Chapter 18: After Hesitating, Zoro Makes His Choice[1]
"Hey, hey, Rozi—who do you think Zoro should choose as his Heroic Spirit template?"
Luffy poked Rozi in the waist with his finger, his gaze curious as he looked at Zoro in front of them.
At this moment, Zoro was staring straight at the panel in front of him.
More precisely, he was staring at the two names on the panel: "Swordsman" Kokushibo and "Directionally Challenged" Kenpachi Zaraki.
"Sorry, Luffy. As the holder of the Heroic Spirit templates, I can only explain them—I can't interfere with Zoro's final choice."
Rozi shook his head, speaking with regret.
The system granted Heroic Spirit power, but it also imposed certain restrictions.
Whether it was Luffy, Zoro, or any future companions,
Rozi could not forcibly push suggestions onto their choice.
He did hope Zoro would choose Kenpachi Zaraki's Heroic Spirit template.
That way, he would definitely obtain Kenpachi Zaraki's power.
With Rozi's current strength, he might not be able to achieve Bankai, but Shikai was probably possible.
"Ah, that's a real shame," Luffy said.
Nami lowered her head, glancing at Zoro and then at Rozi, her eyes flickering with a thoughtful light.
That Kenpachi Zaraki was so strong he could cut apart a meteor.
Could Rozi also wield that kind of power?
If he did, could she really steal the treasure and still get away safely?
Just imagining stealing Rozi's treasure and Rozi swinging his sword at her made Nami's body tremble.
Rozi glanced at Nami and, with his skilled Observation Haki, keenly sensed the fear in her heart.
Am I really that scary?
Looks like I need to have a proper talk with her.
Rozi shook his head and reached into his clothes, pulling out a necklace with an orange gemstone and handing it to Nami.
"Huh? Rozi, what are you doing? Is this for me?"
Seeing the glittering necklace, Nami instantly recovered from her fearful state.
"That's right. The gemstone has some value. Since you like treasure, you should like it, right?"
"Of course I like it. But why are you suddenly giving me a gemstone necklace? Are you planning to pay my navigator fee with a necklace?"
"The navigator fee will be paid in cash. The gemstone necklace is a gift."
"As for why I'm giving it to you… I saw you seemed scared by that illusion space, so this is to change your mood."
Rozi shrugged and casually stuffed the necklace into Nami's hand.
Of course, he could tell Nami's fear was directed at him, but he didn't point it out.
Rozi understood Nami.
Even if his strength was greater than Arlong's, he was still an 800,000,000-Berries wanted man.
For someone who hated pirates, bringing a dangerous man she had only just met into Cocoyasi Village was naturally difficult.
Since she had no way to leave, being afraid of him was normal.
"Then… thanks."
Nami smiled, lifting her hand to put the necklace around her neck.
"As long as you're happy. I've got some collectibles too—later, when there's a chance, I'll let you see them."
Rozi smiled.
Letting her see the collection was only part of it—having a real talk was Rozi's true goal.
...
"Huff… huff…"
"I've decided, Rozi! I'm choosing the Kokushibo Heroic Spirit template!"
After hesitating for several minutes, Zoro finally raised his hand and slapped it onto the name "Kokushibo."
In the next moment, a faint blue light wrapped around Zoro's body, leaving a mysterious emblem shaped like a blade on the skin over his chest.
Ding. Roronoa Zoro has made his choice and obtained the "Swordsman" Kokushibo template, comprehending Kokushibo's initial skills. Through training and growth, more Heroic Spirit template skills can be comprehended.
Note: Feeding partners Devil Fruits can accelerate the progress of comprehending Heroic Spirit template skills, and may even allow the comprehension of ultimate techniques.
Congratulations to the Host for obtaining the "Swordsman" Kokushibo template and the "Directionally Challenged" Kenpachi Zaraki template, comprehending all Heroic Spirit template skills.
Note: Although the Host can comprehend all Heroic Spirit template skills, whether the skills can be used depends on the Host's own strength.
Not bad luck. Even though Zoro chose Kokushibo, the template I got at random was Kenpachi Zaraki.
The system notification made Rozi's smile keep rising.
"Huh! You chose Kokushibo? What a shame. I wanted to see Kenpachi Zaraki's power again later."
Luffy put both hands behind his head and spoke with regret.
At this moment, the illusion vanished, and everyone had already returned to the ship.
"Kenpachi Zaraki's power is indeed strong. I hesitated for a long time."
"But I feel that compared to Kenpachi Zaraki, I might be more suited to using Kokushibo's power."
"If you want someone to use Kenpachi Zaraki's power, Luffy, you can probably look to Rozi."
"Since he can use Drake's power, he should be able to use Kenpachi Zaraki's power too."
Zoro let out a breath, closed his eyes, and began carefully sensing the brand-new power inside him.
...