Year 1510 of the Sea Calendar, Summer.
East Blue, Shimotsuki Village.
The night was deep.
An eleven-year-old girl swordswoman sat still in the courtyard.
She looked up at the sky, pondering whether women were truly inherently inferior to men.
Could women truly not become the world's strongest?
Even after much thought, there was no answer.
The frustrated girl shook her head.
Taking the stairs two steps at a time, she climbed up.
She prepared to get a whetstone to maintain her ancestral famous sword.
However...
Just as she was descending the stairs.
The girl's foot suddenly slipped, and her whole body fell through the air.
Her back of the head was about to make intimate contact with the ground.
Just then.
Without warning.
The void rippled like water.
A large fishing hook suddenly pierced through the void, hooking the back of the girl's collar.
Clang~
The fishing line suddenly tautened and straightened.
The back of the girl's head avoided contact with the ground.
With a gasp, the girl's entire body vanished into the void.
...
...
Time returns to the present.
The first ray of dawn pierced through the darkness, illuminating countless mountains and rivers.
At the cliff behind Shimotsuki Village, the warm morning sun shone upon the embracing young man and girl.
Looking at the girl in his arms who was coughing incessantly from choking on water, Roland's eyes suddenly widened.
An expression of extreme shock and disbelief involuntarily appeared on his face.
Since transmigrating to the One Piece World and acquiring the Fishing System, it had been over a month.
Roland had long grown accustomed to the system's quirks, remaining calm regardless of what strange things he caught.
With Dragon Maid Tohru already there, even if he caught another girl, Roland shouldn't have been so surprised.
However, upon recognizing the identity of the girl in his arms, even the well-traveled Roland could not remain calm.
Dragon Maid Tohru transcended spatial limitations, coming from another world.
However, the girl in his arms transcended temporal limitations, snatched from the hands of King Yama.
[Ding dong]
[Fishing Skill Reaches Peak, Congratulations Host for Breaking Through the River of Time, Catching Eleven-Year-Old Kuina]
Frost Moon Kuina!!!
The only daughter of Frost Moon Koushirou, the master of the Shimotsuki Village Kendo Dojo.
The childhood friend of Roronoa Zoro, the second-in-command of the protagonist's group and a pirate hunter.
Ten... nine years ago, she died from falling down the stairs.
Her death motivated Zoro, who vowed to reach the top of the world, carrying Kuina's share with him.
However, now.
This girl, who should have died young nine years ago, was just caught by Roland.
From the distant past of death, she came alive to the future era.
Anyone who witnessed this scene would be moved.
Time seemed to stand still at this moment.
Gradually.
Kuina coughed out the seawater from her lungs, and her mind gradually settled.
Looking at the young man holding her, Kuina's round eyes were filled with great confusion.
She remembered that she should have been in the dojo, using a whetstone to maintain Wado Ichimonji.
Then she accidentally fell down the stairs, and when she closed and opened her eyes, she was in the arms of a strange man.
The surrounding scenery, however, was slightly familiar; it seemed to be the back shore of the village.
When her grandfather was alive, she often came here to play with Zoro.
"Ku... Kuina... Is it really you?"
Just then, Kuina heard a familiar call.
Turning her head, and seeing the middle-aged man in the distance, tears streaming down his face, Kuina's eyes immediately lit up.
"Dad."
Kuina broke free from Roland's embrace and ran to Koushirou's arms.
"Kuina! You're back! You're really back! This is wonderful... It's truly wonderful... If this is a dream, I'm willing to never wake up..."
Koushirou hugged his daughter tightly, afraid that all of this was just a dream, afraid that if he opened his eyes, his daughter would disappear again.
"What are you talking about, Dad? I'm... I've always been here. Don't cry, Dad!"
Kuina thoughtfully wiped away Koushirou's tears, her confusion deepening.
Her father had always been a towering man, never easily shedding tears.
Now, he was crying like a child.
Also...
Even though it had only been a few hours since they last met.
Dad seemed to have aged ten years.
"How wonderful!"
Looking at the beautiful scene of the father and daughter reuniting, Roland also felt genuinely happy for Koushirou.
An hour later, Koushirou finally recovered from the immense joy of his daughter's resurrection.
At this moment, in his eyes, Roland was already a god-like existence.
Thump!
Koushirou knelt before Roland, bringing Kuina with him.
"Dad, what are you doing? Who is this big brother?"
Kuina asked, puzzled.
"He is our great benefactor!"
Koushirou pulled his daughter and respectfully kowtowed.
"Thank you very, very much, Mr. Roland. For this great kindness, whether it's climbing a mountain of swords or descending into a sea of fire, I will not hesitate to die ten thousand deaths!"
"Get up. For now, go back and explain everything to Kuina. The little girl must have many questions to ask!"
Roland said calmly.
"Mhm!"
Koushirou nodded excitedly.
...
...
At this very moment.
Somewhere in the East Blue.
"Three-Sword Style — Oni Giri!!!"
Swish~
Blood splattered.
The Green Algae Head youth slowly returned his swords to their sheaths.
Behind him, an assassin knelt weakly on the ground.
"Doing something like this… our Baroque Works will never let this go…"
Thud!
Baroque Works's Intermediate Agent Mr. 7's eyes rolled back, and he completely collapsed.
"Inviting me to be a killer? If it's to be your boss, I might consider it!"
Pirate Hunter Zoro left without looking back.
"Speaking of which, I've been out for a while. Now that I've finally made a name for myself, it's time to go back to the village and take a look!"
...