"You really aren't Tashigi?"
"I am Shimotsuki Kuina, swordsmanship instructor of the Isshin Dojo." Kuina frowned as Nami leaned in close to inspect her. She was genuinely curious and a bit bewildered herself—who was this Marine Petty Officer named Tashigi? And why did everyone seem to mistake her for this person? "Miss Nami, my name is not Tashigi."
However...
"She's just not wearing glasses! How can two people look so identical and not be related? Are you sure this isn't some conspiracy by Marine Headquarters?"
Nami wasn't buying it. She rubbed her chin, pacing around Kuina with a suspicious squint. "Maybe you're back because you saw Dande surrounded by pretty girls and decided to use a 'Honey Trap'..."
Thwack!
Dande's hand came down on Nami's head in a sharp chop. "I'm a demoted Captain with no real status, and I haven't done anything wrong. Why would Headquarters waste a honey trap on me?"
"Ouch! I was just joking!" Nami pouted, rubbing the bump on her head.
"She definitely isn't Tashigi," Dande said, shaking his head. He turned his attention back to Kuina.
Unlike Tashigi, who favored checkered shirts and suit trousers, Kuina wore a crisp white western-style shirt paired with fitted denim capris that ended just below her knees, revealing lithe, fair calves.
She didn't let her short hair hang loose like Tashigi; instead, she pulled it back into a practical, shoulder-length ponytail. With the Wado Ichimonji—one of the 21 Great Grade Meito—strapped to her waist, she exuded a clean, disciplined, and sharp aura.
She was soft yet valiant.
Dande smiled. "I thought you'd take a few more days to get here. I didn't expect you to arrive so soon."
As soon as he had received the call at the 16th Branch office, he had rushed back from Cocoyasi Town. Sure enough, he found Kuina already there, having already confused half the garrison.
Dande had met Kuina shortly after arriving in the East Blue. To maintain his swordsmanship, he had taken Robin along to the Isshin Dojo to train.
Although he had enrolled later than Kuina and Zoro, his age and existing strength quickly earned him the position of "Senior Brother" (Da Shixiong), and the three had become close.
He had specifically invited Kuina to serve as the swordsmanship instructor for the 16th Branch.
"Senior Brother Dande." Kuina beamed, her heart lightening when she realized he hadn't mistaken her for the mysterious Tashigi. She bowed politely, her eyes sparkling.
Back then, she had been trapped in a spiral of self-doubt. It was Dande who had coached her, telling her stories of legendary female swordswomen across the Grand Line and convincing her that a woman could indeed become a world-class master.
Reinvigorated, she had vowed to become a Great Swordsman. Since her father, Koshiro, refused to acknowledge her as the heir to the Isshin Dojo because of her gender, she had decided to stop seeking his approval.
Instead, she planned to open her own "Kuina Dojo" and steal all his students.
And then, she would defeat her father in a duel, give him a good thrashing, and watch his dojo go out of business.
"I look forward to working with you," she said. Then she turned to Robin, who was standing nearby with a gentle smile. "Long time no see, Sister Robin."
"Welcome, Kuina," Robin replied with a nod. She looked her up and down. "You truly do look remarkably like Petty Officer Tashigi."
"See! I told you!" Nami interjected, hands on her hips. "If she put on a pair of glasses, they'd be twins!"
Tashigi again? Kuina was now dying to meet this double. She turned back to Dande to ask more questions, but Dande beat her to it.
"By the way," Dande said, as if suddenly remembering. "Where's Zoro? Why didn't he come with you?"
Since he was building a dream team, he figured he might as well "bundle" the talent. If he could get the future World's Greatest Swordsman to work for him as a mercenary or instructor, it would be a massive win for his "Great Development" plan.
"Zoro?"
Kuina blinked, her expression turning into a frown. "Hasn't he arrived yet?"
"He already set out to sea?"
"He got Father's permission to leave a year before me. Even though he never managed to beat me, Father allowed him to go out and experience the world while still refusing to acknowledge me."
"..."
Dande went silent. His eye twitched. "Did he... set out to sea on his own?"
"Yes. Why?"
"Never mind." Dande covered his face with his hand.
He had hoped to hire Zoro as a bounty hunter for the branch, but given the boy's legendary (lack of) sense of direction, Zoro was probably lost in a different zip code by now.
Seeing Kuina's dejected expression at the mention of her father's bias, Dande reached out and ruffled her hair, just as he used to when they were younger.
"Don't worry. When you open your dojo, I'll support you 100%. We'll snatch every single student of his, make the Isshin Dojo go bankrupt, and drive the old man crazy for doubting you."
Kuina let out a sudden laugh. She puffed out her cheeks playfully. "Senior Brother! I'm a grown-up now!" She protested the hair-ruffling, but her smile was wide.
Then, her gaze sharpened. "And then I'll give that old man a proper beating!"
"Exactly. A proper beating!" Dande nodded. "Now, let me show you around the base so you can get familiar with the place."
However...
"Later," Kuina rejected him firmly. She looked at Dande with a sudden, intense seriousness. "I have something more important to do first."
"???"
Before Dande could ask what she meant, Kuina's slender hand gripped the hilt of Wado Ichimonji. She looked up, her face a mask of focus and determination.
"Let me see if Senior Brother Dande has slacked off during these last few years," she said.
The blade sang as it left its scabbard. She took a standard Isshin-style starting stance, her gentle aura vanishing instantly, replaced by a sharpness that felt like a cold edge against the skin.
"Please advise me, Senior Brother!"
Before Dande could even process the challenge, Kuina—with a flash of mischief in her eyes—charged forward, initiating the attack.
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