The sound of shouting echoed through Shimotsuki Village long before the sun had fully risen.
"I'm not done yet!"
A boy's voice—loud, stubborn, and filled with fire.
Ren didn't even need to open his eyes to know who it was.
"…Zoro," he muttered, sitting up slowly.
His body still ached from yesterday.
Actually—worse than yesterday.
His arms felt like they had been replaced with stone. His legs barely responded. Even breathing deeply caused a dull pain in his chest.
But despite that—
A faint smile appeared on his face.
Good.
That means I'm improving.
He stood up, wobbling slightly before steadying himself.
Outside, the morning air was cool. The sky was painted in soft orange as the sun began its slow rise.
And in the distance—
"Again!"
Clack!
"Too slow!"
Clack!
"Get up!"
Ren exhaled slowly.
"…they've already started."
The Stubborn Swordsman
When Ren arrived at the dojo, the scene was exactly as he expected.
A green-haired boy lay flat on the ground, breathing heavily.
Sweat drenched his clothes. Bruises marked his arms.
Yet his eyes—
His eyes burned.
"I said… I'm not done…"
He pushed himself up again.
Across from him stood Kuina.
Calm.
Unshaken.
Untouched.
"You've already lost over fifty times," she said flatly.
"So what?!"
The boy—Roronoa Zoro—gripped his wooden sword tighter.
"I'll win the next one!"
A few of the other kids snickered.
"Yeah, right."
"You've been saying that since yesterday."
Zoro ignored them.
His focus was entirely on Kuina.
Ren leaned against the doorway, watching quietly.
There he is.
The future Pirate Hunter.
The man who'll stand at the top of the world.
And right now—
He was just a stubborn kid who refused to accept defeat.
Kuina sighed slightly.
"…fine. One more."
Zoro grinned.
"That's all I need!"
A Gap That Couldn't Be Crossed—Yet
They moved.
Fast.
Zoro charged forward, swinging with everything he had.
No hesitation.
No fear.
Just raw determination.
Clack!
Kuina blocked easily.
She sidestepped.
Countered.
Clack!
Zoro tried again.
Faster.
Stronger.
Desperate.
But it wasn't enough.
Thud.
Kuina's wooden sword stopped at his neck.
Silence.
"…again," Zoro said immediately.
Kuina frowned.
"No."
Zoro froze.
"…what?"
"You've reached your limit."
"I haven't!"
"You have."
Her voice was calm—but firm.
Zoro's hands trembled.
"…I can still fight…"
Kuina looked at him for a long moment.
Then—
She turned away.
"…come back tomorrow."
Zoro stood there, frozen.
Then—
"…tch!"
He slammed his sword to the ground in frustration.
"I'll beat you!"
No response.
"I swear it!"
Kuina didn't turn back.
Ren watched silently.
This is how it always was.
No matter how many times he tried… he couldn't win.
Because Kuina was just that good.
First Clash
"Oi."
Zoro's voice snapped toward Ren.
"You've been staring this whole time."
Ren blinked.
"…so?"
Zoro frowned.
"…you got a problem?"
Ren shrugged.
"Not really."
Zoro stepped closer.
"…then why are you smirking?"
Ren didn't even realize he was.
"…habit."
Zoro narrowed his eyes.
"…you think it's funny?"
Ren looked at him for a moment.
Then—
"No."
His tone changed.
Serious.
"I think it's impressive."
Zoro froze.
"…what?"
"You lost over fifty times," Ren continued, pushing himself off the wall. "And you're still standing."
Zoro blinked.
"…of course I am."
"That's not normal."
Ren stepped closer.
"Most people would've quit after ten."
Zoro's grip tightened slightly.
"…I'm not most people."
Ren smiled faintly.
"…yeah. I can see that."
A brief silence passed.
Then—
"Fight me."
Zoro's words were direct.
Blunt.
Ren raised an eyebrow.
"…right now?"
"Yeah."
"…you just lost fifty times."
"So what?!"
Zoro pointed his wooden sword at him.
"Are you scared?"
Ren sighed.
"…my body's barely holding together."
"Excuses."
"…they're valid excuses."
Zoro grinned.
"Then prove it."
Ren stared at him for a moment.
Then—
"…fine."
A Different Kind of Fight
They stood facing each other.
Ren's grip on his wooden sword was steady—but not strong.
Zoro's stance was aggressive.
Explosive.
"Don't cry when you lose," Zoro said.
Ren smirked slightly.
"…I was about to say the same."
Zoro charged.
Fast.
Too fast for Ren's current body.
Clack!
Ren barely blocked.
The impact sent a shock through his arms.
He's strong…
Even after losing so many times—
Zoro was still this strong.
"Too slow!"
Zoro swung again.
Ren stepped back.
Dodged—barely.
His movements were clumsy.
Unrefined.
But—
He was watching.
Learning.
Zoro attacked again.
And again.
And again.
Relentless.
Like a storm.
Ren's breathing grew heavier.
His arms trembled.
His legs shook.
But his eyes—
His eyes stayed sharp.
Then—
For a brief moment—
Everything slowed.
Zoro's movement.
The swing.
The angle.
The intent.
Ren's body moved instinctively.
Clack.
He parried.
Clean.
Zoro's eyes widened slightly.
"…what?"
Ren didn't answer.
Because in that moment—
He felt it again.
That presence.
That darkness.
But this time—
It wasn't just inside him.
It extended outward.
Just slightly.
Like a thin veil.
Zoro hesitated.
Just for a fraction of a second.
And that—
Was enough.
Tap.
Ren's wooden sword touched Zoro's shoulder.
Silence.
An Unseen Pressure
Zoro stepped back immediately.
"…what was that?"
Ren blinked.
"…what?"
"That just now."
Zoro frowned.
"…it felt weird."
Kuina, who had been watching quietly from the side, narrowed her eyes.
That feeling again…
Cold.
Faint.
But real.
Ren lowered his sword slowly.
"…I don't know."
But he did.
At least… partially.
That was the Death Reaper power.
Not an attack.
Not strength.
Something else.
Presence.
Zoro shook his head.
"…tch. Lucky hit."
Ren chuckled weakly.
"…yeah. Let's go with that."
The Beginning of Rivalry
Zoro pointed at him again.
"…next time, I'll win."
Ren nodded.
"…sure."
"And I'll beat her too!"
He glanced at Kuina.
Kuina scoffed.
"…try not to get lost on the way home first."
Zoro's face turned red.
"I don't get lost!"
Ren couldn't help it.
He laughed.
Zoro glared at him.
"…what's so funny?!"
"…nothing."
Three Paths Intertwined
As the sun rose higher, the three of them stood in the dojo.
Kuina—the strongest.
Zoro—the most stubborn.
Ren—the unknown variable.
None of them realized it yet.
But this moment—
This small, ordinary morning—
Would become the starting point of something much bigger.
Friendship.
Rivalry.
And something deeper… yet to form.
A Whisper of Death
That night, Ren stood alone again.
Eyes closed.
Breathing steady.
He reached inward.
Toward that darkness.
This time—
It responded faster.
The cold wrapped around him slightly.
Not harmful.
But heavy.
Then—
For a brief moment—
The grass beneath his feet seemed to wither… just slightly.
Ren's eyes snapped open.
"…what…?"
He looked down.
The change was subtle.
Almost unnoticeable.
But it was there.
A patch of life… fading.
His heartbeat quickened.
This power…
It's not just presence…
His expression grew serious.
"…it affects life itself…"
A slow breath escaped him.
"…I need control."
Because if he didn't—
He wouldn't just be dangerous.
He'd be—
A disaster.