Chapter 12 – Destination Shimotsuki Village

Taking the rest of their belongings, Lupin vanished from the site a moment later.

Making a quick stop at a nearby river to clean off the blood on his body, Lupin rushed back home.

Reappearing back at the house a few seconds later, Lupin brought the stuff he took from the agents to his room. Grabbing a bag, he put the items inside and started to gather his own belongings.

He knew he couldn't stay here any longer, the World Government wouldn't take long to find out that he probably had something to do with the disappearance of the CP5 Agents.

Having finished gathering his clothes and spare weapons into two bags, he grabbed the bags and left his room.

What awaited him was a frowning Kindred.

"Who?", the old man asked simply.

"Cypher Pol."

"I had a hunch that things wouldn't be calm after Garp visited. Sigh, so are you going with them?", Kindred asked with a neutral tone.

"No, I killed them both.", the boy said.

"Thought as much. I knew the boy I raised wouldn't simply become the World Government's lap dog. Still, what is your plan now, boy?"

"Train."

"So you won't tell me, where you plan to go?", the old man inquired.

Not answering the question, Lupin simply stared back at the old man that had raised him for seven years like his own flesh and blood.

"Thanks for everything, old man. I will be back sometime, so don't die before I do."

"How could I die before seeing you teach the World Government a lesson in minding their own business?"

"You sure that's something a former Marine should say?", Lupin asked with a blank face.

"To hell with the Marines! How could I root for anybody but my own grandson!"

"I won't disappoint you, grandfather."

Being shocked at Lupin calling him grandfather, which he never did before, the old man took a moment to come to his senses and passed a bag he had prepared beforehand to Lupin.

"Here, take it. It should be enough to cover your expenses for a while."

Taking the bag and nodding in good bye, Lupin turned around in silence and went through the front door leaving behind his home.

Still, there was one last person waiting for Lupin, when he walked out of the door.

"You weren't thinking off leaving me behind, were you?", his closest friend in this life asked.

In all honesty, Lupin would have liked it if Ina could stay behind in relative safety, but while Kindred was a grown man and able to take care of himself, Ina was different.

Lupin expected some kind of retaliation from Cypher Pol towards Kindred and Ina, after he had left. He also knew that Kindred wouldn't accept his offer to come with him, as the man had his own pride and was able to take care of himself.

Ina, on the other hand, was a former slave and wouldn't be able to avoid the World Government's agents, so he had to take her with him. And while he loved the girl like an older sister and enjoyed her presence very much, Ina also represented a burden to him, which he was rational enough to realize.

So, he planned to settle down in some city or village in the East Blue, and resume his training for the next few years, while staying with her.

"No. It isn't safe here anymore for you.", he answered her.

They didn't speak anymore words until they reached the shore, where Lupin simply stole one of the small, but fast fishing boats.

Packing away their stuff, they set sail shortly after, while the moon was still high up in the air.

And as they sailed through the vast ocean, Lupin felt a freedom he hadn't known before, while giving his pendant a gentle squeeze.

The two enjoyed the fresh and chilly breeze, until Ina interrupted the silence with a question of her own: "You will leave someday, won't you? Go to a place where I can't follow you?"

"Yes.", the boy replied honestly.

"Because I am too weak."

"Yes, because you are too weak."

"I will simply chase after you, when I get stronger.", the girl said with a quiet resolve.

"I know you will, Ina."

As the silence returned, Lupin was as firm as ever in his decision to chase after absolute freedom.

Though Ina's goals had changed drastically.

Before she had just trained to be able to defend herself and never becoming as helpless as she had once been, but now she wanted strength beyond that. She wanted enough strength to chase after Lupin's slowly vanishing silhouette.

She did not want him to stay behind and protect her, she would much rather he followed his dreams, while she herself chased after him.

The last thing she ever wanted to be was a burden to him.

Ina did not want to stand in the way of his dream, she would simply work hard so she could follow behind him. That was her resolve.

…

[Kaienreki Calendar 1502, June]

Three weeks later, they had arrived at Shimotsuki Village. They had followed a rough map of the East Blue that Kindred had placed into the bag, along with nearly 20 million Berry.

Navigation wasn't really that complicated, when you knew your own location, had a map of the area and a working compass.

Lupin had all these things, so he was able to make his way to the island fairly easily. They had not even met any other ship on the way there. They had of course taken two short stops on islands they had come across to get some supplies.

The rest of the time Lupin had either spent in meditation, training his Haki or giving pointers to Ina.

Ina had already gained a basic understanding of the Rokushiki and was on a good path to mastering the basics of Soru. She just lacked a little physical strength and more control over her muscles.

Lupin's destination on the island was the Isshin dojo.

He planned to find the swordmaster Koushirou and train under him for few years to further his mastery of the sword. Koushirou was Kuina's father, as well as Zoro's first teacher.

Of course at that time Zoro had been too young and stubborn to truly internalize the advanced teachings of Koushirou. And while Lupin's skills as a swordsman were good, they needed more polishing, so he planned to learn all he could before leaving again.

It was also a good place to hide out for a few years, as Koushirou was known to be friendly with the revolutionaries in the series and Lupin was willing to make a bet on the character of the swordmaster.

There also was no Marine base on the island, as the villagers had no need for protection, since most of them being able to wield a sword themselves. The village itself had several dojos that were spread around the whole island, while most villagers where actually rice farmers.

Still, the island was a very safe place for people to live in due to the high number of swordsmen inhabiting it. That also meant its economy was flourishing and trade was going well.

Having arrived on a hidden part of the coast line, Lupin and Ina disembarked their small vessel with their luggage. After setting down their bags to the side, Lupin grabbed sturdy rope and pulled the small boat a good distance onto the shore.

There was no way to disguise the boat or hide it in a cave for now, so he simply hoped nobody would steal the small vessel. Planning to check up on it every few weeks.

Lupin and Ina set off directly towards the nearby forest in search of a river or lake, where they could take a bath and refresh themselves.

Sadly, they couldn't go to the village directly, as two weeks prior wanted posters of both of them were issued and Lupin decided not to take a risk by walking directly into the village.

They had gotten a hold of their own wanted posters with the help of a News Coo they had met at sea.

Their posters read:

Lupin D. Black, Monster Child, Dead Or Alive, 20.000.000 Berry.

Ina, Dead Or Alive, 3.000.000 Berry.

As Lupin had expected something like this to happen, he wasn't too surprised at their bounties, even though he thought that his own was relatively high. But then again he had killed two CP5 agents in cold blood.

Ina's own bounty was right around the average amount for the East Blue, which seemed more like an attempt to make her life harder for Lupin, than a real assessment of her combat strength.

Still, he wasn't too bothered about the bounties. He would simply lay low for a few more years, which was more than enough time to increase his strength massively.

It was easy for Lupin to find a river in the forest, his nose and ears directing him to a nearby creek, where they had promptly decided to make camp for the night. And after putting down their belongings, they directly took off their clothes to wash themselves.

And while Ina washed their clothes Lupin himself transformed into his wolf form and vanished between the trees to hunt their dinner.

Lupin had told her of his ability to turn into a wolf on their way to the island, as it wasn't a secret he had to keep from her, though this made her the only person that knew of this trump card of his.

The only secret he wouldn't ever tell a living soul was the one about his reincarnation.

As he had trained intensively in his wolf form for the last few months, he had become able to use wind blades with his claws and tail, as well as Tekkai and Soru.

The last one had been especially hard, as he had four legs in this form, which had made it terribly difficult to figure out how to use the skill in general. The fine control he had over his human form, was sadly absent in this one.

It had taken several months alone to gain the same amount of control over his wolf form that he had over his human form. Afterwards it had been considerably easier to use Soru, though he had of course adapted the technique to be used with four legs.

So instead of kicking off the ground with one leg, he did it with three, while controlling the direction with his fourth leg. It still wasn't a perfect fit, but he knew that with time he would slowly improve the technique.

The thing he had been the most happy about was his ability to shrink the physical size of his wolf form considerably, after he had mastered Seimei Kikan in this form. Instead of his regular five meter shoulder height, he had managed to compress his form to two meters in shoulder height. In that shrunken form his speed and strength would also vastly improve.

Coming back only a few short minutes later with a deer between his fangs, he lay it down near the small creak.

Feeling a hand moving through the coal-black fur on his back, he turned around to face Ina and pushed his head into her already waiting hands. Directly pushing her down and laying his wolf head into her lap, he enjoyed her gentle ministrations for a few minutes.

Remembering that he had to prepare their meal, he reluctantly changed back into his human form and put on some shorts.

Taking a knife and getting to work on the carcass, he finished his work half an hour later. Taking the innards and throwing them into the river, he also washed his hands thoroughly to get rid of the stench.

Meanwhile Ina had prepared a fire and already put the meat into a pot, which she hanged onto a three-legged stand with a chain.

Lupin had taken these cooking utensils with him when he had left Eastwood Village, knowing they would come in handy when camping.

Immediately after Lupin had finished washing his hands, he took off his shorts and changed back into his wolf form, this time he didn't bother with shrinking his hulking frame.

Which meant that the moment he shapeshifted he easily took up half their camping grounds by himself. He circled the bonfire and then rested his body directly behind Ina, keeping her warm with his body heat and shielding her from the wind.

It was slowly getting darker and while he himself could probably survive completely naked even in the Arctic, Ina could not. She was only a regular human afterall.

Closing his eyes, Lupin just relaxed while Ina tended to the stew from time to time. The rest of her time she spent pressed up against his side enjoying his warmth and the softness of his fur.

He only changed back shortly, when the stew was ready so he could eat, while directly afterwards he turned four-legged again.

They stayed like that even when both fell asleep. Lupin just laying on his belly, his head resting on his massive paws, while Ina huddled up next to him with a blanket on one side and his body on the other.

They had slept like that since the first time he shapeshifted in front of her, as Lupin generally enjoyed spending time in his bestial form, while Ina simply couldn't get enough of his soft and fluffy fur.

The next morning they both woke up very early, with the sun just beginning to rise. After doing their morning duties and packing up the camp, they set off immediately, while they both wore a cloak to conceal their identities.

Lupin decided that it would be best, if he just searched the surrounding area of the village itself with his Observation Haki to locate the Isshin dojo.

Avoiding as much contact with others as possible, to minimize the chances of being recognized.

Two hours later, Lupin had found it.

Boosting his senses with Haki, he had managed to read every name plate from the surrounding dojos, while he also overheard a short conversation, where someone mentioned the name 'Koushirou' repeatedly.

Picking up Ina in a bridal carry, Lupin simply used Soru and Geppo to scale the wall and appear in an empty room on the ground floor with the window unlocked, which was situated in the main house of the dojo.

The room seemed to be an unused guest room, as the furniture was neatly covered with sheets: there was a bed, a bookshelf, a closet, a desk and a chair. It was also a rather big room with a lot of free space in the middle and two doors, one leading into the corridor, the other to the adjoined bathroom.

A burst of Observation Haki pointed Lupin to the strongest person in the mansion besides himself – Koushirou.

The man was surprisingly enough not that much weaker than he himself in his human form. Lupin knew from the show that Koushirou had once told Zoro about a basic concept of Haki with the blade, where one's will became the blade's will.

It was this technique that allowed one to cut materials even harder than the blade itself and avoid damaging a piece of paper at the same time.

Lupin had guessed that the man himself knew these techniques, as he was from a family that originally came from Wano Kuni. On top of the Meito Wado Ichimonji being a family heirloom and his affiliation with the Revolution Army, of course Koushirou wouldn't be a simple man.

He could feel that the man had noticed their presence already and was on his way to this very room, so Lupin simply pulled back his cloak and sat down in a lotus position waiting for him to arrive.

Ina did the same, but sat behind him to his right. Both facing the entrance.

A few short moments later a man calmly entered the room in a grey training attire with a white coat around his shoulders and sword ready at his waist, with a hand placed around the handle.

The man seemed to be in his late twenties with a fit body, an oval face and calm demeanor. His long black hair was tied into a single braid.

The surprise was visible on his face for only a moment, as Koushirou addressed them directly: "What are two wanted criminals doing in a guest room of mine, if you don't mind me asking Lupin D. Black? Or should I call you 'Monster Child'? Given your strength it seems appropriate."

Lupin's Haki picked up absolutely no hostility from the man, just a slight tension at having strangers in his house, along with curiosity and surprise about their identity.

Koushirou himself could feel the presence of the boy and he knew in that moment that the moniker 'Monster Child' was truly fitting. As while he sensed no hostility from Lupin, he felt as if he was facing a beast in human skin. The boy in front of him could at least rival himself in strength, that is what his instincts told him.

The boy's beastly presence though made him very doubtful of his chances in a fight, and he had been personally taught by his father most of his life in techniques taught directly to the samurai of Wano Kuni.

The boy was most definitely a monster.

"I simply came here to further my swordsmanship and with you being the strongest swordsman in the East Blue that I know of and one who openly accepts students, I decided to try my luck here. And you can simply call me Lupin if you want, but I don't care either way.", the boy answered the man.

This time Koushirou's surprise didn't vanish from his face, after he heard Lupin's calm reply.

"You want to learn swordsmanship from me? Even though your strength rivals, maybe even surpasses my own? Why?"

"Why? Because I want to."

Normally such a reply would be as ridiculous as it could get, but they were spoken with such confidence, that Koushirou felt as if they had the power to change fate itself. As if the will of the child before him was enough to turn the sky upside down.

'Definitely worth teaching!'

Gathering his focus to shake off his surprise and shock, Koushirou answered Lupin.

"I accept. From today onwards you will be a student of this dojo, until you either die or bring shame to its name. This will be your room from now on, while I will arrange for a room for your companion. You will also have to wear a mask, when training on the field with the other students, as will your companion."

"Thank you, teacher.", Lupin bowed, as it was custom when accepting a teacher, though he did it out of true respect and because it was tradition.

"Another room won't be necessary, as Ina and I have always shared a room.", Lupin started, before he continued, "I also may need your help in buying some training weights and providing a place where I can train with them, teacher."

Koushirou was a very traditional man, so he would normally not agree to such a sleeping arrangement, but he could sense that this wasn't something that the boy was willing to reconsider.

As he could see it in the boy's eyes and posture, so he simply dropped the matter, as he also had a very tolerable side to him, despite his love for traditions.

A few short minutes later, after Lupin had handed over roughly two million berry for the weights and they had finished their discussion of logistics, Koushirou left the room.