Chapter 71 The Player is a Caring Sister
Faced with such a sincere girl who is under immense pressure, Violet wouldn't offer any motivational platitudes like "as long as you work hard, your dreams will definitely come true."
But what about gender differences?
Is the game world really that well-developed?
Vera recalled the various NPCs she had encountered in the game, and thought that compared to gender, the differences between races should be greater.
Fish-men have a stronger physique than humans, with innate strength ten times that of humans. Isn't this even greater than the physiological difference between human males and females?
But I've never heard of all the swordsmen being monopolized by murlocs. Mihawk is a genuine, pure-blooded human, young and old alike.
Mihawk at least proved that innate physiological differences cannot outweigh talent in swordsmanship and arduous training day after day.
Kuina possesses both, so it's unreasonable to think that she would experience such obvious and despairing slow progress, or even a decline in strength.
Rather than a developmental issue, this seems more like... an illness?
Vera's expression was serious: "Guina, have you been feeling unwell lately?"
Guina paused for a moment, then recalled and recounted her feelings during this period.
Her father, Koushirou, had always told Kuina that women's inherent physiological disadvantages would make it difficult for her to take over his dojo. Although Kuina did not lose heart and give up her pursuit of swordsmanship, she did not think her father was lying to her. So, after her tenth birthday, Kuina increased the intensity of her already rigorous training.
Dizziness, blurred vision, weakness in limbs, muscle aches...
Increased training volume will naturally bring various discomforts, but this is necessary to become stronger.
However, her efforts did not pay off; instead, they made her battle against Zoro increasingly difficult.
Violet: "..."
This sounds like damage to the body caused by standard incorrect training.
Kuina smiled at Vil: "You're very strong, Vil. Although you haven't systematically studied swordsmanship, you defeated me easily, didn't you?"
"If you pursue the way of the sword, you should be able to become a sword master."
That's good, at least it proves that it's not that women can't become sword masters, but that she simply can't become one.
Kuina asked casually, "So, would you be interested in studying at Father's dojo? As your senior, I can give you private lessons, you know?"
"No way, I have no interest in becoming a swordsman." Violet refused outright, raising her hand to cover Kuina's eyes, which couldn't hide her dejected expression. "If it's your own dream, you should pursue it yourself. What kind of thing is it to lend it to someone else?"
Vera: "Guina, would you like to be my friend?"
"Of course, of course I'd like to..."
"Shh, be quiet, let me see."
Vera squinted at Guina's status bar.
[Guina]
[Status: Exhaustion + Muscle Damage + Malnutrition (Continuously depletes mental points, attack power slowly decreases, food satiety slowly decreases, maximum health -20)]
[Health: 88/100; Hunger: 40/100; Sanity: 100/150]
ha?
Violet can understand fatigue and muscle injury, but what's with the malnutrition? How could Kuina not get enough to eat at her father's dojo?
"Hungry? I guess I am a little hungry, but I'm used to it." Kuina touched her stomach. "If I eat too much, I'll feel uncomfortable during training, and girls shouldn't..."
Vera asked in a dangerous tone, "Did Koushirou say that too?"
“No, no, it’s what I heard from the old folks in the village…” Guina was startled by the murderous aura released by Vera. “They said that if I eat too much at my age, I’ll easily gain weight. In order to maintain agility and flexibility, swordsmen need to maintain their figure.”
"That's wonderful," Violet exclaimed. "When I'm old, I'll go out and talk nonsense too."
If Kuina truly maintains a state where her hunger level is less than half for an extended period, then let alone her slow progress in strength, the fact that she can improve her strength—no, the fact that she can endure those training sessions—would be considered a testament to her extraordinary talent and astonishing strength.
Guina was terrified by Vera's gaze: "I...is there something wrong with me?" Could it be a terminal illness?!
It is indeed a terminal illness, and it is incurable, a lifelong condition.
Vera: "Don't be afraid, I'll prescribe a medicine for you that will cure you completely."
Guina nodded emphatically to Vera with a mixture of trepidation and trust.
——
"Gu, Guina..."
Koushirou's jaw nearly dropped as he watched Kuina, who had already eaten three large bowls of rice and was about to have a fourth.
The students standing nearby were all shocked, their mouths agape as they stared at their senior sister in disbelief.
Only Zoro complained from behind: "Kuina, you ate all the meat! Kuina, leave me some rice!"
It wasn't until she finished the fifth bowl that Kuina put down her bowl, much to everyone's astonishment.
"Hmm."
Guina covered her mouth shyly and let out a burp, her face slightly flushed.
Koushirou always required his disciples in the dojo to not speak while eating or sleeping, but how could children of this age completely control themselves? And generally, as long as it wasn't too excessive, Koushirou would mostly turn a blind eye.
But today, it seems unusually quiet?
Kuina looked up and found that everyone in the dojo was looking at her. Her gaze fell on the mountain of bowls piled on the table, and she suddenly stood up, holding the bowls.
"I'll go wash the dishes!"
After saying that, Kuina rushed out with the bowl in her arms. Her lightness and the abundant power within her made her stop before she left.
"Zoro, how about we spar again tonight?"
Zoro, who was gulping down food, looked up when he heard this, with two grains of rice still stuck to the corner of his mouth.
Zoro looked at Kuina standing by the door. Although he didn't know what had happened, he could feel that the heavy burden that had been weighing on Kuina seemed to have disappeared.
Kuina has transformed back into the confident and powerful senior sister he first met.
"Of course," Zoro snorted. "I'll definitely beat you tonight, so don't come crying then!"
"You're talking big too soon, you're a defeated opponent."
——
So who won in the end?
"Of course it's Kuina."
Violet looked at Luo and Sabo: "So you two need to eat properly."
Sabo lamented, "Even though it's the most peaceful East Blue, I never imagined that even the daughter who runs a dojo couldn't get enough to eat."
No, he didn't think that was the reason. Luo coldly looked at Shimotsuki Koshiro standing with Kuina, thinking that it was probably because of this guy.
Shimotsuki Koshiro is not unloving of his daughter, but his underlying mindset will inevitably become an obstacle to Kuina's growth.
“What does it matter?” Sabo crossed his hands behind his head. “If Kuina’s goal is to become a swordsman or even a great swordsman, then Koushirou, this dojo, and even the East Blue cannot hold her back.”
Having seen a bigger world and met more powerful people, Kuina would no longer be trapped by the gender differences emphasized by her father.
After all, on the path to becoming a swordsman, Kuina will see more and more despairing innate differences: race, height, talent... If Kuina is ultimately unable to face these things and wallows in self-pity, then she truly does not deserve the name of a swordsman.
Luo looked at Vera, who had jumped back onto the ship: "Did you get the information?"
"Yes, Mr. Koushirou said that if we want to find a restaurant on the sea, we should go to the Sambas Sea."
"That area has the richest fish resources in the East China Sea, and it is also the first choice for floating restaurants to replenish their food supplies."
Sabo opened the East China Sea map he had bought: "If we avoid the midday hours when the sun is strongest and only travel in the early morning and evening, it will probably take three or four days."
Luo looked at the bright sun hanging overhead with a sigh: "It's been a long time since it rained."
He's starting to feel a little unaccustomed to going out without an umbrella or raincoat.
"Vell?" Luo looked at Vill. "What are you thinking about?"
“It’s nothing…” Violet scratched her head in distress, “I feel like I’ve forgotten something.”
But since I can't remember, it's probably not an important thing!
——
"Captain, something terrible has happened!"
The first mate, dressed in a suit, pushed open the door to the captain's cabin. The captain, who was boasting to his beautiful female companion about how many nobles and celebrities his ship, the Orbit, had hosted, almost spilled wine on his face.
"Damn it, didn't I tell you not to bother me?!"
"Captain, it's extremely urgent!" the first mate shouted, panting heavily. "Pirates are attacking us!"
"Varied……"
Before the captain could react, the side of the ship seemed to respond to the first mate's words, making the sound of being hit by cannon fire.
The captain stared in horror at the thick black smoke rising outside the window. Who dared to use cannons? This was no small, unknown place; it was a busy shipping lane in the East China Sea. Weren't the pirates on the other side worried about the Navy?
"Captain, quickly organize the crew and prepare for evacuation!"
Amidst the gunfire, the first mate shouted, "The Orbit is a merchant ship with very little firepower. It's impossible for us to confront the oncoming pirates head-on."
Most pirates are after money. As long as they abandon ship with their passengers, pirates won't abandon a ship full of supplies to attack them.
The first mate hadn't expected that the captain would show an angry expression after hearing his words.
"What are you talking about? You want me to abandon ship and run away? Absolutely not!"
It wasn't that he had any philosophy of captains going down with their ships, but rather that if he abandoned ship, he would have to bear the losses of all the passengers.
That would be a huge sum of money that would prevent him from ever recovering in his lifetime!
"I refuse to believe they would actually dare to kill a whole ship full of people in the East China Sea!"
Greed led him to gamble the lives of an entire ship's crew on the pirates' actions.
"Everyone, please don't panic! There are small boats at the stern. Please seek refuge with the help of the crew!"
A discordant child's voice rang out at this moment, and amidst the chaotic crowd, a strikingly golden head stood out.
He cupped his hands to his mouth and shouted, "Don't panic! Quickly go to the stern and find a small boat for refuge!"
"asshole!"
The captain angrily walked up to him, grabbed him by the collar, and pulled him up: "Who told you to say these things? Who?!"
"Let me go!"
"You're just a temporary cook, how dare you act without the captain's permission!" he roared. "Believe me, even if I throw you into the sea right now, everyone will just think it was pirates!"
boom--
Accompanying the sound of cannon fire was a deafening clap of thunder, and lightning seemed to tear the sky apart, striking the side of the ship.
Sanji stared in horror at the man whose eyes gleamed with menace.
In that instant, his figure seemed to overlap with that of his father.
"Don't move!"
The figure that leaped from the pirate ship onto the deck stopped the captain's actions; it was a man wearing a cloak, with short blond hair and two braided mustaches.
"Put all your goods and luggage on the deck. We only want the treasure. If you behave, we won't harm you!"
"But if you dare to resist..."
The pirates behind him raised their guns and swords, pointing them at the crowd.
boom--
Lightning struck incessantly around the ship, dark, low-hanging thunderclouds gathered in the sky, and waves surged and pounded against the hull.
Even a massive passenger ship can only drift helplessly in such waves, let alone a wooden boat that is hundreds of times smaller.
Violet wiped the mixture of seawater and rainwater from her face in a disheveled state, then skillfully grabbed Sabo, who was nearly thrown off balance.
Luo's spotted little round hat was almost blown into the sea: "Is the [rainy season] not over yet?"
After several sunny days, he thought the rainy season was over.
"Ah!" Violet suddenly remembered something she had been forgetting.
"It's the seasonal boss!"
As the rainy season draws to a close, the seasonal boss is coming!
-----------------------
Author's Note: I always feel that talking about reality in One Piece is incredibly unrealistic. [crying emoji]
Even if there's a huge difference in physical strength between men and women, can it be greater than that between fish-men and humans, or greater than that between giants and humans? We haven't seen the Four Emperors all being giants, have we? [smiley face]
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