Under the guidance of the coastal town’s guards, the foolish Aqua and the directionally-challenged Zoro were safely escorted back to Shimotsuki Village.
Along with them were several fine slips for damaged property and meal bills. The former belonged to Aqua, and the latter to little Zoro.
Before Icey could say anything, Koshiro voluntarily paid off their debts.
Watching Aqua and Zoro stand in the corner making their sincere apologies, this usually smiling, squinty-eyed dojo master uncharacteristically rubbed his temples, clearly exasperated.
In all his years, he had never encountered anyone quite as, well, unconventional as Aqua.
With this thought, Koshiro looked at Icey with a newfound sense of sympathy and admiration:
It was hard to imagine what this young man had gone through with such troublesome companions! Though, fortunately, he also had the powerful and calm King…
This brief incident ended, but Aqua and Zoro’s antics were sure to become a topic of amusement in Shimotsuki Village for some time.
In the afternoon, Icey, King, and Aqua returned to the coastal town to restock the Infinite Dream with enough food, drinks, and supplies.
With Kuina’s regret perfectly resolved, it was time to prepare for their journey to the town where it all begins and ends—Loguetown!
At Koshiro’s suggestion, Zoro, Kuina, and a few dojo disciples came along to help with the loading.
The distance from Shimotsuki Village to Loguetown was quite far, and since Icey didn’t plan to stop along the way, they needed to prepare a lot of supplies in advance.
The townspeople were very kind, recognizing them as the heroes who defeated two major pirates in the East Blue and offering significant discounts.
In fact, even Aqua’s previous compensation fee had been reduced…
By the time they had finished purchasing all the supplies, the distant sea horizon had already been dyed red by sunset, and night was fast approaching.
Icey raised the heavy anchor, and King untied the ropes binding the sails. In the cool sea breeze, the Infinite Dream began to move forward.
However, this was not a good time to set sail, so Icey only moved the fully stocked ship to the beach adjacent to Shimotsuki Village.
They planned to stay one more night in the village.
The sloop pushed through the waves along the island’s coastline.
On the second deck, little Zoro and Kuina stood on either side of the Aqua figurehead, their eyes wide open, gazing at the endless ocean ahead.
Although they lived in the seaside Shimotsuki Village, they had never truly sailed on a ship.
Whether it was the sea breeze blowing in their faces, the sound of waves crashing against the ship, or the white seabirds flying overhead…
Everything about the sea was infinitely charming, attracting these two young swordsmen with great dreams.
“So this is what it’s like to sail the sea? It’s wonderful, a place filled with countless strong swordsmen.”
Kuina brushed her wind-blown bangs straight, her beautiful eyes filled with longing.
“Kuina, why don’t we just go with Icey and his crew on their voyage?”
Equally eager, Zoro’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Staying in the village means nothing but training. There aren’t any strong opponents. But if we follow Icey and his crew, we’ll definitely encounter really powerful people!”
Except for Master Koshiro, the other disciples in the whole Isshin Dojo were too weak to spark his fighting spirit.
“Can we really do that?”
Hearing this, Kuina’s eyes brightened, but she quickly sighed with worry, “I’m not sure if Icey would agree.”
It was clear she had thought about this too, but being older and more mature than Zoro, she considered the matter more thoroughly.
“I heard everything.”
A calm voice suddenly sounded from behind, startling both Zoro and Kuina.
As they looked up, Icey walked towards them.
“Zoro, Kuina, the Infinite Dream is very welcoming to your joining.”
Before the surprised Zoro and Kuina could react, he added, “But not now.”
“Huh?”
Their faces, just brightening with excitement, fell into disappointment.
“What I mean is, when you’ve become stronger, at least able to easily cut through stone, the sea restaurant will always welcome you.” Icey looked out seriously at the distant sea.
Zoro and Kuina had talent and worked hard. Nurtured properly, they could at least reach the level of a master swordsman.
But that was for the future.
With Aqua’s low IQ and King’s lack of combat ability already giving him a headache, adding two kids now meant the Grand Line would be a no-go!
Hearing this, Zoro and Kuina’s expressions turned serious as they lowered their heads in silence.
For them, who were still training with bamboo swords, such a feat seemed incredibly difficult!
But neither of them were the type to be discouraged by challenges.
“Easily cut through stone…”
Kuina pondered, thinking about how long it would take her to achieve this.
“Not just stone, even steel! I’ll cut it all to show you!” Zoro swung his arms, making a bold declaration.
“Steel? With just bamboo swords, that’s not enough, Zoro.”
As if he had anticipated this, Icey smiled and unfastened two long swords from his waist, “These two good blades that have fought many battles with me, I’m giving them to you.”
They were the two swords he had taken from Johnny and Joseph. Though not particularly exceptional, they were of decent quality.
“Really?!”
Seeing the well-crafted swords, Zoro’s eyes lit up with excitement.
He had long wanted his own real swords!
“Yes, take them.” Icey handed the swords to Zoro.
With trembling hands, Zoro carefully accepted the swords, bowing deeply in thanks, “Thank you very much!”
Then, he hopped away to inspect his new weapons excitedly.
“And this is for you, Kuina.”
Icey turned to Kuina and took out a smooth stone emitting a dark luster.
It was a whetstone he had found among the treasures in Kuro’s pirate base. Its quality should be quite high, given that it was stored with gold and jewels.
Compared to Zoro, Kuina, who already had the great grade sword Wado Ichimonji, would find this more useful.
“A high-grade whetstone!”
Kuina, who had been envious of Zoro’s new swords, was immediately drawn to the whetstone in Icey’s hand.
“It looks like you like it.”
After handing her the whetstone, Icey added a special instruction, “Kuina, don’t keep this whetstone in a high place.”
Kuina blushed and lowered her head, murmuring, “Understood…”
If Zoro had brought up such an embarrassing incident, he wouldn’t have escaped her wrath!
Thus, Icey had successfully added two more strange promises to his journey.
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