OPTC Chapter 276: Zoro – Oh, So You Were Just Asking for Directions
It was a quiet little village, surrounded by the sea on three sides and mountains on the fourth.
The villagers lived simple lives—farming, fishing, hunting, and for a few, studying the way of the sword.
Despite its size, the village had a dojo that taught swordsmanship to all ages, from children to adults.
At that moment, a boy in a black kendo uniform was sleeping soundly on the beach. His short green hair stood out vividly in the sun.
Beside him lay two bamboo swords and a pair of dumbbells. Judging by the scene, he must have trained hard and fallen asleep before making it home.
After an unknown amount of time, the boy stirred awake, blinking in confusion—only to find several heads peering curiously down at him.
Startled, he shot upright. "Who are you people?!"
"Hello," said Zhang Da Ye kindly. "We're a traveling group passing through. We just wanted to ask if there are any fun places or good food around here—and maybe where to buy some supplies."
Zhang Da Ye already had a guess about the boy's identity the moment he noticed the green hair and bamboo swords. That's why he and the others were standing around watching with interest.
"Traveling group?" The boy's gaze swept across the strangers' faces. Strangely enough, he didn't seem fazed by the sight of a skeleton or a robot among them.
"Yes, that's right," Zhang Da Ye confirmed, pointing toward the sea. "Our ship's anchored over there."
The Amber was moored not far from shore. They had rowed in by small boat, leaving the Flag Spirit behind to guard the ship while the rest came ashore.
During the trip, Zhang Da Ye had suddenly remembered to ask Wendy whether she felt seasick—since Dragon Slayer magic, at a certain level, caused motion sickness.
The logic went that Dragon Slayer magic infused the human body with dragon power, giving one the strength to fight dragons—but the side effect damaged the semicircular canals in the ears, causing motion sickness.
Wendy shook her head, saying she had never felt sick on any transport.
That meant her Dragon Slayer training wasn't yet advanced enough. Once she started feeling seasick, she'd have truly grown stronger. As for how they would travel when that time came—well, they'd cross that bridge later.
Perhaps she could heal her own semicircular canals with healing magic? But then again, Wendy couldn't use her magic on herself. Zhang Da Ye glanced down at his hands—once he adapted fully to Wendy's constitution, maybe he could learn a bit of healing magic himself.
At the thought, he looked over at Ye Yan with mild disgust. To this day, he hadn't noticed any useful ability from Ye Yan's "gift." Maybe he had gotten a physical boost, but since Ye Yan wasn't exactly impressive to begin with, the benefit was negligible.
"Hey, what's with that look? You got a problem?" Ye Yan barked, still sore from being beaten earlier that afternoon.
"Nothing," Zhang Da Ye said, patting his shoulder with a look of pity.
"That look is even worse! What's that supposed to mean, huh?!" Ye Yan roared helplessly.
…
"Oh, you were just asking for directions?" The green-haired boy brightened up. "Sure! I'll take you to the village."
Seeing that they didn't look like bad people—and their ship wasn't anything pirate-like—he decided to help.
The others followed as he quickly gathered his things and started leading the way. After all, what harm could a little boy do?
Zhang Da Ye hesitated briefly, then smiled and followed. The place was small—why not have a bit of fun?
As they walked, the boy introduced himself. "I'm Roronoa Zoro, a student at Isshin Dojo. This is Shimotsuki Village. If you need to buy supplies, come tomorrow morning when the market opens—most shops are closed by now."
Five minutes later, Zoro frowned at the sight of a very familiar ship on the horizon. "Wait… when did you guys move your ship over here?"
"You're the one who led us the wrong way!" Perona smacked the back of his head in disbelief. "How can anyone get lost in their own village?!"
"S-shut up!" Zoro snapped, cheeks flushing. "I was just checking if I left something behind!"
Five minutes later, they found themselves back where they started.
Perona sighed. "You're definitely lost."
"I am not!" Zoro barked, red-faced.
"Poor kid," Perona said sympathetically, eyes glistening. "How does someone with such terrible sense of direction even survive? But don't give up! Stay strong!"
"Stop encouraging me like that!" he yelled, mortified.
Everyone else was watching him with pity now. The poor boy must've gotten lost and fallen asleep at the beach. They should probably help him home.
"Wendy," Zhang Da Ye asked, "can your healing magic fix being directionally challenged?"
"I'm sorry, Brother Da Ye, I've never heard of such magic," Wendy replied seriously, frowning in thought.
That "Brother Da Ye" made his heart melt. Not a bad reward for correcting her once about proper address. "It's not your fault," he said gravely. "This kid's just beyond saving."
Even a doctor as skilled as Chopper probably couldn't cure lovesickness, foolishness—or being utterly lost.
"Let me take a look," Carla said, wings sprouting from her back as she flew up into the sky.
Tom tilted his head up at her, pulling out a bundle of dynamite. He remembered that if he lit the fuse, he too could grow wings—along with a halo and a harp.
But that would hurt. A lot. So maybe not. Zhang Da Ye watched him put away the dynamite, cold sweat forming at his temples, while the others remained blissfully unaware of the near disaster.
A short while later, Carla descended again. "I found the village! Follow me!"
With her leading the way, the group's journey became far smoother.
Zoro, still bickering with Perona, finally noticed something odd. "Wait—why can that cat fly and talk? What kind of travel group are you guys?"
"We're from the Grand Line," Zhang Da Ye said casually. "You see all sorts of strange people and animals there."
"The Grand Line?!" Zoro's eyes widened. For people in the East Blue, that place was practically a legend. "Then… are you really strong?"
Zhang Da Ye shrugged modestly. "Not really. Just… ordinarily strong."
"Oh." Zoro lost interest immediately. He had hoped to spar with someone from the Grand Line, but if they were just average adults, it wasn't worth his time.
Zhang Da Ye: …Seriously? Shouldn't you be sensing my swordsman aura and begging to duel me right now?
He sighed inwardly and grabbed Zoro by the collar to stop him from wandering off again.
Perona gaped. "How can you walk in the wrong direction when you're literally following someone?"
"I was just looking around!" Zoro snapped, turning bright red again.
Brook twirled his cane, chuckling. "Yohohoho~ What an amusing boy."
Shark Chili nodded thoughtfully. "Scientifically speaking, it might be due to problems in his frontal or temporal lobes, affecting his spatial awareness."
Rui Meng Meng didn't quite understand the anatomy part, but she latched onto one word. "Wait, so his sense of direction is bad because there's something wrong with his brain?"
Ye Yan added, "Maybe not wrong per se, but losing your way even when following someone… that's beyond just bad orientation."
Artoria, remembering the time Zhang Da Ye made her throw her shoe underwater to find direction, offered kindly, "Don't lose hope. Maybe next time, try tossing a branch to find your way home?"
Zhang Da Ye could hardly contain his laughter. He hadn't even started teasing the boy yet, and his companions were already roasting him to pieces.
Zoro finally snapped, slamming his bamboo sword to the ground. "Enough! You people are so annoying!"
Wendy squeaked and hid behind Zhang Da Ye. "Scary…"
The group continued on amid laughter and chatter. After about ten more minutes, they finally reached the outskirts of Shimotsuki Village. Carla landed gently in Wendy's arms.
Perona hugged her teddy bear, while Wendy hugged Carla—two twin-tailed girls, a double dose of cuteness.
Some villagers glanced curiously at the newcomers but, upon seeing Zoro, relaxed. He was a familiar face. The rest must be travelers who kindly escorted him back.
By the time they entered the village proper, Zoro's confidence had returned. "This is Shimotsuki Village. Do you want to visit our dojo?"
Zhang Da Ye nodded. "Sure, why not."
As Zoro had mentioned, the market had already closed. And even if it hadn't, it was unlikely anyone here sold nautical charts. The dojo was probably their best bet to ask about nearby islands.
Everyone agreed and followed him deeper into the village.
Shimotsuki Village had been founded more than forty years ago. Back then, Kozaburo Shimotsuki and his samurai companions had left Wano Country, embarking on a long journey. After helping the locals defeat bandits, Kozaburo settled here, teaching them swordsmanship.
He fell in love with a woman from the village, married her, and helped build the village and the dojo—later known as Isshin Dojo.
His son, Koushirou, inherited the dojo and eventually fathered Kuina.
Because of its Wano origins, the village architecture retained a distinctly Japanese aesthetic.
This time, Zoro didn't get lost and successfully led them to the dojo.
The yard was spacious, with a large tree at one corner and various training tools like sandbags and dumbbells scattered about.
A few runny-nosed kids were practicing basic sword swings with bamboo swords. They greeted Zoro politely, then eyed the visitors with curiosity—though a few shrieked at the sight of Brook.
"They're travelers from the Grand Line," Zoro explained. "They asked me for directions while looking to buy supplies."
"From the Grand Line?!" the children gasped, eyes shining with awe.
"They asked Zoro for directions?!" they gasped louder, admiration turning to disbelief.
Zoro's expression twitched, but he pretended not to hear them and asked, "Where's the master?"
"In the living room, talking to the senior students," one of the kids replied.
Zoro nodded and led the group inside.
Behind them, the kids chattered excitedly.
"Did you see that? A skeleton man! So scary!"
"No way, didn't you see the robot? That was so cool!"
"Yeah, the shark robot! He's awesome!"
A bunch of brats, Zhang Da Ye thought fondly. At least they had taste. Unlike Momo, that useless little wretch—Momo must die.
Reaching the dojo's main building, everyone except Shark Chili, Tom, and Carla (who didn't wear shoes) took off their footwear and stepped onto the tatami floor, following local custom.
"Achoo!" came a sneeze from inside. "Sorry, Master. Is Kuina feeling any better?"
"It's just a mild fever," replied a calm, gentle voice—most likely Koushirou. "She's already taken her medicine. She was even tending to Wado Ichimonji upstairs just now."
At that, Zoro slid the door open and rushed in. "Master! Kuina's sick?"
Koushirou was seated neatly on the floor in a gray robe, his long hair tied into a low ponytail, round glasses perched on his nose, his eyes curved in calm slits. "Zoro? Yes. You've been gone all day, so you didn't know. She caught a bit of a chill last night."
Zoro bowed deeply. "I'm sorry!"
Koushirou looked puzzled. "Why are you apologizing?"
"Because it's my fault! I challenged her to a duel last night!" Zoro said, recalling their 2001st match with real swords—where he'd been defeated yet again.
Later that night, they had talked for a long time about their frustrations and made a vow: one of them would become the world's greatest swordsman.
Zoro blamed himself for keeping her outside so late.
"It's not your fault," Koushirou said gently. "The weather's been strange lately—it just turned cold overnight. A lot of students have caught colds."
Zhang Da Ye paused mid-step. Sudden cold weather? Probably Aokiji's doing, he thought grimly. The glacier wasn't far—about a day's travel from here—so that tracked perfectly.
At that moment, Koushirou noticed them at the door. "Zoro, did you bring guests?"
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