One Piece: The sky is azure, I just time-traveled today.

Page 38

A strong, powerful hand caught her just in time.

Robin looked up and met a pair of bright eyes that held a hint of curiosity and scrutiny. It was Kuina.

"What are you looking at?" Kuina's gaze fell on the book in Robin's hand, which was covered with strange symbols, and she raised an eyebrow. Children in the village rarely showed interest in such "heavenly books."

Robin closed the book somewhat embarrassedly and answered softly, "It's...ancient writing."

"Ancient script?" Kuina became even more interested. "You can read it?"

Robin nodded, then shook his head: "Still learning."

Looking at her shy yet earnest expression, Guina suddenly held out her hand: "Let me see."

Robin hesitated for a moment, but still handed the book over.

Kuina flipped through a few pages, looked at the scribbles that resembled ghostly symbols, and pouted, "I can't understand it at all."

She shoved the book back into Robin's arms and patted the bamboo sword at her waist. "This is still the most practical."

Robin, holding the book, looked at the smoothly polished bamboo sword at Kuina's waist with a hint of curiosity in his eyes, but more so with incomprehension of this "fighting and killing".

Just then, Kuina noticed a pen that had fallen at Robin's feet, and she instinctively bent down to pick it up.

However, before she could even squat down, the pen... floated up on its own?

No, it's not floating.

A small, translucent hand appeared out of thin air, steadily holding the pen, and then handed it to Robin.

Kuina froze instantly, her eyes widening in disbelief as she stared at the tiny hand floating in the air, a hand exactly like Robin's.

“You…you…” She pointed at the hand, then at Robin, unable to utter a complete sentence for a long time.

Robin then realized that she had unintentionally used her power, and her face turned pale with fright. She quickly made the hand disappear, took a step back while holding the book, and looked nervously at Kuina, afraid of seeing disgust or fear on the other's face.

Just like the way the children reacted when they saw her abilities in Ohara.

However, there was no disgust on Guina's face.

After the initial shock, her eyes blazed with intense curiosity and...excitement?

"What was that?!" Kuina leaped in front of Robin, almost touching her face, her voice excited. "Was it ninjutsu? Or... a yokai? No, no, you don't look like a yokai..."

Robin was taken aback by her sudden enthusiasm and timidly explained, "It's...it's the power of a Devil Fruit..."

"A Devil Fruit?!" Kuina's eyes lit up even more. "You mean that thing that gives you weird abilities but makes you unable to swim? You really ate it? Wow! That's amazing! Can I see it again? That hand from earlier!"

She circled around Robin as if she had discovered a new continent, showing none of the fear or rejection that ordinary people would have when facing unknown abilities, only pure curiosity and a desire to explore.

Looking into her sparkling eyes, Robin's nervousness slowly dissipated, replaced by a subtle feeling of...acceptance?

She hesitated for a moment, then focused her mind.

The next moment, a small hand silently grew out of Kuina's shoulder and gently patted her.

"Wow!" Guina was startled, but then giggled and reached out to grab the little hand, which vanished before she could touch it. "Fun! So much fun!"

From that day on, the two girls, with their very different personalities, became strangely familiar with each other.

Kuina is an action-oriented, straightforward, and competitive person whose dream is to become the world's greatest swordsman.

Robin is a thinker, quiet, erudite, and immersed in the mysteries of history.

One holds a sword, the other holds a book.

They should have been two parallel lines, but they intersected in the small dojo of Shimotsuki Village.

Liu Jiu seemed pleased with this. He would occasionally remind Robin, "Spend more time with Kuina."

Robin didn't understand at first, but slowly, she found that when she was with Kuina, she didn't have to deliberately hide her abilities or be careful, and she could relax a lot.

Kuina would drag her to climb the back mountain and teach her to identify various types of bamboo that could be used to make bamboo swords (although Robin had no interest in this). When Robin got tired of reading, Kuina would force her to demonstrate some completely nonsensical "swordsmanship," leaving Robin both amused and exasperated.

From Robin, Kuina also heard many strange tales about distant islands and ancient history that no one in the village had ever heard before. Although she still struggled with the convoluted language, it didn't stop her from finding her "bookish" friend very interesting.

Thus, under the tranquil sunlight of Frostmoon Village, one can often see this scene:

In the open space behind the dojo, Kuina practiced kendo with great effort, her bamboo sword whistling through the air.

Not far away, under the shade of a tree, Robin sat quietly with a thick book open on her lap. Countless small hands appeared and disappeared around her, turning the pages or taking notes.

Occasionally, Kuina would stop and yell at Robin, "Hey! Nerd! Take a break!"

Robin looked up, brushed aside the unsightly strands of hair from his bangs, and gave a puzzled look.

Chapter 41 Beliefs Matter

It was an afternoon filled with the scent of sweat and the aroma of books.

In the open space behind the dojo, the crisp sound of bamboo swords clashing could be heard continuously.

Kuina was practicing sparring with a boy who was half a head taller than her. Her movements were swift and sharp, and her footwork was agile, forcing her opponent to retreat repeatedly. Finally, she delivered a precise thrust that struck her opponent in the chest.

"The outcome is decided," Koushirou, who had been watching from the sidelines, announced gently.

The boy, panting heavily, reluctantly sheathed his bamboo sword and muttered, "Tch, Kuina won again... Why is a girl so strong..."

The sound wasn't loud, but it was clear enough.

Kuina's grip on the bamboo sword tightened almost imperceptibly. She didn't argue, but simply pursed her lips, a barely perceptible dimming flickering in her eyes.

She put away her bamboo knife, walked to the shade of a tree, sat down next to Robin, picked up her water pouch, and drank a few mouthfuls.

Robin closed the book in her hand and looked up at the silent Kuina with a puzzled expression. She could sense her friend's low spirits.

"What's wrong?" she asked softly.

Kuina put down her water pouch, looked at the boys still practicing in the dojo, remained silent for a moment, and then spoke in a low voice, her tone tinged with confusion and resentment:

"Robin, you're saying... can't a girl become the world's greatest swordsman?"

This question, like a stone thrown into the seemingly strong lake of her heart, stirred something deep within her.

She was very strong, stronger than all the boys in the dojo, and even adults couldn't withstand her strength. Her father never relaxed his demands because she was a girl. But the subtle gossip around her, the idle chatter like "girls are ultimately weaker" and "kendo is a man's path," still pricked her like tiny thorns from time to time.

For the first time, she felt a slight wavering in her conviction about the path she had always believed in.

Robin listened quietly, his gaze fixed on Kuina's clenched fist.

She didn't answer immediately.

She thought of O'Hara, of the scholars who were powerless in the face of absolute power, and of her aunt's helplessness in being forced to abandon her beliefs and live in anonymity because of the bounty.

Although the aunt did not personally admit that she was her biological mother, the name of the wanted poster said it all.

She also remembered what Uncle Liu Jiu had taught her: power itself is neither right nor wrong; the key lies in the person who uses it and what they want to protect.

She looked at Guina, at the flame in her friend's eyes that, even shrouded in gloom, refused to be extinguished.

Robin's voice was soft, yet it carried a calmness and strength beyond her years:

"Kuina, do you know about the 'Poneglyphs'?"

Kuina paused, not expecting Robin to ask this suddenly, and shook her head: "Is it those scribbles you look at all day?"

“Yes.” Robin nodded. “It’s a very, very ancient script that records a hundred years of history that the World Government deliberately erased.”

Her gaze drifted into the distance: "In order to study it, in order to protect these truths, my homeland... O'Hara, was wiped off the map. Many scholars like you, with unwavering convictions, died."

Kuina's eyes widened in shock. She only knew that Robin was from outside and liked to read, but she had no idea that she carried such a heavy past.

Robin continued, his tone calm, yet carrying a powerful, moving force:

"You see, it's always difficult to pursue something. You'll encounter countless obstacles and doubts because of your background, your gender, or even what you're pursuing itself."

“But,” she turned her head and looked directly into Kuina’s eyes, those eyes that were always immersed in books, now clear and firm, “if you give up on what you really want to do because of difficulties, because of a few words from others, then what’s the difference between you and… and those who were weak and failed to protect Ohara?”

She paused for a moment, then gave her answer:

"Whether a girl can become the world's greatest swordsman is a question that no one else should be able to answer."

"The answer lies only in your sword."

"As long as the sword in your hand is sharp enough and firm enough, it can cut through all doubts and obstacles."

"Then, that is you."

Kuina stared blankly at Robin.

She never expected that this "bookworm," who usually seemed to only care about books and kept his distance from fighting and killing, would say such a thing.

There were no empty words of encouragement, no casual "You can do it."

Instead, it tells her in a crueler and more realistic way that the road is there, rugged and full of thorns, and whether you want to walk it and whether you can reach the end is entirely up to you.

The answer lies only in your sword.

If you are strong enough to break all constraints, then the so-called "impossible" will naturally become "possible".

Kuina looked down at her hands, which she had used for years of sword practice, and at the bamboo sword that had accompanied her through countless days and nights.

The confusion and gloom in my heart seemed to be blown away by a gentle breeze.

Does it matter what others say?

Most importantly, she wants to become the world's greatest swordsman.

The important question is whether the sword in her hand is willing to agree!

She suddenly raised her head, and the flame in her eyes reignited, more intense and resolute than ever before.

"You're right, you bookworm!"

"I don't care what others say! I'll use my sword to carve a path for them!"

Kuina slapped Robin on the shoulder and shouted with fighting spirit.

"Ouch!" Robin was caught off guard and was slapped so hard that he almost dropped the book in his hand.

She rubbed her shoulder, which was numb from being slapped, her little face scrunched up with genuine grievance and disgust: "Guina! Be gentle! It hurts!"

Seeing Robin's grimacing face, Kuina showed no remorse. Instead, she wrapped her arms around Robin's slender neck and said, "What's hurting! Let's go!"

"Where...where are we going?" Robin was struggling to breathe as she was being choked.

"The back mountain!" Kuina's eyes lit up with an alarming gleam as she dragged her toward the back of the dojo. "Isn't your ability to conjure up multiple hands perfect?"