Hiss—
As the colorless, odorless Potion sprayed out from the device, it gently settled onto Zoro's body.
The skin that had been torn open by flying stone fragments began to visibly mend itself almost instantly.
When the entire bottle of Potion finished spraying, Zoro's tightly shut eyes slowly opened.
It was as if a thin white line suddenly appeared in total darkness—then rapidly expanded.
Light reclaimed the world.
"Where… am I?"
Still feeling weak, Zoro blinked in confusion.
Turning his head, he saw a chibi-sized Luffy right beside his head, staring at him with a goofy grin.
"You're awake, Zoro!"
Seeing that the medicine Red had given him was actually this effective, Luffy immediately greeted him cheerfully.
However, Zoro just stared at Luffy for a long moment before calmly closing his eyes again and lying flat.
"Huh… so it was just a dream after all~"
"..."
"A dream? That kind of running away from reality doesn't really fit your character, Zoro~"
Just then, Red's clear youthful voice reached his ears, making Zoro snap his eyes open again.
"So? Luffy held back on that last strike—can you still stand?"
Red extended a helping hand toward Zoro, but such a small gesture only deepened Zoro's confusion.
"Wait!"
Zoro hurriedly turned his head toward the chibi Luffy beside him and exclaimed in shock,
"I wasn't dreaming!?"
"Then why—"
He pointed at Luffy—
—and just then, Luffy's body suddenly ballooned, as if the elastic tension limit had been released.
Bang~
A crisp, decisive sound rang out.
The doll-sized Luffy instantly returned to his normal form.
"That's just a side effect of that move," Red explained with a smile, reaching down and pulling Zoro up from the ground."There isn't a good solution yet."
Although Zoro had been unconscious, the bout had only been sparring.
Under Luffy's control, he had merely taken some impact damage and exhausted himself to the point of passing out.
Even so, once Zoro was back on his feet, he was clearly still dazed.
Part of it was physical—but more than that, it was the overwhelming sense of powerlessness he felt when facing Luffy.
After standing still for a moment, Zoro lifted his head and looked seriously at Red.
"Red… can you tell me something?"
"What is the outside world like?"
"The outside world, huh…"
Red sighed softly, as if recalling distant memories.
He then pulled Luffy closer and casually tugged at his cheeks while replying,
"It's complicated."
"But you only need to know one thing—"
"In the Grand Line, people stronger than this guy are as common as fish crossing a river. There are countless of them!"
He wasn't trying to scare Zoro.
Even though Luffy's current strength already rivaled his Enies Lobby-era self—and even if he fell short, not by much—
—in the New World two years later, where practically everyone could use Armament Haki, Luffy—who hadn't even stepped into Armament Haki yet—really wasn't all that impressive.
"What did you say!?"
As expected, Zoro's finger trembled.
His first thought was: Impossible! Absolutely impossible!
But… did Red have any reason to lie to him?
The answer was obvious.
After wrestling with complicated emotions, Zoro finally accepted the reality.
But then Red delivered yet another blow—
"And there's one more thing."
"Your target… the current world's greatest swordsman, Hawk-Eye Dracule Mihawk—"
"If he wanted to beat Luffy, one single slash would probably be enough."
"The gap… is it really that big?"
Zoro's gaze darkened.
Despite only hearing Red describe it, it felt as if a towering mountain with no visible peak stood before him.
"What? Thinking of giving up?" Red asked with a light chuckle.
"Give up? That'll never happen!"
Zoro shook his head with a bitter smile, then placed his hand on his sword hilt and took in a deep breath.
"It's just that… the road ahead suddenly got a lot longer."
When he finished speaking, that resolute fire returned to his eyes.
He looked up at the drifting clouds overhead and spoke solemnly,
"If something like this were enough to make me give up—then I might as well die on the path of chasing my dream!!!"
"Yeah! Exactly!"
Luffy immediately chimed in, laughing loudly."Dreams only taste right when you chase them with your life!!!"
Then he turned to Red, clenched his fists, and complained,
"Saying there are tons of people stronger than me is way too mean!"
"I'll show you with your own eyes—"
"I'll knock every single one of them flat!!!"
"When that happens, your jaw is gonna drop!"
"Right, Zoro!?"
"That's right!"
Zoro gripped his sword hilt as if endless power were surging into his body through the blade.
With confidence, he declared,
"Just watch, Red!!!"
"Forget the Grand Line—"
"Even Hawk-Eye, I'll defeat him for sure!!!"
"Is that so?"
The corner of Red's mouth curled upward, but he let out a soft sigh.
"Then you might be disappointed."
He pressed down the brim of his hat, his eyes clear, glimmering with faint light.
"Because I've never once doubted—"
"—that you could do all of that."
"And besides, with me as your Trainer, no matter how strong you become, I won't be surprised in the slightest."
Turning his gaze back to Zoro, he said firmly,
"Remember today's defeat well, Zoro!"
"True strength isn't just about power—it's about the heart!"
"I hope this failure becomes the force that drives you forward, pushing you to grow into a true powerhouse as soon as possible!!!"
"I'll do my best!"
Zoro clenched his fist, imitating Luffy.
"I believe in you," Red said with a gentle smile—though deep in his eyes, a barely perceptible, scheming glint flashed.
Yes!That's it!
Without pressure, where would motivation come from?
Red had already anticipated this outcome long before arranging this sparring session!
He wanted Zoro to truly feel the pressure coming from the outside world!
After all, with hearts as strong as Luffy's and Zoro's, no amount of pressure would break them—only turn into strength!
The East Blue was simply too weak. There was nothing there worth risking their lives over.
That wasn't a good thing.
With talent like theirs, letting it go to waste would be a real shame!
Red even felt a little regret now—since he hadn't originally planned to go out to sea with Luffy, he also hadn't seriously pushed Luffy to train during those two and a half years.
But now…
Things were completely different!
"Nami!"
Red suddenly turned and called out to Nami, who was standing off in the distance, frozen in thought.
"Ah!?"
Startled, Nami quickly replied,
"W-What is it?"
"What are you spacing out for?"
Red stepped up and flicked her forehead like a scolding older brother.
"Didn't you see Luffy and Zoro all fired up like they just chugged chicken blood?! Hurry up and join the fun!"
"No thanks!"
Nami puffed out her cheeks."I'm not a hot-blooded idiot like them."
"And I don't understand stuff like bonds or friendship anyway."
"Oh? Is that so?"
Red grinned mischievously.
Then he abruptly opened the backpack behind him!
This wasn't some game inventory—it was the bag he carried with him when he went out to sea.
Inside, clearly visible, was a massive stack of cash and small jewels they had looted from Axe-Hand Morgan's office.
Nami: !!!
"How about now?" Red asked, looking at Nami, whose eyes were sparkling.
"If you need anything, just say the word, Lord Red!"
"I'll charge through fire and water without hesitation!!!"
Nami instantly dropped to one knee, overflowing with fighting spirit!
(End of Chapter)