"Everything's here, take it all!"
Ippomatsu's voice cracked, sharp and thin, ringing with a desperate finality.
He shoved the black-lacquered box right into Zaraki's arms, the heavy impact making his round belly bounce.
The sudden move left Isuka stunned.
She opened her mouth, glancing from the expensive wooden box to the shop owner's tear-streaked, snot-covered face, before finally managing to blurt out.
"Boss, did you... take the wrong medicine?"
That was a Ryo Wazamono blade worth over three million Beli, plus that sinister yet equally valuable cursed sword—just given away for free?
"What do you know! This is a man's romance!" Ippomatsu ignored the beautiful lieutenant and scrubbed his face with his sleeve, his shrewd little eyes brimming with raw excitement.
"I might be a shady sword merchant, but my greatest dream is to see these two blades meet their true master!" He stared at Zaraki, looking like a father giving away his daughter at a wedding.
"Fine swords deserve true swordsmen! Letting them rot and rust in a warehouse—that's the real crime! Kid, don't let me down. Take them and set sail for that great sea, the true dream of men!"
"You deadbeat dumbass! What madness possessed you?!"
The curtain at the back of the shop flew open.
A robust woman burst out, an apron tied around her waist and a heavy soup ladle raised high in her hand.
The loud commotion had disturbed the true head of the household.
"Giving away the shop's treasures?! I'll beat you to death you wasteful fool!"
"Wife, stay out of this! This is a promise between men!" Ippomatsu yelled at Zaraki, dodging and shielding his head.
"Take the swords and get out of here! Go before she changes her mind and it's too late!"
Zaraki looked down at the two heavy swords in his arms, then at Ippomatsu getting pummeled by his wife's ladle.
A wry smirk twitched at the corner of his mouth.
'What is this? Some passive protagonist halo kicking in? Or did the killing intent I just leaked shatter this sword fanatic's mental defenses?'
Either way, he had zero reason to refuse a free gift dropped right into his lap, these swords would be a gift for Zoro later.
"Thanks, old man."
Zaraki didn't bother declining.
His fingers brushed over the Yubashiri's cold, black-lacquered sheath.
The solid weight in his palm proved it was a light sharp blade, perfect for Zoro.
Boom—!
Just as Zaraki turned to walk out on the domestic violence, a deafening explosion ripped through the street outside.
The shop's flimsy wooden doors and half the front wall collapsed inward.
Splinters and dust choked the air, bringing a nauseating stench mixed with damp earth and howling wind.
"Ah! My shop!" Ippomatsu cried out in agony.
He forgot to dodge his wife's swinging ladle and scrambled to hide under the counter.
A blood-soaked Marine soldier tumbled through the dust and debris.
His face hung deathly pale, his entire body shaking. He forgot his salute, shouting with a hoarse, ragged voice.
"Lieutenant Isuka! It's terrible! The town... the town is crawling with monsters!"
"Monsters?"
Before Isuka could process the warning, a massive creature burst through the smoke and settled into everyone's line of sight.
It was a mantis.
A mantis unlike anything from a normal island.
Standing upright, it towered three meters tall, its body wrapped in a dark green, armored exoskeleton.
Two enormous compound eyes gleamed with a hungry, bloodthirsty red light.
Its forelimbs looked like massive serrated sickles, still draped with the tattered bloody clothes of some unfortunate victim.
Hiss—! The giant mantis let out a sharp screech. Its enormous sickles sliced the air with a piercing whistle, crashing down straight toward Isuka by the entrance.
The strike moved so fast that visible ripples warped the air around the blades!
"Don't underestimate the Marines!"
Isuka served as the second-in-command of Loguetown for a reason.
Her combat instincts kicked in fast. With a sharp cry, she drew her standard-issue saber.
Gripping the hilt with both hands, she raised the steel high to block.
Clang!
The explosive clash of metal against exoskeleton rang deafeningly loud.
The gap in raw physical strength proved too vast. A crushing force slammed down through Isuka's blade.
The skin at the base of her thumbs split open, and the impact sent her flying backward.
She crashed hard into Ippomatsu's counter, shattering the glass display case to pieces.
"Cough..." Isuka clutched her aching chest. A normal wild beast didn't pack that kind of power.
The giant mantis had zero intention of letting its prey escape.
Its hind legs bent, coiling like springs to launch a second pounce.
Zaraki narrowed his eyes, his wrist turning to draw the Yubashiri he just snagged.
A perfect whetstone delivered right to his doorstep.
But suddenly, "Santoryu: Oni Giri!"
A low, rough voice rang out from the broken doorway.
Before Zaraki could even unseat his blade, a green blur cut right into the battlefield.
A flash of cold light sparked as three swords wove a deadly cross through the air.
Thud!
The giant mantis stiffened mid-pounce. The armored exoskeleton on its chest shattered, spraying green fluid like a busted fountain.
Its massive body swayed twice before collapsing to the floor with a heavy crash.
A young man with green hair held a crossed-sword stance.
He wore a haramaki around his waist and clenched a white-hilted sword tight between his teeth, his gaze fierce as an Asura.
Zoro slowly straightened up, pulled the Wado Ichimonji from his mouth, and flicked the green blood from his blades.
"Zaraki," Zoro said with a frown, glancing at the ruined shop and scattered swords. "You got here first after all, Good. I need replacements swords, and this place looks like it's about to collapse."
"You're thinking about buying swords at a time like this, what a hopeless moss-head."
Another lazy voice chimed in.
A blond young man in a black suit strolled over to the twitching mantis corpse with one hand in his pocket.
Lifting his polished leather shoe, he stomped down on the mantis's head like he was crushing out a cigarette butt.
Crack.
A sickening crunch ended the monster's life.