Wine and Truth

Erza's extremely solemn "Please forgive my rudeness," along with that flawless ninety-degree bow, instantly shifted the atmosphere in the entire guild hall from tense confrontation into something extraordinarily delicate.

Everyone stared in stunned silence.

That was Erza! The "Fairy Queen," Titania! The iron-blooded queen of the guild, whose word was law and whom even the master had to yield to! And she had actually... bowed so deeply to a man who had just smashed through their roof and injured two companions?

That shocked them even more than Zoro defeating Natsu and Gray in a single move.

As the center of the incident, Zoro himself looked somewhat at a loss. Formal situations like this were what he handled worst. As far as he was concerned, losing a fight meant losing, and winning meant winning. Why did there have to be so much ceremony?

He scratched his messy green hair and leaned back awkwardly, trying to avoid Erza's overly earnest gaze.

"Ah... uh... you don't need to do that," he said stiffly, before immediately steering the conversation back to what concerned him most. "So, is there any alcohol or not?"

His fixation on alcohol stood in such ridiculous contrast to the godlike swordsman he had been moments ago that it was almost laughable.

"Pfft..."

No one knew who cracked first, but someone laughed. The laughter seemed contagious, instantly spreading throughout the hall. The suffocating tension from before vanished completely, like a punctured balloon. Looking at Zoro's troubled yet eager expression, then at Erza still frozen in her bow, everyone could not help but laugh.

"My, my, what an interesting gentleman."

A gentle, pleasant voice broke the slightly awkward atmosphere at just the right moment.

Behind the bar, Mirajane wore her signature warm, spring-breeze smile. At some point, she had picked up an enormous wooden mug filled with amber liquid and was now approaching gracefully.

"Our guild's alcohol is the best in Magnolia. If you don't mind, please have a drink first and wet your throat." She held the mug out to Zoro with elegant movements and a kind smile that made refusal impossible.

The moment Zoro saw the mug of beer topped with thick foam, his eyes lit up brighter than they had while fighting Erza. All his previous discomfort and confusion vanished in an instant.

Without the slightest hesitation, he took the mug, which was even larger than his face. He forgot to say thank you and simply tipped back his head, gulping it down.

The alcohol slid down his throat with a series of hearty gulps. He drank quickly and fiercely, without spilling a single drop. In the blink of an eye, the huge mug of strong beer was empty.

"Ha—!"

Zoro set down the mug and let out a deeply heartfelt, utterly satisfied sigh. A wave of warmth rose from his stomach and instantly spread through every limb, driving away all the exhaustion brought on by crossing through time and space.

"Yeah! Good booze!" he praised sincerely.

That forthright display instantly won him the favor of quite a few guild members. Cana in particular, still clutching her barrel, now looked at Zoro with the appreciation of someone who had found a worthy rival instead of her earlier vigilance.

Just then, an aged yet gentle voice came from the stairs on the second floor.

"Young man, your power does not belong to any system we know."

Everyone turned toward the voice and saw Guild Master Makarov, small in stature, slowly making his way downstairs with the aid of his cane. He had remained hidden behind the second-floor railing the entire time, witnessing everything that had happened below. There was no anger in his eyes, only an ocean-deep gravity and a trace of undisguised curiosity.

He stopped before Zoro. Though he only came up to Zoro's knees, the presence of one of the Ten Wizard Saints was not diminished in the slightest.

He raised his head to look up at the tower-like man and asked in a calming tone, "I am Makarov, master of this guild. Can you tell us... where exactly did you come from?"

Having finished his drink, Zoro was in a much better mood, and his guard had lowered considerably. He looked at the little old man who was not even as tall as his leg, scratched his head, and tried hard to recall what had happened before.

His memories of the turbulence of time and space had become blurred. All he could remember was that final battle.

"Me?" He thought for a moment, then said something in an extremely uncertain tone that left everyone confused once again.

"I think... I was looking for something to drink, then some guy who could open doors blasted me away with a strange door. When I woke up... I was on your roof."