The knife shop owner suddenly changed his expression. "This knife isn't that great. How about this, I'll buy it for 200,000 Beli. That way you'll have 300,000 Beli, enough to buy three knives worth 100,000 Beli each. Isn't that better than carrying around two broken knives worth 50,000 Beli each?"
"Huh, what are you talking about?" Zoro frowned.
"Well, then 250,000 will do," the boss said through gritted teeth. "If that's not possible, then 300,000 will do."
Seeing that Zoro showed no interest whatsoever, the shopkeeper continued to raise the price, "Looks like you have the makings of a businessman. Well, how about I offer 500,000?"
Zoro looked at the overly excited knife shop owner in front of him, somewhat speechless. "Even if you raise the price any further, this knife is still..."
Before Zoro could continue his conversation with the shopkeeper, someone suddenly ran in from outside. "Boss, is the Shigure I asked you to Shigure ready?"
The woman who rushed in suddenly looked up and saw Zoro standing to the side. "Huh? That's great! You're alright. Someone broke into the Marine base earlier, and you disappeared too. I was so worried."
Zoro was speechless at the sight of the naval sergeant before him, thinking to himself, 'What a National Treasure- level idiot woman.'
The woman's attitude suddenly changed. "But since you've appeared here safely, it means you really did ignore their kindness and run away."
As she spoke, the woman rummaged through her pocket, pulled out a wad of cash, and slapped it into Zoro's hand. "Here's your money back. I don't want to take money from heartless people, and besides, look, I've bought new glasses."
As she spoke, the woman put on her newly bought glasses. Just as she put them on, she suddenly noticed the long sword that the shopkeeper was still holding. "Ah, what? This sword! Could it be the Wado Ichimonji?" With that, she reached out and snatched the long sword from the shopkeeper's hand.
She drew her longsword from its sheath and held it up to the light. "What a beautiful straight sword! I remember it's one of the 21 Great Grade Swords. It's Famous Sword worth over ten million Beli. But how do you get such a Famous Sword?" the woman asked Zoro beside her.
"Damn it! You actually revealed all of this! I'm going to sue you for obstructing business!" The boss, seeing his prize slip away, slammed his fist on the counter in anger, but the force was so great that his hand hurt from the impact.
"This is your sword— Shigure. It's already sharpened. Go, go, go, hurry up and leave." The knife shop owner said, casually pointing to a corner of the room without even looking at Zoro and Shigure's reaction. "See those wooden barrels over there? They're full of swords worth 50,000 Beli each. Pick a couple yourself."
Zoro was still a little confused. "What on earth is he angry about?"
The woman followed Zoro to the barrel. "You seem to really like knives. You're trying to collect three. You're just like a bounty hunter, a guy who's famous in this area, a man named Roronoa."
"I do hear that name often." Zoro continued rummaging through the barrel, searching for his favorite longsword.
"Although he is a well-known swordsman throughout the East Blue, he is now known for his bad reputation. He actually uses his sword as a tool to make money, and I will never forgive him."
Why are the evil forces so strong in this era? Those famous swordsmen and knights are either pirates or bounty hunters; almost all the world's most famous swords are in their hands, to the point that even the swords are crying.
Zoro suddenly stopped searching for his sword, a slight smile playing on his lips. "They probably each have their own reasons. After all, professions have to adapt to the demands of the times."
The woman declared loudly, "In short, I will use this Shigure to train diligently as a swordsman. One day, I will reclaim all the Famous Sword that have fallen into the hands of villains around the world. The 12 Supreme Grade Swords, the 21 Great Grade Swords, and the 50 Skillful Grade Swords —even if it costs me my life, I will persevere to the end."
Zoro turned around and smiled, brandishing the long sword at his waist. "Are you going to take this sword too? It's called Wado Ichimonji, right?" As he spoke, Zoro pushed it with his thumb, revealing the blade of the long sword.
The woman immediately tensed up. "Ah, no, I don't want the Famous Sword, I just don't want them to fall into the hands of bad people."
Zoro casually pulled a long sword from the barrel, and upon feeling the sensation it gave him, Zoro couldn't help but frown.
Upon seeing the sword, the woman stepped forward. "This sword... I remember it's... the Sandai Kitetsu? That's right, the Sandai Kitetsu! Its predecessor Nidai Kitetsu, was Great Grade Sword, and before that, the Shodai Kitetsu was a Supreme Great Grade Sword."
The woman then turned to the knife shop owner, who was gritting his teeth and wanting to kill, and asked, "Uncle, are you really only selling this knife for 50,000 Beli?"
Seeing the silent shopkeeper, the woman continued chattering, "That's fantastic! This is a fine knife! You should choose it; it usually sells for over a million Beli. You absolutely should choose it."
"No, no, no, no, no, that won't sell!" The shop owner, who had been standing behind the counter, suddenly rushed out and shouted at the two of them.
"I knew it! It's really strange that this knife only sells for 50,000 Beli." The woman, on the other hand, thought it was perfectly normal.
"No, that's not it, this knife is..."
Before the shopkeeper could explain, Zoro blurted out the answer, "It's a cursed sword."
Hearing this, the boss was quite surprised that this guy, whom he thought was a complete novice, had given the answer so readily, "What? You know?"
Zoro stared at the longsword in his hand, which emitted a pale purple light. "No, I can feel it."
"From the Shodai Kitetsu onwards, the swords of the Kitetsu school have all been excellent, but every single one of them is a cursed sword. Many famous swordsmen died tragically after wielding Kitetsu."
"There isn't a single swordsman in the world who uses the Kitetsu anymore, because even those who don't know about it will disappear from the world after using it. So I want to get rid of that thing as soon as possible, it feels like I'm being cursed by it." The knife shop owner finished explaining the origin of the Kitetsu with trembling hands.
The woman who had been encouraging Zoro to take the long sword quickly bowed and apologized to Zoro: "Yes, I'm sorry. I didn't know it was such a terrifying sword, and I was just being nosy."
However, Zoro raised the longsword high, looking at the light emanating from its tip: "I like it, this is it."
"Idiot, idiot, I won't sell it. If you die because of it, wouldn't that be the same as me killing you?" The shopkeeper felt uneasy about his conscience and wanted to continue to persuade Zoro.
Suddenly, a strong woman appeared behind him and punched the knife shop owner to the ground. "Hey, you're the idiot! Why aren't you selling that stuff? Do you want to be cursed?"
"Child, the child's mother." The knife shop owner hesitated for a moment.
Ever since Zoro saw the sword, a smile had never faded from his face, "Then let's have a clash between my luck and its curse, and see which one is stronger."
As he spoke, Zoro tossed the already unsheathed Sandai Kitetsu into the air, letting it spin and fall. Zoro not only didn't dodge or evade, but also stretched out his left hand, waiting for the Kitetsu its own choice.
brush!
The sharp Sandai Kitetsu was plunged directly into the ground, completely submerging the floor and penetrating half of its blade.
"In that case, I'll accept him." Zoro's smile grew even wider as he crouched down and pulled the long sword stuck in the ground.
Zoro then turned to the woman who had been chattering incessantly and said, "Hey, could you pick out another sword for me?"
However, before the two could continue their search, the knife shop owner ran off and returned carrying a long sword. "The blade is made of black lacquered katana, and the edge is made of irregular small tangs. It is one of the 50 Skillful Grade Swords — the Yubashiri."
My shop isn't famous, but this is the best knife we have. This will be your third knife."
"Hey, I don't have any money. Didn't I tell you? I don't have any money," Zoro said, sounding somewhat helpless.
The knife shop wouldn't budge. "It's free, of course. I won't charge you for the Sandai Kitetsu either. I'm really sorry about trying to cheat you earlier."
I haven't seen the eyes of a true swordsman in a long time. They say a sword chooses its master. Since the Sandai Kitetsu has chosen you, then I wish you good luck...
Walking down the street, Zoro was brimming with joy. "Having three swords feels much more reassuring."
Walking towards Zoro's direction, an old man with a long beard on his mouth and chin, his head wrapped in bandages, wearing green layered armor, and carrying a samurai sword passed by.
The old man watched Zoro leave without speaking to him, since Zoro wasn't the person he was looking for.
"Honey, you're usually so stingy, yet you're willing to give away your family heirloom sword for free. This isn't like you at all," the burly woman said, looking at the short knife shop owner standing to the side.
The knife shop owner, for once, stood firm. "What's wrong with men entrusting their dreams to other men?"
The burly woman placed the large trash can she was carrying next to the counter. "Go take out the trash quickly."
The knife shop owner shrank back instantly. "Yes, yes, yes."
The woman with glasses smiled and said, "He actually used his own arm to test the demon sword just now; it scared me so much my legs went weak."
"Ring ring ring~"
The bell on the door jingled, attracting the attention of everyone inside the shop.
"Welcome, sir! My family has been in business for two hundred years, and we're the top knife shop in this town." The knife shop owner immediately became enthusiastic.
After all, the newcomer was dressed as a samurai, and just by looking at his armor, you could tell it was no ordinary item; he must be a wealthy man.
Seeing that customers were coming to her shop, the proprietress immediately removed the trash can that had been placed next to the counter so as not to interfere with her husband's business.
The old man nodded to the shop owner, carefully examined the various knives in the shop, drew out a few longswords that he thought were quite good, and brandished them a few times. "It's clear that these longswords were all hammered out by blacksmiths, one hammer blow at a time; they were made with their hearts."
It's a pity that the blacksmiths who forged these longswords didn't understand swordsmanship. They didn't know what kind of swords swords swordsmen needed or how to generate power. So these swords can only be considered acceptable, not excellent. I wonder if there are any better swords?"
The shopkeeper hesitated for a moment, then sighed, "Alas, this customer is unfortunate. The swords and knives on display here are all we have. The others... those hanging on the right-hand wall, while not among the top 50 Skillful Grade Swords, are still of good quality."
The old man did as instructed, stepped forward, took the long sword from the wall, and slowly drew the blade. "Hmm, not bad, it's indeed much better made than those other swords and blades, it can already be considered excellent. I wonder how much this sword costs?"
Upon hearing that he wanted to buy a knife, the shopkeeper immediately perked up. "Although this knife isn't a particularly sharp one, you already know about its craftsmanship. It seems you understand swords and know I'm not making this up, so I'll give you a reasonable price: 800,000. You can take it home for just 800,000 Beli."
The old man looked at the long knife in his hand and nodded. "Alright, that's it. But I don't have enough cash. Do you accept gold?"
The shopkeeper's eyes lit up. "Yes, yes, but... if it's gold, I'll charge a handling fee. Just give me four taels of gold."
The old man nodded, took out a gold bar about the length of a finger from his waist, and muttered, "Four taels, is that right?"
He then tossed the gold bar into the air, and immediately drew the longsword he had just bought. The longsword struck first, catching up with the still-rising gold bar.
He then sheathed his sword, and the two halves of the gold bar, now severed, landed on the old man's outstretched left hand. "This is four taels of gold. Please keep it safe, boss."
"Chop, chop iron!" The woman, who had felt weak in the legs and hadn't left the knife shop, looked at the old man with great admiration.
"Only a knife that has been meticulously crafted can become Famous Sword can be passed down from generation to generation. Only those who truly uphold their beliefs and endure hardship can become heroes who will be remembered for generations."
"Young lady, this is a world where evil reigns supreme. Having dreams is not enough; you also need the strength to pursue them. I am Mifune. For the next period of time, I will be staying at the wine shop in the northwest of the town..." The old man, holding his new knife, walked past the woman.
Seeing that the woman hadn't reacted yet, the knife shop owner shouted to her, "Hey, why aren't you chasing after her!"
"Ah, yes! Senior, wait..."
I'd like to ask, do you guys really dislike this One Piece part? My subscriptions have plummeted recently, making me a bit hesitant to write... If you really don't like it, feel free to leave a comment, and I'll try my best to shorten the One Piece storyline, give the protagonist a proper power-up, and then move on to the New World.