East Blue, Shimotsuki Village.
Not far from the harbor, an old fishing boat drifted on the sea, empty except for an oar resting on its side.
With a splash, the calm waters parted as a young man with a scar over his eye emerged from the sea and climbed onto the boat.
He had only one arm, and his chest was covered in scars, the largest one slanted across from his shoulder to his waist.
The young man had a full beard, making him appear overly mature.
"Hahaha, finally caught you, Red Dragon Fish. Now, I can go propose."
Zoro held a large, struggling red fish in his mouth, its shape resembling a dragon.
He picked up the wooden oar from the boat, looking excited, and rowed vigorously across the sea.
A short while later, Zoro reached the shore and headed straight to a wooden cabin by the sea.
Soon after entering, he changed into a sharp suit, with a red flower pinned to his chest.
Paired with his thick stubble, he now looked incredibly mature.
Carrying the Red Dragon Fish in one hand, Zoro strode purposefully toward the Isshin Dojo at the mountain top.
Along the way, he passed many disciples practicing swordsmanship at the dojo.
They all looked at him with strange expressions, frowning.
Zoro paid them no mind, a bright smile on his face as he walked briskly. Before long, he arrived at the dojo.
Without needing to search, Zoro activated his powerful Observation Haki and instantly located Koushirou's position.
"Master! Look, I caught the Red Dragon Fish!"
Zoro laughed, holding the fish up high to show Koushirou under the willow tree.
"Ah, Zoro, why go to such lengths?"
Koushirou sighed, his weary eyes behind round glasses showing a hint of helplessness.
In Shimotsuki Village, the tradition for marrying a daughter required the man to catch the most beautiful fish from the sea as a betrothal gift.
The legendary Red Dragon Fish was considered the best offering.
It was said that if one could present this extremely rare fish as a betrothal gift,
the wife would stay by her husband's side for all eternity.
Even in death, their souls would merge, never to part.
"Master! Please allow me to marry Kuina!"
Zoro raised the Red Dragon Fish and knelt before Koushirou, hope shining on his face.
"I swear, I'll be good to Kuina for the rest of my life. We grew up together, trained in swordsmanship at the dojo, and played together. We're childhood sweethearts. Before, I was always insecure, feeling useless because I couldn't even beat Kuina. Hahaha, but now I've figured it out—why do I need to beat her? If I marry her, we can become the world's strongest together, right?"
A glimmer of moisture welled in the corner of Koushirou's eyes, and he reached up to wipe it away.
In the distance, many dojo disciples gathered with strange expressions, pointing and whispering at Zoro.
"Something's wrong, Zoro-senpai condition is getting worse. His mind is becoming disordered."
"Yeah, it's all because he drinks at Kuina's grave every day. Look, now he's developed mental issues from the drinking."
Neither Koshiro nor Zoro paid any attention to the disciples' discussions.
Zoro continued to look at Koshiro with hopeful eyes, a bright smile on his face.
Koshiro stared at Zoro for a long time before slowly nodding.
"Alright! I agree, Zoro. Kuina has a strong personality, you must be accommodating toward her."
"Great! Thank you, Master! I'll definitely be accommodating!"
Hearing Koshiro's response, Zoro jumped up excitedly.
He placed the red dragon fish in his hand on the ground and, like a child, danced his way down the mountain back to his wooden cabin.
Inside the cabin, Zoro took the rusty hatchet from the wall and began shaving his beard.
The blade of the hatchet was already rusted and corroded, but it didn't matter - Zoro possessed powerful Armament Haki.
He coated the hatchet with his Haki, granting it extreme sharpness and cutting power.
Swish, swish, swish.
In just a few quick motions, he shaved off the thick stubble around his mouth.
After straightening his clothes in front of the pitted half-length bronze mirror, Zoro sat on the bed, closed his eyes, and began waiting for nightfall.
Night soon arrived, with a full moon hanging high in the sky unobstructed by clouds.
The cool moonlight cast eerie shadows on the mountain path leading to the Isshin Dojo.
Zoro got up, washed his face, closed the cabin door, and smilingly began climbing the mountain again.
...
At the mountaintop, inside the dojo.
The dojo disciples watched with peculiar expressions as their teacher Koshiro used red paper and red cloth to decorate the dojo's eaves, moving with nimble footwork across the roof beams.
He had also hung two large red lanterns at the dojo's entrance.
Under the cool moonlight, the flickering flames inside the red lanterns made the dojo appear alternately bright and dark.
"Has Master gone mad too? Kuina... she died over ten years ago!"
"This place feels increasingly eerie."
The disciples huddled together, whispering among themselves while pointing at the strangely behaving Koshiro.
"Look! Zoro-senpai is here!"
Everyone quickly turned to look.
They saw a one-armed young man approaching with vigorous strides, a hearty smile on his face.
Zoro walked to the dojo entrance and directly knelt before Koshiro, kowtowing nine times with loud thuds.
"Master! Then I'll take Kuina home with me."
Koshiro stood on the left side of the dojo entrance, leaving the right side empty.
He raised his right hand upward, as if holding something.
"Zoro, I entrust Kuina to you. Treat her well."
Zoro stood up, grinning foolishly, and reached out as if taking the hand of some invisible person from Koshiro's grasp.
Just like that, he happily led the invisible figure away, disappearing from the disciples' view as he descended the mountain.
The disciples looked at each other, suddenly unable to suppress shivers, fear showing on their faces.
In the wooden cabin at the mountain's base.
Zoro smiled gently at the empty space beside him, pushed open the slightly ajar wooden door with his foot, and entered the cabin.
He walked to the bed and sat down, tilting his head as if looking at something.
"You're so beautiful, Kuina." Zoro grinned foolishly, his eyes filled with tender affection.
Suddenly, he raised his only remaining hand, reaching toward the empty air before him.
The cold moonlight streamed in through the window, and beside Zoro's shadow on the floor by the bed, another shadow slowly began to appear.
As this faint shadow gradually grew more distinct, a blurred outline slowly materialized from nothingness before Zoro.
It vaguely resembled a human form.
Zoro's hand happened to be stLoking the long hair of this human-shaped outline.
As the human form became clearer, Zoro's smile grew brighter and brighter.
Finally, a beautiful woman who looked exactly like Tashigi appeared out of thin air beside Zoro, sitting next to him.
"Kuina..."
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