Looking down at the sheathed Shigure at his waist, Hiroto couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache when he thought of the notch on it.
After all, it was his first Famous Sword, not counting Wado Ichimonji.
To have a notch chipped out of it during the battle with Issho—though it wasn't destroyed, it hurt his heart.
However, Hiroto didn't feel that Issho should have been careful to hold back at every turn. After all, he was the one who had made such a request.
For a top-tier powerhouse to act as a sparring partner and sandbag just because of a favor was already more than generous.
However, he might need to find a way to scout for a new sword.
Pushing these thoughts aside, Hiroto looked at the almost completely destroyed tangerine grove, scratched his head, and left.
There were still things to deal with outside.
He planned to train as much as possible today. The experience of fighting a powerhouse like Issho was quite precious.
It was time for [Effort King] to take the stage.
Secondly, he also needed to consider how to use the Distortion energy. Between [Extraction] and [Fusion], he was more inclined toward [Fusion].
The boost from [Fish-Man Strength] could no longer keep up with his pace of progress, but that didn't matter. He originally intended to use [Fusion] to try and take this entry a step further.
...
The next day, early morning.
Koushirou had been staying on this island during this period because he still had to protect Binmock.
Binmock, who had made a fortune, was already preparing to return to his hometown to continue his business, at which point their debt of gratitude would be repaid.
Unexpectedly, however, Hiroto's call yesterday brought Koushirou some surprising news.
"Issho..."
Sitting in an attic, Koushirou looked toward the ocean. Then, he suddenly stood up, having sensed his friend's presence.
A few seconds later, Issho, levitating via gravity, arrived in the attic. The two friends, reunited after a long time, shared a smile.
Curiously, Issho's clothes were as intact as ever, without a single trace of damage.
After Koushirou caught up with Issho, the two sat down, and then the sheathed Shusui was handed over by Issho.
"Wano Country's national treasure, one of the twenty-one great grade swords, the Black Blade Shusui, and the remains of my ancestor Ryuma..."
Koushirou's expression was complex, then turned cold. "Gecko Moria, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea..."
He stopped himself and did not continue, but he was clearly displeased.
The Shimotsuki lineage in the East Blue was reclusive, not extinct. To them, Shimotsuki Ryuma was the ancestor the Shimotsuki clan was most proud of.
Robbing the ancestor's grave, desecrating the remains, and stealing the national treasure—these three things combined were enough to say a deadly feud had been formed.
But...
Koushirou sighed, suppressing his killing intent, and placed the sheathed Shusui on the table.
"So you intend to remain reclusive until the end?" A flash of surprise appeared in Issho's eyes.
"Such are the ancestral teachings." Koushirou's expression was complex.
He didn't know what kind of secrets were hidden in his homeland, Wano Country.
To the point where the Shimotsuki clan, in order to continue their bloodline, had to migrate and branch out every few generations, scattering like sparks across the world.
But he could not refuse his responsibility. Protecting the village and the Shimotsuki of the East Blue was worth spending the rest of his life here.
Issho didn't say much, everyone had their own difficulties.
Just as he hadn't killed Moria for his friend, his friend hadn't asked him to kill Moria either.
The atmosphere grew somewhat silent.
Seemingly wanting to change the subject, Koushirou suddenly asked, "You've seen the two of them, haven't you?"
Issho said, "I only truly saw Hiroto. I didn't get to see your disciple Zoro's true colors."
"Oh?"
Koushirou was somewhat surprised, he caught the implication in Issho's tone.
"What do you think of him?"
"I think it won't be long before he..."
Issho stopped mid-sentence and looked at the puzzled Koushirou. "I don't know how to describe him—how to describe this person who makes me feel that his future is impossible to judge."
"Are you serious?"
Koushirou had thought his friend would say something like 'he will surely claim a place in the New World in the future,' which would have matched his own view. He never expected Issho to give such an evaluation.
For powerhouses like them who had weathered many storms over the years, it wasn't difficult to see the future direction of a newcomer. But for Issho to say such a thing now meant that in his eyes, Hiroto fell outside the scope of his judgment.
But...
Koushirou knew that even if the friend before him wasn't the world's strongest, he was still at a top-tier level.
Yet Issho had said such a thing.
"This is my heartfelt opinion." Issho nodded slightly, his expression serious.
Recalling his various interactions with Hiroto, he couldn't bring himself to settle on the view that 'he would have a place in the New World.' A vague intuition told him that perhaps this young man, who wasn't particularly strong right now, would bring a massive impact to the entire world in the future.
That was definitely not something that could be described as merely having 'a place'.
"It seems something happened that I'm unaware of."
Koushirou couldn't hide his surprise, but he didn't think his friend would exaggerate.
"Perhaps you should go and see the current him for yourself."
As Issho spoke, his gaze fell upon the sheathed Shusui on the table.
"In that case, do you want me to return Shusui to Wano Country for you?"
"Since we've met, let's drink our fill first."
Koushirou avoided answering, he hadn't decided how to handle Shusui yet.
Taking it back to Shimotsuki Village was the safest option, but Shusui's true home should be in Wano Country, enshrined as a national treasure before the graves of their ancestors.
But letting Issho take it back to Wano Country... if Shusui could be stolen once, couldn't it be stolen a second time?
Moreover, that place had already become the base of operations for Kaido, one of the Four Emperors.
At the thought of this, Koushirou's heart felt incredibly conflicted.
"Fine."
Issho wasn't in a hurry, he had come to see his friend in the first place.
He had originally wanted to ask for his friend's opinion, but after the encounter with Hiroto, he had abandoned the idea of blinding himself further.
The two left together to find a tavern on the island, prepared to drink for days and nights on end.