Boom—!
Ivankov, embedded in the rock wall, pulled himself out and dusted himself off.
Then he looked up at the unharmed Kong Tai, a surprised expression on his face.
He wasn't injured by that?
He soothed his slightly constricted chest, panting, and exclaimed, "Little Kong Tai, this ability is truly astonishing!"
So powerful, I wonder what kind of Devil Fruit ability it is.
In reality, Kong Tai had no words to express his current suffering; after taking that blow, his stamina had reached its limit.
That was an attack capable of sending Bartholomew Kuma flying in a single blow.
On the other hand, Ivankov was only slightly out of breath.
He was only twelve years old now, his body not yet fully developed.
He believed that as he grew older, his strength would experience explosive growth.
After a brief rest, his stamina recovered a bit, and a glint flashed in his eyes.
Staring at Ivankov, he shouted, "Little Ivan, how about we call it a draw today?"
"Okay."
"You decide."
Ivankov noticed Kong Tai's condition and didn't expose it.
"What about the food?"
"Food, food..." Kong Tai stroked his chin.
Ivankov watched him nervously.
"Of course, the food is for you!"
Kong Tai suddenly imitated Ivankov's action, spinning around exaggeratedly with his hands raised high.
"What is it!"
"You're actually giving it to us!"
Ivankov played along, shouting loudly.
"We've been tricked again!"
Then they looked at each other and burst into laughter.
"Hahaha..."
"Little Ivan, I have a question for you."
Ivankov paused and stopped laughing when he saw Kong Tai suddenly appear and sit on his shoulder.
"What question?"
"Is your Kamabakka Kingdom really all okamas?"
Ivankov walked towards the village, answering, "The little cuties there are all ordinary people who yearn for the okama kingdom and have gone there."
"Oh!"
"Is that so?"
Kong Tai stroked his chin, his expression one of "just as I suspected."
Then he nodded and said, "I knew it, how could it be all okamas! That way, there wouldn't be any new population, would there?"
"Little Kong Tai, you can come to Kamabakka Kingdom to play in the future. I think the little cuties there will really like you."
Ivankov looked at Kong Tai, his voice filled with excitement.
"After all, you're so cute and beautiful."
"Kamabakka Kingdom?"
Kong Tai thought of Sanji's miserable state and shivered. He spoke frantically,
"No."
"No."
"I'm still young, I don't want to go out to sea yet."
"Really?"
"I was hoping that if Little Kong Tai came to Kamabakka Kingdom, I would introduce you to the most beautiful little cuties in our country!"
Ivankov said with a hint of disappointment.
Kong Tai's mind was now filled with images of burly men with beards, wearing pink dresses and running on the beach.
Cold sweat broke out.
"Are you alright! Little Kong Tai."
"Why are you sweating so much!"
"Cough cough... cough...!"
"I'm fine."
"I'm fine..."
Kong Tai quickly changed the subject.
"Let's go quickly!"
Seeing everyone waiting for them at the dock, he teleported ahead.
"Hey, wait for me!"
"Is Kamabakka Kingdom that scary?"
Ivankov watched Kong Tai disappear and quickly followed.
...
Shimotsuki Village.
Isshin Dojo.
Kong Tai lay on the roof of the dojo, looking down at the busy figures below and sighing.
Although the battle looked impressive, only he knew the actual gap between them.
He had used all his strength, and it had only made Ivankov a little serious.
In the end, he ran out of stamina, while Ivankov was only slightly out of breath.
From the looks of it, the previous fight was merely a warm-up for Ivankov.
Mainly, his age limited his stamina and Haki.
There was nothing he could do about this; it was a natural condition that could not be changed by human effort.
"Kong Tai, what are you spacing out about here?"
Just then, Koushiro came and sat beside Kong Tai.
"Nothing."
"I'm just a bit down because it'll be a long time before I can go out to sea."
"Master, I really want to see the world soon!" Kong Tai sat up straight, his eyes shining as he looked at Koushiro.
This was the first time he had been so eager to go and see.
To see this magnificent world.
To see the actual legends.
To see the myriad of strange creatures in the Grand Line.
And Sky Island, Bubble Island, Mermaid Island...
Just thinking about these made him tremble with excitement.
He hadn't been this impatient before.
But after truly seeing other humans today, beings completely different from ordinary humans.
He was excited, thrilled, and eager to see more.
This was not the manga world of his past life.
It was a world where he could truly touch, communicate, and even fight alongside others.
"Kong Tai, now is not the time to go out to sea. You are still too young, you must at least wait until you are an adult."
Koushiro pushed up his glasses and looked towards the back of the mountain.
"It's not that I want to stop you from going out to sea; the outside world is not as beautiful as you imagine."
He paused, a strange look flashing in his eyes.
"Even if you want to go out to sea, you have to wait for Kuina!"
"That girl's eyes are full of you right now. If you leave, I don't know what will happen to her."
Following Koushiro's gaze, they could see Zoro and Kuina training furiously in the back of the mountain.
Since returning from the port, they had been training even more desperately than before.
"Don't worry, Master. I know when to go out to sea, and I know what this world is truly like. I have the habit of reading the newspaper every day!"
Kong Tai looked at Kuina in the back of the mountain, a hint of tenderness in his eyes.
"As for Kuina, I only know that I will never leave her alone in this lifetime."
"Mmm—!"
"It's good that you understand."
Koushiro withdrew his gaze, took the black-sheathed long sword hanging from his waist, and looked at Kong Tai.
"I originally wanted to give it to you when you went out to sea."
"But after seeing your fight today, I realized your strength is growing too fast. Ordinary swords are probably no longer useful for your training."
Saying this, Koushiro raised the sword and handed it to Kong Tai.
"Take it."
"It takes time to get used to a sword. This sword was made to your usual proportions, scaled up according to your usage habits. It should still be suitable even when you grow up."
"Thank you, Master."
Kong Tai excitedly took the sword with both hands, gripping the hilt with his right hand and drawing it out with a "Zheng!" sound.
He raised the sword, holding it suspended before his eyes, and examined it carefully.
The spine of the blade was thicker than a normal sword, the edge was a hamon with a large irregular zig-zag pattern, and the blade was silver-gray with faint purple serrated patterns.
He wiped his palm along the edge and could clearly feel its sharpness.
"A good sword."
Koushiro said as he watched Kong Tai's excited expression.
"This sword is a replica of the legendary sword from Wano Country, 'Shusui'."
"This sword is very tough, and due to its higher density, it is heavier than a sword of the same size."
He paused and continued, "From now on, you should temper it with Haki every day. Perhaps in the future, this sword can become a black blade with you."
"Black blade?"
Kong Tai feigned confusion. Of course, he knew what a black blade was.
"The biggest characteristic of a black blade is its sturdiness. Swordsmen can temper their swords into black blades using their own Haki."
"'Shusui' is a black blade."
"Don't worry, Master. I will definitely make it famous throughout the world."
Kong Tai looked at the sword in his hand, liking it more and more.
"Mmm!"
"The sword doesn't have a name yet. You can choose one," Koushiro said with a smile at Kong Tai.
Kong Tai raised the sword above his head. Under the sunlight, the blade emitted a bluish halo.
"Let's call it, 'Zankon'!"
"Zankon?"
Koushiro looked at Kong Tai, surprised.
"It's the 'Kon' that cuts space."
Kong Tai shouted excitedly.
"I hope that in the future, I can achieve the feat of cutting space!"