Chapter 25: Rising Fame

It must be said that the "directionally challenged" aura is truly invincible.

After wandering around the village with Zoro for half an hour, Shano felt so dizzy he could barely stand. In the end, he had to ask a local man for directions, finally locating the entrance to the Isshin Dojo.

Surprisingly, Koushiro was already waiting at the gate.

"Why have you arrived so late?"

The middle-aged man, dressed in a kimono and wearing black-rimmed glasses, looked at Zoro with a smile. "Is it your doing, Zoro? Did you get Shano-kaku lost along with you?"

"..." Zoro's face turned red.

He could lie to Shano, but before a teacher who knew him so well, he was powerless to argue. Grumbling under his breath, he turned around. "How annoying! You're here now, aren't you? That's all that matters! I'm leaving. Don't call me for dinner; I haven't finished today's extra training yet!"

Watching Zoro leave, Koushiro chuckled and turned to walk into the dojo.

"Dinner is already being prepared. I assume you haven't eaten yet, Shano-kaku? Why don't you join us shortly?"

"I am indeed a bit hungry. Thank you for the hospitality."

Shano didn't stand on ceremony. He followed behind, feeling curious. "Koushiro-san, you know my name? Has Jun-ichi already returned from the clinic? That was quick."

"Jun-ichi?"

Koushiro paused slightly, then shook his head. "No, not at all. I only heard the news that the boy had returned, though I haven't seen him myself. Speaking of which, I must thank you on his behalf. I never expected the trip to Asakura Island to be so treacherous. If it hadn't been for you, he might not have made it back alive."

"Then how did you know so much..."

"As for that, it is simply because you, Shano-kaku, have become quite famous recently."

Koushiro took several newspapers from a middle shelf of the cabinet and handed them to Shano, smiling cheerfully. "Once you read these, you will understand."

Newspapers?

Shano took them curiously. He had been drifting at sea for the past few days and hadn't encountered any News Coo birds. Perhaps the birds flying at high altitudes hadn't noticed their small boat.

"Here, have some tea." Koushiro personally brewed a cup of green tea and handed it over.

"Thank you."

The two sat on the tatami mats with a tea table between them. Shano unfolded the newspapers and began to read carefully.

These papers were mostly local to the East Blue, and without exception, the headlines were all about the Asakura Island incident.

"Shimotsuki Village is isolated from the world. Apart from myself, who subscribes to the papers daily, few here know of your deeds," Koushiro said with a smile. "But it is different on other islands. In many parts of the nearby seas, you have been the focus of attention these past few days. It would be no exaggeration to call you the most dazzling new star in the East Blue right now."

His words were not an exaggeration in the slightest.

From Shano's relentless momentum as he crushed his way into the finals, to the series of bizarre accidents that occurred within the dojo; to the eerie horror of the seven dojo masters being turned into puppets, and the revelation that the mastermind was the supposedly deceased chairman, Tree Sakuraba...

This strange story was captivating enough on its own. In the midst of such despair, a young swordsman had suddenly stepped forward, single-handedly crushing the conspiracy.

After finding the secret treasure vault of the mastermind, he had taken nothing for himself, instead deciding to distribute the massive fortune among all the victims.

Finally, before dawn broke, the young swordsman had quietly departed, keeping his merits and fame hidden.

It was the standard template for a young hero out of traditional folklore; it would be strange if it hadn't become a sensation.

Several local East Blue newspapers spared no ink, reporting on it continuously for several days, with sales climbing steadily. Even the *World Economic News* had been stirred, rushing to follow the story. Although it wasn't the headline, it occupied a significant portion of the second page.

After all the fermentation, the title of "Strongest Young Swordsman of the East Blue" had quietly spread across most of the East Blue.

"This—this is too much flattery..."

Shano held the newspaper, his face turning red with embarrassment.

For the most part, the reporters hadn't been on the scene, and much of the content was pieced together from testimonies given after the fact, leading to many inaccuracies. For instance, while he had left the two hundred million berries in the secret vault, he still had the four hundred million from the Loguetown treasury in his possession—he wasn't nearly as noble as they made him out to be.

Jun-ichi's involvement was also completely ignored, but that was a form of protection, so it was arguably a good thing. After all, being the son of the mastermind Tree Sakuraba was a sensitive identity; if his fame grew, some vengeful family members of the victims might not distinguish between right and wrong and come looking for trouble.

But then again, the most bizarre thing of all was—

"I was actually hailed as the 'Strongest Swordsman'?!"

Swordsman?

Had they made a mistake?

His amateur swordsmanship couldn't possibly have been the deciding factor in such a battle. The final victory had clearly been won by using his strong physique to smash his way through, punch by punch!

"Hiss..."

Shano scratched his hair, feeling a bit of a headache.

Would he be constantly challenged to duels or asked for pointers by every swordsman he met from now on?

But the result wasn't entirely unexpected. After all, when the real battle began, everyone who could run from the dojo had fled, whereas his entire path of advancement through the Kendo Tournament had been recorded.

A genius swordsman who entered the finals with a perfect record and eventually defeated a terrifying Devil Fruit user...

If it wasn't by swordsmanship, what else could it have been?

It seemed reasonable enough.

Even the front-page photos in the newspapers were from his early qualifying matches, captured by reporters. The black-haired youth, clutching a bamboo sword, standing proudly on the wooden stage, undefeated, surrounded by an audience full of awe.

At a glance, he really did have the air of a young swordsman who had just emerged from the mountains to find no rivals.

"Sigh."

Shano let out a long sigh.

Koushiro, however, misunderstood his meaning and smiled. "To be famous and yet look so troubled—it seems you are the type of person who prefers to stay low-key. That makes sense; otherwise, why would you have left so quietly after the incident?"

He made no effort to hide his admiration, which made Shano feel even more restless. He was terrified that the next thing the man would say would be something like, "I'd like to see your swordsmanship," or "Dinner is still being prepared, why don't you and I spar a little?"

Fortunately, a figure pushing open the door saved him from his awkwardness.

"Father."

A black-haired girl with a cold expression stood at the door, speaking calmly. "Granny says dinner is ready and told me to come get you. We should head over now... Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh?!!!"

She suddenly shrieked, her gaze shifting to Shano. Her small face was full of surprise. "Sha... Shano-kaku! Why are you here!"

*Thump, thump, thump.* Before Shano could react, she rushed straight over, grabbed his arm, and began poking and prodding him. "An illusion? No! It's not an illusion! It's really him!"

Shano's heart skipped a beat, and he turned to look at Koushiro.

"This is my daughter, Kuina. Please forgive her; she doesn't usually behave like this."

Koushiro chuckled. "It is only because she saw you in person that she lost her composure. Actually, aside from practicing swordplay, she is quite fond of reading and often flips through the newspapers I subscribe to. These past few days, she has been quite obsessed with your story and has been reading it over and over again."