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Chapter 56: A Storm is Brewing
Just as the shopkeeper's voice rang out, a surprised female voice came from outside the door.
"Wado Ichimonji?! Old man, did you just mention one of the 21 Great Grade Swords, 'Wado Ichimonji'?!"
But then I saw...
A slender young woman with short, dark blue hair and red-framed glasses was standing at the entrance.
Her gaze was sharp, and following the shopkeeper's line of sight, she stared intently at the sword at Zoro's waist, as if looking at some rare treasure.
"You...!"
When Zoro's gaze fell on that face, he froze. His pupils contracted, and his face filled with an expression of disbelief, as if he had seen a ghost.
This face... this face... looked exactly like his deceased childhood friend, Kuina!
...
Meanwhile, Loguetown's port market was still bustling with activity.
"Boss, what kind of fish is this?"
"This fish is called an 'Elephant Tuna.' It must have swum all the way here from the South Blue. I just happened to catch it!"
"Nice, sell us the whole thing!"
"Great! You're a straightforward man, buddy!"
In the port market, after talking with the fishmonger, Sanji bought a tuna larger than a man.
He held the large fish and excitedly walked towards a blue-haired girl who had been waiting for him for a long time.
"Ganyu-san, it's all done!"
"Mm, a good haul." Ganyu looked at the large fish, smiled slightly, and said, "Let's head back to the ship."
As she spoke, she turned and pushed a small wooden cart over.
The cart was already filled with various purchased ingredients: meat, vegetables, fruits, and various bottles and jars of seasonings. The wide array of items was piled high, rivaling the height of two Ganyus.
After leaving Loguetown, their next destination was the unpredictable Grand Line. They didn't know when they would be able to dock for supplies again, so they prepared more than half a month's worth of food.
A short while later, the two returned to the ship.
On the Going Merry.
There were no crew members on board, but there were many new items, indicating that Nami and Usopp had returned to the island to buy more things.
After helping Sanji move everything onto the ship, Ganyu looked up at the sky, only to see it was overcast, and the water element in the air was unusually active.
This... is a sign of impending rain.
How strange.
The sky was completely different when we arrived on the island; although it wasn't blue and cloudless, it didn't have this many dark clouds.
These dark clouds, which had suddenly appeared in the sky, seemed to have been deliberately driven and gathered here by some force.
Ganyu thought for a moment, then said to Sanji, who was still in the cabin sorting ingredients, "Sanji, I'll leave things on the ship to you for now. I'm going back to the island to check and make sure Luffy is okay."
"Okay, be careful." Hearing this, Sanji nodded. He knew Buggy and his crew were no match for them, so they must have gone after Luffy.
But with Ganyu and Luffy's strength, he wasn't worried at all.
...
Loguetown Marine Base.
"Captain Smoker, something terrible has happened! Pirates are causing trouble at the execution platform!"
A Marine soldier hurriedly pushed open the office door and rushed into a room filled with cigar smoke.
"Pirates?"
Smoker, sitting in his office chair with a cigar in his mouth, his eyes suddenly sharpened upon hearing the report, and he asked in a low voice:
"Where did these pirates come from? How big is their crew?"
"It's the pirate crews of 'Buggy the Clown' and 'Straw Hat Luffy.' According to field observations, several dozen of them have gathered at the square and are in a standoff!"
"Straw Hat Luffy?"
"The bounty poster was just issued today. It's said that a rookie pirate defeated 'Don' Krieg, the Fish-Man Arlong, and others. Headquarters has issued a bounty of 30 million Berries!"
As the Marine soldier spoke, he handed Smoker three wanted posters: those for Luffy, Ganyu, and Zoro.
"'Pirate Hunter' and 'Frostflake Arrow,' who have been causing quite a stir in the East Blue recently, have also become his crew members. Their bounties are now 15 million and 16 million, respectively."
Smoker exhaled a thick cloud of smoke, his gaze shifting down to the wanted posters in his hand.
The face of a smiling boy in a straw hat came into view, his name clearly printed below. Monkey D. Luffy, bounty: 30 million Berries.
Smoker's pupils dilated slightly, and his brows furrowed as he turned to the other two.
As expected.
One was Roronoa Zoro, a three-sword style swordsman with short green hair and a fierce expression, bounty: 15 million Berries.
The other girl had also left a deep impression on him. The blue-haired, horned girl, "Frostflake Arrow" Ganyu, bounty: 16 million Berries.
It was the exact group he had encountered at the town entrance earlier that day!
Click.
Veins popped on Smoker's forehead as he crumpled the wanted posters in his hand.
I've been deceived!
"Dispatch the troops immediately!"
Smoker shot up, quickly put on his Marine "Justice" coat, pulled on his gloves, grabbed his jitte from the rack, and rapidly gave orders:
"First Platoon, move out immediately and blockade all ports! Prevent any ships from leaving! Second Platoon, advance along the main street, surround the execution platform square, and cut off the pirates' escape routes! The rest of you, follow me directly to the center of the square to make the arrests!"
He strode out of the office, but paused at the door, turned, and asked, "Where's Tashigi?"
"Uh... Sergeant Tashigi left early this morning, saying she was going to the weapons shop to buy a sword," the Marine replied.
Smoker paused, then thought. The weapons shop Tashigi frequented was on the only road from the Marine base to the execution platform, so he said, "We'll head to the weapons shop first!"
...
At the entrance of the weapons shop.
"Congratulations! You've not only acquired the 'Sandai Kitetsu,' but also taken away the shopkeeper's most precious treasure, 'Yubashiri'."
Tashigi pushed up her glasses, looking at the man with three swords at his waist, her eyes filled with both envy and respect.
Just now, this man had done something she could only dream of.
He had bet his own arm to claim the legendary "Cursed Sword."
"That Pirate Hunter also uses three swords. I heard he became a pirate recently and also uses the three-sword style, but I think you're much stronger than him."
"Is that so?"
A slight smile touched Zoro's lips. By this point, he had calmed down and was able to look at that face calmly.
"You don't know the name?"
Tashigi was a little surprised by Zoro's indifferent reaction.
"It's a man named Roronoa. To think he uses swords to make money, and even became a pirate! It's unforgivable!"
"I've heard the name, but whether someone is a bounty hunter or a pirate has nothing to do with you, right?"
It was the first time Zoro had been insulted to his face, which piqued his interest, and he chatted with her a bit longer.
"Of course they're related!"
Tashigi placed her hand on her chest, her voice rising slightly. "First, I am a Marine, and in the future, I will definitely arrest all these evil pirates! Second, these evil forces control most of the famous swords in the world. One day, I will definitely reclaim them all!"
"Oh?" Zoro was taken aback by her passionate words, then smiled. "Including the three I own?"
Hearing this, Tashigi shook her head without hesitation, her tone sincere. "Of course not, you're not a pirate. Besides, these three swords can perhaps only show their full power in the hands of a swordsman like you."
"Is that so..." Zoro gave her a deep look, seeming lost in thought, and said meaningfully, "I hope you continue to think so in the future."
After saying this, he didn't linger. He turned, picked up the two new exquisite katanas, and prepared to return to the ship to show them to his companions.
Of course, he also had to return the wallet he was carrying to that woman.
I wonder what kind of expression that woman will make when she sees he got two good swords without spending a single Beri.
However.
Shortly after leaving Tashigi, he had only taken a few steps when an invisible pressure washed over him. Zoro instinctively placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.
Zoro stopped and looked up to see an extremely tall figure blocking his path.
The man just stood there, his shadow almost completely enveloping Zoro.
He had a cigar in his mouth, and wisps of white smoke rose, standing out against the increasingly dim light.
He looked down at Zoro, his eyes cold:
"Hey, Roronoa. Now that you're here, there's no need to leave."