Ozz could only cover his face in exasperation.
He grabbed Zoro by the back of his shirt and just carried him forward like luggage.
"Let me go I can walk by myself"
Dangling in Ozz's hand, the little green haired brat thrashed around nonstop, as if being carried like that was the greatest humiliation in the world.
He was the mighty swordsman who had already challenged and beaten every dojo in the neighboring villages, after all.
Ozz ignored the noise. His expression stayed lazy and bored. Maybe he was just getting annoyed by all the yelling.
"Pipe down. You are nothing but a snot nosed, weak little runt."
"Huh"
The arrogant kid Zoro instantly saw red at those words, his mouth gaping wide.
"I am really strong"
"Yeah, sure."
Ozz's tone was dry, his face clearly saying he did not believe a word of it. He waved his free hand dismissively.
"You are obviously weak. You cannot even beat the people in Shimotsuki Dojo. There is no way you could beat me. Stop bragging."
"Impossible"
Ozz was poking him on purpose, and the single track minded little Zoro took the bait instantly, flailing his arms.
"I am really strong. I will go crush that Shimotsuki Dojo for you in a bit, then I will beat you too, old man"
Seeing that the kid was just about worked up enough, Ozz's lips curled.
"Is that so. Then how about we make a bet"
"Deal"
The young Roronoa Zoro had no idea what kind of "forbidden phrase" he had just answered to, nor did he realize he had violated a certain unwritten "urban legend rule of the sea."
"If you can successfully challenge Shimotsuki Dojo, I will give you a Great Grade blade.
If you can beat me, I will give you a Supreme Grade blade."
Hands in his pockets, Ozz spoke as if top tier swords were as cheap as cabbages and he could hand them out on a whim.
To be fair, in his situation, that almost was true.
Back when his forces were spread across every corner of the world, anything with value found in their trade would eventually get sent up the chain to him. Devil Fruits, famed blades, bizarre treasures.
Most of it Ozz barely ever used. It just sat there in his vault gathering dust.
Gold was literally used as floor tiles. Piles of treasure were turned into bases and decorative stands.
Only a handful of named swords, powerful Devil Fruits, or truly unique items were deemed worthy of being displayed at all.
People loved to say the Pirate King's treasure was unimaginably mysterious and vast. Yet Ozz knew exactly what kind of underwear Roger had rotated between. That man really did not have much in the way of wealth.
If you wanted to talk about a real hoard, you had to talk about Ozz's.
If Ozz ever died one day, the real all out treasure war would start then. World Government and the entire underworld stepping in personally, Marines and Emperors tearing each other apart.
Because the outside world might not know the details.
But they did.
They knew exactly how absurdly rich Ozz really was.
Ozz casually promised Zoro all of that, but the kid just stared back at him in confusion.
"What… grade blade"
"…"
Ozz's mouth twitched, then he remembered.
Right. East Blue was basically the backwoods. Especially a brat like Zoro, whose world ended at the horizon. He had no idea how big the sea truly was, let alone the classifications of famous blades.
"Great Grade blades are the second highest class of swords in the world.
Supreme Grade blades are the absolute best among all blades in existence."
"For real"
Zoro had never actually handled a real sword, but he still knew that swordsmen were one of the strongest types of fighters out there on the sea.
He had never imagined he would get a chance like this.
"But if you lose to Shimotsuki Dojo, you owe me a favor.
And if you cannot beat me, then from now on, whenever you see me, you have to call me Master."
"No problem"
Zoro's face was brimming with confidence and excitement. To him, being able to get one of the best swords in the world for such simple conditions was basically like a meat pie falling from the sky.
Ozz chuckled at the little green moss head's overflowing confidence and did not bother saying more.
He had just finished learning Mihawk's swordsmanship by copying it with his Observation Haki and then merging it with his own sword style, after all…
…
"Ha"
"Ha"
Inside Shimotsuki Dojo, the sound of synchronized strikes echoed through the hall. A bunch of kids were holding bamboo swords and swinging them in unison under Shimotsuki Koushirou's guidance.
Right then, a loud shout from outside cut straight through the rhythm of practice.
"Anybody there I am here to challenge your dojo"
At the entrance, the one shouting at the top of his lungs was the kid Zoro. Ozz was standing off to the side, taking in the scenery of the small village and thinking it would not be a bad place to retire someday.
Very soon, Koushirou slid open the door and saw a green haired brat with a blade of grass in his mouth yelling at the courtyard.
And behind him…
"…"
In an instant, the perpetually squinting Shimotsuki Koushirou had his eyes fly wide open. A few droplets of cold sweat ran down his forehead.
Ozz gave him a pleasant little nod.
He was used to this by now.
As his reputation spread across the world, every time he met someone new, they went from calm to stiff backed and sweating the moment they recognized him.
At first he thought it was funny.
Later, it just got boring.
He was not going to eat anyone, and he was obviously such a friendly looking guy.
"Do not mind me. This little brat is the one here to challenge your dojo.
At most, you can say I am his teacher."
"Quit talking nonsense Once I beat this dojo, I will beat you too. Then you will not be my teacher anymore"
Listening to the back and forth, Koushirou slowly calmed down and finally pieced the scene together.
Putting the words together, he could almost picture the story in his mind.
Ozz bringing a disciple here to temper him through a real duel. A master silently supporting his student's growth behind the scenes.
At least it was not Ozz himself who had come to challenge them.
Otherwise he would have simply shut the doors.
"Since you are here to challenge us…" Koushirou turned and called toward the back of the hall. He knew he was definitely not the one who should step up in this situation.
"Kuina"
Among all the kids in the dojo, his daughter Kuina was currently the strongest swordsman.
"Yes, Father"
When Zoro saw that the one stepping out was a girl, he immediately felt looked down on.
"What is this You are not the one fighting me"
"Kuina may be a girl, but in this dojo she is stronger than most adults."
Ozz did not bother explaining further. He just followed them inside and took the main seat as if it belonged to him. Koushirou quickly brought over tea.
"Thanks."
Ozz accepted the cup and then saw Zoro march out onto the floor, arms filled with bamboo swords. There had to be at least ten of them.
The sight made Ozz chuckle under his breath.
Koushirou, sitting on the guest side, however, only grew more solemn.
Could this be some kind of new sword style
This was the first time he had ever heard of…
Eleven Sword Style.
"In a bit, try not to cry when you lose, Zoro."
Ozz teased lightly from the side. Zoro wanted to snap back, but the moment he opened his mouth, two of the bamboo swords he was holding in his teeth fell straight out.
What followed was a thorough beating from the girl.
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