In the room next to the corridor, the air was filled with tension.
An old man with spiky white hair, a face full of wrinkles, yet eyes sharp as blades, had sensed the strange disappearance of Nami and the other two through his powerful Observation Haki.
He thought to himself, "Could they be Devil Fruit users?"
What shocked him even more was that the legendary sword of the Shimotsuki family, Wado Ichimonji, had appeared once again in Wano Country.
"This woman holds the Wado Ichimonji… could she be a descendant of the Shimotsuki family?" As the thought crossed his mind, his gaze grew even sharper, as if trying to cut through the fog and uncover the truth.
At this moment, the old man gripped tightly onto his long katana, over a meter in length, with a jewel embedded in its hilt that glimmered with a mysterious light.
Before he could think further, a clear, cold female voice rang out, "Old man, you've been following us all day, haven't you? Who exactly are you?"
Before the words even faded, Nami and Kuina appeared silently behind him like ghosts. Their eyes were cold and unyielding, locked on his every move.
The old man didn't answer right away. Instead, he slowly and calmly turned around.
The moment his eyes met theirs, his katana suddenly shot out of its sheath without warning, a flash of cold steel swinging hard toward Kuina.
But Kuina's reaction was just as fast.
With a flick of her wrist, she drew her own sword, meeting his fierce strike in the blink of an eye.
A sharp metallic clash rang out, sending a burst of sparks flying.
Right after, a harsh grinding noise echoed through the room, like a demon gnashing its teeth deep in the underworld, making one's spine shiver.
Both fighters pressed harder on their sword hilts, trying to overpower the other.
For a moment, they were locked in a stalemate, the air thick with tension.
The aura coming from them surged like crashing waves, instantly filling the room.
The nearby tables, chairs, and papers couldn't withstand the pressure and scattered like leaves in a storm.
Just then, Nami, who had been about to join the fight, stopped in her tracks. She had noticed the spiky-haired old man start to speak.
His hawk-like eyes stayed locked on Kuina as he said slowly, "Isshin-ryu sword style… You really are a descendant of the Shimotsuki family. What is your relation to Shimotsuki Koushirou?"
"Who are you!" Kuina shot back without answering his question.
Seeing this, Nami thought to herself, It seems this old man and Kuina share some kind of hidden connection. She decided to hold off on attacking for now, turning her attention to Kuina to see how she would respond.
The old man didn't reply right away. He first slowly lowered his sharp katana, every small movement carrying a certain weight.
Then, with the same slow, deliberate manner, he slid the blade back into its sheath, the action solemn and deliberate.
Only after that did he finally speak, his voice low but carrying undeniable authority, "My name… is Roronoa Nitta Shinken."
Nami's eyes instantly went wide, and she let out a cry, "Roronoa?!!" Kuina also looked completely stunned — the name was clearly not unfamiliar to them.
Nitta Shinken's gaze, like twin bolts of lightning, bore into Kuina, as if trying to see straight into her heart.
But Kuina, facing his piercing stare, remained calm.
She calmly replied, "No... we don't know you. But we know Roronoa Zoro, because she's my father's student."
After saying this, Kuina gently raised her hand and slid the Wado Ichimonji in her hand back into its sheath.
Nitta Shinken narrowed his eyes slightly, watching Kuina's every move. When he saw her put away the Wado Ichimonji, a faint, almost unnoticeable look of relief flashed in his eyes.
Then, in a deep, steady voice, he said, "No wonder you have the Wado Ichimonji. So you're Kosaburo's granddaughter. I might as well tell you—Zoro is my grandson."
"So you're Zoro's grandfather. Then why are you in Wano Country, while Zoro is all the way in the East Blue?" Nami asked directly, looking him in the eye.
Kuina was curious too.
Since childhood, Zoro had trained under her father alongside her, learning the Ittō-ryū sword style. But she had never once heard him mention his family.
Now this old man was claiming to be Zoro's grandfather, and that made her even more puzzled.
"Not long ago, the Straw Hat Pirates fought the Beasts Pirates. Zoro should have been there. Didn't you meet him?" Kuina, unable to hold back her own questions, asked right after.
Nitta Shinken narrowed his eyes slightly again, paused in thought for a moment, then said slowly, "There's no need to meet him. That boy's swordsmanship is still far behind mine. Besides, everyone has their own duties to fulfill."
As the three were talking, suddenly the sound of chaotic, hurried footsteps came from nearby, breaking the quiet atmosphere.
Nitta Shinken immediately became alert. He tilted his head slightly, listening to the noise outside, then said without hesitation, "I'll be going ahead." Before his words had fully faded, his figure flickered, and like a phantom, he leapt out of the window and disappeared into the vast night in the blink of an eye.
"Nami, Kuina, may I come in?" Just after Nitta Shinken left, 's voice came from outside the door.
Nami walked over and opened the door.
immediately noticed the broken tables and chairs in the room, but didn't step inside right away. "May I ask, who was that person who just left?"
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