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Windmill Village, East Blue
"Ugh... the broadcast disappeared again. I wonder how the war at Marineford is going."
A drunk man in the tavern scratched his head in frustration as he stared at the Den Den Mushi that had gone silent.
Another villager sighed.
"I just hope Rolan and the others are alright."
"Baka yarou!" someone shouted immediately. "Rolan is the strongest man in this world! Who could possibly hurt him?"
Several drunkards immediately began nodding.
"That's right!"
"No one in this world can stop him!"
"I'm sure he already led everyone away safely!"
The tavern quickly filled with loud voices and confident laughter.
However, Makino's expression remained heavy.
Unlike the drunk villagers, she clearly understood the meaning behind Rolan's words at Marineford.
What he said there was nothing less than a declaration of war against the World Government.
And the World Government had ruled this world for more than 800 years.
Marineford was only the surface of their power.
No one truly knew how many forces the World Government had hidden in the shadows.
Now the broadcast had suddenly been cut off again.
No one knew what had happened at Marineford.
That uncertainty weighed heavily on Makino's heart.
Bang!
Suddenly the tavern door was violently kicked open.
A loud angry voice echoed through the room.
"Why didn't anyone tell me?!"
Everyone turned their heads at the same time.
Standing at the entrance was a large woman with curly orange hair, golden earrings, and a cigarette hanging from her mouth.
She wore a black shirt, dark green plaid trousers, and brown boots.
Makino immediately recognized her.
Curly Dadan.
The mountain bandit who raised Ace and Luffy.
The villagers were surprised to see her.
Dadan rarely came down from the mountains, and when she did, it usually meant trouble.
Yet no one in the village was truly afraid of her.
Although she was called a mountain bandit, she had never harmed the villagers.
She never burned homes, robbed travelers, or caused chaos in the village.
Still, her fiery temper was famous.
Seeing the furious expression on her face now made several villagers feel uneasy.
Not long ago, Makino had quietly told everyone that Dadan must not find out about Ace's capture.
Unexpectedly, she had still learned the news.
And now she had come straight to the tavern.
From the look on her face, she clearly already knew everything.
The villagers lowered their heads and remained silent, afraid that the furious bandit might release her anger on them.
Dadan slowly walked to the counter.
Her heavy boots echoed across the wooden floor.
Stopping in front of Makino, she spoke through clenched teeth.
"Makino... why didn't anyone tell me?"
Makino sighed softly.
She understood exactly what Dadan meant.
"We didn't want you to worry."
Bang!
Dadan slammed her fist onto the counter.
The entire tavern shook slightly from the force.
Several villagers nearly spilled their drinks.
"What kind of nonsense is that?!"
Her voice was filled with anger.
"As Ace's mother, don't I have the right to know?!"
Dadan had only learned the news from her subordinates.
They had heard it while buying supplies in the village.
Ace had been captured by the Marines.
He was going to be executed at Marineford.
Although Dadan always acted rough and scolded Ace, Luffy, and Sabo constantly, the truth was simple.
She loved those boys like her own children.
Everyone in Windmill Village knew that.
That was exactly why she was furious.
When something so serious happened to Ace, no one bothered to tell her.
Makino spoke gently.
"Don't worry."
"Rolan already rescued Ace."
Her words made the tavern quiet.
"I believe we'll hear good news soon."
Dadan stared at Makino carefully.
She clearly did not fully believe it.
But she also knew Makino would not lie about something like this.
After a long pause, she sat down heavily on a chair.
"Fine."
"I'll wait here."
---
Kuraigana Island
Deep inside the gloomy forest, a green-haired swordsman wandered through the jungle.
"Hmm..."
"This tree looks familiar."
Zoro stared at a large twisted tree in front of him.
"I feel like I've seen it before."
He tilted his head slightly.
"Or maybe there are two trees that look exactly the same?"
Yes.
This hopelessly lost swordsman was none other than Roronoa Zoro.
He had already been wandering through this forest for a very long time.
One hour?
Two hours?
Five hours?
One day?
Two days?
It was impossible to tell.
The sky above Kuraigana Island was always dark and gloomy.
Day and night were almost indistinguishable.
Zoro frowned slightly.
"I need to get to Marineford."
At that moment, a powerful presence slowly appeared behind him.
Heavy footsteps followed.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
Zoro immediately recognized the aura.
Dracule Mihawk.
One of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
The world's greatest swordsman.
Zoro turned around slowly and frowned.
"Why are you back already?"
He had seen Mihawk during the live broadcast earlier.
The man had been summoned to Marineford to participate in the war against Whitebeard.
If Mihawk had returned now, that meant the war had already ended.
Mihawk stopped a few steps behind him.
"The war is over."
His tone was calm.
"So of course I returned."
Zoro clicked his tongue slightly.
"You should have told me."
"Why didn't you take me with you?"
Mihawk raised an eyebrow.
"And why should I?"
Zoro placed his hand on the hilt of Wado Ichimonji.
"As the swordsman of the Ion Tempest Pirates..."
"How could I stay here while my crew fought at Marineford?"
"My companions were on the battlefield."
"And I didn't even know."
Mihawk shook his head slightly.
"No one expected Rolan to appear at Marineford."
When Mihawk returned earlier, he had casually used Observation Haki to observe the island.
There were three people living here.
Zoro and two beautiful women.
Both of those women clearly had strong feelings for him.
Mihawk had briefly expected something interesting.
But what he saw was something else entirely.
Zoro was wandering in circles inside the forest.
Completely lost.
The two women were tied together somewhere else.
After spending several months observing Zoro, Mihawk understood one thing perfectly.
Zoro's sense of direction was truly hopeless.
He could get lost even while walking in a straight line.
Seeing this situation, Mihawk had already guessed the truth.
Zoro had lost his way again.
It seemed nothing interesting had happened between the three of them.
That realization disappointed him slightly.
Mihawk turned and began walking back toward the castle.
"Come back."
"Otherwise your two girlfriends will lose their minds."
Zoro's face instantly turned red.
"Don't talk nonsense!"
"They're not my girlfriends!"
He immediately followed Mihawk.
Mihawk glanced at Zoro from the corner of his eye and smiled faintly.
Zoro suddenly remembered something important.
"Hey... Mihawk."
"What about Rolan and the others?"
Before Zoro could finish speaking, Mihawk already understood the question.
"Ace was rescued."
"The Ion Tempest Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates should have successfully left Marineford."
Zoro released a deep breath.
He trusted Rolan's strength.
But even so, he could not help worrying.
If something had happened to his captain and crew...
He would never forgive himself.
Mihawk suddenly stopped walking.
"Straight ahead."
Zoro blinked.
"What?"
"Straight ahead," Mihawk repeated.
"Just follow me."
Zoro frowned slightly.
"I am following you."
Mihawk sighed.
"You turned the wrong way again."
"Shut up!"
"You just walked in a circle!"
"That's because you walked the wrong way!"
Their voices slowly disappeared deeper into the forest.
---
Far away on the open sea...
Someone suddenly shouted.
"Hey!"
"Look at the sea!"
"The water level..."
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