With one powerful leap from the remote island, Tachibana Kyūjō lifted the small “monkey” called Luffy like he was no more than a rag doll, soaring through the sky without once looking back.

No matter how much the boy squirmed, punched, or kicked, there was no escaping from the iron grip of this “Five-Fingered Mountain.”

“Let me go! I said, LET ME GO! Damn Navy bastard! You chopped off Shanks’s arm! I swear, one day I’ll beat you myself!” Luffy shouted, his face red with fury and defiance.

Kyūjō didn’t even flinch. His reply was indifferent, almost lazy.

“Is that so? I’ll be waiting.”

— — —

About an hour after the Red-Haired Pirates had left Loguetown behind…

Vice Admiral Garp returned to the base alongside Rear Admiral Sark, the current commander stationed there.

Without wasting a second, Garp greeted his long-lost grandson with a full dose of his infamous “Iron Fist of Love”—a fist-sized meteor of familial discipline.

Watching from the sidelines, Kyūjō could only sigh and rub his temple, clearly worn out.

Seriously, with a grandfather like this, how could the kid not turn out rebellious?

He was genuinely tempted to pull Garp aside and ask, “Do you seriously not realize your parenting methods are a complete failure?”

Look at your own son—Monkey D. Dragon. The guy turned out to be the most dangerous criminal in the world. And now you’re trying to raise your grandson the exact same way?

But of course, Kyūjō didn’t say that out loud. He had no interest in interfering too deeply in the life of this world’s protagonist—Monkey D. Luffy.

Who knows? Maybe someday, Luffy would be the one to defeat Imu-sama… or maybe he’d be erased from history by that same figure.

The future was a blank page.

What Kyūjō did know for sure, however, was that ever since the incident where he mysteriously allowed Shanks to walk free, the World Government had started to cast suspicious eyes on him.

Still, that didn’t bother him.

With his current strength and influence, Kyūjō’s position within the Navy was essentially on par with Garp’s.

He might not have been promoted to full admiral, but his presence carried just as much weight.

And unless the World Government had an airtight reason to act, they wouldn’t dare touch him—just like they never dared touch Garp.

Sure, they might try to suppress him in the name of justice or moral values.

But if they pushed him too far…

Another Yonko might rise right under their noses.

And that would shatter the balance the Government and the Five Elders (Gorosei) had worked so hard to maintain.

Even those old fossils weren’t stupid enough to let that happen.

— — —

“Hey, Kyūjō! What the hell happened to Luffy?!” Garp bellowed, holding his grandson’s cheeks like stretchy dough.

The boy’s face had stretched several inches like some kind of chewy taffy—and oddly enough, Luffy didn’t seem to feel any pain.

Kyūjō turned his head and answered calmly, “He accidentally ate one of the Devil Fruits from Shanks’s ship.”

“Judging by the effect… it’s most likely a Paramecia-type: Gomu Gomu no Mi.”

Garp’s mustache twitched. His face went bright red. And then—

“THAT DAMN RED-HAIRED BASTARD!!”

His voice roared like a thunderclap.

“If I ever see that fool again in the New World, I’ll punch him into the next era!”

“Letting Luffy eat a Devil Fruit?! What the hell were they thinking?!”

— — —

Kyūjō could only shrug in resignation. Garp was genuinely furious this time.

After returning Luffy safely, Kyūjō didn’t linger.

Now that he was in East Blue, there was someone he had to visit.

Someone who meant a lot to him.

Shimotsuki Kōshirō—his old swordmaster.

That night, under the cover of darkness, Kyūjō silently jumped from the deck of the Azure Dragon and used Geppo to soar swiftly toward Shimotsuki Village.

— — —

At the Isshin Dojo in Shimotsuki Village…

A young girl named Shimotsuki Kuina, now ten years old, stood in the center of the training hall.

She was taller and more filled out than her original counterpart from canon—because she had consumed a Mythical Zoan-type Devil Fruit: Unicorn Form.

Standing across from her was a boy with short mossy green hair and a headstrong glare.

That boy was none other than the future world’s strongest swordsman—

Roronoa Zoro, current owner of the Nama Nama no Mi.

At nine years old, Zoro was still smaller than Kuina, despite only being a year younger.

But Kuina’s transformation into someone with a boy’s physique had made her Zoro’s worst nightmare in the dojo.

He had already lost to her 2,325 times.

And yet, stubborn as ever, Zoro still challenged her with his clumsy twin-sword style, even though Kuina’s strength had become monstrous thanks to the Devil Fruit.

Still… who could blame him?

It wasn’t his fault she’d eaten a Mythical Zoan.

Even if Kuina was totally unskilled, Zoro wouldn’t stand a chance.

But she wasn’t unskilled.

She was a natural-born sword prodigy.

After once again collapsing to the floor, panting heavily, Zoro glared up at her.

Kuina let out an exasperated sigh and shook her head.

“Zoro… that’s loss number 2,326.”

“Can’t you at least wait until you’re a little stronger before challenging me again?”

Zoro’s face flushed with frustration, but he shouted back with fire in his eyes.

“Don’t get cocky! One day, I’m gonna beat you… just you wait!”

Grabbing his two wooden swords, the stubborn boy stormed off toward the door.

“Zoro! You idiot! You’re going the wrong way again! Your house is the other direction!” Kuina shouted behind him.

“Eh? Oh…” Zoro paused mid-step, then spun around and sprinted in the opposite direction.

Only to slam directly into someone’s leg.

A towering man now stood at the dojo’s entrance.

Tachibana Kyūjō looked down at the boy who had just crashed into his knee, then lifted his gaze toward the girl standing frozen at the door.

Her eyes were wide with disbelief.

“…Kuina. Don’t you recognize your older brother?”

“…Huh? Wait—really? Is that really you, Onii-chan?!”

Kuina ran toward him, her eyes sparkling with emotion.

They hadn’t spent much time together, but the memories of their childhood were still crystal clear in her heart.

Especially the red shrimp snacks—her favorite treats—that her big brother used to bring her.

Ever since he’d left the village, those treats had completely disappeared.

Kyūjō casually picked up Zoro from the floor and gave the little green-haired boy a thoughtful smile.

“You carry two swords… so you’re a dual-wielder, huh?”

Zoro nodded with determination. “I’m Roronoa Zoro! I’m gonna beat Kuina someday!”

Kyūjō let out a light chuckle and gave him a nod.

He couldn’t help but wonder—if Kuina never had that tragic accident from the original story, would the legendary Three-Sword Swordsman still be born?

— — —

Once inside the Isshin Dojo with Kuina, Kyūjō paused.

Then his expression turned calm.

So, it was like this…

Talk about timing.

He had just rescued the son—and now he was about to meet the father?

Yes.

The man currently standing inside Isshin Dojo…

Was none other than the leader of the Revolutionary Army, the world’s most dangerous criminal—

Monkey D. Dragon.

But surely…

Dragon already sensed him.

So why… hadn’t he left yet?

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep