East Blue, Shimotsuki Village.
The bright moon and cool breeze shone down; the yellow... stream flowed into the sea.
Late autumn reddened the fallen leaves, making the moonlight seem even colder. In the backyard of Shimotsuki Village's Isshin-ryu dojo, Koshiro, dressed in white, sat kneeling by the veranda. Beside him sat a plate of dango on a white porcelain dish and a small flask of sake.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
A thin man with unkempt hair pressed both hands against a rag and ran from one end of the veranda to the other, working hard.
There were many dojo students during the day, so the cleaning had to be rushed at night.
Suddenly, Koshiro asked softly.
"Has Zoro not returned yet?"
The man paused at that, then replied in a hoarse voice, "He said he was going into the mountains to train during the day. He probably got lost again."
"I see."
Koshiro nodded and said nothing more. He picked up a bamboo skewer of dango and silently drank beneath the moon.
The man remained silent at this. After a moment, he spoke.
"Mr. Koshiro, I plan to leave tomorrow."
Koshiro's movements stalled for a moment, but the faint smile remained on his face.
"Alright."
"Aren't you going to ask why?"
The man looked at him curiously.
"If you wished to tell me, you naturally would. If not, why should I ask?"
Koshiro smiled. "I understand how you feel... I once had days like yours as well. Hiding all day, wandering everywhere, even living under someone else's roof, terrified that my enemies would find me."
"That can't be true, can it? You're clearly so strong, sir!"
The man's eyes widened in shock.
Koshiro had saved him from the jaws of a sea beast over ten meters long. He still vividly remembered the brilliance of that sword strike.
That was also why he had chosen to clean the dojo without asking for wages.
In his overwhelming shock, he failed to notice that he had revealed his original voice.
But Koshiro paid it no mind and merely shook his head.
"There are always greater people beyond greater people, and greater skies beyond greater skies. The sea is vast, and powerful people emerge without end. What do I amount to?"
With that, he took out a money pouch from his robe.
"This is your pay for this period. There's a little extra in it, consider it my contribution toward your passage."
To leave Shimotsuki Village and sail afar, one had to take the merchant ship that came by once a week. Naturally, merchants charged money.
"I..."
Thud!
The man dropped to his knees before Koshiro, pressing his head deeply against the floor as his whole body trembled and he kowtowed loudly.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
"Lord Koshiro!"
"I will never forget your great kindness for as long as I live!"
Koshiro still smiled with gentle refinement as he lifted his cup.
"Go on. Get some rest early."
"I'm back!!"
At that moment, a vigorous shout came from the front yard. The man wiped away his tears, picked up the money pouch, and quickly headed toward his room—a plain, inconspicuous woodshed.
Koshiro slowly turned around, about to greet him, when the corner of his mouth twitched. His refined smile froze on his face.
"Zoro!"
His tone remained calm, but Zoro shrank his neck and hurriedly explained.
"It wasn't my fault, Master Koshiro! He suddenly jumped out and attacked me for no reason, so I hit him a little hard."
Zoro had not returned alone. There was also a...? man? creature? middle-aged man so battered and bruised that he no longer looked human.
Zoro's T-shirt had been slashed open at the shoulder, and his wooden sword had broken a third of the way down, proving the fight had not been easy.
Feeling his eyelid twitching fiercely, Koshiro took a deep breath.
"Then who is he?"
"Another bounty hunter looking for that guy. Who exactly did he offend?"
Tossing aside the "trophy" in his hand, Zoro dropped onto the floor, pulled off his T-shirt, and bared his teeth in pain when the movement tugged at his wounds.
Seeing this, Koshiro sighed helplessly, rose to fetch a medical kit, and began tending to Zoro's injuries.
The bounty hunter lying on the floor saw this through the slits of his eyes and opened his mouth slightly.
Sir, I think I can still be saved.
But neither of them paid him any attention. Hearing Zoro's words, Koshiro nodded and said, "The new overlord of East Blue—the Great Pirate with a bounty of fifty-five million Beli, Black Count."
"Black Count? Sounds like some kind of noble... Hiss!"
Zoro's eyes widened, and he puffed out his chest.
After quite a while, once Koshiro removed his hand, Zoro finally let out a breath. "Offending a noble does sound troublesome."
"But the real trouble is more than that... They say Black Count possesses the ability to commune with the dead. Some people want to use that method to find the treasure Unan left behind, so they will try every possible way to capture him and curry favor with him."
"Including this guy?"
Zoro pointed at the floor.
No, I just wanted to see Mom one more time.
The bounty hunter cried, two streams of liquid pouring from his eyes.
Mom, I miss you so much. These people are all demons, demons!
Zoro sneered at the sight.
Alright, that question did not need answering.
"Tsk, tsk, the art of communing with the dead!"
Hearing that sigh, Koshiro paused. "What? Are you interested too?"
"I am a little curious, but I won't do that."
Zoro lifted his head with a serious expression and looked at Koshiro. "I'll use my own swords to make my name resound through Heaven!"
"Not rely on something like communing with the dead."
Koshiro fell silent.
"Master, you promised that once I turn seventeen, you'll let me go to sea."
Zoro's words suddenly pulled him from his memories.
Looking at the slightly nervous Zoro before him, Koshiro smiled.
"Who brought you back tonight?"
"Uncle Kule from the village entrance... Hiss!!"
The instant the words left his mouth, Zoro realized something was wrong. He stared at Koshiro in disbelief.
Can we even have a conversation anymore?!
(╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻
But to Zoro's surprise, Koshiro nodded after laughing.
"Then go."
"Master?!"
Zoro's face filled with delight.
"Wait here..."
With that, Koshiro rose and walked toward the stairs, leaving Zoro with his back. Before long, he returned carrying a long object wrapped in white cloth.
The moment Zoro saw it, his pupils contracted, and he involuntarily sat down on his knees.
Koshiro sat cross-legged and placed the object between them.
"There are only a few months left until you turn seventeen. Before setting out to sea, you need to familiarize yourself with every inch of this sword."
"As a swordsman, you must understand the weapon in your hand."
The white cloth was lifted away, and it was as if moonlight flowed through the dojo, making their eyes sting.
It was a plain grayish-white katana. Its design was simple, without exquisite decoration or any distinctive traits. It had none of the presence of a famed blade; thrown among broken swords, it would be impossible to pick out. Yet its sharpness and durability placed it among the Twenty-One Great Grade Swords!
Named blade: Wado Ichimonji!
This was the finest sword in the village. It had also been the personal sword of Kuina, Zoro's childhood friend and Koshiro's daughter, who had died young.
Zoro silently took hold of the blade. After a long while, he spoke.
"Blade: length sixty-eight centimeters, width 1.9 centimeters, thickness 0.9 millimeters."
"Sheath: length eighty-nine centimeters, outer width 2.1 centimeters, inner width 1.9 centimeters."
"Hilt: length twenty-two centimeters, width two centimeters."
Zoro drew the long sword, his expression solemn as he felt the friction against his fingertips. "Perhaps other swords wouldn't work, but this one... there's no need!"
Its length, width, weight, even its slightest curve and the best angle for swinging it—all of it had been carved into Zoro's muscles through two thousand and one defeats.
Koshiro nodded slightly.
"Then that is good. It belongs to you now."
Zoro looked up in shock. But when he met Koshiro's eyes, full of expectation, every word rose to his throat, yet no sound came out.
Thud!
Zoro knelt solemnly, pressed his forehead to the floor, and gritted his teeth.
"Thank you so much, Master!"
Only Zoro understood how important this sword was to Koshiro, and how much hope Koshiro had placed in him by giving it to him.
I will never let either of you down!
I swear!
I will become the World's Greatest Swordsman!
"Finish bandaging your wounds and get some rest. Being knelt before by two young men in one night really makes me feel old."
Koshiro did not help Zoro up. He pressed a hand against the floor and rose to his feet.
"Remember to take him to the clinic tomorrow. You really didn't hold back."
With that, he turned and left.
There really are good people in this world!
The hunter was so moved that tears welled in his eyes, but then he blinked and looked toward the fleeting figure in the backyard.
That's right!
Why had I fought him?
Wasn't I here to find someone?
"St... stop!"
He forced the words out of his throat, pressed his chin to the ground, and wriggled like a caterpillar toward the figure climbing over the wall.
"Truly... tenacious!"
The corner of Zoro's mouth twitched at the sight. Then he grinned coldly.
"But I said it already. Don't even think about causing trouble in the village."
"You..."
The bounty hunter turned back in shock.
Could this be the legendary...
Fishing enforcement?
His answer was a fist the size of a sandbag.
Before you continue