A sharp, dull pain throbbed at the back of his head, and Zoro gasped, jolting awake from unconsciousness.
He shook his still-dizzy head, and the scene before him gradually cleared: moist earth, towering trees, and flowers and plants he had never seen before.
Memories began to flood back like a tide.
That octopus-headed bald man who called himself Mr.1... that thorny woman... and... Tomioka!
The image of that last moment was seared into his mind!
Tomioka had violently thrown him aside, only to be instantly swallowed by the white wax, his hand, which had pushed Zoro away, ultimately solidifying into a waxen statue.
"Damn it..."
Zoro punched the ground, sending dirt flying. Because he hadn't been able to cut through steel, Tomioka had been captured! This feeling of powerlessness burned within him.
Just then, the faint sounds of explosions and fighting drifted from the distance.
No time for remorse!
Zoro gritted his teeth against the pain and abruptly stood up.
That Tomioka fellow... he could cut that iron block... how did he do it? This thought flashed through his mind. He headed towards the source of the sound, his hand resting on his wado ichimonji.
As he ran, fragments of childhood memories began to surface uncontrollably.
In the dojo, a young Zoro had once looked up and asked the perpetually smiling man, "Master! Are there really swordsmen in the world who can cut steel like mud?"
The Master didn't answer directly, but gently said, "Zoro, what's even more formidable in this world are those swordsmen who can achieve 'not cutting.' He can choose not to cut anything, yet still cut through steel!"
"Not cutting?"
Little Zoro didn't understand at all.
"The strongest swordsman, you see, isn't one who can cut through everything, but one who can protect what he wishes to protect and cut what he wishes to cut. In my opinion, a sword that harms everything it touches... isn't truly a sword."
At the time, little Zoro had found this theory abstruse and useless; he only wanted to become a swordsman who could cut through everything.
But now, those words were exceptionally clear in his ears.
In this moment of physical peril, he began to concentrate, dispelling distractions, and fully immersing his attention in running and perceiving his surroundings.
Gradually, the world around him began to change in his perception.
The flow of the wind, the softness of the mud beneath his feet, the steady breathing of the trees nearby, even the wariness of a giant beast hidden in the jungle... an unprecedented sensation enveloped him.
He wasn't seeing it; he was feeling it all.
Suddenly, he stopped. An unpleasant, stagnant breath emanated from ahead and to his side. He slowly approached, only to see a small hut made entirely of white wax standing incongruously in the forest.
It was that wax again! It must have been made by that guy whose hair was tied up like a '3'; he had seen him too.
Beside the hut, an otter holding a pen and paper and a black vulture were stealthily peering inside. The sounds from within made him frown; it was Sanji! He seemed to be talking to someone.
He couldn't let these two disturb them. Zoro's eyes turned cold, and he darted forward.
"Swoosh! Swoosh!"
Only two extremely faint thuds were heard. The otter and the vulture rolled their eyes and fell to the ground, a large bump swelling on their heads. Zoro didn't even glance at them, walking towards the hut.
He leaned against the wax hut's wall, looking inside. Sanji was facing away from him, talking into a Den Den Mushi. Sanji sensed something and casually glanced back.
That one glance made him instantly surprised, his mouth wide enough to fit an egg.
The Zoro before him was truly a mess: his bandana askew, covered in dust, his clothes torn in many places, and an unhealed wound on his forehead.
"You..."
Sanji almost blurted it out, but his strong adaptability made him swallow the words, his expression instantly switching back, while frantically winking at Zoro and putting a finger to his lips, signaling him to be quiet.
From the Den Den Mushi, Crocodile's low, displeased voice immediately came through:
"What's wrong? Why was it a bit noisy on your end just now?"
"Oh, oh, oh! It's nothing, nothing, boss!"
Sanji reacted extremely quickly, saying to the Den Den Mushi in an exaggerated tone, "It's just that Mosshead swordsman still wasn't giving up and resisted desperately for a bit, but don't worry! It's completely resolved now! I guarantee silence!"
On the other end of the Den Den Mushi, there was a few seconds of silence before he slowly said, "So... were you just lying to me?"
Sanji almost broke out in a cold sweat, but his voice remained as steady as an old dog: "How could I! Absolutely no lie! It's just that these guys from East Blue are incredibly resilient! But I assure you, everything is completely taken care of now!"
"...Hmph."
Crocodile seemed to accept the explanation for now, "Alright, no matter what, you come directly back to Alabasta from there."
He paused, then added, "This is the last time we'll use the Den Den Mushi to contact. Future instructions, I will convey to you through written orders, as usual."
"Understood! Boss!" Sanji responded loudly.
The Den Den Mushi's signal hadn't completely cut off yet, and Crocodile's impatient shouts faintly drifted from the other side: "Ms. All Sunday! Ms. All Sunday!...Has that woman gone on vacation again... Damn it..."
Click.
The Den Den Mushi finally closed its eyes completely and fell asleep.
Sanji let out a long sigh, then abruptly turned and rushed to Zoro, his face showing both surprise and anger at the enemy: "You!! What happened?! Why do you look like this?!"
Zoro ignored his fussing, simply saying, "A troublesome group of people has arrived on the island; they're not simple. Tomioka was captured by a wax-using bastard to save me."
His face was terribly grim as he added, "When I just rushed over, I heard sounds from that direction; we must go immediately."
"Even Tomioka, who's so strong..." Sanji furrowed his brows, instantly realizing the gravity of the situation, "Alright! Got it! Let's go!"
The two rushed out of the wax hut. Zoro, however, stopped outside the hut. He reached out and felt the waxen wall, then tapped it with his knuckles.
Clang. Clang.
It made a hard sound, like striking steel.
"This hardness..." Sanji also tried it, his expression slightly changing. Zoro simply said to Sanji, "Wait for me."
He stepped back two paces, then slowly drew his wado ichimonji.
Zoro closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The surrounding breaths once again entered his mind. The flow of the wind, the rustling of leaves, and the breathing of the white wax wall before him.
He suddenly opened his eyes, swung his arm, and a sharp slash swept diagonally across!
"Swish--!"
The wax hut, hard as iron, its upper half slowly slid down along a smooth cut, then collapsed with a crash!
The cross-section was as smooth as a mirror.
Zoro sheathed his sword, not even looking at the ruins behind him, and said in a deep voice, "Let's go."
Sanji looked at the cross-section, his cigarette almost falling out, and finally just clicked his tongue: "You bastard..."
The two figures flashed, and began to head in the direction from which the sounds had come.