Chapter - 58
East Blue – Loguetown
“Oh, I know you! You’re the guy who returned my gsses earlier, right?”, the girl asks, approaching Zoro, who was checking out the swords in the barrel.
“Yes”, Zoro says, not wanting to talk to her much.
“Thanks for that, by the way. Nice to meet you; my name is Tashigi”, Tashigi says, extending her hand to greet Zoro.
Still focused on finding a suitable sword, Zoro ignores her hand and merely grunts in acknowledgment, “Hrmm.”
"You use three swords, right? Reminds me of a particur pirate hunter", Tashigi comments, apparently unaware of Zoro's dislike for her, or simply ignoring it.
"Pirate hunter?", Zoro asks, turning his attention to Tashigi.
“Yeah, I think his name is Roronoa Zoro. He uses three swords, just like you”, Tashigi says, trying to recall if that was really the correct name.
“Yeah, I hear that a lot”, Zoro comments, continuing his search for two good swords.
"He's quite well-known here in the East Blue, can you believe it? A guy who wields a sword just for money is that famous; it’s an insult", Tashigi comments, sharing her opinion.
"...Sigh... why is 'evil' so powerful nowadays? All the greatest swordsmen in the world are either pirates or pirate hunters; most of the meitou are scattered across the world in the hands of these people. It’s really such a shame", Tashigi muses, delving deeper into her thoughts.
“It’s not like the Marines are one hundred percent good either”, Zoro comments, finally finding a sword that caught his attention.
“That’s a lie. The Marines protect people; we defend justice”, Tashigi says, furrowing her brow.
"You're of the Marines, right? Once you see the real world, you'll understand that not everything is bck and white. Like an idiot friend of mine always says, the world is made up of many shades of gray", Zoro says, picking up the sword that caught his attention from the barrel.
“I… still, I cannot in good conscience let these swords fall into the wrong hands, I will travel the world and recover all the meitou from these people’s hands,” Tashigi decres determinedly, trying not to let herself be shaken as Zoro’s words penetrated deep into her mind.
“Recover? So that means you’re coming after Wado here?”, Zoro asks, looking Tashigi directly in the eyes, making her feel pressured.
“What? No, it’s not like that, I don’t want to take all of them, I just don’t like the idea of them being used for evil”, Tashigi says, raising her hands to pcate Zoro.
“Swords are weapons, and weapons are made to kill. Therefore, it doesn’t matter which side the person is on; if they wield a bde, then they are willing to kill people, which is considered a malicious act. If you don’t have that mentality, then don’t consider yourself a swordsman. In the end, the question that remains is: why are you carrying a weapon if you’re not going to kill anyone? You won’t need it, anyway”, Zoro comments, drawing the sword he picked from the barrel.
“Hey, old man, is this one also fifty thousand?”, Zoro asks the vendor, who had been paying attention to Zoro’s words the entire time.
When the vendor realizes which sword Zoro is holding, he says, “Yes, it’s fifty thousand, but I can’t sell you that sword, kid; it’s a—”
Zoro then interrupts him, saying, “Bde with a conscience.”
“How did you know? Doesn’t matter, it’s a cursed bde, kid, not a bde with a conscience. Its name is Sandai-Kitetsu; all the swordsmen who wielded it or one of the other Kitetsu had a tragic end”, the vendor comments with a serious expression.
“I know because I can somehow feel and hear her, just like with Wado. This whole cursed sword thing doesn’t exist; people misunderstand. This sword was created for the purpose of causing harm, killing, and drawing blood, and its ‘spirit’, so to speak, desires that as a consequence. If the one who wields it doesn’t give it that, it will eventually take it from him by force. All of the named swords have a conscience, some with strong temperaments and demands, while others are calm and obedient,” Zoro expins as he uses his breath to sense the aura and presence of both swords and what they in a way say.
While Sandai-Kitetsu is practically screaming like a spoiled child wanting blood and to cut something, Wado Ichimonji remains unperturbed and ready as always, humming while waiting for the next battle.
“Still, kid, I—”, the vendor begins to say, only to be interrupted by Zoro.
“How about a little test then? Let’s see if this spoiled brat wants to come with me or not,” Zoro says with a grin before throwing his unsheathed sword into the air and extending his arm, pcing it in the path of the falling sword.
“WHAT? ARE YOU CRAZY, KID? YOU'RE GOING TO LOSE YOUR ARM!”, the vendor screams desperately at the sight of Zoro doing this.
“Huh!?”, Tashigi excims, surprised and scared at what Zoro is doing.
“Hmm? What’s happening?”, Nojiko asks, confused, appearing near the counter while holding a round metal shield like Captain America's in one hand and a tomahawk axe in the other.
The sword then falls, passing over Zoro's extended arm without leaving a scratch and plunging deep into the ground right afterward.
While everyone was shocked and speechless, and Nojiko was confused, not understanding what was happening or why her crewmate had done such an idiotic thing, Zoro said with a smile, “I’ll take it.”
“Hey, can you grab another sword from the barrel for me?”, Zoro turns to Tashigi, who was looking at him dazed, and asks.
“Hey, kid, wait just a minute; I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere”, the vendor says before heading to the back of the shop to apparently fetch something.
A few minutes ter, the vendor returns, bringing a sword on a dispy stand, and as he pces it on the counter, he says, “It’s a Ryo-Wazamono; its name is Yubashiri, a long sword with a synthetic cquer finish in bck color. Its bde has a precise cut; my shop may not be anything special, but I guarantee the quality of this bde. It’s my best and most valuable sword.”
“Nice sword, old man. I can feel it’s good, but as I said before, my budget is one hundred thousand. Besides this spoiled kid here that you said was fifty thousand, I don’t have money for an expensive sword like that”, Zoro says apologetically while feeling the aura of Yubashiri; the sword seemed quiet and loyal, analyzing everything coldly.
"I don't care about the money; I want you to keep it. In fact, I don't want any money for the Kitetsu either. I apologize for trying to trick you earlier. It's been a long time since I've seen a real swordsman. They say the sword chooses its master, right? Well, I believe both of them are in good hands now", the seller says with a serious expression.
“Well, I guess thank you, then”, Zoro says while in his mind he thinks, ‘Did this old man try to trick me?’
And as Zoro begins to leave the shop now with three swords again, Nojiko turns to the vendor and asks, showing the shield and the tomahawk axe, “I picked these two; how much will it cost?”
“Oh, good choice. Both are of great quality; they’ll st a long time with proper maintenance. Each is five hundred thousand, so one million”, the vendor says after taking a look at the best shield and tomahawk axe he had in the shop.
“I’ll take them. Oh, do you accept gold bars as payment?”, Nojiko asks, remembering that small detail.
“I do.”
“Oh, then here, have a nice day”, Nojiko says, handing him an amount of gold equivalent to just over a million before bidding farewell and leaving to catch up with Zoro.
Meanwhile, Tashigi was still dazed as she watched the two walk away.
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(AN: 1,336 Words)
Chapter - 59
East Blue – Loguetown
While Zoro and Nojiko had finished buying their weapons and were heading to the pza, Nami had already bought everything she wanted and was doing the same. Usopp, Kaya, Chouchou, and Sanji, who was trying to flirt with a beautiful woman wearing a cowboy hat only to fail miserably as she simply ignored him and walked towards the pza, had also finished their tasks. And just like the other Straw Hats, they were heading towards the pza. Luffy, our protagonist on duty, was now standing before the execution ptform where Gol D. Roger began the great era of pirates.
Just another face in middle of the crowd passing through the square, that is until he shot forward using Soru and appeared on top of the execution ptform, having a wide view of the enormous square.
“Ahh, wow, so this was Roger's st view before he was executed?”, Luffy asks the wind as he admires the sight of the huge crowd passing through the square.
“OWWW, hey kid, get down from there, you can't climb up there”, one of the guys manning the execution ptform says upon noticing Luffy standing up there.
“Hmm? What are you compining about down there, old man? Speak up, I can't hear anything!”, Luffy shouts, trying to understand what that old man down below was compining about.
The man then grabs a Den Den Mushi megaphone and speaks again, “I'm telling you to get down, you little brat. You can’t go up there.”
“Why not?”, Luffy asks, confused.
“This execution ptform is World Government property, not a tourist attraction that anyone can just go up as they please”, the guy says, drawing more and more attention from the crowd around the scene.
“Oh, so it's a good thing I don't have an ounce of respect for the World Government, right?”, Luffy shouts back with a huge smile on his face, enjoying the chaos he was about to cause.
Just as the man was about to speak again, he is suddenly struck by a mace wielded by a beautiful woman wearing a cowboy hat.
“Oh, don’t be such a bore, officer. I've been looking for you, Luffy; it's been a while since we st saw each other, hasn’t it?”, the woman says, smiling at Luffy.
“Who are you, you crazy dy?”, Luffy asks, not knowing who she was.
“What, you're not going to tell me you forgot this beautiful face?”, the woman says with a seductive smile.
“If I knew you, I wouldn't be asking who you are, you crazy dy”, Luffy replies, starting to get irritated.
“Well, I haven’t forgotten you, since you were the first man to punch my beautiful face”, the woman says, pcing her hand on her cheek.
“Huh? Did I hit you? Well, if I did punch you, it must have been because you deserved it”, Luffy says, not even bothering to make the slightest effort to remember who this woman could be.
"That fist of yours made me feel something I've never felt before", the woman says with a smile on her face as she caresses her cheek with one hand, a smile that I would describe as being perverted.
“There’s no man in the world who wouldn’t kneel before my beauty, right, everyone?”, the woman then asks the crowd surrounding her.
“THAT’S RIGHT, YOU’RE A BEAUTY!”, the men in the crowd shout, lost in her beauty.
“See? And I only like strong men, so you’ll be mine before the day is over, Luffy”, the woman decres, giving Luffy a predatory smile.
"Whoa, now you've gone completely crazy. You can forget about it, I have a girlfriend, you crazy woman", Luffy says, sticking out his tongue at the crazy woman who was trying to steal him away from Nami.
At that moment, a hooded man approaches the woman while saying, “Don’t mind this rubber-brained idiot, my dear Lady Alvida.”
“Hmm, Alvida, Alvida, where have I heard that name before? Oh right, Analvida, but wait, where is she?”, Luffy wonders aloud, trying to spot that weather balloon in the crowd, to no avail.
“It’s Alvida, you idiot, and I’m right here!”, Alvida says, losing her patience.
"Whoa, are you telling me that huge dump truck from before is you? What happened? Did you stuff yourself with Ozempic or something?", Luffy asks with not a hint of respect for Alvida.
"Ah, that's right, you're not able to recognize me because I ate an Akuma no Mi, and my body changed. I ate the Sube Sube no Mi, so now no attack can hurt my beautiful skin. The change that happened to my body was that my freckles disappeared; but other than that, I'm just as beautiful as before", Alvida expins, thinking that Luffy didn't recognize her because her freckles were gone.
“No, no, I’m pretty sure you weighed a few tons more, and I don’t think I’m hallucinating or anything. If you looked like this before, then I’m a two-door refrigerator”, Luffy says, certain that she was different before.
"Well, if you're going to be my man, then you'll have to defeat this man with whom I joined forces solely to find you, my love", Alvida says, completely ignoring Luffy's comment.
“I already said I have a girlfriend”, Luffy insists, wondering if Analvida had gone deaf after the punch he gave her before.
"Ever since you made me fly through the air like a rocket, I've had adventures and persevered in the search for my men, I've made alliances along the way, and it's truly been a great adventure! Me! Poor Buggy, the star clown, I've been through ups and downs, in a great adventure full of ughter! Tears! And friendships! But I faced it all just to have the chance to kill you, and now... Ahhh, why the hell am I saying all this?", the hooded man next to Alvida says, throwing his cape into the air along with a bunch of other men, revealing himself to be none other than Buggy, the star clown.
“Oh, it’s just Boga”, Luffy says, picking his ear as if he were completely bored with Buggy’s monologue.
"IT'S BUGGY, BUGGY, BUGGY, BUGGY DAMNIT, WHAT'S THE FUCKING DIFFICULTY? I HATE YOU, YOU RUBBER-BRAINED PIECE OF SHIT, I'M GONNA KILL YOU!", Buggy screams, boiling with rage.
“AHHHHHHHH, it’s the Buggy pirates! Run!”, the people in the crowd scream, fleeing upon realizing Buggy and his crew were there.
“Gyahahahahahahaha, that’s right, meet the terror of facing the great Buggy the Clown. Now it’s time for your public execution, rubber brain, now Cabaji!”, Buggy says, opening his arms and ughing like a madman.
At that moment, Cabaji, who was hiding, tries to surprise Luffy with an attack to restrain him on the ptform with a medieval wooden handcuff, only to fail miserably when Luffy doesn't even move from his spot.
All of Buggy’s pirates stand there, mouths agape, not knowing what to do as they witness the pn fall apart.
Looking at Cabaji next to him, who at that moment was wide-eyed and sweating with nervousness, Luffy asks, confused, “Huh, was that some kind of pn?”
"Whattttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt? We're screwed, guys, let's get out of here!", Buggy says when he comes to his senses and realizes that his pn has completely failed.
Luffy then delivers a light punch to Cabaji and sends him flying like a missile off the ptform, causing him to crash into a building on the other side of the square.
“Sorry, man, but the photo that’s going to appear in the newspaper will look cooler if it’s just me up here”, Luffy mutters, scratching his neck.
At that moment, all the protagonists of this event arrive at the square, the Straw Hats who came to find their captain, along with Smoker, Tashigi, and a rge contingent of marines, who came to the square to capture three wanted pirates.
“Shishishishishi, it’s time to decre my dream to the world, the Grand Line awaits me”, Luffy mutters before clenching his fists and sucking in a huge amount of air before shouting his dream to the world.
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(AN: 1,350 Words)
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