Chapter 25: Rising to Fame
You could only say that the "gets lost" halo was truly invincible.
After wandering around the village with Zoro for half an hour, Shane's head was spinning. In the end, they had to ask an uncle for directions to finally find the gate of the Isshin Dojo.
To his surprise, Koshiro was already waiting at the entrance.
"What took you so long?"
The middle-aged man, wearing a kimono and black-framed glasses, looked at Zoro with a smile. "It was because of you, wasn't it? You got lost and led Mr. Shane astray as well?"
"..." Zoro's face turned red again.
He could lie to Shane, but he was defenseless in front of his own teacher who knew him so well.
He grumbled and turned away. "So annoying. I brought him here, didn't I?! I'm leaving! Don't call me for dinner, I haven't finished today's extra training yet!"
Watching Zoro leave, Koshiro smiled and turned to walk into the dojo.
"Dinner is being prepared. Mr. Shane, you probably haven't eaten yet. Would you like to join us?"
"I am a bit hungry. Thank you for your hospitality."
Shane didn't stand on ceremony and followed him, a little curious. "Mr. Koshiro, you know my name? Has Junichi already returned from the clinic? So soon?"
"Junichi?"
Koshiro was slightly taken aback and shook his head. "No. I only know that the boy has returned, but I haven't seen him in person yet. Speaking of which, I must thank you on his behalf. I didn't expect the trip to Cherry Blossom Island to be so dangerous. If he hadn't run into you, he might not have made it back alive."
"Then how do you know so much..."
"Well, that's naturally because Mr. Shane has become quite famous recently."
Koshiro took several newspapers from a cabinet shelf and handed them to Shane, saying with a chuckle, "You should understand after reading these."
Newspapers?
Shane took them curiously. He had been drifting at sea for the past few days and hadn't encountered a single News Coo. Or perhaps the News Coos flying high above hadn't noticed their small boat.
"Here, have some tea." Koshiro personally brewed a cup of green tea and handed it to him.
"Thank you."
The two sat down on the tatami mat across from each other at a low table. Shane spread out the newspapers and began to read them carefully.
These newspapers were mostly local East Blue publications. Without exception, the front-page headlines were all reports about the incident on Cherry Blossom Island.
"Shimotsuki Village is isolated from the rest of the world. Besides me, who subscribes to the papers daily, not many people know about your deeds," Koshiro said with a grin. "But it's a different story on other islands. In many places in the nearby seas, you've been the center of attention these past few days. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say you're the most dazzling new star in the East Blue right now."
He wasn't exaggerating in the slightest.
From Shane's unstoppable, crushing advance into the finals, to the series of unexpected events that occurred in the tournament dojo; from the eerie horror of the seven dojo masters being turned into complete puppets, to the revelation that the mastermind was the long-dead President Sakuraba Itsuki...
This bizarre story was eye-catching enough on its own. And in this desperate situation, a young swordsman had suddenly stood up and, with his own strength, completely shattered the conspiracy. After finding the mastermind's hidden treasure room, he hadn't taken a single coin for himself, instead deciding to distribute the vast fortune among all the victims. Finally, before dawn, the young swordsman had quietly departed, hiding his merit and fame.
—This was the standard template of a young hero straight out of a traditional folk tale. It would be strange if it didn't explode in popularity.
Several local East Blue newspapers spared no ink, continuing their coverage for several days in a row, and their sales soared. Even the World Economy News Paper was alerted and quickly followed up. Although it wasn't the top story, it still occupied a considerable amount of space on the second page.
After all this fermentation, the title of "The Strongest Swordsman of the Younger Generation in the East Blue" had quietly spread throughout more than half of the East Blue.
"This... this is too much praise..."
Shane held the newspaper, his old face blushing. Most of the time, the reporters hadn't been on the scene, so much of the content was pieced together from witness testimonies afterward, leading to many inaccurate details. For instance, he had left the two hundred million Belli in the secret room, but the four hundred million Belli in the Loguetown vault was firmly in his possession. He was hardly so noble as to not take a single coin.
Junichi's involvement was also completely ignored, but this was a form of protection, so it could be considered a good thing. After all, as the son of the mastermind Sakuraba Itsuki, his identity was extremely sensitive. If his name got out, many of the victims' families might not be able to distinguish friend from foe and come seeking revenge.
But speaking of which, the most inaccurate point was, of course—
"I've been hailed as the strongest swordsman?!!"
Swordsman?
Are you kidding me!
How could his clumsy, three-legged-cat swordsmanship be used in a real battle? The final victory was clearly achieved by pounding it out with his bare fists!
"Hiss..."
Shane scratched his head, feeling a slight headache. In the future, whenever he met a swordsman, would they ask for a sparring match or guidance?
However, the result wasn't entirely unexpected. After all, when the real battle began, everyone in the dojo who could run had already fled. But his journey to the finals had been recorded in its entirety.
A genius swordsman who entered the finals with a perfect record, and in the end, defeated a terrifying Devil Fruit user... If not by swordsmanship, how else could he have done it? It was a very logical conclusion.
Even the front-page photos in these newspapers were taken by reporters during the preliminary rounds. —The black-haired boy held a bamboo sword, standing proudly on the wooden stage, undefeated, surrounded by a large crowd of amazed spectators.
At a glance, he really did have the air of a young, invincible swordsman fresh from the mountains.
"Sigh."
Shane let out another long sigh.
Koshiro, however, misunderstood his meaning and said with a smile, "You seem troubled despite becoming famous. It seems Mr. Shane is the type who prefers to keep a low profile. That makes sense, otherwise why would you have left so quietly after everything was over?"
He didn't hide his admiration, which made Shane feel even more uneasy. He was terrified that Koshiro's next words would be something like, "I would like to witness your swordsmanship," or "Dinner is still being prepared, how about you and I have a little spar?"
Fortunately, a figure pushing open the door saved him from his awkwardness.
"Father."
A girl with short black hair and a cool expression stood at the door and spoke calmly, "Granny said the food is ready and asked me to call you. We should go now... Eek, eek, eek!!!!"
She suddenly cried out, her gaze turning to Shane, her small face filled with pleasant surprise. "Mr. Sh... Shane! What are you doing here?!"
Thump, thump, thump. Before Shane could react, she rushed straight over, hugged his arm, and looked him up and down. "A hallucination? No! It's not a hallucination! It's really him!"
Shane's heart skipped a beat. He glanced at Koshiro.
"This is my daughter, Kuina. Please forgive her; she doesn't usually behave this way," Koshiro said with a chuckle. "It's only because she's seen you in person that she's lost her composure. Speaking of which, besides practicing her sword, she also loves to read. She often reads the newspapers I subscribe to. These past few days, she has been quite fascinated by your story, reading it over and over again."