William noticed his ears turning red again.
Aramis, who had been mocking Edmond earlier, now looked displeased. He didn't dare show his frustration to Paddison, so he scanned the students around him with a stern, judgmental gaze.
Fortunately, Paddison didn't continue his reprimand. He proceeded to demonstrate basic swordsmanship techniques for the students, allowing new students to learn and old students to review.
After some repeated practice, Koushirou arrived at the training ground. After supervising for a while, he divided the students into groups, with the more experienced students teaching the less experienced. He and Paddison walked around, supervising and ensuring that the techniques were being taught correctly.
William, Aramis, Gin, and Vallon naturally formed a group, with Edmond responsible for guiding their sword training.
Although his previous behavior had been unreliable, Edmond was serious and focused while teaching sword techniques. His explanations were clear, starting with how to grip the sword, body posture, footwork in combat, and distance judgment. He also discussed breathing techniques. Once Gin, Aramis, and Vallon had a basic understanding, Edmond patiently broke down the movements and explained them in detail. William, despite having some foundation, was also happy to review the knowledge in his mind.
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