You could only say the "lost-in-the-village" aura was truly unbeatable.
After wandering back and forth around the village with Zoro for half an hour, Shanu's head was nearly spinning. Finally, they asked a middle-aged man for directions and managed to find the gate of the Isshin Dojo.
To Shanu's surprise, Koushirou was already waiting at the gate.
"Why are you so late?"
The middle-aged man, wearing a kimono and black-rimmed glasses, smiled at Zoro. "It's your fault, isn't it? You got Lord Shanu lost as well?"
"…" Zoro's face turned red again.
He could lie in front of Shanu, but in front of his own familiar teacher, he had no defense.
Muttering, he turned around. "So annoying! Anyway, the person got here, right? I'm off! Don't call me for dinner—my extra training isn't done yet!"
Watching Zoro leave, Koushirou smiled and turned toward the dojo.
"Dinner is already being prepared. Lord Shanu, you probably haven't eaten yet. Shall we eat together later?"
"I'm a bit hungry, thank you for the offer."
Shanu didn't refuse and followed behind, curious. "Mr. Koushirou knows my name? Has Junichi already returned from the clinic, that quickly?"
"Junichi?"
Koushirou paused slightly, shaking his head. "No, I've only heard news of him returning. I haven't seen him myself. Come to think of it, I should thank you—this trip to Asakura Island was far more dangerous than expected. If not for you, he might not have survived."
"How do you know so much…"
"Well, naturally, Lord Shanu, you've been quite famous recently."
Koushirou retrieved several newspapers from a cabinet and handed them to Shanu, smiling. "If you read these, you'll understand."
Newspapers?
Shanu took them curiously. He had been drifting at sea the past few days and hadn't seen any news birds.
Perhaps the high-flying news birds had simply missed their small boat.
"Here, have some tea." Koushirou also prepared a cup of green tea and handed it to him.
"Thank you."
The two sat across a tea table on the tatami, and Shanu began reading the newspapers seriously.
These were mostly local East Blue newspapers. Every front-page headline without exception was about the Asakura Island incident.
"Shimotsuki Village is isolated from the world; aside from me, who subscribes to newspapers daily, few knew of your deeds," Koushirou said with a smile. "But on other islands, it's different. In nearby seas, you've been the focus these past few days. Calling you the brightest rising star in the East Blue isn't an exaggeration."
He wasn't exaggerating at all.
From Shanu's unstoppable path to the finals, to the series of unexpected events inside the tournament dojo;
To the seven dojo masters being completely puppeted in a bizarre, terrifying scheme, and the mastermind being the long-dead chairman, Sakuraba Itsuki…
The story was strange enough to capture attention. In this desperate situation, a young swordsman suddenly emerged, single-handedly crushing the conspiracy.
After finding the mastermind's secret treasure chamber, he took nothing for himself and distributed the enormous wealth among all the victims.
Finally, before dawn, the young swordsman quietly left, hiding both his achievements and fame.
—This was a standard hero template straight out of traditional folklore. Its popularity exploding was inevitable.
Several local East Blue newspapers reported on it nonstop for days, with sales climbing steadily.
Even the World Economic News took notice. Though not front-page material, the story still occupied a significant portion of the second page.
After this wave of coverage,
The title "Strongest Young Swordsman of the East Blue" quietly spread across most of the East Blue.
"This… this is way over the top…"
Shanu, holding the newspapers, felt his face heat up.
Most of the time, reporters weren't present, so many details were pieced together from later testimonies, leading to inaccuracies.
For example, he left the 200 million Beli in the secret chamber, but he had the 400 million Beli in Log Town's treasury in his hands—he wasn't so noble as to take nothing.
Junichi's contribution was completely ignored, but that was probably for his protection, so it was a minor blessing.
After all, as the son of the mastermind Sakuraba Itsuki, his identity was sensitive.
With his fame rising, many victims' families might come seeking revenge without knowing what was what.
But the strangest part was still—
"I've been hailed as the strongest swordsman?!!"
Swordsman?
Are you kidding me?!
His three-trick swordsmanship couldn't have shined in the big battle. The final victory was clearly won through brute strength—one punch after another!
"Ugh…"
Shanu scratched his head, slightly annoyed.
Soon he'd probably have people challenging him to duels or asking for tips just because of this misunderstanding.
Still, it wasn't unexpected.
During the real battle, everyone who could run in the dojo ran away. But his path through the tournament had been fully recorded.
A genius swordsman advancing undefeated to the finals, defeating terrifying Devil Fruit users…
If not by swordsmanship, how else?
It made perfect sense.
Even the front-page photos in these newspapers were taken during the early rounds of the sea selection.
—A black-haired boy holding a bamboo sword, proudly standing on the wooden platform, undefeated, surrounded by awestruck spectators.
At a glance, he really looked like an invincible young swordsman straight out of training.
"Ah…"
Shanu sighed deeply.
Koushirou misunderstood his expression and laughed:
"Frowning despite fame? It seems Lord Shanu prefers to stay low-key. Makes sense—you left quietly after it was all over, didn't you?"
He didn't hide his admiration, making Shanu even more uneasy.
He feared the next sentence would be, "Would you demonstrate your swordsmanship?" or "Dinner is ready, want to spar a bit?"
Luckily, the figure entering the room saved him from awkwardness.
"Father."
A black-haired girl with a calm expression spoke at the doorway. "Grandma said dinner is ready and asked me to call you. I'm heading over now… ehhh!!!!"
She suddenly screamed, turning to Shanu, her face full of delight. "Sh… Shanu! How are you here?!"
Thump thump thump! Before Shanu could react, she rushed over, hugged his arm, touching here and there. "Is this a hallucination? No! It's really you!"
Shanu's heart skipped a beat. He glanced at Koushirou.
"This is my daughter, Kuina. Please forgive her—she doesn't usually act like this."
Koushirou smiled. "It's because she saw you with her own eyes that she lost her composure. By the way, aside from sword training, she loves reading. She often checks the newspapers I subscribe to. These past few days, she's been captivated by your story, reading it over and over."