Nao's intention to take Kuina as his disciple was something Koushirou kept strictly secret from his daughter.
He planned to keep that letter of introduction safe, and when she turned seventeen — old enough to go out to sea — he would give her a surprise.
Kuina, who was intensely focused on practicing her swordsmanship, was completely oblivious to the conversation between the two men.
It wasn't until around midnight, utterly exhausted, that she finally put away her sword, bowed respectfully to Nao, and returned to her room to rest.
Koushirou watched his daughter's receding figure, shaking his head with a wry smile. That child… judging by her excitement, she probably won't be able to fall asleep for at least an hour or two while tossing and turning in bed.
...
The next morning.
The moment the rooster crowed, Zoro snapped his eyes open, sprang out of bed, and excitedly rushed to the backyard clearing to review and reinforce the swordsmanship Nao had taught him the day before.
But unexpectedly, someone had arrived earlier than him.
"Kuina?"
Seeing the black-haired girl moving her sword with wind-like speed in the yard, Zoro froze for a moment, then grinned broadly.
"Didn't expect you to get up this early! Hey! Stop training for a bit, come and—"
"No time."
Kuina didn't even have to turn around; she already knew exactly what Zoro was going to say next.
"Cut the crap! I was this close to beating you yesterday! I slept great and feel amazing now — even if Uncle Nao taught you something new, you still won't be my match!"
"I said I don't have time…"
Kuina frowned slightly and turned her head—only to see Zoro, fired up with passion, shouting as he drew his bamboo sword and charged toward her.
"I'm coming! Watch out!"
Kuina looked up to the sky, sighed in exasperation.
...
The result was, of course, no surprise.
Within a few minutes, the match was over. Zoro had lost miserably once again.
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"
Half-kneeling on the ground, tears and snot running down his face, Zoro pounded the dirt in frustration.
"Why—why can't I beat you?! That's 2,205 losses already! When will I ever win?!"
"Not even in ten thousand tries."
Expressionless, Kuina helped him up and then ignored him, returning to her sword practice with full focus.
Zoro looked at her back, clenched his teeth, wiped away his tears, and threw himself back into training.
After more than an hour, daylight filled the dojo. The other students were starting to arrive from their homes. Kuina and Zoro finally stopped their extra practice and went together to wake Nao.
"Uncle Nao!"
"Mr. Nao, breakfast is ready. Would you like to—"
They knocked gently several times, but there was no response. Kuina hesitated, then cautiously slid the screen door open halfway.
The next moment, both of them froze, staring at each other in shock.
On the tatami floor, the bedding was folded neatly. The surrounding area was spotless.
Empty. Nao was nowhere to be seen.
...
Meanwhile
High above, several dozen kilometers away from Shimotsuki Village—
Nao appeared among the clouds, holding a boulder the size of half a person in one hand, clicking his tongue.
"Damn, this thing must weigh over a hundred pounds. No wonder it could kill someone if it fell…"
The Shimotsuki Village storyline was from an old manga arc—part of his childhood memories. He couldn't recall the exact timeline.
But judging from the children's ages, Kuina would likely die under this whetstone within a year or two.
A genius swordswoman even more talented than Zoro, gone so early — what a tragedy. Nao didn't want that to happen again, but he couldn't just warn her outright.
He couldn't exactly play the role of some fortune-telling prophet and solemnly tell Kuina, "You'll suffer a bloody disaster soon, and it all starts with a whetstone."
That would sound way too absurd.
So—
He simply decided to leave Kuina a duplicate of his Vivre Card (life card), and in the middle of the night, he quietly snuck into the dojo's storage room and "borrowed" the ancestral whetstone that the Koushirou family had treasured for generations.
If they discovered it later, they'd probably just think a thief had broken in. There was no way anyone would suspect him anyway...
Thinking this to himself, Nao casually flicked his finger.
The whetstone—over a hundred pound in weight—shot out like a cannonball, soaring high into the sky.
A moment later, a bolt of thunder roared through the clouds and struck it, shattering the stone into countless fragments that scattered across the sea below like a shower of blue meteors.
Without looking back, Nao's body lit up with arcs of lightning. He transformed once more into a streak of blue light and sped off toward the distant horizon.
Chaili Island was still far away—
But Windmill Village was already near.
...
Although both were in the East Blue, Windmill Village had a completely different atmosphere from Shimotsuki Village.
The Shimotsuki Village, thanks to Koushirou, carried a strong touch of Wano-style culture.
Windmill Village, on the other hand, resembled the pastoral landscapes of Northern Europe from Nao's memories.
"Here we are."
Standing outside the largest windmill at the village entrance, surrounded by rolling fields of tulips swaying gently in the breeze, Nao felt his heart relax completely.
"It's time to meet the true protagonist of this world."
Smiling, he plucked a tulip, remembered Garp's instructions, and planned to first visit a shop to buy some good food before heading to Luffy's house.
But just as he took a few steps forward, Nao suddenly stopped.
"Hm?"
Sensing something, he turned his head toward the small road leading to the village entrance—his expression showing a hint of surprise.
"What are they doing here?"
…
A gentle drizzle had just passed over Windmill Village, leaving the air cool, damp, and fresh.
A small group of Marines in white uniforms walked leisurely down a country path, admiring the lush scenery around them, their spirits lifted by the tranquil beauty.
"So this is Vice Admiral Garp's hometown, huh?"
At the head of the group strode a pink-haired woman in sunglasses, a Marine cloak draped elegantly over her shoulders. Stretching her arms wide, she took a deep breath of the crisp morning air, her face lighting up with delight.
"The air's wonderful! Hina really likes it here."
"But we can't stay for long, Boss,"
said the white-haired man behind her — a cigar clamped between his teeth, smoke curling from his mouth. Despite his tough demeanor, his tone toward her was cautious and respectful.
"Our deployment deadline's tight. We have to report to the base the day after tomorrow, and you still insist on stopping by Chaili Town after this…"
"Oh, stop nagging! It's on the way anyway!"
Hina huffed in mock annoyance. "The East Blue has produced so many legendary Marines — of course we have to visit Vice Admiral Garp's hometown! And as for Chaili Town, that's even more important! It's Brother Nao's home! Hina's never been there once! Smoker, you really don't want to go see it?"
"Of course we do!"
"How could we skip it? Who knows when we'll ever get another chance like this after our new assignments!"
"We support you, Captain Hina!"
The Marines behind her all spoke up enthusiastically. Smoker blinked, then gave a small nod of agreement.
True enough —
No matter how tight the schedule, there was no way they'd miss Chaili Town.
Honestly, whether they stopped by Windmill Village didn't really matter; it was just a detour along the way.
But Chaili Town…
That was where the White Dragon himself — Nao — was born and raised!
Just as pirates from the East Blue would visit Loguetown before entering the Grand Line to see Gol D. Roger's execution platform, they too wanted to visit Chaili Town — with a sense of pilgrimage.
"Alright then, let's take a quick walk around here and get going after that," Smoker said. "That way we'll have more time for Chaili Town. Sound good, Boss Hi— huh?"
He stopped mid-sentence.
Hina, walking ahead, had suddenly frozen in place — her gaze fixed on something in the distance.
"What's wrong?"
Smoker followed her line of sight, looking toward the sea of tulips that blanketed the hill.
And then — his eyes widened in disbelief.
The cigar slipped from his lips and hit the ground with a faint thud.
Among the endless waves of flowers,
stood a familiar white figure, smiling as he raised a hand in greeting.
…
A few minutes later, the two groups joined up and continued walking together toward Windmill Village.
The Marines following behind could barely contain their excitement. They kept glancing admiringly at the tall figure walking ahead, whispering among themselves in awe.
Nao, meanwhile, was gently comforting the sobbing Hina in his arms. Glancing down at the curious Smoker beside him, he shrugged lightly.
"I've already been to the North, West, and South Blues. I've just been staying around the East Blue lately. But you two—why are you in Windmill Village?"
"Well… that's kind of a long story."
Smoker scratched his head awkwardly. Under Nao's gaze, he quickly began explaining from the start.
Turns out—
A month ago, he had applied for early graduation a year ahead of schedule, passed the final assessment with excellent results, and successfully graduated from the elite training camp. He was then assigned to his old station in Loguetown, East Blue, as Lieutenant Commander and Deputy Base Commander.
As for Hina, who was a year ahead of him in the training camp, she hadn't taken the early graduation exam. She graduated normally that year, ranked first in her class, and was directly promoted to Captain, becoming Smoker's immediate superior.
Since their destinations were the same, the two decided to travel together, taking the same Marine warship bound for Loguetown.
"One's a Captain, the other's a Lieutenant Commander."
Nao clicked his tongue in approval, patting Smoker on the shoulder with a smile.
"Fresh graduates already serving as base officers—not bad at all."
Loguetown was the largest Marine base in the East Blue, overseeing more than a dozen smaller branches nearby. Its scale and rank were nearly equivalent to those of the Headquarters' divisions.
To be trusted with command right after graduation said a lot about how highly Marine Headquarters valued the two of them.
Hina aside, even Smoker had a promising future ahead—certainly much better than the one in his original story, where he was a scruffy, thirty-something who was demoted from Headquarters to loaf around in Loguetown.
"Nowhere near as great as you were back in your day, sir…"
Though Smoker said it modestly, his flushed cheeks and sheepish grin made it clear how thrilled he was to be praised by his idol. The Marines behind him stared, dumbfounded.
—Is this still the ruthless Lieutenant Commander who walked around smoking cigars, cutting down Pirates without even blinking?
Tch, did the persona he'd only managed to build up for a few days already collapse?
Smoker noticed the odd looks from his subordinates, but just smirked and ignored them.
Come on—how could anyone stay composed after being praised face-to-face by Sir White Dragon?
Speaking of which…
He glanced secretly at Nao's side profile, feeling a little wistful. Originally, he had dreamed that once he graduated, he could proudly join the Thunder Hawk and serve under White Dragon himself.
But that dream had ended when Nao resigned from the Marines two and a half years ago—and still hadn't returned since.
That absence had only made Headquarters miss him even more. No wonder even the usually composed "Ice Queen" Hina was now sobbing uncontrollably in public…
It's a pity that guy Nezumi wasn't lucky enough to run into Lord White Dragon in the East Blue like I did.
That idiot… Smoker helplessly pressed his hand to his forehead at the thought. He had applied for early graduation, and Nezumi, as his good brother, immediately followed suit without a second thought.
Nezumi, who usually ranked in the middle to lower tier of his class, was competing against seniors a year ahead of him. The result was predictable: he was utterly crushed in the graduation assessment and successfully took the last place.
His early graduation request was rejected, leaving him to watch Smoker sail off while he remained stuck in the elite camp for another year.
As Smoker was lost in thought, Nao sighed and lightly pinched Hina's cheek.
"Alright, you've been crying for several minutes now. That's enough. You're a base commander now—a Captain, no less. Crying like a kitten in front of everyone… what kind of look is that?"
"W-who told you to show up out of nowhere like this… sniff…"
Hina lifted her tearful eyes, shoulders still trembling. "Hina doesn't even know if this is supposed to be a surprise or a shock… It's been two and a half years, sniff… Brother Nao, it's been two and a half years and you haven't once visited Headquarters! Not even Sister Gion or the others…"
"Ah, that's probably because they lied to you."
Nao shrugged innocently. "It's true I haven't gone back to Headquarters, but I've met up with Gion and the others several times elsewhere."
"What?"
Hina froze, staring blankly at him for two seconds—
Then burst into tears even harder.
"Waaah… so I'm the only one you didn't visit…!"
Well.
It seemed there'd be no calming her down anytime soon.