Sorry!

"Sorry, sorry!"

"Just kidding, just kidding!"

Duen apologized to everyone one by one. If they had been strangers, he obviously wouldn't have done this, but they were neighbors who had lived together for seventeen years and saw each other every day. What he'd said had been a little too punchable.

It didn't matter much to him, but if Koushirou found out when he got back, he'd still get scolded and have to apologize properly. Better to smooth things over now.

If he had to chicken out, then he'd chicken out. If he lost a little face, then so be it. None of that mattered. What mattered was that he'd gained over 2,700 Negative Emotion Points. That was something real he could see!

Though the onlookers were somewhat angry, it faded quickly. They hadn't taken it too seriously anyway. Besides, Duen killing the Sea Beast was enough to keep them talking for days.

The couple holding the little girl hurried over and thanked Duen profusely.

Someone else immediately offered to buy the Sea Owl's corpse from Duen.

Duen agreed without hesitation. He had gotten 100,000 Beli for nothing. To someone who usually saw bills worth no more than 5,000 Beli, it was practically a windfall, though he didn't care that much.

Afterward, the man had more than a dozen strong sailors drag the Sea Owl by its tail and pull it fully onto shore, preventing the tide from washing it back into the sea.

The Sea Owl's tail twitched slightly, instantly scaring quite a few nearby spectators into scrambling backward.

So the Sea Owl was still barely alive. It hadn't died completely.

Duen wasn't surprised. There was nothing he could do about it. Wado Ichimonji's blade was less than a meter long, while the Sea Owl's central nervous system was likely protected by a layer of flesh over a meter thick. Rather than gambling on plunging the entire blade in, he had naturally chosen to destroy the Sea Owl's overall muscle tissue.

In the end, his strength was still insufficient. If Roronoa Zoro had used Wado Ichimonji at full power, he probably could've cleaved the Sea Owl in half with one strike. That was the difference.

"Cough."

Zoro strolled over, concealing a light cough. He still looked at Duen with some surprise. He had no idea what those crimson cracks wrapped around Wado Ichimonji's blade had been. Sword aura? It didn't seem like it.

"Did Master secretly teach you that attack?" Zoro asked bluntly. Beating around the bush wasn't his style, and he desperately wanted to know what kind of technique it was.

Duen pressed his four fingers together and curled them inward, signaling for Zoro to lean closer.

Zoro leaned in with a serious expression.

Duen whispered, "Guess."

Negative Emotion Points from Roronoa Zoro +199...

Zoro's face darkened. It was rare for him to humbly ask for advice, only to be toyed with like this. He was starting to want to hit someone.

"Cough... Here."

Duen promptly handed Wado Ichimonji back to Zoro, changing the subject.

Koushirou had intended to leave this sword to Duen long ago, but Duen had known that his talent was lacking. After discussing it with Koushirou, he had entrusted it to Zoro instead.

A fine horse deserved a fine saddle. That was all there was to it.

Though Duen now had the system and more possibilities on the path to becoming stronger, there was never a reason to take back something once given away.

He didn't find it regrettable either. There were plenty of famed swords. He'd have opportunities in the future.

Zoro took back Wado Ichimonji and carefully sheathed it at his waist. Then he ran over and pulled the two katana with curled blades from the fish tail before sheathing them.

Prices were cheaper in Shimotsuki Village, but even crudely made iron swords cost at least 5,000 Beli each. Two of them meant an expense of at least 10,000 Beli. Zoro didn't want to cause Koushirou trouble, so he decided to take the two swords back, sharpen them on a whetstone, and keep using them.

Duen noticed Zoro's somewhat stiff movements as he sheathed his swords and paused slightly. "How are your injuries? Serious?"

"Hmph..."

Zoro looked disdainful at Duen's question and said casually, "Just a minor injury."

"Really?"

Duen lightly patted Zoro's chest. Zoro instantly hissed and sucked in a breath, his face twisting slightly. Still trying to save face, he squeezed out two words. "I'm fine!"

"Looks like it really doesn't hurt!"

Duen clenched his fist and drew back after gathering strength, preparing to slam it hard into Zoro's chest. Zoro's face changed drastically. He grabbed Duen's arm with both hands and cried out hoarsely, "What the hell are you trying to do? Stop it already!"

Negative Emotion Points from Roronoa Zoro +0...

"Tch..." Duen relaxed his grip. "I thought you weren't afraid of dying..."

Zoro froze briefly, then understood that Duen was thinking about how he had clearly been afraid of death, yet had still thrown himself in front of the Sea Beast to save the little girl.

He had originally wanted to say something to prove how cold and heartless he was, but Duen added, "Actually... so am I."

Then why did you come save me... What a joke... What kind of pathetic Sea Beast was that? It was so weak I could've handled it alone!

Zoro roared inwardly, but the words lingered in his mouth for half the day without ever coming out.

Duen took Zoro to the town clinic to have his wounds bandaged, then brought him to a blacksmith's shop and exchanged the two broken swords for two fairly good katana.

The 100,000 Beli hadn't even had time to warm his pocket before it was all spent, but Duen wasn't upset. He felt the money had been well spent.

When Zoro saw the two new swords, his eyes gleamed. He looked like a lecher who had spotted a beautiful woman, as if even his injuries had instantly healed.

Just imagine what it looked like when someone whose face alone could make children cry wiped a few drops of drool from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand and wore such an infatuated expression.

Duen secretly found it amusing but didn't expose him. Besides, Zoro was only fifteen and hadn't yet gone out to sea or seen the world. These two swords were probably the finest katana he had ever seen apart from Wado Ichimonji.

On the way back, Zoro hummed a tune, his mood noticeably brighter.

Duen carried a basket on his back and traded jokes with Zoro all the way back to the One-Heart Dojo.

"You're back."

Koushirou sat beneath the eaves with his usual kind smile, but when he saw Zoro's injuries, he asked what had happened.

Duen told him everything truthfully. Basically, Zoro had wanted to save a little girl from a Sea Beast but had nearly been killed instead, leaving Duen no choice but to step in and help defeat the Sea Beast.

Only after listening did Koushirou slowly ask, "Where are the two swords?"

He meant Zoro's original two katana. Duen hadn't had the heart to throw them away, so he took them out from his waist, sheaths and all, and handed them to Koushirou.

Koushirou drew the swords and carefully examined their curled blades before slowly speaking. "Zoro, your powerful strength is your advantage, but your control over that strength is far too crude. A swordsman needs more than strength. It must be paired with technique. Using excessive force blindly will only leave your strength with nowhere to go, scattering in every direction."

Koushirou pointed at the curled blades. "If you could control your strength, this wouldn't have happened."

Zoro said nothing, lowering his head in thought.

Koushirou then looked at Duen and asked, "Duen, did you eat a Devil Fruit?"

Duen nodded. Zoro also turned his head curiously. "What's a Devil Fruit?"

"A fruit that grants strange abilities to whoever eats it, but causes the sea to reject them."

Koushirou explained it to Zoro, but didn't press Duen for details. He merely told the two of them to go back and get some proper rest.