Alzack's Bottleneck

Fairy Tail was brimming with talent, each member possessing a distinct style. Alzack Connell and his wife, Bisca Mulan, stood out as the guild's unique sharpshooter duo.

Alzack wielded an ancient magic known as Bullet Magic. Through his beloved gun, Hurricane, he could precisely fire all manner of bullets imbued with different magical effects at his enemies. Whether Tracking Bullets, scattershot, or explosive rounds, he had mastered them all.

Recently, however, Alzack had encountered an insurmountable bottleneck.

During a mission to subjugate an incredibly fast flying monster, his pride-worthy accurate shots repeatedly missed their mark. Even Tracking Bullets that locked onto their target were evaded by the creature's razor-thin, limit-breaking movements. In another battle against a giant golem clad in heavy rock armor, his Armor-Piercing Bullets had failed to leave even a scratch on it.

His magic seemed to have reached its limit. No matter how precise he became, he could not surpass certain ultimate speeds; no matter how powerful his attacks were, they could not breach certain absolute defenses.

That feeling of powerlessness plagued him deeply.

He told his wife Bisca about his troubles. Bisca's Requip Magic: Gunner allowed her to instantly summon all kinds of immensely powerful magical firearms, from sniper rifles to Gatling guns. Her firepower was unrivaled in the guild. Yet she understood her husband's predicament all too well—their attacks were both projectile weapons with trajectories. Once anticipated or defended against, their effectiveness would be greatly reduced.

That day, Alzack was carrying out his daily shooting practice at the training grounds. He placed the targets five hundred meters away, and every shot struck the bullseye. Yet such precision brought him no joy whatsoever. He knew he was only shooting at stationary targets.

Then, he saw that man.

Roronoa Zoro was alone in another corner of the training grounds, carrying out his tedious yet terrifying daily training—swinging his sword.

He used no flashy techniques, only the simplest and most basic downward slash. Yet every swing carried a heavy gust that tore through the air, and the fierce wind it whipped up made even Alzack, a hundred meters away, feel his cheeks sting. It was not magic power, but pure strength born from the body and technique.

Alzack stopped shooting and watched quietly. He recalled how Zoro had strolled leisurely through that impenetrable barrage of ice spear bullets, and how he had used his body to withstand Natsu's flaming iron fist.

A thought flashed through his mind like lightning.

Perhaps... this man can give me an answer.

He took a deep breath and put away his magic gun. Beside him, Bisca saw what her husband intended and gave him an encouraging look.

The husband and wife walked together toward Zoro, who was wiping down Enma.

"Mr. Zoro." Alzack's voice carried a trace of nervousness, but even more boundless respect.

Zoro lifted his eyelids. Seeing that it was one of the guild's rare married couples, he set down his sword and polishing cloth. "What is it?"

"Yes, we... would like to ask for your guidance." Summoning his courage, Alzack laid out the bottleneck he had encountered without holding anything back. "I consider my marksmanship decent, but I can never hit enemies whose speed has truly reached the extreme. And when facing opponents with astonishing defenses, my bullets vanish without a trace. I want to know how I can make my attacks... 'guaranteed to hit'? And how can I give my bullets the power to pierce through everything?"

He asked with utter sincerity. He knew that the man before him possessed the strength he dreamed of—strength capable of dealing with any situation.

After hearing his question, Zoro did not answer immediately.

He picked up the cursed blade Enma, which emanated an ominous aura, and lightly flicked its blade with his fingertip.

Clang—

A clear ring of steel sounded.

Zoro looked at Alzack, then at the magic gun on his waist, and slowly spoke.

"Your problem isn't your marksmanship, nor is it your bullets."

"It lies in your... 'eyes.'"