Angel investor in the One Piece world

"Guina?"

Damian was somewhat surprised. "Why did this girl suddenly come?"

"Young Master,"

Anna, the head maid of the Moretti family, asked respectfully, "Should we prepare a banquet? I remember Miss Kuina's preferences."

"Um."

Damian nodded slightly. "You guys decide."

"Yes."

The head maid responded softly and then left.

At this moment, Uncle Tyrone spoke up at the opportune moment, "In that case, young master, let's postpone the work report for now."

Damian glanced back at him; the uncle who had watched him grow up had a slight smile in his eyes.

"it is good."

Damian gave a casual reply and stood up to leave.

He paused, then waved to the other side of the desk.

Opposite to the wall is a knife rack with two knives on it.

Yukishiro, and Sandai Kitetsu.

Although Damian was a one-sword style swordsman, it didn't stop him from collecting the two famous swords from Loguetown early on.

Damian grabbed the flying Sandai Kitetsu and turned to leave.

Only after his figure disappeared from sight did the old butler finally manage a relieved smile.

The young master is already twenty years old; it's time for him to produce offspring for the Moretti family.

Damian went down the stairs and went straight into the backyard through the back door of the main house.

Although surrounded by lush trees, this place is not the beautiful garden that outsiders imagine.

Instead, it is a spacious training ground.

The stone slabs are laid out, and they are very flat.

However, these stone slabs are of varying ages, and it's clear that they are frequently repaired and replaced.

At the edge of the field, there were numerous weapon racks filled with all kinds of weapons.

Damian had just stepped into the training ground when a whooshing sound rang out, and a cold glint was already rushing towards him.

when!

Damian drew his longsword instantly.

Two incredibly sharp blades clashed, and amidst the ear-piercing, shrill explosion, a dark figure retreated gracefully like a butterfly.

"Is this how you greet someone you haven't seen in a long time?"

Damian, holding his knife, smiled as he looked at the person opposite him.

Under the sunlight, the girl's upright figure was like a sturdy pine tree, exuding a dignified and heroic air.

Her kendo uniform, consisting of a plain white ruban (a type of traditional Chinese dress) and a crimson hakama skirt, was somewhat form-fitting, yet it couldn't conceal her stunning figure. Her wooden clogs made a clear, clattering sound as they stepped on the bluestone slabs.

Her long, sea-blue hair was tied into a ponytail at the back of her head, revealing a section of her swan-like, fair and delicate neck.

Her exquisite face was now filled with a joyful smile. "For a swordsman, what could be a better greeting?"

"That's true."

Damian, however, agreed with the girl's twisted logic. "So, why did you suddenly decide to come see me?"

The girl, Damian's childhood friend, Shimotsuki Kuina, sheathed her sword and walked towards him. "Can't I come to see you if there's nothing wrong? It's been almost a year since we last met."

"and,"

Under Damian's surprised gaze, the girl walked up to him and naturally reached out to hug him. "I'm sorry, I only heard about Uncle Jonathan's matter after I arrived in Loguetown. I should have come sooner."

Damien settled down for a moment.

A fragrant aroma filled the air. He raised his hand and gently patted the girl's back. "So gentle, Kuina. Are you comforting me?"

A girl's amused voice came from beside him, "If you feel down, you can cry in my arms."

Damian couldn't help but laugh. "I only cry in my mother's arms."

"It seems you really don't need comforting."

Kuina released Damian, lightly leaped backward to create distance, and then drew her sword again. "Then, let's continue!"

His fingertips suddenly tightened, pressing the cord wrapped around the hilt of his beloved sword, Wado Ichimonji, into fine lines.

As the right foot steps back half a step, the wooden clogs rub against the ground, while the left knee bends slightly like a longbow poised to be released.

Damian's lips twitched slightly. "I thought after the warm hug, we should catch up."

"Swordsmen, let's reminisce over swords!"

As she spoke, the girl launched herself forward like a whirlwind.

It was truly as fast as a whirlwind, so fast that it was difficult for anyone to catch a glimpse of it. As it moved swiftly, the crimson waves surging from the corners of its hakama were like a rushing torrent of flames.

"Silent Step, you've practiced it quite well."

Damian raised his beloved knife to block the girl's thrust.

"What do you think I've been doing all this time?!"

The girl suddenly changed her move, twisting her body and using the momentum to draw a circle with her longsword, delivering a horizontal slash.

"Of course I've heard that. Now everyone calls you the Swordsman Hunter, Kuina."

Damian nimbly retreated, calmly dodging the girl's sword strike. "You've taken down every swordsman of note in the East Sea, haven't you? How does it feel?"

"Too weak! They have hardly any worthy opponents!"

Kuina leaped forward again, shouting, "Oborozuki Jumonji!"

The blades seemed to transform into phantoms, and in an instant, the two slashes condensed into a cross in the air.

Ding ding!

Two clear, melodious chirps.

Damian's blade vibrated, and he was forced to retreat.

"As expected, Damian, it's much more fun fighting with you! Snow Chariot!"

A red and white figure soared into the sky, spinning like a whirlwind as it fell, the sword blade right at the eye of the storm!

Damian parried with his sword, and in an instant, a series of explosions rang out as Kuina's continuous slashes were like a relentless flurry of snowflakes.

He looked at Kuina's increasingly maniacal smile and sighed, "That's why your teacher doesn't want you to practice swordsmanship. Look at you now, where did your childhood gentleness go?"

Ten years ago, when he was only ten years old, he decided to go to Shimotsuki Village to study because he couldn't find a good teacher.

There, he successfully became a disciple of Shimotsuki Koshiro and learned swordsmanship, and also met Shimotsuki Kuina, who was eight years old at the time.

Although ten years have passed, Damian remembers it clearly: back then, Guina was aloof and quiet, not a playful child.

"Quiet? There's no such thing as 'gentle'!"

The moment she landed, her wooden clogs scraped against the stone slab, leaving deep marks on the hard stone. Kuina sheathed her sword. "You told me, Damian, that a wanderer is weak and frail!"

"So, since then, I haven't hesitated, I haven't wavered, and I haven't stopped!"

"Itto-ryu·Iai!"

Azure's slash suddenly tore through the air, "Azure Mist!"

The raging wind transformed into a sharp blade that tore everything apart, slashing towards Damian as if it wanted to split the entire world in two.

Damian's lips curled into a smirk as he swung his sword to meet the attack, unleashing "One-Sword Style: Mountain Split!"

The sharp blade glowed with a blue light, and in the final moment of the swing, it transformed into a powerful, sky-blue slash that roared forth.

boom!

The two flying slashes collided, and the violent impact tore deep marks into the solid stone floor.

"Flying Slash! You've finally caught up with me, Kuina!"

Damian praised it.

"What you could do at eighteen, I could certainly do at eighteen too."

Kuina's tone was calm, but tinged with a hint of smugness, "I will never lose to you again!"

"Really? Well then, I'll show you something interesting too."

Damian sheathed his sword with a backhand motion, and under Guina's astonished gaze, pressed his right hand down.

A large number of puppet strings suddenly gushed out from his hands and poured directly into the ground below.

Then, the earth began to shake.

"What?"

Guina stared in astonishment at Damian's feet, where the ground began to rise higher and higher, until in the blink of an eye it had become a cylinder tens of meters high!

Then the cylinder began to change shape, growing arms, splitting into a head, and its body also became angular.

"Wait! Damian! What's going on?"

Kuina was somewhat confused. "You've become a power user?"

"Pretty good, right? But don't worry, even if they are ability users, we can still have a sword fight!"

With Damian's laughter, the giant's right arm, which was tens of meters long, slammed heavily onto the ground. Amidst the earth shaking violently, the giant actually pulled a huge rock sword out of the ground!

Kuina stared in disbelief, "What kind of sword is this?"

Was it just her imagination? Why did she feel that the huge rock blade was gleaming with a cold light?

The Puppet Fruit's ability is to manipulate and enhance.

The meaning of "manipulation" is that Damian can manipulate his puppets at will, from the most basic manipulation actions to further changes in their form.

Strengthening means making a knife sharper, a stone harder, and a person stronger.

The giant rock blade points high into the sky.

"Anything that can cut people is a sword."

Damian thought for a moment, "Let's call this sword strike..."

boom!

The mere act of swinging the sword caused the air to explode and the wind to howl.

"Broken Sea".