"Renzo-senpai?! Renzo!"
"Renzo! Are you here?"
After finishing the periodic assessments for the students at the dojo, Kuina and Zoro left behind a group of bruised and battered trainees, rushing excitedly toward the yacht docked at the eastern edge of the village.
Standing beneath it, they shouted toward the interior.
"Hm? Zoro, you calling me for something?"
A lazy voice came from inside the yacht.
Zoro shuddered at the cold tone and quickly corrected himself, stammering, "S-Senpai! Senpai! There, that works, right? Can we come aboard? Are we finally setting sail?"
"Come on up! I'm in the control room." Renzo replied calmly.
Zoro and Kuina immediately climbed onto the yacht, excitement written all over their faces.
Kuina glanced around, admiring the yacht's setup. "Wow, Renzo has really outdone himself. Everything looks even more refined than before!"
"That's not important! Kuina, hurry up!" Zoro urged, making a beeline for the control room.
"Tch, this guy is like an ox—completely incapable of appreciating anything. Hmph!" Kuina huffed and followed after Zoro.
In no time, the two arrived at the control room.
Inside, Renzo was fully focused, typing furiously on a massive virtual screen in front of him. His fingers moved so fast they were practically a blur, and streams of data flowed across the screen like a waterfall.
"What are you doing? What are all these weird symbols? It looks like some kind of language," Kuina asked curiously, leaning in.
As the light floral fragrance of Kuina's presence wafted over him, Renzo nonchalantly replied, "It is a language, but even if I explained it, you wouldn't understand. No need to, really."
"Once I finish programming this AI assistant, we'll be ready to set sail."
"You're both sure you want to come with me? It's going to be dangerous. And don't expect me to protect you every second—we're here to grow stronger, not play house."
Still, for now, Renzo wasn't in a hurry to head to the Grand Line.
His plan was to stay in the Blue Sea for a while, hunt down some pirates, experience different islands, and—if possible—find a few Devil Fruits along the way. That would be a nice bonus.
"Oh, please." Kuina scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Who needs your protection? I'm strong enough on my own! I'm going out to become stronger, not to be babysat!"
Kuina's prideful attitude was nothing new. She had an intense competitive streak and never liked to admit defeat—especially to Renzo.
Unfortunately for her, the gap between them only widened, no matter how hard she pushed herself.
"I don't need protecting either!" Zoro chimed in firmly. "I'll keep getting stronger until I defeat both of you!"
Dreams were something he would never back down from.
"I'm the man who will become the World's Greatest Swordsman one day" Zoro declared boldly.
"Ha?" Kuina instantly frowned at his words.
She grabbed Zoro's ear and pulled, making him yelp. "You can't even beat me, and you think you're gonna be the world's greatest swordsman?"
"You're way too early for that! If anyone's taking that title, it'll be me! I'll become the strongest female swordsman in history and claim the title of the world's greatest!"
Renzo paused his coding, letting his program run on its own while he turned toward Zoro with a teasing grin. "Zoro, are you sure about that?"
"Huh?" Zoro felt something was off about Renzo's tone, but he still nodded resolutely. "Of course! I won't lose to you or Kuina!"
"No, no, no…" Renzo shook his head, still grinning mischievously. "That title is all yours, buddy. I don't want it."
"Huh? Why not?" Zoro asked, puzzled.
Renzo chuckled. "Zoro, do you know who the current world's greatest swordsman is?"
"Of course!" Zoro puffed out his chest. "It's Dracule Mihawk! I heard about him long ago!"
Thinking of Mihawk made Zoro's blood boil with excitement.
Renzo smirked. "Then you must know… Mihawk is a man, right?"
"Yeah, so?" Zoro asked, confused.
Kuina, however, had an odd expression. She could tell Renzo was setting Zoro up for something.
"Oh, nothing much." Renzo leaned back, sipping his juice leisurely. "It's just that… Mihawk is a man, and you just said you want to become 'the man of the world's greatest swordsman.' Doesn't that mean you're saying you want to be Mihawk's man?"
"Zoro, Why Are GAE?!"
He glanced up and down at Zoro, giving him a knowing look.
Zoro stiffened, the meaning of Renzo's words finally sinking in.
"W-Wait, no! That's not what I meant!"
"I-I'm not." His face turned beet red. "Damn you, Renzo! I'll kill you for that!"
Blinded by embarrassment, Zoro lunged at Renzo, roaring, "You twisted my words! Give me back my dream!"
Tears welled up in his eyes. He felt like he could never look at his dream the same way again!
This was all Renzo's fault!
Even the fear he usually had toward Renzo vanished in that moment.
"Oh wow, Zoro… so you really meant it, huh?" Kuina said, looking at Renzo with mock disgust.
But Renzo could see the glimmer of laughter in her eyes. Using his mind-reading ability, he confirmed she was having the time of her life with this.
Renzo effortlessly held Zoro at bay with one hand, keeping the frantic swordsman at arm's length. "Kuina, don't hold it in. Laugh if you want. It's not good to bottle things up."
Kuina couldn't hold it anymore. Seeing Renzo stop Zoro with a single finger while the latter flailed helplessly was just too much. She clutched her stomach, laughing uncontrollably.
"Hahaha! Zoro! Your dream is truly… unique! I never imagined it had such a hidden meaning! Pfft! Hahaha!"
"Kuina! You traitor! I'll take you down too!"
Realizing he had no chance against Renzo, Zoro turned his wrath on Kuina instead, charging at her.
Kuina instantly dropped her smile, her expression turning fierce. "Oh? You think you can take me on just because you can't handle Renzo?"
Moments later, Zoro lay sprawled on the ground, his face swollen and bruised.
"…So unfair…" Zoro groaned, staring at the sky in defeat.
"I'll never give up! Kuina! Renzo! One day, I'll defeat you both!"
Renzo chuckled, his gaze turning serious. "I'll be waiting at the peak of the world, Zoro… and you too, Kuina."
"Hmph! I won't lose either! Just wait and see!" Kuina huffed confidently.
At the same time, she thought to herself, "The top of the world? So that's Renzo's goal and ambition? I won't let myself be left behind!"
"The top of the world?"
Zoro's eyes lit up at those words. He clenched his fists in determination.
"Renzo… so you have a dream too, huh? Then it's settled!"