Chapter 23: Gift

Early the next morning, in the Shimotsuki Village.

The morning mist shrouded the earth, and the fishermen on the Port were already out to sea.

Standing on the Port, El looked at the misty sea.

Nami next to her was holding a pocket watch, watching the beating of the watch, and said, "It's already 6:50, she won't come, right?"

"It's normal not to come, after all, she's not like us."

Carina is not surprised, but understands very well: "Even if she can let go her family and choose to go to sea with us at her age, her father will not agree."

"After all, as a parent, how can you rest assured that your daughter will venture out to sea at such a young age?"

"...That's right." Nami nodded.

"Go remove the anchor, she's almost here."

At this moment, El suddenly spoke up.

"Eh?!"

Carina was stunned for a moment, she didn't expect the slap on her face to come so quickly.

However, Carina was more surprised than the embarrassment on being slapped in the face: "She didn't sneak out, did she?"

"She was sent out by her father himself." El shook his head.

"Nii-san..."

Carina squinted her sapphire-like eyes, staring at El, she asked with a puzzled expression, "she haven't arrived yet, how did you know this?"

"Could it be, Nii-san, you have a third eye?" Nami also looked at El suspiciously.

"You're right in saying that."

El glanced at Nami, and then confessed to the two Girls the secret on the tip of the iceberg: "I do have a special perception ability. In this world, it is an ability called Observation Haki."

"Observation Haki?"

Nami was slightly taken aback.

Carina recalled the scene of the exchange between El and Koushirou yesterday when they stopped fighting, then she suddenly said, "So that's it, you were asking the owner of the Dojo yesterday, nii-san?"

"perception ability, Observation haki..."

Without waiting for El to nod, Carina recalled the experience of the past month, she continued as if she was breaking through layer of clouds and mist. "No wonder nii-san doesn't need to collect intelligence all the time, yet you can still find the enemy's location very accurately. It turns out that you used your ability to collect intelligence."

"good"

El looked at Carina and nodded in appreciation.

"...sorry I'm late!"

Just when Carina and Nami were about to ask for more information about observation Haki.

In the ears of the three, there was suddenly a shout coming from far place.

Looking in the direction from which the voice came, they saw a figure of about 1.45 meters tall, carrying a large bag, holding a sword with a white scabbard and a hilt, jogging towards this direction.

"Sorry for keeping you waiting."

Kuina said with slightly rapid breathing, she seemed to have run all the way here from the time she went out, her face flushed slightly, and there were a few drops of sweat on her forehead.

"fine..."

El shook his head, looked at Kuina with smile: "Have you said goodbye to your family?"

"Uh-huh..."

Kuina nodded vigorously and smiled: "Father, he agree let me go to sea with you."

"Please advise me from now on, Kuina." El stretched out his palm to Guyana.

"Please advise, El... Carina and Nami."

Kuina shook hands with El, then bowed slightly to Carina and Nami.

"Please advise, Sister Kuina."

Carina and Nami responded to Kuina very politely.

then...

The three little bounty hunter has officially become four.

"Goodbye, Isshin Dojo...Goodbye, Shimotsuki Village..."

After the small sailing ship left.

Standing on the deck, Kuina looked at the island where it was still filled with white fog, where she had lived for nearly eleven years. Her eyes were a little sad, but they were quickly replaced by determine expression.

Although her heart is full of reluctance, for her dreams and to prove herself to her father, she must give up her hometown and even her family and friends.

This is the choice of Kuina Shimotsuki, the descendant of the God of Swords.

"...seriously, I am very surprised by your choice."

Just when Kuina said goodbye to her hometown and Isshin Dojo in her heart.

El's voice suddenly came from behind her.

she saw El walking to her side, looking at the island that was gradually getting smaller and smaller because of the white mist, and sighed: "We only met for the first time, but you ended up following us in order to follow your dream. Is it really worth it to leave with a stranger to goes to sea, choosing to leave your family and hometown?"

"Also, aren't you afraid that we are bad people?"

with El voice, Kuina was pulled back to reality.

Looking at El, who is about the same height as her, Kuina's lips raised slightly and said, "The eyes of a swordsman will not deceive her"

"I believe in my and father's intuition... My dream is to become the world's No. 1 swordsman, and you will be my biggest challenge on the way to realize my dream."

"Following you and defeating you will be the goal of my life!"

With the last sentence, Kuina issued a statement to El.

If it weren't for the ability to read people's hearts, El would have thought that the girl in front of him was saying confession to him.

But I have to say that this ambiguous word made El's expectation rise slightly: "Do you personally train an opponent to compete with yourself as the world's largest swordsman? It sounds pretty good."

"You...don't think about it, I don't mean anything else!"

At this time, Kuina realized how much ambiguity she had just said.

he saw her little face was slightly red, her eyes were dodging and she dared not look directly at him, and her tone was also a little flustered.

"By the way, my father give something to you!"

Without waiting for El to continue teasing her, Kuina suddenly remove the bag on her back as if remembering something.

Opening the bag, Kuina took out a diary from it and handed it to El: "This is what my father gave me last night, he asked me to pass it on to you."

"What did the senior give me?"

El took the diary slightly curiously.

Automatically reading Kuina's heart, El found that Kuina had not read this diary.

However, a gift from a Master swordsman is definitely not an ordinary thing.

So, El opened the diary with the feeling of opening the blind box.

When he saw the contents of the diary, his red pupils could not help shrinking.

"This is..."