Time passed.

  After a brief versation, Shimotsuki Kozaburo gradually realized that the mysterious visitor, El, harbored no ill iions. L his guard, he began discussing smithing teiques with him.

  Before long, his initial skepticism transformed into shock, then into admiration. El’s mastery of the craft was far beyond his own.

  Meanwhile, Shimotsuki Furiko stood nearby, mouth slightly agape, her gaze fixed on El in awe. Her wide eyes sparkled with admiration as she stared at the handsome young man who had not only surpassed her expectations but also bested Kozaburo—someone she had believed to be Wano’s greatest smith.

  “You’re incredible, El-sama!” she excimed, her eyes shining like stars, voice filled with awe. To her, this young, articute, and immensely skilled man seemed to radiate a divine brilliance.

  “Indeed, El-sama’s skill far surpasses my own. I am utterly impressed!” Kozaburo added with sincere respect.

  “Not at all,” El replied with a humble smile. “I’ve merely stood on the shoulders of those who came before me, learning from their experiences and teiques.”

  In truth, El’s smithing skills had already been on par with Kozaburo’s even before their enter. Now, having gained access to Kozaburo’s memories of swordsmanship and f, he had absorbed a wealth of new knowledge. Challehat had once puzzled him suddenly became clear, allowing him to resolve long-standing issues with ease.

  “I couldn’t help but overhear your earlier versation…”

  Turning his gaze to Kozaburo and Furiko, El smiled faintly.

  “I heard that Wano is a nation that has long been isoted, with strict ws against leaving its borders. Are you pnning to secretly leave the try?”

  “Yes, we pn to leave this try and explore the outside world!” Furiko blurted out eagerly, speaking before Kozaburo could respond.

  “Wait, Furiko-sama! I haven’t agreed to let you e along!” Kozaburo reminded her, his lips twitg anxiously.

  While El seemed trustworthy, admitting pns to leave Wano—a serious crime—was not something to reveal so casually, especially to someohey had just met an ho.

  “What? How could you say that?” Furiko protested, gring at Kozaburo in frustration.

  “If I may be blunt, the climate of the Grand Line is far more treacherous than you may imagine,” El said pinly. “Wano has been isoted feions. Even the most skilled navigators here ck the experiend knowledge required for such a journey. Venturing into the New World’s dangerous seas could easily end in tragedy, with your ship and crew lost to the o.”

  Kozaburo fell silent for a moment, yet his gaze remained resolute.

  “That may be true, but we have made our decision,” he said firmly. “Even if it means riskih at sea, I refuse to remain fio this small, stifling try. I want to see the vast world with my own eyes.”

  “Exactly!” Furiko ched her small fists, her expression ear aermihough her y was evident, her resolve was genuine.

  “I haven’t even agreed to let you join us!” Kozaburo reminded her, rolling his eyes in exasperation.

  “What difference does it make? We’re from the same !” Furiko retorted, unwilling to back down. ging to Kozaburo’s arm, she pleaded, “e on, Kozaburo, don’t be so stingy!”

  “This isn’t about being stingy…” Kozaburo sighed.

  “If you truly wish to leave Wano, I could take you with me,” El interjected with a smile. Crossing his arms, he tinued, “tally, I’ve retly founded a nation of my own, and someoh your skills, Kozaburo, would be a valuable asset.”

  For someone as skilled aile as Kozaburo—a warrior and master smith—El was more than willing to make su offer. Anyone else would never have received su opportunity.

  Shimotsuki Kozaburo hesitated. Though having an experienced guide would greatly improve their ces of leaving Wano safely, he couldn’t fully trust someone he had just met. Entrusting his life and the lives of his panions to a stranger was risky.

  Meanwhile, Shimotsuki Furiko’s eyes widened in disbelief. “El-sama, are you really the ruler of a nation?” To think that someone so young had founded a try—not merely ied one—seemed unimaginable.

  “Yes,” El responded with a smile. “Wano may be isoted from the outside world, but as desdants of Shimotsuki Ryuma, the legendary Swod, you must have at least heard of the Wover and the Celestial Dragons.”

  “The Celestial Dragons?” Furiko and Kozaburo blinked in surprise. Furiko was first to speak, her voice filled with righteous indignation.

  “Of course, we’ve heard of them! Our aor, the Swod Ryuma, became a legend by repelling their attempts to invade Wano alongside a band of pirates. He protected our nation from those wicked Celestial Dragons!”

  “Does your try have something to do with those awful people?” Furiko asked, eyes narrowed.

  El gave a faint smile. “In a way. My people, the Lunarians, once lived atop the Red Line. turies ago, we were invaded by the Wover. Over time, the Lunarians were hunted down, persecuted, and nearly driven to extiny parents were also killed by them.”

  His tone remained calm, but a subtle undercurrent of grief resent.

  “And the Lunarians aren’t the only ones. Many races have been ensved and brutalized by the tyrannical Celestial Dragons. They see anyone different from themselves as disposable tools or toys—lesser beings.”

  “How horrible!” Furiko gasped, her fists ched in anger. Sympathy filled her eyes as she looked at El, her voice shaking with emotion. “The Wover is truly despicable!”

  Kozaburo remained silent, puffing on his pipe, abs El’s words in quiet ption.

  El tinued, “Not long ago, I led a group of like-minded allies, individuals from various oppressed races, to fight back against the Wover. After tless struggles, we succeeded iablishing a nation in the New World.”

  He smiled faintly. “This nation, Totto Land, was founded with the dream of creating a pce where all races could coexist peacefully—free from svery, persecution, and discrimination. A haven where everyone live harmoniously, regardless of race or belief.”

  “Totto Land?” Kozaburo murmured, narrowing his eyes. He could imagihe moal effort and sacrifices required to achieve such a feat, especially against the mighty Wover.

  Furiko’s eyes sparkled with admiration as she gazed at El. “El-sama, you’re incredible!”

  Creating a utopian nation where no one is oppressed and all races live together in harmony was a noble, awe-inspiring goal. To Furiko, El was the embodiment of greatness, far surpassing any suitor her family might have arranged for her.

  “If you truly wish to leave Wano, you could sider ing to Totto Land,” El suggested, turning to Kozaburo. “Our natio restrict exploration or sea travel. Totto Land has a well-established trade work, with mert ships traveling to variions every month.”

  “Should you decide to join, you could apany our mert fleets as guards, expl the world at your own pace while ensuring your safety.”

  Kozaburo, though tempted, remained cautious. “As you must uand, trust ot be built ht. I still ime to sider.”

  El nodded. “Of course. I pn to stay in Wano a while loe a on that satisfies me before I leave. You’ll have plenty of time to decide.”

  His tone was calm and unpressured. If Kozaburo agreed to join, it would be a bonus; if not, it wouldn’t be a loss.

  “Wait, El-sama! I’m ready to join you!” Furiko’s eyes lit up. She eagerly grabbed El’s coat, looking at him with hope aermination. “Please take me with you! I want to leave Wano!”

  “Hey, Furiko…” Kozaburo tried to interject.

  “What else am I supposed to do when you’re so stingy and refuse to take me along?” Furiko stuck out her to Kozaburo pyfully before turning back to El, her expression ear and hopeful.

  “o rush. You have plenty of time to think it over,” El replied with a smile.

  Though Furiko’s enthusiasm amused him, he had already deduced her identity. She was her than Shimotsuki Ushimaru’s elder sister—the same woman who, in aimeline, would bee the grandmother of Roronoa Zoro. Had El not appeared, Furiko likely would have left Wano with Kozaburo and his panions.

  Now, looking at her stunniures, her youthful y, and the admiration glowing in her eyes, El couldn’t help but sider his own responsibility to restore the Lunarian race. If things went as pnned, he wouldn’t mind one day seeing “Roronoa Zoro” rebranded as “Kukulkan Zoro.”

  Bleam