The Pinnacle of the Navy! Starting from Being Captured by Garp

The dojo's night was as quiet as water. Moonlight spilled through the paper doors onto the wooden floor, creating mottled patterns of light and shadow. The night breeze rustled through the courtyard, bringing with it the faint sound of rustling bamboo leaves.

Luffy was lying on his back on a futon, his belly rising and falling with his snores, mumbling indistinctly, "Meat... one more piece..."

Nami was趴 on the windowsill, her hands cupping her chin, her gaze on the bright, round moon. Her orange hair swayed slightly in the wind, and the soft moonlight illuminated her slightly furrowed brow.

"Big Brother Roy..." she said softly, as if afraid to disturb the tranquility. "That moss-head... is he really going to go with us?"

Under the eaves, Roy sat alone on the wooden steps, playing with a coin in his hand, the silver light flowing between his fingers. He didn't look up, his voice calm. "Perhaps."

Nami tilted her head and pouted slightly. "But... I feel like that dojo master isn't very willing..."

The coin flipped up with a "ding," drawing a beautiful arc in the night sky. Roy caught it, a slight smile on his lips. "Some decisions need time, and also for certain people to cross that bridge themselves."

"Rustle—"

Before he could finish, the sound of light footsteps came from the direction of the bamboo forest, faint yet firm. At the border of moonlight and shadow, a slender figure stood quietly. Kuina was holding a heavily worn wooden sword, her fingers white from gripping it too tightly.

"Rear Admiral Roy!" Her voice was lighter than the night wind but carried an undeniable determination. "Can I talk to you?"

The coin vanished into his palm. Roy looked up. "Of course."

Kuina took a deep breath, her chest heaving, her eyes filled with an unconcealable stubbornness. "I heard your conversation with my father... about 'fate' and all that..."

Nami gasped and covered her mouth, but Roy didn't even bat an eye. He raised an eyebrow, his tone light. "And?"

The wooden sword trembled slightly. Kuina's knuckles turned blue from the force of her grip, but her voice was exceptionally clear. "I don't want to be bound by fate! I—" She suddenly looked up, her gaze as sharp as a blade, her voice rising. "I want to prove it! That a female swordsman can also become the world's number one!"

The moment her words fell, a crisp sound came from deep within the dojo. The sound of shattering porcelain was particularly clear in the night. At the corner, Koushirou's figure stood frozen, the teapot in his hand shattered on the floor.

Roy slowly stood up. The moonlight stretched his shadow long, as if it had merged with the night. He looked down at Kuina, his gaze as calm as the deep sea, but the next second, a slight smile appeared on his lips. "Very good." That smile held a certain heart-pounding anticipation. "Prove it to me."

Kuina gritted her teeth. "How do I prove it?"

Roy's fingertip drew a line in the night air, pointing to the dark bamboo forest on the back hill. "Before sunrise tomorrow, cut down ten of the bamboo stalks there with your wooden sword."

Nami gasped. Each of those bamboo stalks was as thick as a bowl.

But Kuina instantly gripped her wooden sword tighter, a flame flashing in her eyes. "I understand."

"Wait!" Koushirou finally came to his senses and rushed to the porch, his wide sleeves stained with tea. "Kuina! You can't possibly..."

"Father!" The girl turned back at the edge of the bamboo forest. The moonlight illuminated her determined profile, the night wind blowing her ponytail. "You once taught me that the sword is an extension of the 'heart.' Are you going to deny my 'heart' now?"

Koushirou stood there as if struck by lightning, his lips trembling slightly, unable to say a word.

The moonlight was like water, spilling into the bamboo forest. When the first ray of dawn pierced the sky, Koushirou slowly walked to the bamboo forest. He stood amidst the scattered bamboo, looking at his daughter kneeling in a pool of blood.

The cut bamboo lay scattered on the ground, each cut as neat as a mirror. And in the center of the bamboo forest, Kuina's hands were covered in cuts, her wooden sword long since broken. She knelt in the pool of blood, trembling slightly, her lips chapped but still managing a victorious smile. "I... did it..."

Koushirou trembled as he took off his glasses. The dawn light fell on his face, carving that moment of daze with particular depth. In a daze, he seemed to see that same stubborn woman from many years ago.

At his wife's sickbed, her face was pale, but she gripped his hand tightly, her voice weak but firm. "Let this child... choose for herself..."

At the time, he had just smiled wryly and agreed, but in his heart, he had secretly sworn to shield his daughter from all storms. But now—the bamboo forest before him, the blood-stained white clothes, those eyes, so determined they were almost stubborn, were so much like those eyes from back then.

"Zoro can go with you," he said suddenly, his voice so light it was as if he were afraid of disturbing the morning dew. "But Kuina..." His gaze fell on his daughter's hand, which was holding half a wooden sword. The hilt was worn shiny from years of practice. "Her path of the sword shouldn't end in the dojo."

Roy had appeared behind him at some point, tossing a blood-stained bamboo leaf in his hand. The blood bloomed in the morning light, like the mark of fate. "Her path of the sword—" Roy's voice was cold and firm. "—should be on a much wider stage."

"Father!" Kuina stubbornly bit her lower lip and used the broken sword to support herself as she stood up. The bloodstains on her white clothes bloomed like crimson plum blossoms. "Instead of letting me die in some unknown corner," her voice, word by word, screamed out the oath she had buried for years, "why not watch me with your own eyes—" She raised the half-broken wooden sword, pointing it at the sky. Her bright eyes reflected the breaking dawn, as if she would cut down the very stars. "—become a female swordmaster who can sever fate!"

The wind suddenly picked up, and bamboo leaves flew in the air like snow. Koushirou looked at his daughter, the pain and pride in his eyes intertwined. He smiled wryly as he wiped his glasses. "Rear Admiral Roy... can you really guarantee... she won't..." The shards of the teapot dug deep into his palm, and blood flowed from between his fingers.

Roy's voice was as ethereal as the morning mist. "Mr. Koushirou, the people who gave you that... how much time do you have left?"

The children around them all looked confused. His words were like a sharp sword, pointing directly at the secret buried deep in his heart.

Koushirou's figure trembled violently, his gaze wavering for a moment. Finally, his voice was so hoarse it was almost distorted. "...One month." That voice was as if it had been forced from the depths of his lungs, each word accompanied by intense pain.

Roy's gaze sharpened slightly. He then slowly turned around, his Marine cape fluttering in the morning breeze. "That's enough."

"Keep an eye on these two kids for me." As he spoke, he walked to the dojo gate and stopped where the first golden ray of sunlight fell. The morning light coated his profile in a gentle golden glow, reflecting his determined and fearless eyes.

"I will prove to you—" He smiled slightly, that smile holding an unshakeable confidence and determination. "—that I have the strength to rewrite this rotten fate."

The wind began to rise, like the sound of distant waves. Kuina gripped the half-broken wooden sword tightly, watching the back of the figure who was destined to change everything, an indescribable light in her eyes.

-------

Enjoying the story? Support the author and get access to early chapters by joining my Patreon!

Find me at My : pat*eon*com/RuneA

I, Herta's Fiancé, the Universe's Number One Male Fist (100 Chapter)

Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Succubus in Sixth Street (190 Chapter)

Reborn in Type-Moon, My Sister is Aoko Aozaki (200 Chapter)

MyGO!! A Story Voiced by Me (80 Chapter)

BLEACH: Blade of Purification (70 Chapter)

Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi (235 Chapter)

My Real Job is Spying on Konoha, but I'm Also its Hokage (80 Chapter)

The Pinnacle of the Navy! Starting from Being Captured by Garp (60 Chapter)

Watching Yu-Gi-Oh! short videos is making the veteran players lose...(50 Chapter)

Uma Musume : The Trainer Who Just Wants to Live (30 Chapter)

Zenless Zone Zero The Random Kamen Rider (40 Chapter)

Genshin Impact: It All Began With Me Being Stepped On by Arlecchino (30 Chapter)

If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it.