One Piece: The Archangel's Guide

Chapter 39: Shimotsuki Village

A gentle breeze blew, creating waves in the verdant green grass like those on the surface of the sea.

The trio of Louis, Yelena, and Uta walked along a path that cut through the grassland, heading toward the distant village. As they passed by fields of wheat, many villagers were captivated by Louis's holy appearance and instinctively froze in place.

To this, Louis appeared very calm; he was already used to it.

From the side, Uta poked her head out and looked at Louis with a grin, teasing, "Louis, they're all looking at you!"

"Say, are you sure you don't want to debut with me, become a world superstar, conquer the world with our voices, and beat up the World Government?"

"I'd rather not. One narcissistic little brat is enough," Louis retorted bluntly.

"Louis, you're such a good actor!" Uta feigned a look of utter amazement. "You really should just debut as an actor!"

"..."

Louis ignored Uta and instead asked Yelena, "Did you bring a sack?"

"A sack? What for?" Uta had not yet realized the gravity of the situation.

"Here!" Yelena, with a smile on her face and no psychological burden whatsoever, handed Louis the burlap sack she had prepared for fruits and vegetables.

Louis took the sack and looked at Uta with a deadpan expression. "Sorry, this is the only color we have."

Uta's smile froze, her eyes fixed on the sack.

"!!" Soon, she realized the severity of the situation and subconsciously took a few steps back. Then, she forced a smile. "Hee hee... can we call a truce?"

Louis: →_→

"..."

"Mmmph~ Mmph!" A strange sound was heard.

A moment later, two figures were once again walking down the road into the distance.

Just before reaching the populated area, Louis released a resentful-looking Uta from the sack. As soon as she was out, Uta blinked her big, teary eyes and shot Yelena a look of betrayal.

Yelena, who had long since figured out Uta's personality, just smiled and stroked her soft hair. "Do you want to go with me and see if there are any shops selling musical instruments here?" she said with a smile.

"Really?" Hearing this, Uta's sad expression was swept away, her eyes shining.

"Of course!"

Louis shook his head. Uta was still too young. How could a village in a remote area of the East Blue have a shop selling musical instruments?

Then, Yelena turned her head and asked Louis, "Louis, are you coming with us?"

"No, you two go on ahead. When you're done, just find me at the dojo here."

"Okay!" Yelena nodded. She knew Louis's senses were astonishingly powerful; he often knew what was nearby from a great distance. If he said there was a dojo, then there must be one. After they were done, they could just ask for directions.

After some time, Louis walked along a road, attracting countless gazes along the way. After swaying the hearts of a large number of women of all ages, he arrived at his destination.

"Isshin Dojo."

Louis looked up at the logo of two crossed red katanas, lost in thought. Is this the symbol of the Shimotsuki clan from the Land of Wano?

While Louis was thinking, a plainly dressed girl with short black hair, holding a white katana, froze not far away. There are actually people with wings in the world...

As a swordswoman, her eyesight was excellent, and she could easily tell that the wings on his back were not decorations. But she quickly reined in her scattered thoughts and calmed down. She had seen people six or seven meters tall before; having a pair of wings wasn't that strange.

She took a deep breath and asked, "Excuse me, who are you? What are you doing here?"

Louis turned his head and looked at the girl with the ear-length black hair, smiling as he stated his purpose. "I'm looking for the master of this place."

As he spoke, Louis had already recognized the girl before him—Shimotsuki Kuina. He wasn't surprised to see her. He only knew that she died in the year 1510, but not the specific month. It was only April now. Conservatively speaking, she could still have seven or eight months left to live.

The girl heard him and pretended to casually glance at the longsword at the winged boy's waist. A flash of understanding crossed her eyes. She nodded slowly, putting on a nonchalant expression. "I see. You're here to challenge the dojo, right?"

Louis: "..."

Creak.

The tightly closed main gate was pushed open. A middle-aged man in a simple kimono, with long black hair tied in a ponytail and wearing transparent glasses, appeared before Louis. It seemed he had long since detected Louis's arrival and had come to welcome him in advance.

"Guest, please come in!"

"Alright!" Louis didn't stand on ceremony and stepped into the Isshin Dojo.

Then, the middle-aged man with glasses looked at the short-haired girl with a smile. "Kuina, where are you going with a live blade?"

Kuina lowered her head, gripping the sword in her hand tightly. "To have my 2,001st duel with Zoro!"

"And where is Zoro?" the middle-aged man asked again.

"..." A look of bewilderment appeared on Kuina's face. "I don't know. He was just behind me a moment ago..."

The middle-aged man covered his face, speechless.

In the dojo, Louis, surrounded by a group of little brats, felt his mouth twitch slightly. He sighed inwardly. As expected of the King of Getting Lost...

The next moment, he thought of the number 2,001 and immediately revised his earlier judgment. Kuina probably didn't have seven or eight months left. For all he knew, she could be taken away by the Supreme Grade Staircase tonight.

After a long while, Louis was seated in the dojo. The little kids who had been pestering him with questions had been driven off by the middle-aged man to practice their sword swings.

A moment later, Shimotsuki Koshiro brought a teapot and sat down opposite Louis, pouring him a cup of tea. "Guest, may I ask how I should address you?"

"Louis."

Then, Koshiro sat down formally, his eyes sweeping over the spear and the Seven Star Sword that Louis had placed on the floor. A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. "Is this... a cursed sword?"

Outside the gate just now, Koshiro hadn't noticed that Louis's sword was cursed. It was only now that he could feel the demonic and ominous aura emanating from the double-edged longsword. Out of politeness, Koshiro didn't immediately ask about the sword, but instead looked Louis straight in the eye and asked with a smile, "Mr. Louis, may I ask the reason for your visit to the Isshin Dojo?"

Koshiro's eye for people was much better than Kuina's. He could tell at a glance that Louis was not here to challenge the dojo. He could even tell that Louis was not a swordsman, nor did he come with any hostility.

Louis slowly took a sip of tea and calmly stated his purpose. "I'm looking for Shimotsuki Kozaburo. I would like to ask him to forge a weapon for my partner."

However, Louis's question made Koshiro's expression falter slightly. Then, he said with a smile, "Although I don't know how you know my father's name, he passed away from old age a year ago."