"What? Kuina lost to an outsider?"
"Is that true? Are you sure? Kuina is really strong! I remember that all the challengers over the past years were defeated by her. How could she possibly lose?"
"Well, it's not that strange. She's only eleven, after all. There are still plenty of adults stronger than her."
"Yeah, you're right. One loss doesn't mean much. Kuina is still young. The one who beat her must be a very strong adult."
Though they were shocked that Kuina, who had never been defeated, had lost, everyone seemed to accept it once they remembered how young she was.
However, the messenger shook his finger and continued, "No, no, the one who beat Kuina wasn't an adult at all. It was a kid with a wooden sword. I heard that kid might actually be younger than Kuina."
The moment the words left his mouth, the previously noisy tavern fell silent.
A few seconds later, the shock spread across the room.
"What? A kid younger than Kuina beat her? Are you sure about that?"
"How is that possible?! How could Kuina lose to a kid? That little brat must have cheated!"
"Hey! We're not that easy to fool. Don't spread lies like that, or we'll beat you up!"
The messenger, seeing that no one believed him, sighed and said, "I'm telling the truth! Kuina really lost to that kid. She even gave him her precious sword."
"You're lying! Kuina loves that sword! There's no way she'd give it to an outsider kid!"
"That's impossible! We're not that gullible!"
As the debate continued, Lin Mo calmly hung the filled wine gourd back on his waist and stepped down from the bar stool.
Without paying attention to the growing noise, he walked toward the door, step by step, and pushed it open.
At that moment, someone shouted, "Look at the kid's sword!"
All eyes turned toward Lin Mo.
As they looked closely, they saw that Lin Mo was indeed carrying a wooden sword and a real sword. The real sword was especially familiar to them. Their eyes widened in disbelief, and shock and fear spread across their faces.
"Hey, isn't that Kuina's sword?"
"Wait, seriously? Kuina really lost to a kid smaller than her?"
"Who is that kid? He beat Kuina, the undefeated swordswoman? He must be incredible!"
"Ah! I mocked him earlier! He's not holding a grudge, is he?"
Ignoring the noise behind him, Lin Mo continued walking away from the tavern.
A Few Hours Later...
The news that Kuina, the undefeated swordswoman of the Ichi-Shin Dojo, had been defeated by an outsider kid quickly spread throughout Shimotsuki Village.
Lin Mo had originally planned to quietly complete his task and leave without causing any attention. But now, he had unintentionally become the center of attention in the entire village.
To avoid further complications, Lin Mo decided he'd stay away from the village for a while.
He headed straight back to the Ichi-Shin Dojo.
As soon as he entered the courtyard, Zoro excitedly ran over to him.
"Lin Mo!" Zoro said eagerly. "I heard you went hunting in the mountains this morning! Was it for training? Next time, take me with you!"
Lin Mo sighed inwardly. Here we go again...
He walked past Zoro, not giving him a response.
But Zoro wasn't bothered at all by Lin Mo's indifference. Instead, like an annoying gum, he continued following Lin Mo and pestering him.
"I've finished my basic training today. Let's go train in the mountains now!"
Lin Mo's response was still the same: ignoring him.
Seeing that Lin Mo wasn't responding, Zoro persisted. "Lin Mo, you said to fight back against every attack, right? Thinking alone won't help; I need to fight against people stronger than me to truly understand. So, I've decided! Every day, I'll challenge Kuina and also fight you!"
Lin Mo suddenly stopped, feeling a deep resistance rising inside him.
"Stop following me!"
Zoro stopped in confusion, "Why?"
Lin Mo flatly replied, "I'm busy."
"Eh?" Zoro asked in surprise, "So you think I'm too weak to fight you, right?"
Lin Mo didn't feel like explaining. "Exactly."
With that, he resumed walking.
Zoro tightened his grip on his bamboo swords, hesitated for a moment, and then suddenly ran after Lin Mo, yelling, "If you won't fight me, I'll force you to draw your sword! Here I come—take this!"
Sensing the rising murderous intent from behind him, Lin Mo didn't even look back. He easily dodged Zoro's attacks, stepping lightly to the side.
Then, when Zoro charged at him, Lin Mo delivered a swift punch that sent Zoro flying into the yard.
Lin Mo glanced back at Zoro, who had crashed to the ground and couldn't get up. Now let's see you keep following me.
With a light smile, Lin Mo continued walking.
As he passed the tea room, Koshiro's voice called out from inside, "Lin Mo, come in and have a drink. I'd like to introduce you to someone."
Lin Mo paused and looked inside. Sitting across from Koshiro was Dragon.
Given Dragon's identity and his appearance in Shimotsuki Village at this particular time, Lin Mo knew it wasn't a coincidence. It could be a good opportunity to progress with his task.
After a brief moment of consideration, Lin Mo stepped inside and sat next to Koshiro.
Koshiro smiled and asked, "Would you like some tea?"
"No need, I have my wine." Lin Mo casually took out his wine gourd, uncorked it, and took a sip.
Koshiro introduced, "Lin Mo, this is my friend, Dragon."
Lin Mo nodded politely. "Nice to meet you."
Dragon curiously asked, "How old are you?"
Lin Mo casually replied, "Ten."
"Not bad with the alcohol." Dragon chuckled, "I heard from Koshiro that your swordsmanship is pretty good."
"Eh, it's okay."
"You're so modest." Dragon continued, observing Lin Mo closely, "You only showed a little earlier, but I think you used Observation Haki to dodge that kid's attacks, right?"
At the mention of Observation Haki, Lin Mo glanced at him and replied, "That's right."
It wasn't a secret he couldn't share.
"Just as I thought," Dragon said, his eyes lighting up with interest. "You're more interesting than I imagined. But I feel like there's something missing..."
Suddenly, Dragon's face turned serious, and a dangerous gleam flashed in his eyes. He raised his hand, and an immense aura erupted from him, instantly overwhelming the small tea room.