Chapter 90: Get Ready to Leave!
Soon, Ryuunosuke found Ace.
"Hey, why are you here alone?" Ryuunosuke asked, a bit confused as he looked around.
Ace scratched his head awkwardly. "I was with Luffy and the others... but then, somehow, I got lost."
Ryuunosuke chuckled. "Figures. So, are you done with what you had to do?"
"Yeah, all done," Ace replied with a nod. "Are you heading out with Luffy next? Or leaving with me?"
Ace smiled. "Luffy's still as dumb as ever. Just now, he asked a total stranger if they were a bad guy. I swear, sometimes I really worry about him."
"Did he turn you down?" Ryuunosuke asked bluntly, not waiting for Ace to continue.
Ace was stunned for a moment.
Yeah... he had invited Luffy to join Whitebeard's crew.
But Luffy rejected him—without hesitation.
He said it straight: "I'm gonna be the Pirate King."
To Ace, Luffy's always been a bit of an idiot. But hearing those words still hit him hard. There was something in Luffy's eyes... a fire, a dream that hadn't dimmed one bit.
Ace couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy.
Luffy had the guts to chase his dream. But Ace? Because of who his father was—the Pirate King Roger—he'd always avoided that title, hated the idea of it. Even when he first set out, he only said he'd surpass the Pirate King out of rebellion.
But now? He'd thrown all that away. He didn't care about being the strongest anymore. He just wanted to live free, sailing under Whitebeard's flag.
Still, seeing Luffy now reminded him of how he used to be.
"Yeah..." Ace admitted softly. "He rejected me again."
"Did I take the wrong path, Ryuunosuke?" he asked, raising his hand. A blue-white flame danced in his palm—a sign of his growth, but also of his doubt.
Ryuunosuke shook his head with a gentle smile. "No. Every path we choose is the right one at that moment. What matters is how we walk it after that. We push forward to prove that choice was worth it."
Ace stared at him, wide-eyed.
"Every step we take is the right one?" he repeated.
"Exactly," Ryuunosuke said. "We fight, we struggle, we grow—because we believe in that first step. You just need to remember why you took it."
Ace's eyes, once clouded, began to shine again.
"Yeah... I know what I want to do now."
Ryuunosuke grinned. "Good. Now, let's go find that idiot brother of yours. We've got work to do—Blackbeard's still out there."
He reached out to pull Ace along, but paused mid-step.
"Huh? What's wrong?" Ace asked, curious.
"...I don't know where the hell Luffy is right now."
"Captain," Hawkins chimed in awkwardly, "we could just head straight to Rainbase or Alubarna and wait for him there. Tracking him with divination while he's moving around is... kind of pointless."
Ryuunosuke blinked. "Right... good call."
He nodded. "Alright, let's head out. We'll catch up with them soon."
With that, Ryuunosuke vanished like a shadow. Ace and Hawkins followed close behind.
After some time, they finally caught up with Luffy and the crew.
"Luffy, someone's coming," Zoro said, already drawing his sword. There was something about the approaching presence that set him on edge. It felt like a powerful enemy.
Luffy's face lit up the moment he saw them. He burst into laughter and sprinted toward them. "Ahahaha! I thought you guys got lost again!"
Before Luffy could get close, Ryuunosuke punched him square in the face, slapped on some seastone handcuffs, and chucked him across the field.
"Zoro!" Ryuunosuke barked. "Show me what you've got!"
He unsheathed Ame-no-Habakiri, and his aura changed instantly—fierce and deadly. The murderous intent rolling off him made everyone freeze.
"Are you nuts?!" Nami shouted in horror.
"The captain of the Dragon Hunter Pirates... it's him!"
"He's gonna kill someone! Once that guy draws his sword, it's over!"
Nami, Chopper, and Usopp all panicked, their expressions warping into comic terror.
But Zoro didn't flinch. "Bring it on."
The two clashed—swords ringing, dust flying. It was clear Zoro had gotten stronger, but the gap was still there.
He was defeated again.
"You've improved," Ryuunosuke said, sheathing his sword. "But you're still not there. If you want to reach the top of this world, your swordsmanship has a long way to go. That said... your growth is faster than I expected."
He turned away. "Follow me."
With that, he and Zoro walked off. The others quickly helped Luffy up and unlocked his handcuffs.
"Hey Ace... what's Ryuunosuke doing with Zoro?" Luffy asked, tilting his head, clearly unfazed by the beating.
"He's teaching your swordsman how to train," Ace replied. "By the way... I'll be leaving soon. I've got to chase down Blackbeard. So I won't be sticking around."
"You're leaving?" Luffy blinked, then nodded. "Got it."
As the others chatted, Luffy explained to the crew how he knew Ryuunosuke. Their worries about the stranger quickly vanished.
Meanwhile, Ryuunosuke sat with Zoro, explaining the foundations of Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki) and the path to forging a Black Blade. These were things Hawkeye should've taught Zoro later—but now that Ryuunosuke had intervened in their fate, he figured it was fine to speed things up.
Zoro, a swordsmanship prodigy, understood quickly. But mastery would take time and effort. Ryuunosuke simply laid the groundwork.
Once their session ended, Ryuunosuke got ready to leave with his crew.
As for Kuina... he chose not to bring her up just yet. That bond between Zoro and Kuina was sacred—one of the driving forces behind his strength. Revealing the truth now would only cause confusion.
And so, without a word about her, Ryuunosuke disappeared once again.
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