Shimotsuki Village.
As he walked into the tranquil village, Aeridar felt a sense of peace.
"So this is the Isshin Dojo..." he murmured, raising an eyebrow as he looked at the dojo in front of him.
Whack! Whack! Whack!
"Hah!"
"Hah!"
The dojo's doors were open. Aeridar peered inside and saw a dozen children practicing basic swordsmanship with wooden swords.
Koushirou sat cross-legged, smiling as he watched the children train.
"Oh... a visitor?" Suddenly, Koushirou's expression changed. He looked toward the entrance and saw a young man with a bright, friendly smile standing in the doorway.
"Hello, you must be Koushirou-san?" Aeridar asked politely, even though he knew who the man in glasses was.
"I'm Koushirou. Is there something you need?" Koushirou stood up. "Please, come in."
Aeridar nodded and, without hesitation, took off his shoes and stepped into the dojo. The children watched him curiously, whispering to each other.
Koushirou led Aeridar to a room inside the dojo, where they sat down.
"Forgive me, this is just some rough tea from the countryside," Koushirou said, pouring a pot of tea for Aeridar.
"Tea is tea. I'm not that picky," Aeridar said, taking a sip without a care. Hmm, it's a bit bitter, but the scent is quite nice.
"A great man like you coming to a small country village like this... is there something I can help you with?" Koushirou asked.
"I was just passing through. I never expected to find a dojo like this in such a small village," Aeridar said with a smile. "You are indeed a master. What a relaxing life you live."
"Haha... I'm just an unremarkable swordsman who knows a few clumsy techniques. I don't deserve such praise," Koushirou said with a smile.
"You're too modest," Aeridar chuckled, but didn't say anything more. How could an unremarkable swordsman with a few crude techniques own the Great Grade Sword Wado Ichimonji? How could an unremarkable swordsman with a few crude techniques know the secret of the "Breath of All Things"? How could an unremarkable swordsman with a few crude techniques provide supplies to the Revolutionary Army? It's impossible.
Aeridar didn't know Koushirou's true strength, but he could sense that he was much more powerful than he appeared. Aeridar didn't expose him. He was just passing by and wanted to see the man who trained Zoro.
"I'm looking for a man with a red checkered tattoo on his face, or at least one of his subordinates. I wonder if you have any useful information for me," Aeridar said softly, looking at Koushirou.
Koushirou's grip on his teacup tightened, but his expression remained unchanged. He still wore a gentle smile. "We don't get many visitors here. I haven't seen anyone like that."
"Is that so... I guess it makes sense. That guy is always elusive; it's hard to get a face-to-face with him," Aeridar said, waving his hand nonchalantly. "What about a group of despicable guys, including a prince, a swordsman, and a bodyguard? They are my targets. I'd like to 'welcome' them properly!"
Koushirou's expression shifted, and he stared intently at Aeridar. After a moment, he slowly spoke. "I heard that a group like that appeared around Warship Island. It had something to do with the legend of the Sennenryu."
Aeridar frowned, thinking to himself, 'Warship Island? Sennenryu? Isn't that an anime filler arc?'
"Is that so? Thank you very much for the information. I apologize for the disturbance," Aeridar said. Now that he had the information he needed, he had no reason to stay.
"Don't mention it. It was just a rumor I heard," Koushirou said with a smile.
They both stood up and left the room. Koushirou escorted Aeridar out of the dojo, where the children once again watched him with curious eyes.
"You can stop here, Koushirou-san," Aeridar said, turning with a mischievous smile. "I met a pirate on the Baratie who had the Wado Ichimonji and green hair. His talent was quite good; even Hawk-Eyes acknowledged him."
"Zoro!" Koushirou's eyes widened.
Before Koushirou could reply, Aeridar vanished, leaving no trace.
"So he became a pirate," Koushirou murmured to himself. "Walk the path you've chosen, Zoro."
....
Warship Island.
"Tch... A Sennenryu. It's just a legend. There's no such thing as an elixir of immortality!" Ryūkawa Jiku, wearing a kimono with the character 'Dragon' on the sleeves, said scornfully, looking at the villagers passing by. "It's been three days, and we haven't found a single thing about the Sennenryu."
"It's fine. We were just hoping for a long shot anyway." Benson adjusted his tie and brushed off his silver-gray suit. "We're close to the entrance of the Grand Line now. We should leave. Malha-san sent a message that Golden Ring Aeridar has personally come to the East Blue. It's probably because of us."
"Golden Ring Aeridar..." Ryūkawa Jiku's breathing hitched.
"Hehehehe... What an honor! That such a big shot would come himself. Hehehehe..." Mando, shrouded in a black robe, let out a sinister chuckle.
"Tch... Then let's go to the Hot Springs Island Resort. Your subordinates, that big guy Colby and that Minotaur Wilmin Bowen, are waiting for us there, right?" Ryūkawa Jiku said with a grim face. He had expected to easily kill Oliver last time but was almost killed himself. Now that Oliver's boss was here, he didn't have the confidence to face him.
"Hehehe... It's a good time to relax. Those Revolutionary Army rats are too clingy," Mando chuckled.
"This is all your fault! We only had to kill the leader of that Revolutionary Army, but you took out their entire officer staff, which forced us to destroy the entire Revolutionary Army branch," Ryūkawa Jiku complained. "Now, not only are all the Revolutionary Army members in the East Blue hunting us down, but even the Revolutionary Army's number two is coming after us!"
"I didn't want to either. How was I supposed to know that the young man who called himself the Revolutionary Army's chief of staff was so powerful?" Mando said, fearfully touching his chest.
"That's enough. We're leaving the East Blue and disappearing for a while," Benson said, stopping their argument. He then sneered, a sarcastic smile on his face. "Let me tell you a joke: Sir Gustav and Malha-san want us to be bait to lure Golden Ring Aeridar so they can ambush and kill him."
"Hahahaha... That's hilarious! Hahahaha..."
"Hehehehe... Master, you have to understand them. They're still dreaming," Mando laughed mockingly.
"It's a pipe dream!" Ryūkawa Jiku said with disdain.
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Happy Holidays everyone!
Six chapters after not updating for a few days, haha. Enjoy it!
And if you want to read ahead of schedule? Head over here ——— pa-tre-on.c-om/AlexandrusTL [remove the hyphen for normal access]
I also have a ko-fi, in case you got some christmas gifts for me, lol. → ko-fi.c-om/juanfiction