Under the massive arched gates, the Going Merry slowly glided into the bustling harbor.
Loguetown.
It was known as "The Town of the Beginning and the End," for it was here that the man who once possessed everything in the world—the Pirate King, Gold Roger—was born, and it was here that he was executed.
The moment they docked, the roar of the crowds and the vibrant energy of the streets washed over them.
"OH! I'm the man who's going to be the Pirate King!!"
As soon as his feet hit solid ground, Luffy's eyes locked onto the towering execution platform in the center of town. With an excited shout, he took off like a shot. "I'm going to see the execution stand!!"
"That idiot..." Nami sighed helplessly, adjusting her backpack. "I'm going to buy some clothes suitable for the Grand Line's climate."
"Me too! Me too! I need to restock my equipment!" Usopp followed close behind.
"Then I'll go shop for ingredients; I heard the seafood market here is top-tier." Sanji straightened his tie and stepped off the ship with elegance.
Seeing everyone had their plans, Viktor grabbed Klay the crow and tossed the bird toward Nami like a beanbag.
"Caw?!" Klay flapped his wings frantically in mid-air.
Viktor watched Nami catch the crow, then turned around to call out to Zoro, who was already heading in the wrong direction. "Hey, Moss-head. Where do you think you're going?"
"To the weapons shop, obviously." Zoro pointed straight ahead. "Two of my swords are broken. I need new ones."
"The weapons shop is definitely inside the city, not toward the ocean." Viktor pointed in the exact opposite direction and sighed. "Fine, I'll go with you. If I let you go alone, you'll still be spinning in circles by the time we leave Loguetown."
"Shut up! I don't get lost!"
Loguetown's streets were a labyrinth of people and alleyways.
"This way." "Hey! That's a dead end!" "To the left!" "That's right!"
Viktor grabbed Zoro by the collar, physically correcting his sense of direction. He felt as though Zoro's lack of direction was some sort of universal law; the moment he let go, the man would vanish into another dimension.
As they passed a secluded alleyway, the sound of an argument reached them.
"Stop! Put the sword down!"
A group of thugs had surrounded a young woman with glasses and deep blue hair, seemingly trying to steal the famous blade she held.
"This is my Shigure! No!" Although pushed to the ground, the girl clung desperately to the sword in her arms.
"Tsk, what a pain." Zoro frowned. While he didn't like meddling, as a swordsman, he couldn't stand seeing someone bullied over a blade.
"Hey, you trash over there." Zoro rested his hand on his hilt, walking forward with a murderous glare. "What's the point of bullying a woman? If you want to die, I'll be happy to help."
Terrified by the sheer pressure of Zoro's killing intent, the thugs scrambled away in a panic.
"Th-thank you..." The girl adjusted her glasses and looked up timidly.
The moment Zoro saw her face, it was like a bolt from the blue. He froze, his pupils trembling violently. His usually stoic face was replaced by a look of sheer, haunted shock.
That face... those eyes... she looked exactly like the deceased Kuina!
"Kui... Kuina?!" Zoro blurted out.
"Eh? My name isn't Kuina. I'm Tashigi, a Master Chief Petty Officer from Marine Headquarters," the girl explained, looking somewhat dazed as she put her glasses back on.
Beside them, Viktor leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, observing the interaction with great interest. Seeing Zoro looking like he'd seen a ghost, Viktor's lips curled into a smirk.
Tsk, tsk. Is this the legendary "Look-Alike Trope"? This plot is more dramatic than a cheap novel.
After a brief explanation, though Zoro remained awkward, the helpful Tashigi offered to lead them to the best weapons shop in town as thanks for their help.
"Ipponmatsu" Weapons Shop.
It was an old shop that had seen better days. The owner, Ipponmatsu, was a middle-aged man with hair like a broom. He sat with his legs crossed, eyeing Zoro's plain appearance with a snobbish air.
"If you want swords, pick something from that junk barrel by the door. Fifty thousand Berries each. If you're broke, don't waste my time."
Zoro felt his empty pockets, his expression darkening.
Clink.
A heavy bag of coins was tossed onto the counter, letting out the unmistakable sound of gold. The bag spilled open, revealing shimmering coins. Ipponmatsu's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
"Bring out the good stuff," Viktor said with a smile as he walked in. "Don't try to fool us with trash. We want real 'Meito' (Famous Blades)."
"Oh my! Distinguished guests!!" Ipponmatsu's attitude did a complete 180-degree turn. He rubbed his hands together with a fawning smile. "Right away! Please wait a moment, sirs! I'll bring out the shop's treasures!"
While the owner went to rummage through his stock, Zoro walked over to the barrel of discarded swords.
Perhaps by a swordsman's instinct, his eyes locked onto a longsword with a black-and-red scabbard amidst the junk.
"This sword..."
Zoro pulled it out, and a chill instantly filled the room.
Hum—
Behind him, the tomoe in Viktor's Sharingan spun. In his vision, this sword didn't have the normal aura of a weapon; instead, it was swirled with a crimson, malicious energy—like a grotesque demon reaching out for blood.
"Oh? Interesting. This must be the Kitetsu." Viktor's lips curled into a playful arc. "There's a beast inside that blade that craves blood."
"HEY! DON'T TOUCH THAT!!" Ipponmatsu turned pale when he saw the blade and rushed over. "That's a cursed blade! Sandai Kitetsu!!"
"Every one of its previous owners met a gruesome end! It's cursed! I was too scared to even sell it; I just hid it in the junk barrel to get rid of it! You'll die! Put it down!"
However, Zoro didn't put it down. Looking at the ominous blade, a wild, arrogant smile spread across his face.
"Cursed, huh... that's exactly what I want."
"Let's see whose luck is stronger—my fortune, or this thing's curse!"
In front of everyone's shocked gazes, Zoro extended his left arm. He tossed the razor-sharp Sandai Kitetsu high into the air.
"Hey! Are you crazy?!" Ipponmatsu screamed. Tashigi watched, paralyzed with shock.
The blade spun in the air, flashing with a cold, lethal light before plunging straight down toward Zoro's arm!
In that moment, the air seemed to freeze. Tashigi covered her mouth, unable to look. Ipponmatsu collapsed to the floor.
Viktor's fingers twitched. Chakra flooded his feet, his muscles tensing. If the blade's trajectory veered even slightly toward Zoro's flesh, Viktor would use "Body Flicker" to kick the sword away in the blink of an eye. He believed in Zoro's luck, but he wasn't about to gamble his comrade's arm on a whim.
SHING—!!
The Sandai Kitetsu spun down, its edge passing a mere hair's breadth from Zoro's skin.
THUD!!
The blade buried itself deep into the wooden floor. Zoro's arm was completely unscathed.
"I'll take it," Zoro said, his smirk widening.
Viktor relaxed his chakra, the red light in his eyes fading as he resumed his casual posture. "Looks like... you won, Moss-head."
Ipponmatsu was completely floored by Zoro's spirit. He ran into the back room and brought out a black-lacquered katana.
"Take this too! This is the Skillful Grade blade, 'Yubashiri'! It's my family heirloom!" He wiped a tear away.
"I'm just a merchant, but I want to entrust good swords to a real man! Both of these... they're on the house!"
Minutes later, Zoro walked out of the shop with three swords at his hip (Wado Ichimonji, Sandai Kitetsu, and Yubashiri), looking satisfied.
Viktor followed, tossing the bag of unspent gold into the air before deciding to leave it at the shop's doorstep anyway.
"W-wait a minute!"
Tashigi, who had been in a state of shock, suddenly saw something on a bounty poster that had been blown onto the street by the wind.
She picked it up, looked at the photo, then at the moss-haired man with three swords and the black-haired boy with red eyes.
Her face turned pale.
SHING!
She drew her blade, "Meito Shigure," her hands trembling as she pointed it at the two. Her voice was full of disbelief and anger.
"Santoryu... Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro!!"
"And... with a 28 million Berry bounty... 'Crimson Lotus' Viktor!!"
"So you... You were pirates all along!!"
Looking at the trembling tip of the blade and Tashigi's look of betrayed indignation, Viktor didn't panic. He tilted his head with a "kind" smile and pointed at himself with an innocent expression.
"Crimson Lotus? Who's that?"
Then, in an incredibly sincere tone, he said: "You have the wrong person, Marine lady. I'm Luffy!"
Zoro: "..."
The swordsman stared at Viktor with a face full of shadows. You bastard... that lie is way too lazy!
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