A Promise Between Men / Shimotsuki Kozaburo

Atlas looked at the somewhat thin young man in front of him. With his pointed face, monkey-like features, and shifty eyes, these words seemed tailor-made for him. His signature six whiskers grew above his lips, and he was dressed in a standard naval uniform, looking like a hot-blooded recruit.

Another character from the original work!

Atlas thought to himself.

Moreover, the Nezumi is only 22 years old now, almost the same age as Atlas. Judging from his appearance, he is not the greedy and ruthless naval Colonel colludes with Pirates in the future, but just a passionate young man inspired by Justice.

"Well done!"

Atlas didn't say much, he just patted the Nezumi on the shoulder heavily and left.

"Lieutenant Colonel, the Vice Admiral General actually praised me!"

The Nezumi was feeling dizzy, its face flushed, clearly thrilled by Atlas's simple compliment; its body was almost limp.

"Lieutenant Colonel Green, could you help me? I think I can't walk very well..."

Green looked speechless, then reached out his strong arm and pulled up the excited Nezumi that couldn't walk anymore, but a look of satisfaction appeared in his eyes.

Unbeknownst to everyone, at that moment, the Nezumi secretly made a decision he had never considered before.

I must train hard, and one day I will be able to go to Marine Headquarters and follow in Mr. Atlas's footsteps!

Saying goodbye to the Navy of the 16th Branch.

Atlas and his crew finally arrived at their first destination on this route.

Shimotsuki Village!

P. S. Arlong's Crew arrived in the East Blue in 1512. The collaboration between Nezumi and Arlong was probably not at the beginning, so Nezumi becoming Colonel must have been quite a long time ago. It's reasonable that he was a recruit at that time, since Morgan became Colonel from a recruit in just three years.

Chapter 130 A Pact Between Men

"It's been so long since I've seen Kuina. I wonder if she still remembers me."

Looking at the surrounding scenery, Atlas felt a little emotional.

The island where Shimotsuki Village is located is very large, but because of Koshiro's dojo, Shimotsuki Village is quite famous in the surrounding area. The entrance of Shimotsuki Village is very close to the coast, but Koshiro's Isshin Dojo is located in the center of the village, towards the back, so it is a bit far from where the warships are docked.

Atlas didn't have any other navy personnel follow him, including the curious Smoker; this was just a private meeting, and there was no need for such a grand spectacle.

"Hey! You navy guy over there, are you a swordsman?"

Just as Atlas was about to head towards Shimotsuki Village, a childish voice called out to him.

"That's right, young man, what can I do for you?"

Atlas's lips curled into a meaningful smile, and his gaze shifted accordingly.

A child with algae-green hair, a blade of grass in his mouth, and a stubborn expression appeared before him. He looked to be only 7 years old, but he showed no fear in the face of this stranger.

"Little friend, are you lost? I just saw you wandering around in circles in that spot."

Atlas crouched down, giving the child's algae-green hair a hard pat while pointing to the woods not far away.

Upon arriving on the island, he had already released a small portion of his Observation Haki, so he had already spotted Zoro, who had been circling in the forest. Yes, that guy was Zoro.

I don't know if he's a resident near Shimotsuki Village, but he probably hasn't gotten lost to Koshiro's Isshin Dojo yet, which can be inferred from the fact that his hands don't have calluses from sword practice.

"I'm not lost!"

"Don't underestimate me just because I'm young! I'm here to challenge you!" Zoro angrily shoved Atlas's hand away from his head, yelling, "If you win, I'll take the sword from your hand; if you lose..."

Zoro looked at the Sandai Kitetsu at Atlas's waist and felt a strange sense of familiarity for some reason.

What happens if we lose?

Seeing Zoro's stubborn expression, Atlas was immediately seized by a mischievous impulse.

Originally, the first thing I wanted to do upon arriving in Shimotsuki Village was to see Kuina, and perhaps run into Zoro, and then try to recruit him into the Marines.

For Zoro, there's really no difference between being a Marine and a Pirates, and he even prefers being a Marine. During his most miserable days at sea, he never had any thoughts of becoming Pirates and robbing others. When he was at Sabaody, he even bluntly said that it was an island that smelled disgusting. If he hadn't met Luffy, he would probably still be Pirate Hunter.

In summary, Zoro is a person with a normal moral bottom line, a clear sense of right and wrong, and his goal is to become the World's Greatest Swordsman, so joining the Navy is the most suitable option for him.

"If I lose... if I lose, I'll be at your mercy!"

Zoro looked at Atlas with a wicked grin on his face and for some reason had a premonition that he was about to fall into a den of thieves, but the stubborn Zoro had no intention of backing down.

"Oh? Is that so...?"

Atlas casually stroked his chin, observing Zoro with interest as he tried to conceal his nervousness.

"Of course, I mean what I say!"

"Alright, we don't have any weapons right now, I'll go and make some for you."

Swish!

No sooner had he finished speaking than Atlas vanished before Zoro's eyes. Even with his eyes searching everywhere, all he could hear were booming sounds and... the panicked cries of birds and beasts in the nearby forest.

"Here! I made a lot, take your time choosing!"

Splash!

Before Zoro could react, a pile of wooden swords of various shapes was placed in front of him, almost taller than his head.

So fast?

Zoro couldn't help but secretly swallow, but he still didn't give up on challenging Atlas.

"Mmm... mmm..."

Zoro grabbed several wooden swords from the ground, holding several in his hand and a few more in his mouth.

Does having more weapons mean you're stronger? That was young Zoro's most honest thought.

"I am Roronoa Zoro! Please enlighten me!"

Splash!

The moment he opened his mouth to speak, the swords and knives inside fell out like flowing water.

Hmm!

Seeing this, Zoro quickly bent down and bit another wooden sword on the ground. Because there were too many wooden swords in his hands, they all fell to the ground. In the end, he only had one in each hand and one in his mouth.

Where is your weapon?

Just as Zoro was assuming a standard Three-Sword Style stance, he noticed that Atlas's Sandai Kitetsu was still drawn and asked with some confusion. (Don't ask why the sword in his mouth didn't fall out; it's because his talent Awakening.)

Oh, I almost forgot!

Atlas slapped his forehead in annoyance, bent down and slowly picked up the grass root that Zoro had just spat out, gesturing at Zoro.

"Yes, this is just right. I'm so sorry, I don't have any smaller weapons than this."

"Hey! Are you kidding me?!"

Zoro's jaw nearly dropped when he saw this, and he cursed angrily.

"Just kidding, just kidding, please don't mind me, buddy."

Atlas tossed the grass aside, scratched his head and chuckled, then picked up a wooden sword from the ground, pointing the tip at Zoro opposite him.

"Hoo-ha!"

Seeing Atlas's equally serious expression, Zoro roared and unleashed three sword strikes simultaneously!

Bang!

He fell to the ground!

"Ouch, that hurts!"

Zoro frowned and said miserably, with a large, steaming bun prominently displayed in the middle of his algae-green hair.

"So, did I win?"

Atlas casually slung his weapon over his shoulder, a half-smile playing on his lips.

"Again!"

Bang!

"Again!"

Bang!

Bang!

Zoro fell heavily to the ground, his head covered in bumps, but there was not a trace of frustration on his face. Even Atlas had to admire his stubbornness.

"So? Have you given up yet?"

Atlas leaned close to Zoro was panting and sweating profusely, with a mocking expression.

"Hmph, I lost. Now, tell me, what do you want me to do?"

Zoro turned his head away and said in a muffled voice.

"Be my son!"

Atlas stopped grinning and spoke in a manner reminiscent of Whitebeard.

"Clam?"

Zoro wondered if he'd misheard, but the guy didn't seem to be joking. What should he do? Should he agree?

How could I so hastily treat someone like a child! But how can a man go back on his word?

"Just kidding! Hahahaha!"

Seeing Zoro's conflicted expression, seemingly hesitating whether to agree, Atlas couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Is she really that cute?!

"You bastard..."

Zoro was immediately embarrassed and annoyed, realizing that he had actually been seriously considering this request.

"Alright, I'm not teasing you anymore. You can have this knife, but we need to make a deal, a deal between men!"

Atlas's expression instantly turned serious, and he spoke in a earnest tone.

"This sword is a Cursed Sword! No, it should be called Famous Sword, young man!"

Suddenly, a Crocodile voice came from behind.

P. S. Zoro joined the dojo around 2009 or 2010. I'll explain this in more detail in the chapter review. It's currently 2008, Zoro is 7 years old, so he's about two years older than Luffy, right?

Chapter 131 Shimotsuki Kozaburo

"Wow~ When did you show up, old man!"

Zoro was startled by the sudden sound, and with a jolt, he flipped himself up!

"Oh? How do you explain that?"

Atlas was not surprised at all. He slowly turned around, having already sensed the old man's arrival.

"The Sandai Kitetsu..."

The old man did not answer Atlas's question; instead, he looked nostalgic and remained silent for a long time.

"Swords... but 'cleavers' are for killing people, they're made to take lives, they're proper weapons of mass destruction!"

Without keeping Atlas waiting long, the old man immediately launched into a tirade of ferocious words, exuding a menacing aura.

"Babble!!!"

Ignoring Zoro's strange cry, the old man continued, "Every sword has its own personality, and a swordsman must be able to tame it in order to truly make it his own!"

"To call a dangerous sword a 'Cursed Sword' is utter nonsense. It should be called Famous Sword. It's just that a group of mediocre swordsmen are afraid of it!"

After saying that, the old man glanced at the Sandai Kitetsu at Atlas's waist, "You haven't truly subdued this famous Famous Sword; you've merely used it by force based on sheer willpower."

"Are you Mr. Kozaburo?"

Hearing these words, which sounded similar to what Koshiro had taught him before, Atlas immediately guessed his identity. Otherwise, it would have been very difficult to tell from their appearance that they were father and son. However, Koshiro did not mention their surname, 'Shimotsuki,' and since neither father nor son had revealed it, Atlas would not do so either.