Chapter 520 Oren and Kuina

That day, Golden Lion and Lex did not linger. After bidding farewell to Shimotsuki Kozaburo and the others who tried to persuade them to stay, they set off to return to the Western Sea, Maple Tree Thousand Miles.

Oleni and Barrett chose to stay in Frostmoon Village for a while.

Frost Moon Village——

Two-and-a-half-year-old Kuina Shimotsuki adores her brother Oreni and clings to him every day, not for any other reason than that Oreni's swordsmanship is truly amazing.

Although Oren is rarely seen using a sword, among Oren's basic abilities, swordsmanship and Observation Haki are undoubtedly the strongest.

Kuina's two favorite things -

Swordsmanship and his brother Olene.

They could also be combined into one thing—Oleini's swordsmanship, or, Oleini who knows swordsmanship.

"Brother, why don't you need to practice slashing when using a double-edged sword?"

Guina, like a troublesome child, clung to Oleney all day long, constantly sticking to her.

The two-and-a-half-year-old girl didn't understand the difference between boys and girls; she only knew that after practicing swordsmanship, her brother Oren's embrace was very comfortable.

After a moment of contemplation, Oren replied earnestly, "A double-edged sword, while slashing at the enemy, also points the blade at itself. Perhaps it can be understood in such a simple way."

Oleni revealed the ultimate secret of the double-edged sword, but explained it in a very simple way, making it perfect for a complete novice in swordsmanship like Kuina.

"Oh, I see. Then I won't use a double-edged sword, I'll use a longsword and become the world's greatest swordsman!"

At this point, Kuina slightly raised her beautiful jawline, while subtly glancing at Oleni beside her, hoping that her brother Oleni would quickly praise her.

Oleni patted Kuina's head, her smile fading, and earnestly encouraged her:

"If it's Kuina, I believe you have the potential to become the world's greatest swordsman."

Sure enough, Guina immediately smiled and leaned against Olene's chest.

However, Kuina immediately realized something was amiss:

"But Oren's swordsmanship seems even better! No, wait, I'm sure I can beat him and become the world's greatest swordsman, and he can be the world's second greatest swordsman!"

O'Leary paused for a moment, then burst out laughing:

"Haha, okay, if it were Kuina above me, I might accept defeat wholeheartedly~"

"Hum~"

Guina, like a proud little kitten, raised her head.

In the days that followed, Olene and Barret stayed in Frostmoon Village for a while. Barret's strength had basically reached its limit, and he could only rely on the years to hone his skills and gradually accumulate experience before he could take the next step—the God's Domain.

But young Oleni has a lot of room for improvement.

Learning physical skills and Haki from Barrett, and swordsmanship from Shimotsuki Kozaburo, wasn't exactly a waste of time.

It is worth noting that Zoro, with his green hair, showed a love for swordsmanship at a very young age. He would watch Olene and Kuina swing their swords together, occasionally sucking his fingers in his mouth, and then trying to imitate their movements.

……

Oleney's childhood was very leisurely.

On the shore of the small island where Frostmoon Village is located, Kuina tightly hugged Olene in front of her, refusing to let go no matter what, her nose tingling and her eyes red:

"Brother, don't go."

Oleni glanced at Shimotsuki Kozaburo and Shimotsuki Koshiro behind the girl and understood that if she didn't properly resolve the issue with the kendo girl in front of her today, she wouldn't be able to leave smoothly.

Oleni didn't push Kuina away. Instead, she tightened her embrace, lowered her head, and pressed her cheek against Kuina's, whispering but earnestly, "I wanted to take you with me too, but—"

"No buts! I want to stay with my brother forever!"

Oleni smiled and said, "But I have very important things to do. I have to go to many places and do many things. If I take you with me, I will have to take care of you. In a few years, when you are older, I will come to Frostmoon Village to pick you up. Then we will practice swordsmanship together and watch the sunrise and sunset together, okay?"

Kuina stubbornly raised her little face, her red eyes staring straight at Oleni. The little girl had never been fooled before, and of course, Oleni wasn't lying to her either, so Kuina stopped crying: "Really?"

"Has your brother ever lied to you?"

"No~"

"That's it. Listen to me, practice your swordsmanship diligently. If you achieve something in your swordsmanship, your brother can come and pick you up ahead of time. Work hard, or you'll be embarrassed if Zoro surpasses you!"

Kuina ignored Oleni's later teasing remark and pressed for the first part of the question: "What constitutes successful cultivation?"

"Sword Master".

"Okay!~"

After bidding farewell to everyone, Olene chatted with the frail old man, Shimotsuki Kozaburo, for a while before leaving Shimotsuki Village with Barrett.

……

On deck——

Barrett single-handedly piloted the small sea vessel, a technological creation of Dr. Indigo, capable of fully automated navigation, though outwardly indistinguishable from an ordinary sea vessel.

Have you decided where to go next?

Barrett glanced at Oleney, who was reading a newspaper on the deck, and asked casually.

Oren sat cross-legged on the deck, a longsword lying beside the boy. Oren picked up the sword and looked toward the direction of the Reverse Mountain Twin Gorges, where the pointer indicated. From there, one could enter the first half of the Grand Line—Paradise.

Of course, one could also cross the Calm Belt at the edge of the East China Sea directly into the Grand Line, or even directly into the New World. However, Orenie had already taken this route once; he and Barrett crossed the Calm Belt to enter the East China Sea when they set off from the New World.

“Go to Paradise Island, Roy the Second Uncle said that the Seven Star Sword is probably there.”

The Dream Weaver Roy's information network is unparalleled in this vast ocean, especially after he married Stusi, which gave him complete control over 99% of the ocean's information sources.

The information about the Seven Star Sword was obtained by Oren from asking Roy via Teletubbies. As for asking her father, Lex, Oren knew that her father couldn't possibly know such obscure information.

"A message from Captain Roy? Then let's cross the Reverse Mountain and go to Asca Island to retrieve the Seven Star Sword."

Barrett turned the helm, and the ship sailed towards the direction of Reverse Mountain. Along the way, they encountered several pirate crews, but the two ignored them all. There was one stubborn pirate crew, but Barrett punched them from five nautical miles away, sending them sinking into the sea to feed the fish.

Oren and Barrett sighed, "There weren't this many pirate crews before the Great Rise of the Pirates, Uncle Barrett."

"Yes, at least there weren't that many pirate crews in the East Blue. The number of pirates did increase dramatically during the era that Mr. Lex started."

"Well."

Oleni didn't press further, gazing quietly at the boundless blue sea. The sea breeze ruffled the boy's long, thin blond hair, and his bright blue eyes blended seamlessly with the sea and sky. No one knew what the boy was thinking.