"Do it!"
"Huh?"
Zoro spread his arms and turned his chest toward Luffy.
"Just do it, like you said."
Luffy lowered his gaze, stunned for a moment.
When he looked up again, there was a soft, satisfied smile on his face.
The feeling of being trusted, it was incredible.
"I won't let you down," Luffy said, drawing Wado Ichimonji and pointing the tip toward Zoro's heart.
Zoro grinned, showing his usual sharp teeth.
"And I won't do anything I'll regret ever again!"
─────────🏴☠️─────────
Under the vast blue sky, atop the calm sea...
Two boys stood on a small boat.
The blade slowly approached Zoro's chest.
Luffy's smile faded, replaced by a solemn expression.
"Zoro... with a partner like you, I won't feel lonely on this ocean."
With that, he thrust the sword forward, straight into Zoro's chest.
The blade pierced slowly into his body, yet not a single wound appeared.
Wado Ichimonji vanished completely into him, and Zoro collapsed, unconscious.
Luffy carried him into the cabin and laid him on the bed he had prepared for him.
"Rest well. From here on out... it's up to you."
Returning to the deck, Luffy picked up the compass and took the helm.
The sea breeze brushed past his ears.
Everything was calm again.
─────────🏴☠️─────────
Elsewhere...
Zoro opened his eyes to find himself in a strange land.
The sky was dark and heavy, shrouded in thick black mist.
The ground glowed with an eerie red light, and molten lava bubbled in places, snaking through cracked earth.
Zoro looked around, bewildered.
"Is this... hell?"
He began to cautiously explore.
Time passed.
No matter how far he walked, it felt like he was moving, but the scenery never changed.
Same oppressive sky.
Same terrifying aura.
Eventually, Zoro stopped creeping and just walked, alert, but more determined.
He walked for what felt like an entire day and night.
Finally, exhausted, he slumped against a red-hot rock and gazed up at the smoky sky.
"I've walked so far and nothing's changed... Maybe I'm doing something wrong," Zoro muttered.
Through it all, he never once doubted Luffy.
Even if this really was hell, he believed there would be a path to becoming stronger.
That's just how Zoro thought.
─────────🏴☠️─────────
Drifting off in a daze, Zoro eventually fell asleep.
The sky remained oppressive.
The ground stayed dim and scorched.
But this time... something was different.
"Zoro... Zoro..."
A soft, familiar voice echoed through his soul.
Zoro stirred, slowly opening his eyes.
"Kuina?" he murmured.
Seeing the long-lost figure he had yearned for, Zoro didn't even react with shock.
"So it really is just a dream..."
He rolled over and closed his eyes again, mumbling sleepily.
But Kuina, having spent all that effort to wake him up, was not having it.
Fuming, she pinched his ear, hard, and twisted.
"Dream your damn head!"
"AAAAAGH!!!"
The pain jolted Zoro fully awake. He sprang to his feet, clutching his ear.
Rubbing the sting away, the sharp ache finally dulled.
Then, something clicked.
Zoro stiffened.
He raised his head slowly, eyes wide.
"K-Kuina?"
He rubbed his eyes again, afraid that pressing too hard might make her vanish.
Kuina turned away playfully and said with a sweet smile:
"Idiot. Did you really forget me after all this time?"
Zoro blinked.
He had never seen Kuina act so... cute before.
In the past, the two had always been locked in intense training.
Kuina's dedication and iron will could humble even adults.
And yet now, she looked like someone entirely different.
Puzzled, Zoro asked:
"So... this really is hell?"
Kuina's smile faded.
She nodded solemnly.
"Yeah. This is hell."
"Then that means I died?"
Zoro found it hard to believe.
Even with the hellish surroundings, he didn't think Luffy would ever betray him.
He thought back to Luffy's eyes when he plunged the blade into his chest, full of determination, but no malice.
He hadn't known Luffy long, but somehow…
It felt like fate that they'd met.
─────────🏴☠️─────────
"AWRROOO!!!"
The ground shook beneath Zoro's feet.
A monstrous roar echoed in the distance.
"Crap! We've been found!" Kuina cried.
She grabbed Zoro's hand and took off running.
Zoro, still unclear on what was going on, followed behind.
"What was that sound, Kuina?"
Without even turning around, she shouted back:
"I don't know exactly. Just that it's a terrifying beast. Huge body, three heads, nine arms... and a white bone mask covering its face."
As she described it, the image began to form clearly in Zoro's mind.
His eyes narrowed.
It was exactly the same monster from his dream that morning.
The one that took Kuina away.
"Damn it!"
Lost in thought, Zoro didn't realize Kuina had come to a sudden stop.
He looked up and followed her gaze.
There, directly in front of them, stood the monster:
Three heads. Nine arms. White bone mask.
Its grotesque form loomed closer with every step.
Instinctively, both Zoro and Kuina took a step back.
Zoro clenched his fists.
He didn't want their reunion to end so quickly.
"Run back! Now!" he shouted.
The monster in his dream had unleashed a destructive power he knew he couldn't match.
Kuina, however, shook her head calmly.
"It's no use. We can't outrun it."
Zoro turned to her, panicked.
"Then you go. I'll draw it away!"
Without waiting for an answer, he took a step forward.
But Kuina caught his arm.
Her eyes met his, soft, unwavering.
"Zoro... you've gotten stronger, haven't you?"
"Of course I have! But that thing's way beyond us! I can buy you time, just go!"
Though he noticed her odd tone, Zoro's priority was still protecting her.
Kuina smiled gently.
"Then let's fight it. Together."
As she said this, her body began to glow with a radiant white light.
The light gradually shrank... and Kuina vanished.
In her place, appearing in Zoro's hand, was a sword.
Wado Ichimonji.
But somehow…
It felt different.
==========
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