"I can... still fight!" Zoro staggered to his feet, bruised and swollen, and charged back inside.
Kuina sneered. "Good. You've got guts."
What followed was nothing short of brutal. It was so brutal that even evil Rhett wanted to laugh. In the end, Kuina threw Zoro into the dojo's water barrel with an over-the-shoulder throw.
"Glub glub glub..." Zoro blew bubbles and sank.
Kuina flicked her ponytail and let out a long breath. "That felt good."
Rhett crouched by the water barrel and poked Zoro with a bamboo pole. "Still alive?"
Zoro burst out of the water, gasping for air. "I... I can still..."
"SMACK!"
Kuina hit him on the head with her wooden sword. "That's enough for today. If you want to get beaten again tomorrow, you're welcome anytime."
Zoro climbed out of the barrel, dazed. Then he suddenly bowed deeply to Kuina. "Please teach me swordsmanship!"
Everyone was stunned.
Kuina frowned. "Huh?"
"I want to get stronger!" Zoro looked up. His eyes were incredibly bright. "You're strong! I want to become stronger than you and beat you soundly."
Kuina looked at this brat, battered and bruised but still full of fighting spirit. The corners of her mouth curled up without her realizing it. "...Fine. Whatever."
Evil Rhett walked up to Zoro and said in a mocking tone, "This scene is very touching, but I have a question. Why don't you just become Koushirou's student directly? He taught Kuina everything she knows."
Zoro: ????
"Oh, yeah!" Zoro then bowed deeply to Koushirou. "Please teach me a swordsmanship that can beat Kuina."
Koushirou smiled. "There's no such thing. But I would be honored to be your teacher."
......
They all spent a few days together. Rhett was ready to set sail. With Roger's return, Rhett had no more lingering attachments. He now needed to answer a question in his heart.
"Oden, aren't you going back to Wano?" Rhett looked at Oden, who was watching the children practice swordsmanship.
Oden shook his head. "I'm not in a hurry. The children really like practicing at this dojo. Let them stay a little longer. Maybe they'll all end up on the same ship someday. Sob, sob, sob. Building bonds from such a young age is so touching. Sob, sob, sob. This is what youth is all about."
Oden's tears flowed like noodles. It reminded Rhett of a certain green-haired ninja.
Whoosh!! Splash!!
The sails of the Bruma Jackson billowed in the morning breeze. Rhett stood at the bow. His blood mist cloak fluttered in the wind. On the shore, the six little ones waved frantically. Roger had his arm around Rouge's shoulder, laughing carelessly.
"Uncle Rhett! Next time you come back, I'll be able to take one of your attacks!" Ace shouted at the top of his lungs. "I'm going to become super strong!"
Sabo pushed up his glasses. It was almost a habit now. He thought it looked really cool. "I wonder when we'll see each other again after this!"
Ann just looked at Rhett quietly.
Rhett smiled and waved. The blood mist in the air exploded into a brilliant firework. "I hear you, you little brats! Don't tear down the dojo!"
Tesoro checked his gold reserves. "Captain, supplies are ready. We can set sail anytime."
Rhett nodded. He suddenly looked at Roger, who had been silent. "Old bastard, are you sure you don't want to come with me? I have Ganryu Mask and the others."
Roger picked his nose. "Kuhahaha! My voyage ended that day. I'm just an old man who wants to be with his children now. I'll stay here with Rouge. We talked about it. We're going to visit Rayleigh and the others. Leave the children to me." He suddenly lowered his voice. "Besides..."
He pointed not far away. Rouge was smiling gently. But in her hand, she held a bitter melon that looked very fresh and full of life.
Rhett: "...Got it."
As the ship slowly left the harbor, Perona floated to Rhett's side. Her plushie bear rubbed against his cheek. "Lord Rhett, where are we going next?"
Rhett's gaze turned to the distant sky. "Back to Skypiea first. Then..." A deep look flickered in his eyes. "To the moon."
......
Let's skip the unimportant travel.
The sea of clouds of Skypiea shimmered with golden waves in the sunlight. The Bruma Jackson slowly descended to the port of Angel Island. The moment the ship stopped, Enel shot off like a bolt of lightning.
"Yahahaha! This god is back!"
"That guy..." Moria emerged from his shadow and shook his head helplessly. "He's always so excited to come back to Skypiea."
Tesoro adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses. "It is his hometown."
Rhett stretched. Blood mist swirled around his fingertips. "Let's go. Let's see how the Doctor has upgraded the Ark. We might be going on a long journey."
Dr. Ashiya — Olga's father — was standing in front of the massive Ark Maxim. He was excitedly showing off his modifications.
"The power system has been upgraded! It can now run on lightning or directly absorb Skypiea's 'Island Clouds' as fuel!" The doctor pushed up his goggles. "The hull armor has been reinforced with Seastone. Even if we run into the Navy in the New World, we won't be afraid! And it's now three-in-one. You can sail anywhere. Sky, land, sea."
Rhett walked around the Ark. Then he frowned. "Wait, what's with the bow...?"
The once majestic dragon head statue had been replaced with a grinning, chibi version of Rhett's head. There was even a little blood mist cloud floating above it. If this sounds hard to imagine, think of Bartolomeo's club.
Rhett had once laughed at the figurehead on Luffy's ship. Now that same pain had come to him.
Perona covered her mouth and laughed. "The Doctor said it needed to have the 'captain's character'~"
Rhett: "..."
Laboon pointed at the stern with its fin. "Woo? (That one is even crazier.)"
Everyone turned. There was a line of gold letters printed on the stern:
"The 'Mist Lord' Rhett's Personal Throne" — by Tesoro
Tesoro: "Ahem. This is to show our noble temperament..." He looked at Rhett with a mischievous smile. "Just like when the captain worked so hard to train my men. He used to say things like 'Good work, Vice Boss' and 'Welcome home, Vice Boss.' This is going to be our company culture now."
Rhett: "You're still remembering that after all these years?"
Tesoro: "Of course, Captain. I will forever remember your kind teachings."
"You might get jumped by someone on the way. It might hurt a little~"
"Who was it that had their allowance cut in half? So hard to guess~"
"Ah, what a nice day~ Doctor, where were we?" He put on an expression of serious listening.