I the King of bandits of the East Sea

Koshiro did not lead Sig to the so-called inner room.

Instead, the path grew darker and deeper until they reached… a burial mound?

And then Koshiro let out a sinister laugh…

Ah, that was just Sig's wild imagination.

In reality, the two of them, one in front and one behind, arrived at a pavilion.

One of the steps leading to the pavilion's staircase showed clear signs of wooden repairs.

Koshiro pushed open the pavilion doors. What lay inside, apart from shelves on both sides, was a sword rack prominently displaying the Wado Ichimonji. Next to it was a whetstone.

"Sig, look."

Koshiro squinted with a smile, pointing at the whetstone and then at the broken stairs outside the door.

"The whetstone and the staircase—just as you described them, they're exactly the same."

"What are you trying to say?" Sig felt slightly nervous as he met Koshiro's gaze.

One face remained perpetually expressionless, while the other held a constant squinting smile.

"The whetstone in the pavilion, the old and poorly repaired staircase—these are small details of the dojo, and yet Sig seems to know them so well."

Koshiro paused and said, "I've heard that if one masters Observation Haki to an extremely advanced level, it's possible to foresee the future..."

Sig's heart skipped, and he immediately tried to go along with it to cover his tracks:

"Exactly, I..."

But Koshiro's smile widened as he interrupted Sig.

"But that can only predict the immediate future. If someone could see events from half a day later, that would practically be akin to a Devil Fruit ability."

"Moreover..."

Koshiro's gaze landed on the sword rack. He drew the Wado Ichimonji from its scabbard with one swift motion.

"Sig, you were able to recognize the Wado Ichimonji at first glance, one of the 21 Great Grade Swords. But you didn't seem surprised to find it in this humble dojo in the East Blue."

"It seems that Sig is very familiar with our little countryside Isshin Dojo."

Koshiro, holding the Wado Ichimonji in hand, continued smiling as he looked at Sig.

Sig said nothing.

He felt as if the man before him, Koshiro, was like a grinning fox, subtly probing him with his words.

"Sig, since you know the Wado Ichimonji, do you know the swordsmith who forged it?"

Koshiro suddenly asked.

Sig's heart sank. He was finding it harder and harder to grasp Koshiro's intent in this conversation.

Of course, he knew who the swordsmith was. But he couldn't just say it outright in front of Koshiro.

Unexpectedly, Koshiro held up the Wado Ichimonji and said:

"The swordsmith who forged the Wado Ichimonji hails from Wano Country, in the second half of the Grand Line known as the New World."

"His name is Shimotsuki Kozaburo."

Sig's heart trembled. He looked up at Koshiro, whose smiling expression betrayed no deeper intent.

"Sig, did you know this beforehand?"

Koshiro squinted as he smiled and asked.

"Sig, who exactly are you? And why do you seem to know so much about the Isshin Dojo?"

Sig's heart chilled as he stared at Koshiro, who now stood with sword drawn.

"Was I just set up? Did Koshiro succeed in probing me?"

He suddenly realized he might have underestimated this perpetually smiling master of the countryside dojo.

Sig quickly said:

"Wait, you're overthinking it! It's all just a coincidence. I happened to come to Shimotsuki Village with Ivankov and the others. There's no other intention..."

"Really? Then how do you explain the whetstone and the staircase?"

Koshiro asked with a smile.

"Placing the whetstone in a place that's easy to reach means reminding Kuina to always maintain an empty cup mindset and constantly sharpen herself."

Sig said seriously.

Koshiro paused for a moment.

"And the staircase?"

"The staircase is a metaphor. Life is like a spiral staircase, one step at a time. What I want to remind Kuina of is that after achieving a certain level of success, she must not become complacent. After all, that child's goal is to become the world's greatest swordsman, which is a lofty ambition. Complacency must be avoided."

Koshiro: "...."

He stood holding the sword in place, his smile somewhat lost.

"Well, there's a bit of truth in that?"

Koshiro pondered for a moment before snapping back to reality and smiling.

"Mr. Sig certainly has a mouthful of… philosophical thoughts."

"However, please rest assured. I understand that Mr. Sig came here to remind us. Otherwise, if Kuina or someone else fell down the stairs, the consequences could be much more severe. Since Mr. Sig doesn't wish to talk about his past, we won't press on."

Koshiro's smile softened a little as he retrieved a straight-blade longsword from a nearby shelf and presented it with both hands to Sig.

"I see Mr. Sig carries many… swords with him, so you must also be a lover of blades."

"A small token of appreciation, please accept it with my gratitude."

Sig was momentarily stunned. Koshiro truly intended to thank him.

He glanced at the straight-blade longsword Koshiro was holding, and his thoughts stirred.

Originally, he wasn't interested in Koshiro's gift.

Ordinary swords held no appeal to Sig; after all, he had no need for a blade to cut people, and even if he were given a famous sword, it would just gather dust.

But then, thinking about Koshiro, who came from Wano Country, Sig's eyes lit up, and a smile appeared on his face.

Shimotsuki Kozaburo was a renowned swordsmith from Wano Country, known for crafting more than one Great Grade Sword.

Koshiro must be connected to that famous swordsmith, and since this sword was offered by Koshiro as a gift, it should be of decent quality.

"What's this about..."

Sig smiled and calmly took the longsword.

Straight-bladed swords weren't uncommon in this world. Brook, Whitebeard's crew, and even the Dark King Rayleigh—all wielded straight-bladed swords.

This particular blade was thicker on the back and felt heavier than Sig had imagined.

He gently flicked his finger against the blade.

Though the sword didn't budge, Sig felt a sharp pain in his finger.

"So hard, is it made of Sea Kings' Stone?"

Sig thought to himself, immediately asking.

Sea Kings' Stone not only negates the abilities of Devil Fruit users but is also as hard as diamond.

Wano Country is the source of Sea Kings' Stone.

Across the world, only Wano Country has mastered the fine crafting techniques for Sea Kings' Stone.

Sig immediately thought of Sea Kings' Stone.

Koshiro seemed slightly startled but smiled.

"Mr. Sig is joking. This sword isn't made of Sea Kings' Stone. It simply mimics the forging techniques of the Great Grade Sword shusui, which is why it has such high hardness."

"After all, not many swordsmen on this island truly use Sea Kings' Stone to forge their blades."

The Great Grade Sword Shusui is known for its extreme hardness, and it's said that even if a dinosaur stepped on it, it wouldn't bend a millimeter.

Koshiro's straight-blade longsword was merely a prototype, not classified as a famous sword, but in terms of hardness, it was still quite impressive.