Zoro?!

"The Four Emperors? What are those?"

"It's okay if you don't understand now; you'll understand when you grow up."

He smiled enigmatically, which made Perona feel as if she had heard Lord Moriah mention this word somewhere before.

"This is wonderful! To be able to have a good meal after a beating is pure bliss!"

"To be needed by everyone is such a blessing; this place truly is paradise..."

Seeing the two people in front of her instantly immersed in happiness, Hiyori shook her head helplessly and turned her gaze to Huayue beside her.

"Speaking of which, the course has been strange since the beginning. Isn't this the route to the New World? Where are we going, big brother...?"

"Of course not. This is a route heading towards the East Blue. If you're lucky, you might run into some familiar faces, and you might even get to visit the swordsmith who forged Ame no Habakiri and Enma."

His gaze swept across the surroundings, as if piercing through layers of mist and landing on the tides of destiny about to surge.

"The swordsmith Ame no Habakiri?!"

"These guys are familiar, they're all strong, right? I can challenge them, right?"

"Need..."

Everyone around her was engrossed in their own world, and a bewildered Perona wondered if she had joined a strange pirate crew.

Well, for Lord Moriah, this little sacrifice is nothing!

It's definitely not because this guy is attractive, nor because of that damn sweet scent, yeah, that's it!

Time flies, and more than half a month later, the huge ship stopped on the coast of the East Blue Sea.

"Little friend, what's the name of this village?"

"Pirates! Pirates!!!"

The snotty-nosed brat fled in a sorry state, Hiyori sighed helplessly, glancing at Yamato who was laughing heartily.

"Why are you hanging a pirate flag? The villagers here will hate you now..."

"What's wrong with that? Everything should be done openly and honestly. So what if we're pirates? Even if we don't die, those guys from the World Government will still classify us as pirates. We don't have their permission to set sail."

Seeing Yamato's indifferent Yamato, Hiyori shook her head slightly, wondering when she would get rid of this careless habit.

"Think about it carefully. What would be the first impression these civilians have of pirates? Who would believe that pirates come ashore not to plunder, but to find someone? How could there be such strange pirates in the world!"

Sure enough, a group of adult men wielding long swords and dressed in dojo attire rushed out of the distant village and charged aggressively towards the two men.

In the blink of an eye, Hiyori and Yamato were surrounded, and many of the men had hairstyles that were very familiar to them.

"Female pirates? No matter what kind of pirates you are, Shimotsuki Village does not welcome pirates. You are here immediately, or we will take action!"

"Shimotsuki Village sounds like it has some connection to the Shimotsuki Clan that Ringo in Wano Country. May I ask if the swordsmith who forged Ame no Habakiri and Enma is here?"

"My name is Kozuki Hiyori. Is this Shimotsuki Village, which is full of Wano Country style, related to the Shimotsuki Clan of Wano Country?"

These words caused a commotion in the crowd, which subsided once again after a gentle-looking man wearing round glasses and a traditional dojo robe appeared.

"The Master is here!"

"Koushirou, these pirates seem to have mentioned Ame no Habakiri and Enma..."

Upon hearing this, Koushirou looked at Hiyori and Yamato, who were dressed in a style distinctly Wano Country, and his gaze slowly fell on the sword at Hiyori's waist.

"The Great Grade Swords, Ame no Habakiri, Enma. I never expected to meet a guest from the closed-off Wano Country. My apologies."

Koushirou bowed and then told everyone where Ame no Habakiri and Enma had gone.

"My father told me that he gave Ame no Habakiri and Enma to the Kozuki Clan, who were then the shoguns of Wano Country. They must have been your grandfather or father."

"As a shogun of the Kozuki Clan, you are able to freely roam the seas. I suppose Wano Country should be open to the world by now."

Faced with Koushirou's smile, Hiyori looked embarrassed, while the carefree Yamato shook his head repeatedly, giving a frank answer.

"No, we don't know what Wano Country is like now, after all, we were less than ten years old when we left..."

"Compared to this matter, could you please put down your weapons? Being pointed at with swords and knives easily gets my blood pumping, you know... I'm about to charge..."

"Stop, Yamato. This is the East Blue, where people don't understand Haki. They can't beat you. There's no need to cause casualties here."

"But..."

Seeing the two arguing endlessly, Koushirou's forehead was covered in sweat, and he immediately went to ask for directions from Shimotsuki Village.

"How about we invite you two to rest here for a while? I will also tell you everything I know about my father, the blacksmith of Enma."

After exchanging glances, Hiyori and, led by Koushirou, walked into the dojo.

"Would it be alright if I hadn't informed you?"

"It's alright, it's alright. Big Brother has already started wandering around the village. No one will notice him, provided he doesn't want to be noticed."

Meanwhile, in Shimotsuki Village, in the cemetery where corpses are buried, a figure stood for a long time beside a tombstone.

"Shimotsuki Kuina, a legendary swordswoman in the village, is said to be able to defeat adults. What an interesting fate..."

"Hey! You're not from the village, are you? Why are you standing in front of Kuina's tombstone? Answer me!"

A roar caused Huayue to turn around, her eyes gleaming with azure light, the turbulent tide of fate pushing her step by step toward the summit.

The newcomer had a head of green algae, wore a jet-black dojo robe, and had a simple, pure white sword at his waist.

"Hey, you still haven't answered my question, you suspicious guy. What are you doing standing in front of Kuina's tombstone? Answer me!"

However, Huayue smiled and ignored the threat posed by the brat in front of her. Instead, she raised her eyebrows, signaling him to attack her.

"Damn it! What kind of attitude is that? You're seriously underestimating me! One-Sword Style: Demon Slash!"

The blade was drawn with a sudden, fierce motion, its purple light flashing and disappearing in an instant. Just as the blade was about to reach the throat, a fair, jade-like finger gently gripped the blade.

"What an energetic brat! Come with me then, to your dojo..."

"Wh... what? How is this possible? How could someone block my sword with just one finger!"

The next second, the scene changed, and a dark figure appeared in front of Koushirou in an instant, next to two steaming cups of green tea.

"Excuse me, excuse me, could I have another drink?"

At that moment, Koushirou's pupils constricted, and he instinctively cried out.

"Zoro?!"