Zoro was utterly unaware of the problem. Holding the map in one hand and rubbing his chin with the other, he mumbled in confusion:
"This should be right. I'm following the map."
Johnny glanced over his shoulder, took one look, then groaned and slapped a hand over his face.
"You're holding it upside down!"
"Uh…"
Zoro's face turned red with embarrassment. He quickly flipped the map right-side up, then looked out at the distant sea and awkwardly changed the subject.
"Still, maybe it's a blessing in disguise. We can avoid the storm on this island. No way we'd make it across the sea in that small boat with a storm coming."
Yosaku and the others had no choice but to go along with it. After all, Zoro wasn't wrong.
Far out at sea, waves were already churning. Dark clouds gathered ominously, flashing with lightning—a clear sign of the storm brewing on the horizon.
But the two had another concern.
Not long ago, the Gawain Pirates had shown up at Dia Port. It had taken them a lot of effort to lure Zoro away from there, and Yosaku had even sacrificed what little was left in his wallet to make it happen.
Just thinking about that still stung.
If they headed to another port now, there was a high chance they'd run into the Gawain Pirates again. And with Zoro's personality, if he spotted them, he'd challenge Gawain to a duel on the spot.
Everyone could guess how that would end.
Avoiding the confrontation here felt like dodging a bullet.
Yosaku tried to comfort himself with that thought, absently reaching for his wallet again—only to find nothing but emptiness. He sighed internally, overcome with silent grief.
"Let's hide the boat first," Johnny suggested. "We'll grab the supplies and find shelter from the storm nearby. After that, we can hunt down some local pirates, just like we planned."
Yosaku nodded without argument.
But Zoro's brow furrowed. He pointed out toward the sea and called out:
"What's that?!"
Yosaku followed his gaze.
In the distance, a familiar pirate flag flapped in the wind—a round shield as the base, with a skull emblazoned across it.
[Note: Something like this.]
There was no mistaking it: the Gawain Pirates.
No way. Even hiding on a deserted island doesn't work?!
"Zoro aniki, we—" Yosaku began, but his words caught in his throat when he saw Zoro's eyes beginning to burn with excitement.
His heart dropped.
He touched his wallet again. The pain returned, stronger than ever. Beside him, Johnny's mouth twitched. He, too, was speechless.
Zoro's hand was already on the hilt of his sword.
"No mistake!"
"That's definitely the Gawain Pirates' flag!"
"The best swordsman in the East Blue, huh?"
"Before I head to the Grand Line to face the man at the top, maybe it's not a bad idea to claim the East Blue first."
He paused, then added softly:
"And if I'm lucky… maybe that title will even reach Kuina, where she is."
His eyes sharpened with resolve as he stepped toward the coast.
With every step, the sound of unsheathing echoed—three swords drawn, flashing cold steel.
Zoro had been at sea for a few years now. While his strength was still far from what it would be in the future, he had carved out a name for himself in the East Blue.
He'd faced countless swordsmen—and none had lasted more than a few moves against him.
But now, just staring at the lone figure standing on the distant ship's bow, cold sweat ran down his back.
"This guy… he's in a completely different league. But a man doesn't back down just because of strength!"
Yosaku and Johnny watched Zoro's retreating figure. They wanted to stop him—but they already knew it was useless.
They'd known him long enough to understand: once Zoro made up his mind, nothing could change it.
"With Zoro Aniki's strength, he shouldn't lose… even against a monster like that, right?"
Yosaku swallowed hard, already gripping the scimitar at his waist. Johnny nodded solemnly.
"If he falls, we rescue him—no matter what."
"Don't forget, he once saved our lives. Now it's our turn."
Yosaku nodded.
"Of course."
In the distance, the pirate ship dropped anchor on the beach.
Gawain disembarked swiftly with Nami, two others, and a group of crew members, heading straight toward Zoro.
At first, when he saw the figure by the sea, Gawain hadn't recognized him.
But now…
Though the man standing before him still looked young—just over 170 cm tall, still a little rough around the edges—those rebellious eyes and the three swords he carried made it obvious.
This was one of Gawain's most sought-after targets in the East Blue.
Roronoa Zoro.
The future King of Hell. A man with the potential to reach gold-rank.
Gawain had gained two full levels in both physical strength and Observation Haki just from promoting Kuro to silver and Gin to silver-plus.
What could a gold-ranked Zoro offer?
The mere thought made Gawain's blood race with anticipation.
Zoro, in his eyes, was already marked as his.
The two stood face to face on the beach.
Between swordsmen, words were often unnecessary—a single glance conveyed everything.
Gawain saw the fire in Zoro's eyes and placed one hand on the hilt of Seikō Masamune at his waist.
"Tell me your name, challenger."
Zoro smirked grimly.
"Roronoa Zoro!"
Click!
A sword clamped tightly between his teeth, he raised the other two, his entire aura sharp and dangerous.
"Draw your sword!"
"East Blue's so-called best swordsman!"
Gawain raised an eyebrow. An amused grin tugged at his lips. He drove Seikō Masamune into the sand and slowly pulled a small dagger from his coat.
"Sorry," he said with mock regret, "but I don't think I have anything smaller to use than this toy."
"…Toy?"
Zoro blinked, stunned for a second. But anger surged in his chest. Gawain's attitude—it was like being mocked outright.
"Fine then," Zoro growled. "Let's start by making you take this seriously!"
He shifted his stance. The two swords in his hands crossed like horns, his aura growing fiercer by the second.
The sea breeze ruffled his thin shirt, and a killing intent invisible to the eye locked squarely onto Gawain.
"Three-Sword Style: Oni Giri!"
With a roar, Zoro dashed forward—reaching Gawain in a blink.
Three blades slashed toward his neck from different directions.
Zoro had felled countless arrogant swordsmen with this very move. He believed in its power—but also knew the gap between him and the man in front of him was real.
Force him to draw his sword!
His eyes blazed.
Three flashes of silver sliced through the air—and then stopped.
Ding!
Gawain had blocked all three strikes with the toy-like dagger. The pressure was immense. Zoro felt like he was slamming into a wall—his arms trembling from the backlash.
"There has to be a limit to the difference in strength!"
"Damn it!"
"How can our strength be so far apart?!"