Deep in the forest, light filtered through layer upon layer of treetops, breaking into scattered fragments.
In the almost perpetual gloom, two figures moved so fast that only afterimages remained.
The battle between the ninja and the swordsman had reached its fiercest stage!
Sanosuke struck, his ninja sword tracing a strange arc!
Zoro stomped his right foot against the ground and twisted his body at an impossible angle, barely catching the strike with Wado Ichimonji.
Sparks from the clashing metal splashed onto his face, stinging with searing heat.
"To survive this long against my blade..." Sanosuke leaped backward to put some distance between them, his voice as cold as ice. "Impressive."
Zoro panted heavily, his hands trembling slightly-not from fear, but from the strain of keeping his muscles wound too tight.
Sweat mingled with blood as it ran down his forehead and slipped into his eyes, making them sting.
He had been fighting this damned ninja in this damned forest for over twenty minutes.
Twenty minutes felt like a century in a fight to the death between experts.
"You're not bad yourself..." Zoro spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva.
That was no empty compliment; since becoming a bounty hunter, Zoro had never met anyone who could last ten moves against him.
But this ninja was different!
Sanosuke was like a living shadow. Whenever Zoro thought he had him, he slipped through the gaps between his blades, then attacked from another completely unexpected angle.
What unsettled Zoro even more was the rhythm of the fight-Sanosuke controlled it completely.
Fast and slow, offense and defense, appearing and disappearing...
Every transition was as precise as clockwork!
"But your breathing is ragged," Sanosuke suddenly said.
Zoro's pupils contracted.
Now!
Sanosuke moved.
It was no longer that ghostly, stealthy movement from before, but a violent charge straight ahead!
He held a kunai in each hand and clenched his ninja sword between his teeth-actually copying Zoro's Three-Sword Style stance!
"Ninja art: Shadow Fang Triple Flash!"
Three cold flashes erupted at once! They came from three directions, cutting off every avenue of escape!
Zoro roared and met them with all three blades!
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Three explosive clashes rang out almost simultaneously! The shriek of torn air shook countless leaves from the trees.
This time, Sanosuke did not retreat after striking. He threw his full weight forward, locking his kunai and ninja sword against Zoro's three blades!
The two entered the most dangerous stage: a contest of raw strength.
Their blades scraped against each other with an ear-piercing screech, sparks flying nonstop.
Zoro could see Sanosuke's eyes right in front of him...
Those eyes were terrifyingly calm, without anger or excitement. Even the killing intent was so faint it was almost imperceptible.
This guy... did he treat fighting like a job?
While Sanosuke and Zoro fought furiously, a figure stood quietly in the shade of a tree high above, watching their battle with interest.
It was Norton, who had followed the noise.
He had been there for a while, but had not rushed to intervene.
"Moss Head, Three-Sword Style... could this guy be Zoro?"
Norton had never expected to stumble upon such a prize in this remote backwater, and his spirits lifted at once.
As the Straw Hat Pirates' second-in-command in the original story, Zoro was known for his formidable strength and dependable character.
Norton had no reason to let someone so talented slip away-he wanted to build his own nation, and needed people like Zoro to help him.
The battle continued. From Norton's perspective, it would take several hours for either of them to win.
They were too evenly matched.
Sanosuke was faster, but Zoro was stronger.
The slight advantage Sanosuke currently held owed more to the dim surroundings.
Had they been fighting somewhere well lit rather than in the forest, the ninja's stealth techniques would not have been nearly as effective.
As the battle grew increasingly deadlocked, Norton finally decided to stop it.
"Sanosuke, that's enough."
With those words, Norton jumped down from the shade and landed between Sanosuke and Zoro.
Sanosuke paused, then quickly reacted and put away his ninja sword. "Yes, my lord."
"You too. Stop." Norton turned to Zoro on the other side.
Looking disgruntled, Zoro coldly studied the silver-haired young man before him. He seemed about the same age as Zoro, tall and straight-backed, with a handsome face that looked as though it had been sculpted.
"And who the hell are you? Get lost before I get angry! Otherwise, I won't mind adding another corpse to my tally!"
Zoro was furious that Norton had interrupted their fight.
As far as he could tell, Norton gave off none of the presence of a powerful fighter. Aside from his handsome looks, he seemed like an ordinary man.
"My name is Norton, and I'm the man who will become King of the World! What's your name?" Norton smiled.
"King of the World?" Zoro froze, momentarily stunned by Norton's ambition. Then he looked Norton up and down and asked skeptically, "You?"
"The position of King of the World is barely worthy of me." Norton kept smiling.
"Big talk!" Zoro sneered. "Listen up! I'm Roronoa Zoro! The man who will become the World's Greatest Swordsman!"
It really was Zoro... Norton was inwardly delighted, but aloud he said:
"The World's Greatest Swordsman? That's a fine dream. I'm looking to recruit a strong swordsman. Interested in serving under me?"
"Serving under you?" Zoro glanced at Sanosuke, who stood respectfully behind Norton like a servant, then looked back at Norton. "Why should I?"
"Simple. Because I'm stronger than you," Norton said.
"Stronger than me?" Zoro studied Norton again, then slowly shook his head. "I don't see it."
He still thought Sanosuke was stronger. He just could not understand why someone as powerful as Sanosuke would be willing to serve Norton.
"Why not try me and find out? I'll throw one punch. If you can take it, you win," Norton said.
Norton said nothing more. Facing Zoro, he extended a fist.
The punch was so slow that it seemed he was merely easing his fist toward Zoro, almost absurdly slow. Yet in Zoro's eyes, it carried the weight of a falling mountain!
In an instant, Zoro's hair stood on end. He felt the entire world bearing down on him, as though he would be crushed to dust in the next second!
That overwhelming pressure stopped his breathing for a moment, and the world before his eyes suddenly slowed.
His mind went blank, leaving only the shock of power striking straight into his heart!
The fist drew closer, inch by inch, but Zoro could not even dodge-his body no longer obeyed him, frozen in place.
Finally, the fist stopped less than an inch from Zoro's face.
Norton slowly withdrew it. "Looks like I won."
As Norton pulled back his fist, the pressure of the entire world bearing down on Zoro vanished instantly.
Zoro felt no disappointment at losing. Instead, he was filled with shock and excitement.
He had thought Norton was merely an unremarkable, handsome man. He had never expected him to be even stronger than Sanosuke!
Sanosuke was strong enough to match him, but the strength Norton had displayed far surpassed even Sanosuke's!
Zoro had never met a man this powerful.
"Your name's Norton? I want to challenge you!" After that overwhelming display of strength, a fierce desire to challenge him blazed in Zoro's heart.
"Challenge me?" Norton's eyebrows rose with a hint of surprise.
Even after facing the force of the punch he had just revealed, Zoro had not lost his fighting spirit.
Even fierce Sea Kings would often flee on instinct when he seriously unleashed the force of his punches.
This was no guess-over the past two years, whenever he concentrated on practicing his punches by the coast, sea beasts and birds for miles around kept their distance, not daring to approach.
"That's right! I want to challenge you!" Zoro repeated firmly.
"Even knowing you'll lose?" Norton raised an eyebrow.
"If I back down because I'm afraid of losing, I'll never get stronger!" Zoro answered with stubborn conviction.
He was no stranger to defeat. He had even lost to a girl, but every time he fell, he moved one step closer to the summit.
"Interesting." A smile curled at the corner of Norton's mouth.
"If you want to challenge my lord, you'll have to get past me first!" Sanosuke flashed in front of Norton, his tone cold and hard.
At last, he had found a chance to demonstrate his loyalty.
Norton was so strong that he needed no protection, which often left Sanosuke feeling somewhat unnecessary.
Norton gently pushed Sanosuke aside and told Zoro, "Then come aboard my ship first. Once you're aboard, you can challenge me whenever you want. I'll take you on every time."
He knew exactly what Zoro yearned for-to keep growing stronger and reach the pinnacle.
Now he had placed a path to greater strength before Zoro. Zoro could no more resist that temptation than Nami could resist glittering treasure.
"Fine!"
Sure enough, Zoro agreed without hesitation. But he immediately added a condition: "Still, I want the freedom to leave the ship whenever I want!"
He did not want anything tying him down. He had his own dream to pursue. Besides, he really did need a ship to get him off this deserted island, so it suited his immediate needs.
"Of course. You're free to come and go as you please." Norton nodded in agreement.
As long as Zoro boarded his ship, he was confident he could make the swordsman stay forever.
Because there was no end to his strength!
Zoro would never truly be able to defeat him.
With their agreement settled, Norton took Zoro and Sanosuke back to camp.
They also brought back the tiger carcass that had sparked the fight. By now, the reason they had fought no longer mattered; they had come to know each other through battle.
Zoro generously gave his kill to everyone as well.
Time quietly slipped toward evening.
Those who had gone to explore the island returned one after another. Once a head count confirmed everyone was present, they gathered around the blazing bonfire.
By the time night fully fell, the bonfire on the beach was roaring.
The tiger meat roasted crisp on the outside and tender within. Fat dripped into the flames with an enticing sizzle, and its aroma drifted far on the breeze.
The cooks brought out vegetables and bread stored aboard the ship, and even opened a barrel of cider. It belonged to Funing's private collection, but she generously contributed it this time.
Zoro's appetite shocked everyone present.
In barely half an hour, the green-haired swordsman devoured five kilograms of roast meat, three loaves of bread, and two plates of vegetable salad. Now he was clutching his sixth roasted rib, gnawing away with grease all over his face.
The bones beside him had piled into a small mountain, and he had drained an entire barrel of liquor.
"Were you a starving ghost in your last life?" Nami could not help complaining.
"Fighting burns a lot of energy," Zoro answered indistinctly, then tipped his head back and gulped down more liquor.
Norton smiled, not particularly bothered.
His own appetite in earlier years had been even more astonishing than Zoro's. But after breaking through a certain physical limit, he could precisely control his metabolism, digesting food and converting it into energy with nearly one hundred percent efficiency.
Now he could even go long periods without eating, simply maintaining the bare minimum of bodily functions.
Funing sat in a chair a little farther away, taking small bites from her plate while her gaze quietly shifted between Zoro and Norton.
She could clearly sense that this new swordsman was strong.
It was not the dangerous presence Sanosuke concealed in the shadows, but a sharp, openly displayed, almost savage strength.
"So that pirate crew stole your sword?" Norton asked casually as he sliced the meat on his plate.
"Yeah." Zoro swallowed his mouthful of food. "It was a good sword. More importantly, they stole it while I was dead drunk. I can't let that slide!"
At that, Norton instinctively glanced at Nami, thinking that their methods sounded rather like a certain someone's.
Nami caught his glance immediately and glared. "What's that supposed to mean?!"
"Nothing. Have some meat, have some meat." Smiling, Norton put the meat on his fork into Nami's mouth, then turned back to Zoro. "Do you remember which direction they escaped in?"
Zoro tapped his forehead with his greasy hand, looking troubled. "I don't know anything about directions... All I remember is that they had a single-masted sailboat with a red skull painted on the stern. Their captain was a fat guy who used a meteor hammer, with a bounty of three million two hundred thousand Beli."
He had ended up stranded on this island precisely because he had lost track of them during the chase.
Norton nodded and turned to Nami. "Nami, I'll leave it to you."
"What do you mean, leave it to me?!"
Nami was furious. "You don't even know which way those pirates went! I'm a navigator, not a god! Where am I supposed to find them for you?"
Norton stood and gazed out over the dark sea in the cool night breeze, then casually pointed in a direction. "Let's go that way! Which way is that?"
"That's northeast!" Nami answered irritably.
"Then we'll head northeast! We set sail first thing tomorrow morning!" Norton announced spiritedly.
Nami covered her forehead helplessly. What exactly was he getting so excited about?
"Hey, hey! You're just going to trust him?" Nami looked at Zoro in disbelief.
"As long as someone's leading the way. Doesn't matter whether the direction's right or wrong. I don't understand it anyway." Zoro took a drink, his tone casual. "Maybe we'll get lucky and run into them."
Everyone exchanged looks at his words. Sanosuke quietly lowered his head.
Good luck? That phrase probably had nothing to do with their ship.
Nami sighed and finally pulled a chart and compass from inside her clothes, beginning her calculations by the light of the bonfire. "The current is flowing southwest, and the wind speed is moderate. If we head northeast..."
Zoro glanced at Nami, then at Norton, and suddenly said, "You've got a good navigator. Much better than those pirates'. Their navigator couldn't even tell high tide from low tide."
Nami paused, then smacked Zoro on the head, her face slightly flushed. "Don't think a couple of compliments will get you free food and drink! And my fee for guiding you is one hundred thousand Beli!"
"You shrew!" Clutching the small bump that had instantly risen on his head, Zoro glared at Nami and gritted his teeth.
"Hahaha!" Norton slapped his thigh and laughed. The scene before him filled him with a strangely familiar sense of joy.
The feast continued. The pirates sang crude but spirited songs, while the shipwrights and cooks began a drinking contest.
Sanosuke remained seated quietly in the shadows, taking no part in the revelry. As a ninja, he had to stay alert at all times, and he never touched a drop of alcohol.
Funing grew tipsy after only a few drinks, and Norton carried her back to the cabin to rest.
Late into the night, the bonfire gradually dwindled.
Most of the people had passed out drunk, sprawled every which way across the beach.
Zoro had also fallen fast asleep against the tree trunk, still clutching the empty wine barrel.
Norton sat alone beside the dying fire, quietly adding a few fresh pieces of wood.
Just then, he heard a faint sound.
It was neither an animal nor the wind, but deliberately muffled footsteps coming from the direction of the tents and moving slowly toward the rocks.
Norton did not get up right away.
He waited quietly until the footsteps had moved some distance away, then slowly rose and followed without a sound.