The distance between Zoro and Kuina's island with Logue Town was pretty big, it would take them at least a month of sailing to get back at their current speed, of course, the time would be cut off with the help of the living speed motor known as Zoro. Tashigi eyes popped open the first time she saw Zoro jump in the water and make the ship look motorized.
Tashigi looked at Kuina and asked:
"Does he do that often?" Kuina chuckled and responded to her:
"Everyday." Tashigi never asked about Zoro again afterward, he was a strange fellow to her, very strong used three swords, didn't seem particularly smart but not dumb either, Johnny and Yosaku were funny characters to her, calling her the sister of big sis Kuina and all that, Tashigi felt different compared to the time she was in the marines, the marines taught her discipline and how to follow the orders of higher-ups, she was also taught swordsmanship and how to navigate shoot a gun properly, etc.. marines were taught everything they needed to survive at sea before they were given a rank and allotted to a Captain, afterward doing well or catching pirates with relatively high bounties would increase your rank in the marines.
For some people rank was everything, all they wanted was to increase their rank and clout in the marines so they could abuse their power, there were more than a few marines like these in east-blue Zoro and Kuina met them some times when they cashed in bounties, but these type of marines weren't that dumb, they knew when to act good and when to act like they owned the place if a bounty hunter came in with the heads of pirates that were worth up to one million bellies they wouldn't be normal people. This kind of marines wanted results without the care of means, they were similar to Akainu in a way, every corrupt marine was like a mini Akainu but they cared less about justice they had their agendas.
Johnny and Yosaku's training helped them quite a lot, Kuina told Zoro how in Logue Town they met with some pirates with a bounty of one million and the duo beat them! They grew steadily and they were ready for Zoro's training after they finished Zoro's training Zoro would ask them if they want to leave or stay with them, they were pretty funny guys but if they didn't want to remain with them afterward he wouldn't blame them, everyone had their dreams.
Zoro chuckled to himself as he sat cross-legged on the deck of the ship he almost reached eighty percent mastery in armament haki and his chances of using it were almost perfect all the time he tried to use it, Tashigi watched Zoro as his arms hardened and darkened with wonder in her eyes, she was too low ranked in the marines to know about haki, only captains and above who visited marineford get some information about haki, Smoker knew about it but he didn't start training it yet due to the lack of time as he was instated in Logue Town as it's new captain, now he had tons of paperwork and pirates to catch so his training time would get lowered.
Tashigi looked as Kuina did the same training as Zoro, her arms would also harden and darken from time to time but it seemed she was less proficient in the technique compared to Zoro, she would fail to use armament quite often as it was a forty percent chance for her. Tashigi didn't like being idle so she started training with her sword as well, her sword sheath was green with gold linings while the handle was green with black linings, there were some patterns on the sword that looked like waves, she started her swordsmanship training with a few slashes here and there and then meditated. It seemed she took a different approach to swordsmanship compared to Zoro and Kuina.
Her training took the attention of Johnny and Yosaku so they asked for a spar from her, Tashigi didn't turn them down, it's been quite a while since she sparred with someone and there was still quite the time till they would reach Zoro and Kuina's island so she had time to burn with training.
Tashigi took a fighting stance putting one foot in front and one behind while keeping her sword in front of her at an angle that kept the sword near her body, the sword style seemed to be based on speed and reaction to the opponent's attacks, Johnny was the first to go against Tashigi he entered in his stance putting one foot in front and keeping the other where it was, he used only one arm to handle his sword which was a cutlass, not a katana. It would be a stretch to call the duo of Johnny and Yosaku swordsmen even with the training from Kuina, Kuina taught them basics and how to train their bodies to the best of their abilities but that didn't mean their skills were that great, while strength is something you can gain as long as you train the same can't be said about skill, some people just aren't very talented in swordsmanship.
Johnny wanted to rush towards Tashigi and catch her off guard but Tashigi already had her guard up, it was the specialty of her swordsmanship unless someone was way stronger than her she wouldn't be taken by surprise in this kind of confrontations. Johnny suddenly felt cold as he looked down at his chest, a long red line appeared on it as his shirt was cut off horizontally, Johnny shuddered then said:
"I give up!" Tashigi eyes suddenly focused again as they were unfocused after she did her first then she said:
"Oh, we are done already?" Johnny nodded his head fast then left her alone, Yosaku looked between where Johnny stood some seconds ago then at Tashigi then where Johnny stood again and said:
"I have to help Johnny see ya later Kuina's sis." then he darted after Johnny leaving Tashigi alone, Tashigi sighed at their antics but then Kuina approached her and asked:
"Want to spar with me?" Tashigi smiled at Kuina and nodded her head, she wanted to see how strong her twin is, she knew she was no match for Zoro, that man was strong as a gorilla or even a sea king, as Tashigi took a better look at Kuina's sword her eyes widened as she said:
"That's Wado Ichimonji one of the twenty Wazamono!" She opened up a little swords booklet and started to read:
"Created by Enma during the Sengoku period, its sharpness and durability are off the charts it being of the best swords in the world! Its price range starts at ten million and it can go up!" She closed the booklet afterward and asked:
"Where did you get Wado Ichimonji Kuina?" Kuina smiled at Tashigi's inquire and responded to her:
"It was my father's before he retired, we came from the grand line to the east blue due to some um.. complications." Tashigi nodded her head, Kuina's father was the one who should be able to respond to all of their questions.
Tashigi unsheathed her own sword while they both took different stances, one slash after another Tashigi tried to hit Kuina but Kuina had learned Observation Haki so it was easier said than done to hit an Observation Haki user while you knew jack about Haki. Out of nowhere, sword winds started to hit Tashigi ripping some of her clothes here and there, Tashigi gritted her teeth and forced herself to endure the slashes.
She took a drawing sword stance and suddenly appeared behind Kuina but instead of Kuina being she was cut instead! A little bit of blood appeared at the corners of her mouth which she cleaned off with the corners of her shirt cuffs.
Kuina shook her head and said:
"You have too many openings when you attack after you got cut by the sword winds you should have gone on the defensive instead and try to find an opening from me instead of enduring them head-on, you didn't even follow your sword style there, why?" Tashigi was embarrassed by Kuina's words, it was true this wasn't her sword style, she felt quite dumb for some reason, she thought she would be able to take care of Kuina as she did with Johnny, maybe she looked down on Kuina subconsciously because she was a bounty hunter. Tashigi shook her head and said:
"I'm sorry it won't happen again." Kuina nodded at her then left her alone so she could rest, Zoro looked at everything that happened down from the crow's nest, one of his favorite places, when he wasn't training he was either drinking or sleeping in the crow's nest. He had his hand on a bottle of ale and observed how Tashigi and Kuina bonded, they were for sure related they looked too much alike, even though one was a marine and the other a bounty hunter they still could be friends as bounty hunters worked with the world government, if Kuina was a pirate that would have been a problem.
After a few days of navigating with the super speed motor known as Zoro, they reached the island in record time. Koshiro at first was surprised to see them back already but his jaw dropped to the ground and his eyes bulged out when he saw Tashigi as he muttered to himself:
"You are still alive..." Tashigi eyes widened at his words, his voice and face seemed familiar to her but it was like something was slipping from her whenever she tried to remember. Kuina told Koshiro of how they meet in Logue Town and Koshiro nodded his head at the story then he asked Tashigi about her life, Tashigi told Koshiro what she told Kuina, how she was an orphan which the marines took in how she trained, etc.
Koshiro's eyes started to water as he said with his voice trembling:
"If only your mother was here to see the two of you." These words confirmed that they were indeed sisters, Kuina and Tashigi said in unison:
"What happened back then?" Koshiro cleaned his glasses with his shirt while Zoro Johnny and Yosaku were listening as well, Zoro sat cross-legged on the floor while drinking some tea Koshiro prepared for everyone, Johnny and Yosaku were mimicking Zoro but when they drank the tea they almost burned themselves with it because it was too hot!
Koshiro coughed a bit then he started to narrate a story:
"Back when I was eighteen years old my island couldn't keep me anymore, I defeated every swordsman on it regardless of age or gender, I was feeling great like I was the best of the best, that until I left the island and I got my ass handed to me directly in the second island I ever put my foot in my life, your mother was the one who did that, ah I remember she was a fiery one and you both resemble her so much, anyways let's continue the story."
"After she beat me I started following her around always asking her for a rematch, after one thousand and one matches I finally won my first match, afterward I left the island but I surprised to find out that she started to follow me after that! We started fighting again but we knew each other moves after we fought so many times so we couldn't decide who was the victor anymore even if we wanted to, we fought for days in a row but we still couldn't find out who the winner would be, so we gave up on fighting, you know one thing leads to another and we became friends and after that more than friends. But it wasn't immediately more than a few years and adventures had gone over us before we married."
"I was already thirty years old when we had Kuina, two years later little Tashigi came out, I was under the tutorship of the worlds greatest swordsman at the time, Zanshiro Monozoma he was from the Great Wano country and he just came to the new world, unfortunately for him, that's where his grave is now. Let's keep things a bit shorter Mihawk the new worlds greatest swordsman came in with his giant sword Yoru and decapitated Zanshiro, I wanted to save the honor of the master and decided to fight with Mihawk, it was a bad decision on my part, he cut me down easily and gave me an injury that ended my swordsman career." Here Koshiro pulled up his shirt showing a scar that went from his chest down to his stomach, it looked really ugly and even though it seemed healed it still interfered with his daily activities, as he grew older it might even kill him if he did sudden movements.
Kuina covered her mouth with her hands as she saw the scar, she remembered how her father would get mad at her when she was little and she wanted to take baths together with him, he would say that it was inappropriate for a man and woman to bath together especially if they are related, while it was true he also did it to hide his scar.
Koshiro coughed a bit as he let the shirt cover the scar and he continued:
"Your poor mother Shigoki saw red in front of her eyes when she saw how Mihawk cut me down like an animal, unfortunately for her, he wasn't as good to her as he was with me, the cut he gave her was fatal and I could do was watch her bleed out to death in my arms, I couldn't move either I thought I would die with her but then I remembered I had two little girls I had to take care off, The island was in pandemonium, pirates were looting the place up and fires were everywhere, I was extremely pained when I only found Kuina in our home but all I could do was steel myself and take her with me and run away, with my injury there was no way I could survive the new world anymore, maybe paradise but I needed a safe place to heal it thoroughly so I took the weakest sea as the place east-blue." He sighed as he remembered everything but then a smile appeared on his face:
"But you are ok, you are alive and ok, I don't care you became a marine as long as you are happy with who you are, but I have only one question, do you remember anything about what happened back then after you heard my story?" Tashigi had tears in her eyes as she heard the story of her father but she shook her head, there was nothing her head was blank she couldn't remember anything besides some ringing in her ears and a silhouette of a fire. Even though it was little she told Koshiro about it. Koshiro shook his head at her words and said:
"There might be a chance a beam hit you while you were running away and you got intoxicated with the fumes of the fire, somebody must have saved you, how did you even get to east-blue from the new world?" That was unknown to Tashigi as well, one day she just woke up in the marine orphanage and she was taken in.
Zoro got up from his position on the ground and asked:
"Koshiro can you tell me more about Mihawk, what's he like? How are his techniques? how strong is he?"
Koshiro shook his head at his words and said:
"I can't gauge his strength it's been a long time and he must have improved up till now, but I have two words for you, the best! as for techniques, he prefers long-range flying slashes, but that doesn't mean he is bad at short-range fighting, how's he like? He is a very serious man and he has a no-nonsense attitude it's my fault for challenging him back then if I didn't I think our family would still be together, he told me he couldn't control his strength well at that time but I was too stubborn and angry at master's death, it's my fault everything happened." Koshiro's eyes started to water as he started to bow towards his daughters but suddenly Kuina and Tashigi stopped him and said in unison:
"No parent should bow to their children, pride is as important to a swordsman as his life, even though what you did was wrong and we blame you for it, we also forgive you, you are our only family left and we don't want you to get hurt!" Afterward, the trio hugged Johnny and Yosaku started to cry like they watched the saddest thing ever, they almost made up a river of tears.
Zoro had a serious look on his face, Mihawk wasn't someone he could contend against yet, it seemed it was still a long way before he would be able to challenge the man known as the best, especially since he had to go to the new world to meet with him, Koshiro already explained to them how the grand line worked and Zoro knew that the new world was a dangerous place where marines and pirates mingled together, the four emperors were also living there lurking beneath the waves of the ocean, figuratively three of them had devil fruits so they couldn't swim.
Zoro put his swords back to his hip and said:
"So are we going back to Logue Town to get Tashigi back or?" Tashigi shook her head at his question then said:
"Let me stay with father a few days, Smoker-san will understand when I explain everything to him, ok?" Zoro nodded his head and Kuina also said she wants some alone family time. Zoro decided to leave the trio family alone with each other and dragged Johnny and Yosaku out before they would drown in their tears.
Zoro meditated outside as he thought about the future and mumbled to himself:
"Hawk Eyes Mihawk, I wonder what are you doing right now?"
A red-haired man was patting a man with a purple fedora and purple jacket with peculiar-looking eyes, the man also had a giant black sword with a gold-encrusted handle on his back. It seemed the man with the fedora drank too much and now he feeding the ducks when he suddenly started to hiccup as well, the red-haired man started to laugh out loud with a grin on his face as he said:
"Seems someone is talking about you!" The man just continued to feed the ducks.