Chapter 19 – The Girl Who Returned from the Yellow Springs
"If I could bring your daughter back to the world of the living… what price would you be willing to pay?"
The moment those words left Aike's mouth, Koushirou froze as if struck by lightning.
The aura he had kept perfectly hidden for years exploded outward.
It was not the crushing pressure of Conqueror's Haki.
It was colder, sharper—like an invisible blade pressed against the throat.
Carina, Kaya, and Nojiko felt it the strongest.
Every hair on their bodies stood on end.
But the next instant, the killing intent vanished as suddenly as it had appeared.
Koushirou's entire bearing had changed. His eyes were like drawn blades as he stared at Aike, voice low and heavy.
"I'm afraid I don't quite understand what you mean, Aike-dono."
"Exactly what I said. I can resurrect your daughter—bring her back from the dead."
Aike met his gaze calmly, enunciating every word.
"Of course, nothing in this world is free. There is a price."
Koushirou's breathing instantly turned ragged.
His mind shot back more than ten years.
Back then, Kuina had only just been born. He had taken over the dojo from his own father.
In those peaceful days, he watched his daughter grow year by year.
Because of the family legacy, Kuina naturally fell in love with swordsmanship.
She trained relentlessly to become the world's greatest swordsman.
But Koushirou knew better than anyone how brutal and unforgiving that path was.
Even he, with decent talent and the blood of the Blade God in his veins, had no hope of reaching the very top.
How could a girl possibly do it?
So, for his own selfish reasons—for his daughter's safety—he had crushed her dreams with a single sentence:
"As a girl, you will always be physically weaker than boys. You can never become the strongest."
After that, he took on Zoro as a student and had the two constantly spar.
The ever-widening gap between them only proved his words right.
Everything had gone exactly according to his plan.
Until Kuina died in that stupid accident…
The selfish words he had spoken became the regret that haunted him every single day.
If he had never said them, Kuina wouldn't have trained herself to exhaustion late into the night.
She wouldn't have gone to fetch a whetstone while bone-tired.
She wouldn't have fallen down the stairs.
Every time he remembered, the guilt nearly crushed him.
That was why, when Zoro begged for it, he had handed over Wado Ichimonji without hesitation.
He had entrusted the boy with Kuina's dream as well.
And now—Aike had just uttered the four words that made his long-buried heart pound like a war drum.
Bring the dead back to life.
Koushirou could scarcely believe it.
Even knowing Aike was far stronger than him, a miracle like this still sounded like pure fantasy.
"Impossible!"
"No human power can do that."
His voice wavered. He wanted so badly to believe, but reason screamed that it was impossible.
"I wouldn't offer a trade I couldn't deliver."
"Resurrection may sound insane, but it's not impossible. There's even a Devil Fruit that can do it—the Yomi Yomi no Mi."
Aike sipped his tea calmly.
"Yomi Yomi no Mi…"
Koushirou repeated the name under his breath.
Aike's absolute certainty cracked the wall of disbelief.
A tiny spark of hope ignited in his chest.
"If… if what you say is true, I will pay any price."
Koushirou's face was deadly serious.
"Even if it costs me my life."
"It won't come to that."
Aike shook his head.
Behind him, Nami, Carina, Kaya, Izumi, and Hikari all exchanged stunned glances.
Had their boss suddenly grown a conscience?
Normally his motto was "a life for a life."
He would drain decades of lifespan in one go, then tack on extra fees for good measure.
That was the sacred duty of a black-hearted merchant!
Why was he suddenly doing charity?
Of course Aike wasn't doing charity.
Koushirou's payment was only the appetizer.
The real prize was the resurrected Kuina herself.
"Very well. Let's discuss the exact price."
Aike smiled the smile of a man who had already won, and began listing his terms.
Great Swordsman-level swordsmanship, the Shimotsuki clan's secret forging techniques, full knowledge of Haki—all of it.
But since the future subordinate's father was the one paying, Aike would only be copying the knowledge.
In exchange, he added one tiny, totally reasonable condition: a contract.
Yes.
Under the suddenly understanding gazes of Nami, Carina, Kaya, and the rest, Aike shamelessly laid out the contract clause.
The moment Kuina came back to life, the ownership contract would automatically bind her.
Koushirou hesitated for a few seconds.
But only a few.
Having his daughter alive again was already a miracle beyond miracles.
A little restriction was nothing.
"Maybe… following them, Kuina's dream really can come true one day."
That thought was enough.
With the deal struck, neither side wasted time.
Koushirou led them to a quiet graveyard behind the dojo.
A simple headstone stood alone.
Here lies my beloved daughter, Kuina.
Standing before it, Koushirou's hand trembled on the hilt of his sword.
The possibility that she could return made his heart race uncontrollably.
"Please… I beg you."
"The deal is made. I don't go back on my word."
Aike shook his head slightly.
The next instant, violet Rinnegan bloomed in his eyes.
"Thank god the template came with Aizen's full tech tree."
"Otherwise I'd have to use Edo Tensei as a middle step."
Rinne Tensei required two things: a soul and a body.
Kuina had been dead for over a decade. Her original body was long gone.
So Aike had crafted a perfect spiritual vessel modeled after Tashigi—same age Kuina would be now.
The vessel was indistinguishable from real flesh.
He placed the body gently on the ground.
Koushirou stared, dazed.
It was Kuina—grown up, yet unmistakably her.
"Her original body decayed long ago, so I made a new one to house her soul."
The girls all shot Aike extremely weird looks.
Made.
He personally sculpted every inch of that body.
Probably did more than just look.
Aike coughed dryly under their stares, feeling just a little guilty, and quickly changed the subject.
"Outer Path—Rinne Rebirth!"
A bone-chilling cold that pierced straight to the soul flooded the graveyard.
Everyone present, Koushirou included, turned pale from the oppressive pressure.
A massive gate—the Gates of the Yellow Springs unique to the One Piece world—slowly materialized.
"Different from the Naruto version, as expected."
Aike narrowed his eyes at the gate, half-tempted to step inside and explore.
After all, as a Shinigami, the afterlife was technically his jurisdiction.
While he was studying it, a crack opened in the gate.
A flickering green flame—a soul—drifte
d out.
Kuina.
Under the control of the Rinnegan, the soul gently floated down and merged with the waiting vessel.
The technique completed.
The gate slowly faded.
Only then did the soul-crushing pressure finally lift.
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