As Taiyo continued his relentless training and sparring with Zoro and Kuina, he quietly counted down the days. He had already decided that he would leave Shimotsuki Village and begin his journey at the age of seventeen, just like Luffy, Zoro, and Ace had in canon. It was a decision he had made long ago, discussed and finalized with Kouzaburou shortly after forging his sword.
Zoro and Kuina, understanding the path their brother had chosen, agreed they would leave one year after Taiyo's departure. They knew that if they left at the same time, they would be tempted to simply follow him. But they each wanted to forge their own strength, their own path, before reuniting with Taiyo one day on equal footing.
One afternoon, during a routine sparring session with Zoro and Kuina, Taiyo suddenly paused. His senses flared. A presence—familiar and heavy—had just arrived on the island. It was unmistakable. He remembered it from his past.
Bartholomew Kuma.
But something was different this time. The presence radiated desperation, sorrow, and something deeper… loss. The feeling coiled in Taiyo's chest like a tightening rope. Something was wrong.
"I'll end the sparring early today," Taiyo announced abruptly, sheathing his blade in one fluid motion.
Both Zoro and Kuina froze, confused. This had never happened before. Normally, Taiyo would end their sessions by knocking them unconscious with the blunt side of his sword after pushing them past their limits.
"Why? Is something wrong?" Kuina asked, her voice laced with concern.
"Yes," Taiyo replied simply. "I'm needed elsewhere."
Without another word, Taiyo turned and left, his steps swift and purposeful. He had to confirm why Kuma was here, because if he was right, something had shifted in the world.
Meanwhile, Zoro and Kuina exchanged glances before resuming their spar. Whatever was happening, they trusted Taiyo to face it head-on.
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When Taiyo arrived at the dojo, his eyes immediately landed on the towering figure of Bartholomew Kuma, engaged in quiet discussion with Koushirou. But it wasn't just the man's size that caught Taiyo's attention—it was the heaviness that clung to him like a shadow. His Haki had sensed it even before he laid eyes on him: a deep, quiet desperation wrapped in sorrow.
As he stepped closer, the weight behind Kuma's presence made sense. Bonney. She was six now. If history was repeating itself, then the disease that killed Ginny had already begun to manifest in Bonney. And if Taiyo was right, Kuma had come here not as a Revolutionary, but as a father searching for a miracle before the World Government gave him their twisted version of one.
"You're back," Taiyo said calmly as he approached, interrupting the conversation.
Both Kuma and Koushirou turned at the sound of his voice.
Koushirou raised a brow. "Again? That's twice this week. You're not finishing your sparring sessions with Zoro and Kuina."
"I sensed someone familiar… and someone burdened," Taiyo replied, his eyes now fixed on Kuma. "Your heart is too heavy for this to be an ordinary visit."
Kuma remained silent, his jaw tight as if bracing himself. He turned slightly, preparing to leave. But he stopped.
He remembered something. The last time he visited, he'd heard whispers of Taiyo's strange powers—how he could bring someone back from the brink of death. He had dismissed it then, thinking it too far-fetched. But now? Now he was out of time and out of options. A father's desperation will always seek hope, no matter how faint.
"I have a request," Kuma said at last, his voice low but steady.
That caught Koushirou off guard. He had expected Kuma to leave without revealing anything sensitive. Revolutionaries, after all, kept secrets not just to protect themselves, but to protect innocents from retaliation.
"If the price is right," Taiyo replied evenly, "I'll do what I can."
Koushirou turned sharply toward Taiyo, shocked. "Taiyo. Is that really appropriate? I thought I raised you to help those in need, not charge them for it."
"You did, Father," Taiyo said, voice calm but firm. "But I leave the island next year. Once I'm out at sea, I'll have no safety net. I need resources to survive—and thrive. If I help, I need to be prepared to keep helping others when no one's backing me."
Koushirou paused. The words stung, but he understood. Taiyo wasn't being greedy. He was being pragmatic. He was preparing for the world beyond their peaceful island—a world far crueler and colder.
Kuma, meanwhile, didn't hesitate. No amount of money could compare to the value of his daughter's life. Whatever Taiyo asked for, he would pay.
"Tell me your price," Kuma said.
"That depends on your request," Taiyo replied. "Say it, and I'll decide what it's worth."
Kuma didn't falter. He looked Taiyo in the eye, his face unreadable but his voice heavy with restrained emotion.
"I want you to heal my daughter."
The words fell like iron into the silence of the room.
And for a long moment, none of them said anything.
"If you have Devil Fruits and twenty million berries," Taiyo said firmly, "I'll accept that as payment."
Kuma's expression didn't change, but his body tensed—barely perceptible to anyone else, but Taiyo noticed. It wasn't hesitation over the price; it was the hope behind it, the fragile thread he was clinging to.
"But," Taiyo added, stepping forward and locking eyes with Kuma, "if I fail to heal your daughter… then you owe me nothing. I don't take payment for failure."
Koushirou's brows lifted slightly. It was rare to see Taiyo speak with this kind of confidence—quiet, resolute, and not the arrogance of youth but the calm certainty of someone who had tested himself to the brink.
Kuma's eyes narrowed slightly. "You think you can cure her?"
"I believe I can," Taiyo replied. "But I won't lie to you—I don't know the exact nature of her affliction. If it's a disease, then I have a high chance of success. If it's… something else—something inflicted by a force beyond science, like a curse—then I can't promise anything. But I will try."
Kuma stayed silent for a moment. He was analyzing every word, not as a revolutionary, not as a warrior—but as a father weighing the slimmest chance to save his only daughter.
"And if you try… you won't be hunted down?" Kuma asked, his voice low.
Taiyo smiled faintly. "Let them come. But no… I won't use any method that exposes you or her. I've trained for this. Studied for this. If I can't do it discreetly, I won't do it at all."
Kuma gave a long, heavy breath and slowly nodded. "You'll meet her tomorrow. I'll bring her here."
"I'll prepare the space," Taiyo said. "And myself."
Kuma turned to leave, but paused at the doorway. Without looking back, he spoke softly—almost too quietly to hear.
"If you succeed… I'll owe you more than just money or fruit."
Taiyo didn't answer immediately. His gaze shifted toward the sky outside, toward the quiet twilight above Shimotsuki Village.