In the blink of an eye, two hours had passed.
This was the agreed meeting time for everyone.
Nojiko and Nami were the first to arrive at the square. They sat at the entrance of a café on the west side, bored out of their minds as they waited for the others.
At some point, the sky had darkened. Thick clouds gathered above, and light rain pattered against the café's awning, splashing into a fine mist.
Nami held a coffee cup in her hands, flames dancing at her fingertips. She unconsciously rubbed the bottom of the cup, heating it. The dark brown liquid inside bubbled quietly.
Occasionally, passersby with umbrellas noticed this and cast surprised glances.
"So cold..." Nojiko complained. "With this rain, the temperature must've dropped by ten degrees. I should've bought a coat earlier."
"Cold?" Nami tilted her head. "I don't feel anything at all."
"Because you ate the Flame-Flame Fruit!" Nojiko said speechlessly. "Your body's made of fire now—how could you possibly feel cold?"
"Oh, right." Nami nodded in realization. "Want me to warm you up?"
Whoosh!
Her orange hair instantly burst into flames. In this rainy and gloomy weather, it looked like a bright bonfire in the night.
Whoa, that was actually pretty warm.
Nojiko's eyes lit up. She raised her arms and was just about to move closer to warm her hands when a scream came from inside the café—
"Fire! There's a fire!!!"
"Someone save that customer!"
Splash! Splash!
Two large buckets of water were dumped over Nami's head, soaking her and the chair completely. But the blazing flames still burned.
"Not enough! Hurry, get more water!" the middle-aged café manager quickly ordered the baristas nearby.
"Pfft—" Nojiko couldn't hold back her laughter and pounded the table.
Nami sat frozen, still holding her coffee cup, soaked from head to toe. Her wet orange hair gave off white steam, and coffee dripped from her chin onto her collar.
"AAAHHH YOU IDIOTS!!"
Furious, she raised her fist at the staff. "This is my ability, okay!? Don't you know about Devil Fruits?! Who just dumps water on customers without asking?!"
Wait—she's a Devil Fruit user?
The people of Loguetown were used to all kinds of things. The café manager instantly understood and quickly offered a towel to help her dry off. "S-Sorry! Your hair suddenly caught fire and scared us..."
"No need!"
Nami said angrily, "I can handle it myself!"
Snap!
She snapped her fingers.
Her entire body began to glow with an orange-yellow hue, as if flames were burning beneath her skin. Steam rose continuously from her pores.
In just a few seconds, she was completely dry again—except for the brown stains left by the spilled coffee.
The café manager and baristas stared in shock.
"Sigh, whatever. You meant well, so I won't blame you."
Nami looked at her now-undrinkable coffee and sighed, "I'll just pay and go."
"So sorry!"
The café manager bowed repeatedly. "We caused you trouble! How about this: upstairs in our private dining area, we serve our signature steak and pizza set. It's lunchtime now—please, let us make it up to you! You can order whatever you like, it's all on the house!"
Free lunch?
Nami curled her lips. She'd grown up poor—this little bit of money didn't tempt her at all.
But seeing how nervous the manager looked, she suddenly felt mischievous and smiled sweetly, "Really free? But we've got a few more people coming."
"No problem! All free!"
The manager looked relieved and smiled kindly, "As long as you agree, I'll feel much better..."
"Hey, Nami, don't bully the nice lady," Nojiko said, poking Nami's forehead.
She turned to the manager and said, "No need for all that. Just give Nami a free meal. The rest of us—four more people and a pet—will pay. Trust me."
She knew her brother's appetite too well. If they all ate for free, this café might go out of business.
As for Gin... he was a big eater too, though still nothing compared to her brother.
The café manager was still hesitating, but Nami cheerfully pushed her back inside, and the manager went off apologizing again.
Just as Nami sat back down, Nojiko frowned and muttered, "Weird... Did I suddenly become nearsighted?"
What?
Nami followed her gaze—and froze.
—Out in the plaza, two Kuinas were walking side-by-side under one umbrella, arms linked.
Huh??
Did my eyes go bad too? That can't be...
Nami rubbed her eyes and looked again—still two of them?!
She was speechless.
"Haha, I knew you'd make that face!"
Kuina, who had been trying to stay serious, couldn't help but laugh.
"Ta-da!"
She proudly pushed the glasses girl forward. "Let me introduce her—Loguetown Navy Branch Private First Class! A sword-obsessed girl who looks exactly like me—Tashigi!!"
"N-Nice to meet you, everyone!"
Tashigi fumbled to adjust her glasses. The books in her arms nearly slipped out. "Kuina-sama, please don't introduce me like that! I—I'm not a sword maniac! I just deeply admire the justice of the blade..."
"Oh really?"
Kuina grinned and put an arm around her shoulder. "Listen, you guys don't know—ever since she found out I'm a swordmaster, she's been drooling like a creepy uncle. Kept begging me to teach her stuff. Talked so much my mouth went dry..."
She grabbed Nami's coffee and took a sip—only to spit it right back out:
"Yuck! What is this?! It tastes like bathwater!"
"Pretty much. That was more like hair-wash water," Nojiko said dryly. "You're unusually excited today. But this is all so confusing. Shouldn't you start from the beginning?"
"Yeah, sorry. I got too worked up." Kuina smacked her forehead.
...
A few minutes later.
Tashigi, blushing, sat across from them hugging her books. Kuina had just finished explaining how they met.
"So you two just happened to bump into each other at a bookstore? And had never met before?"
Nojiko and Nami exchanged looks, eyes filled with amazement.
Such a coincidence really existed?
Two girls born thousands of miles apart, with no blood relation, who looked exactly alike—even down to their height.
Even their interests were similar. Both loved sword training, Japanese aesthetics, famous blades, and reading...
The moment Tashigi noticed Kuina's Wado Ichimonji, they hit it off. They kept talking all the way, feeling like long-lost soulmates.
Of course—
After finding out Kuina had mastered the Iron-Cutting Realm and become a true swordmaster, Tashigi mostly asked questions while Kuina answered.
Though they were the same age, their swordsmanship levels were worlds apart.
Kuina casually offered a few tips, and Tashigi benefited greatly. Her knowledge of swordsmanship flowed out effortlessly, and her status in Tashigi's eyes skyrocketed—she even started calling her "sama."
"So calling her a sword maniac isn't wrong at all..." Nojiko looked with interest at the huge stack of books Tashigi hugged tightly.
"Complete Atlas of Swift Blades," "Notes on Sword Forging," "When Famous Blades Fall into Evil Hands—The Pain Left by Ace and Kogetsu Kiri"...
Wait—Ace?
She furrowed her brows. Back in Goa Kingdom, didn't her brother meet a bunch of bratty kids? One of them might've been named that...
Must be a coincidence.
As she was pondering, Kuina sighed, "Too bad we're about to head into the Grand Line. Otherwise, I'd definitely take her to Shimotsuki Village and see if my dad can tell us apart! He'd be totally shocked!"
"Koushirou-sensei probably wouldn't be fooled."
Nojiko shrugged. "Even Nami and I only got confused at first. After a while, it's easy to tell you two apart."
Nami nodded in agreement.
It was true.
The two of them looked nearly identical, but their vibes were completely different.
Kuina often wore a gentle smile and seemed approachable, but deep down she was ambitious and proud—full of confidence in her talent and strength.
Tashigi, on the other hand...
Maybe it was her thicker glasses, but she seemed a bit ditzy, like she was always in a daze.
She was clearly shy too. Even though they'd been talking for a while, she still clutched her books nervously, looking like she was afraid of strangers.
And yet, Kuina said she was a trainee Marine?
"Meeting like this must be fate. Tashigi, want to join us for lunch? Our treat. Oh, right—Kuina, did you see my brother on the way?"
Nojiko checked her watch. "It's 11:52. Only eight minutes left before our meeting time. Geez, where is he?"
"Nope, didn't see him."
Kuina shook her head. "Don't worry. Just wait a little longer. Lord Shano is always punctual. If he said twelve o'clock, he'll definitely be here before then."
"You really trust him unconditionally."
Nojiko chuckled. Just as she was about to say more, Tashigi suddenly gasped and blushed:
"—Eh?! W-Wait a second!"
"Lord Shano?! Are you talking about that Shano?! The one who became famous across the East Blue a few years ago? He's... he's your brother?!"
"Technically, he's their brother."
Kuina sipped her tea and sighed, "Jealous, right? I've been jealous forever. Why do they get to grow up with Lord Shano while I had to deal with two idiots who argued every day?"
"You added lemon slices?" Nojiko asked, shaking her coffee cup at Nami.
"Nope. Why would I add lemon to coffee?"
"Then why is it suddenly so sour?"
The two sisters burst out laughing. Kuina rolled her eyes. "Doesn't matter. We're on the same ship now. I get to see Lord Shano every day too—it's all the same."
"I-I want to see him too!"
Tashigi suddenly clapped her hands together. "Is Lord Shano here on the island? Will he come here? Please let me see him, just once! I've been his fan since I was a kid! I read all the reports about him over and over! He's the reason I chose the path of the sword!"
As she spoke, she fumbled through her wallet.
At the very top of a pocket was a photo clipped from an old newspaper. In it, a handsome black-haired boy stood proudly on a wooden platform, holding a bamboo sword. A cheering crowd surrounded him.
"Look! This one!"
"That really was a long time ago..." Kuina said, looking at the picture with a complicated expression.
"Five years, maybe? You cut it out from the paper? And still kept it... It's even yellowed a bit..."
She didn't say it out loud—but she'd cut one out too.
She pasted it onto her favorite desk lamp so she could look up and see it whenever she studied.
Unfortunately, a year later, some damn thief stole the lamp. She'd been furious and had no way to vent, so she beat Zoro up for no reason.
"It's really old... but isn't he super cool?" Tashigi said, pushing up her glasses, her eyes full of admiration.
"Did you know? After seeing that report, I stayed up all night carving my family's clothesline into a bamboo sword! I trained hard every day. I joined the Marines because I dreamed of one day being like him—using the sword of justice to protect the peace of the sea..."
The girl who had just been so shy...