39: The Night of White Snow—Kuina and Ron’s Promise

Three months later.

In the Goa Kingdom, within Foosha Village, Ron stood in a forest, throwing a punch at a large boulder in front of him. His fist sank into the stone, causing cracks to spread across its surface.

"It's still not enough. I can only wrap it around, but I can't enhance my Armament Haki."

Looking at the stone, Ron sighed. He had learned Armament Haki a month after Garp left, but so far, he could only wrap his body in it, unable to strengthen it.

Armament Haki was a power that everyone possessed from birth and could grow stronger through training. It was connected to two things: vitality and willpower. If either of these was insufficient, one couldn't sense Haki.

Training in Armament Haki meant controlling vitality with willpower and blending in elements like aura, killing intent, and a fighting spirit to turn it into a weapon.

Once Ron had grasped the basics, he continued strengthening his body and increasing his vitality, working on his aura and willpower to make his Haki stronger. This was the training method passed down by the legendary Marine hero, Garp, one of the world's top Haki users.

The highest level of Observation Haki was innate, known as "the ability to hear the voices of all things," achievable only through talent. Although Garp had taught Ron how to train for Observation Haki, Ron hadn't sensed it yet.

As for Conqueror's Haki, that was still far off. Ron had only traveled to three islands, never leaving the East Blue, and had encountered only a few strong opponents. He was like a newborn bird, still lacking the aura of a king.

"System, show me my current stats."

[Understood.]

[Host: Ron.

Age: 10.

Vitality: 506.

Mastery of Sun Breathing: 53%.

Swordsmanship: Stage of Force (Great Accomplishment).

Weapon: Great Grade Sword - Raikiri.

Permanent buff: 'The Essence of Ten Thousand Tempering' (Bound…).

Armament Haki: Level 1.]

"My current strength might be almost enough for the East Blue, but in the Marines, I'd still be nothing."

Ron contemplated the stats displayed on the virtual screen. "Before becoming a Marine trainee, I need to get stronger—at least advance my swordsmanship to the Stage of Will."

"There are a few islands nearby. Maybe I can explore and activate more missions."

Over the next five or six months, Ron often left Foosha Village with Kuina, traveling for short periods—sometimes seven days, sometimes half a month. Kuina's swordsmanship improved rapidly as they faced mountain bandits, pirates, and criminals kidnapping children.

The most dangerous encounter was against a Paramecia-type Stinger-Stinger Fruit user. Unaware of the enemy's powers, Kuina was pierced through the shoulder and immobilized. Two spikes erupted from the ground, pinning her hands and leaving her defenseless. If not for Ron's timely intervention, she might have died.

This experience made Kuina far more cautious, and she never underestimated any opponent again, no matter how weak they seemed.

During these months, Ace and Luffy also trained hard, though they spent less time with Ron. They focused on basic physical training day in and day out. By the time Ron returned, the two brothers could work together to take down a large bear.

Ron's progress was even more remarkable. As Kuina put it, "No one knows how strong he is now."

She witnessed Ron single-handedly defeat a pirate crew of over fifty members, including a captain with a bounty of 17 million Berries, using just one slash of his sword. Ron tied up the pirate captain and delivered him to the Marines stationed in the Goa Kingdom, earning a hefty reward.

When they returned with bags full of money, Makino and the bar staff were stunned. And that was only what Kuina knew. Secretly, Ron had collected treasure from the bandits and pirates he defeated and stored it in his system space. He even stumbled upon an ancient pirate treasure on an island, filled with gold artifacts. Ron estimated the treasure alone could fetch 300 million Berries.

For now, Ron had no worries about money.

In the remaining months of that year, Ron and Kuina occasionally traveled to other islands by merchant ships. During these trips, they often dealt with unruly pirates and bandits. By the end of the year, stories of the "Traveler Ron" and the "Blue-haired Swordswoman" began circulating among the islands in the East Blue and the Goa Kingdom.

---

One snowy day in Foosha Village, Makino hosted a lively party at her tavern, inviting Dadan, her bandit family, Ace, Luffy, Ron, and Kuina. It was a festive affair. Luffy, who had never seen so much meat, devoured food until he was too full to move, mumbling about how much he loved banquets and how good the meat tasted.

Ace sat by the window, smiling at Luffy before turning to watch the snow fall outside, a wistful look in his eyes. "Sabo… are you doing well?"

After the party, on the second-floor balcony, Kuina and Ron leaned against the railing, watching the snow cover the village.

"Has it been a year already…" Ron said with a touch of sentiment.

"Yeah… It feels like just yesterday we arrived." Kuina rested her chin on her arms, smiling at Ron. "I'm so glad I decided to leave the dojo and come here with you. Otherwise, I wouldn't have met Makino, Kemi, Ace, or Luffy."

Her smile dimmed slightly. "But we'll have to part ways soon, won't we?"

Ron gazed at the falling snow and smiled. "We'll meet again. Parting to pursue our goals will only make our reunion sweeter."

"You're right," Kuina smiled again.

She turned to Ron and asked, "You've decided to go with Garp to the Marines, haven't you?"

Ron hesitated briefly before nodding. "Yeah."

"Then we'll be parting ways for now." Kuina smiled, surprising Ron as she suddenly hugged him.

In the snowy night, on the brightly lit balcony of the tavern, the blue-haired girl embraced the black-haired boy, leaving Ron at a loss for words. Scratching his cheek, he mumbled, "I won't join the Marines. I'm just going to be a trainee for a while… it shouldn't be long."

"I know," Kuina whispered in his ear. "You've always trained so hard, just like me, because you have a big goal. So, I'm not surprised by any of your decisions."

"Don't worry about me, and don't let my father's words affect you. Even if we part ways, I'll keep moving forward toward my ambition."

Kuina let go of Ron, her eyes glistening with tears as she smiled. "When we meet again, I'll be a swordswoman who'll amaze you with my strength."

"I'll be looking forward to that day," Ron smiled. "When the time comes, let's set out on an adventure together."

Wiping her tears, Kuina nodded with a smile. "It's a promise!"

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T/N:

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