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East Blue, Shimotsuki Village, open space outside the village.
Clang!
The sound of a sword being drawn rang out.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
The sound of slashes followed.
A massive boulder suspended in mid-air was neatly sliced into four pieces by the swordsman before it.
What was remarkable was that although the boulder had been cut into four sections, the swordsman had only executed a single strike. He wielded a sword in each hand and another in his mouth.
The swordsman had green hair, a white shirt, and a green belly wrap. A bandana was tied around his left arm, and three golden earrings adorned his left ear.
It was a look utterly unique even on the vast sea.
“He’s too strong!”
“No wonder it’s Big Brother Zoro’s Three Sword Style (Santoryu)!”
“I want to learn Three Sword Style (Santoryu) too!”
“He’s practically a monster! Big Brother Zoro might even surpass Dōjō Master Kōshirō someday!”
A group of children were cheering beside the swordsman, all wearing matching dojo uniforms with crossed swords embroidered on their left chests.
“Heh.”
Hearing their words, Zoro sheathed his three swords and smiled at the commotion from his junior brothers.
He didn’t deny the children’s claim that he might surpass Dōjō Master Kōshirō, even though the man was his mentor and someone he deeply respected.
But…
“To become the world’s greatest swordsman, you have to surpass everyone.”
His hand instinctively touched the second katana at his waist, the one with the white tsuba, his eyes burning with determination.
It was a promise he had made to his late true friend.
“But Big Brother Zoro, you’re setting sail soon, right?”
At that moment, one of the children asked curiously, “So, what are you planning to do when you set sail?”
“Hmm, it’s been eight years since that guy… It’s time to test my sword,” Zoro nodded.
“What do you plan to do at sea?”
“Become a bounty hunter, I guess. Searching the world for strong opponents to fight should make my sword even stronger.” Zoro’s voice held a hint of anticipation as he spoke.
After years of grueling training in sword techniques, he finally had a chance to put them to the test. Anyone would be excited in his position.
“Searching the world for strong opponents? Awesome! Didn’t some Pirates raid us recently?”
“Yeah, those Pirates said they’d be back before the Dōjō Master drove them off, right? Big Brother Zoro should go find them first and cut them all down!”
Hearing this, some of the children’s eyes lit up with admiration.
But others expressed skepticism.
Naturally, they weren’t doubting Zoro’s sword skills, but rather…
“Bounty hunter… If it were you, Big Brother Zoro, you’d definitely get lost, right?”
“Absolutely!”
“Definitely! You might not find your way back for years!”
Hearing this, Zoro’s eyes widened in an instant. “Huh? What are you brats saying? How could I possibly… Hmm?!”
He stopped mid-sentence, his expression turning serious.
Because at that moment, he could see a figure appearing at the end of the road on the other side of the village.
Zoro could make out the person’s appearance from a distance.
It seemed to be a tall, imposing man wearing a ceremonial hat and a peculiar pig-headed mask.
“This guy…” Zoro’s expression grew serious.
Shimotsuki Village wasn’t a large village, and outsiders rarely visited this place.
Moreover, Zoro’s swordsman’s intuition told him, that man didn’t seem like an ordinary traveler.
“Stay here and don’t move,” Zoro told the children behind him before leaping over the rubble and striding toward the man.
“Hey, you’re a new face around here, aren’t you?” Zoro grinned at the man.
The man remained silent.
Zoro noticed that, for a brief moment, the man seemed slightly taken aback when he saw him. This deepened Zoro’s suspicions, could this guy be one of the pirates who were driven out recently?
“The little brother is right,” the pig-masked man said politely. “This is indeed my first visit to your village. I’m here to discuss some business.”
“Business?” Zoro grinned. “Where’s the meeting? I know the village well, I could show you around.”
“It’s a place called Isshin Dojo. I have an appointment to discuss business with its master, Mr. Shimotsuki Kōshirō.”
Clang!
Before Inoshi could finish speaking, Zoro had already drawn his sword.
“Sorry, Pirate.” He was almost certain of his judgment. “I don’t remember Sensei ever discussing business with anyone. Two-Sword Style: Back Eagle Wave!”
He drew his swords and unleashed a swift, powerful slash.
Upon closer inspection, however, it became clear that he was striking with the back of his blade.
Evidently, though he suspected the man was a Pirate, he wasn’t about to recklessly attack anyone without confirmation.
But
Clang!
The back of the blade struck the man’s neck with ease.
Zoro was certain he had landed the blow, having poured all his strength into the strike.
Yet the man didn’t fall.
No, to be precise, he didn’t even flinch.
“Little brother, this isn’t very wise.” In the next moment, Zoro saw the man’s calm eyes beneath his mask. “If you attack potential business partners so casually, you’ll find it hard to make any deals. And I think I heard you mention wanting to fight strong opponents earlier, a noble ambition, but…”
He lightly flicked Zoro’s forehead.
“There are many monsters on this sea. If you draw your sword at everyone you see, you’ll die.”
Bang!
An immense force erupted instantly. Zoro felt as if he hadn’t been struck by a single finger, but rather by some massive, blunt instrument.
He was sent flying backward.
But…
“I can’t go down that easily.”
Even as he hurtled through the air, he stubbornly maintained his focus, forcing himself to stay conscious. With a surge of willpower, he righted himself mid-air and landed on his feet.
Thud!
The moment his feet touched the ground, his hands were already gripping the hilts of his remaining two swords.
“Hah hah.”
His forehead was completely bruised and swollen, but he paid it no mind.
He didn’t understand what had just happened. How could such a casual flick of the wrist generate such overwhelming power?
But he knew one thing for certain:
This opponent was incredibly strong.
Then…
“Perfect. I’ll test my blades on you.”
He drew all three swords simultaneously, clamping one between his teeth.
“Three Sword Style (Santoryu).”
“Zoro, stop.”
The familiar voice made Zoro instinctively stop.
He turned his head and, as expected, saw a familiar figure, a man in a gray kimono and round-framed glasses, with a gentle demeanor.
“Sensei?”
It was his Sensei, Shimotsuki Kōshirō, the Dōjō Master of the Isshin Dojo in Shimotsuki Village.
“I’ve been waiting for you, sir. My apologies, my disciple acted rashly. Thank you for showing mercy.”
Kōshirō ignored Zoro and turned to the man wearing the boar mask, speaking softly.
“…Huh?”
Zoro was stunned by this.
Then he immediately realized, this man really was someone Sensei knew?
“No, wait…”
But then Zoro realized something was off. Kōshirō’s expression was far more serious than usual, no, to be precise, Zoro had never seen him so serious before.
Clearly, while Kōshirō might know this man, they were definitely not friends.
And now…
“It’s quite alright, Mr. Koushirō,” the boar-masked man said with refined grace. “I’m here to discuss business, not to cause trouble.”
With a smile, he removed his ceremonial mask. “Allow me to introduce myself.”
“I am Inoshi, a blacksmith.”
(End Of This Chapter)
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