Kenshin had a huge influence on Zoro. The most important part was that he taught Zoro not to show mercy to extremely evil enemies.
If they were just opponents, it would be one thing. But if the opponent wanted to kill him, especially someone who would harm others because of their hatred for him, then he had to kill them.
If he didn't kill them, they would eventually kill him. If they were weak and incompetent, they would kill the people around him.
In Shimotsuki Village, Kenshin had repeatedly emphasized this point in front of Zoro, and his tone was full of regret when he said it.
Kenshin had never told him about his past. Even if he asked Master Koushiro, he wouldn't get an answer. But Zoro knew that his master must have gone through something unforgettable, something where he didn't kill someone, which led that person to kill many innocent people.
Perhaps... Master became this way because of that incident.
Therefore, Zoro always kept Kenshin's teachings in mind. When these people said they were going to deal with others on this island, Zoro had already sentenced them to death.
Zoro's blade flashed, and dozens of heads fell, including the seemingly strong guy who stepped forward.
Zoro actually knew him. Many years ago, he was a pirate, known as "Captain" Kuro. But because the Marines were so heavily cracking down on the East Blue, Kuro fled after a short time.
He never expected him to end up like this, and Zoro was very dismissive of it.
However...
It wasn't entirely incomprehensible.
Because of the Marines' intense crackdown, pirates in the East Blue were particularly weak, to the point where there weren't even any pirates with bounties over ten million. But that didn't mean "evil" disappeared.
Pirates didn't vanish; they just reappeared in the East Blue in a different form.
That is to say, "companies"...
Yes, six or seven years ago, a mysterious rich man named Gato appeared in the East Blue. Gato spent a lot of money to build relationships with official powers like the Marines, The Black Order, and the Church. Under the guise of "maritime trade," he founded a huge merchant association.
On the surface, this merchant association conducted normal trade. But in reality, Gato gathered a large number of pirates who couldn't survive under the high-pressure policies, using them for dark activities that couldn't be brought to light.
He heard they were looking for something. Zoro had also received their invitation but refused. If it weren't for this invitation, Zoro wouldn't have known about their existence or their mục tiêu.
Zoro had no interest in helping others find anything, so he naturally refused.
The mission he had accepted this time was to escort a master craftsman back to this island. He didn't expect this master craftsman to be targeted by these people.
"So, this is fraud," Zoro said, after walking around the island for half a day. He arrived at a house not far from the edge of the island and looked at an old man who was painting something. He clicked his tongue and said,
"You didn't mention that the people targeting you were so numerous and dangerous. This should at least be an S-rank mission."
Bounty missions were also divided into ranks, from the lowest F to the highest S. The bounties paid also varied, with the highest-ranking S-rank missions starting at ten million Belly.
Of course, looking at S-rank missions might seem exaggerated, but the actual rank was determined by the current sea area. The East Blue was the weakest sea in the world, so the S-rank missions here naturally lacked substance.
It was said that bounties in the Grand Line were incredibly numerous. Even a normal B-rank mission could involve hundreds of millions of Berry. S-rank missions were almost impossible for anyone to complete. This was because S-rank missions, if not against the Four Emperors' crews and great demons, were against the level of the Four Emperors' top commanders.
"I... I'm sorry!" The master craftsman, who was looking at blueprints, was momentarily stunned. When he heard Zoro's voice, he quickly looked up, his face turning red, likely from guilt.
He said somewhat flustered, "I didn't know they would be this crazy. I only knew that gangsters here wanted to kill me, but I really didn't know about things outside."
Gato's subordinates had come here before. At first, Zoro didn't pay much attention to them because he was looking for that ghost's whereabouts.
However, based on the current information, that ghost and Gato had the same goal. They couldn't be working together, could they?
Zoro couldn't help but say, "They all want to kill you. There must be a reason, right?"
"I don't know either. I just want to build a bridge connecting this island to the outside world, so this island can regain its vitality," the master craftsman sighed.
Building a bridge...
Zoro was a little surprised. He didn't expect this person, who looked around fifty years old, to have such an ambition. On this island, so close to the Sea of Chaos, he wanted to build a bridge connecting to farther islands. This way, some residents who couldn't easily move wouldn't have to worry about the harsh weather of the Sea of Chaos.
Gato and his group seemed to be looking for something. Could that thing be on this island, and that's why they didn't want this island to have any contact with the outside world?
Zoro turned and left. He didn't know where Gato's headquarters were. If he did, he might go and meet that guy.
He leaned against the outside of the small house, thinking about things. Time slowly passed, and soon it was night.
Nights on this island were very dangerous because of ghosts. But since that lower-rank demon had been dealt with, the island should be quiet for a while.
"Really, it seems it won't be quiet."
Zoro looked at the man walking from the end of the street and said with some annoyance, "Gato really is relentless."
But when the man walked closer, Zoro was a little surprised.
This wasn't a man; it was clearly a boy.
His face looked quite young, and he was wearing a straw hat. He wasn't followed by anyone. Did this guy have enough confidence in himself?
Gato...
Was using a boy to deal with him?
But Zoro didn't let his guard down. He wouldn't underestimate anyone.
"What a powerful aura! You are truly a formidable swordsman!" the straw hat boy said to Zoro in a high-pitched voice, "Come with me!"
"Come with me."
Zoro naturally interpreted this phrase as Gato's assassin trying to take him to Gato. Although Zoro also wanted to meet Gato, he wanted to do it by forcing out his location and then attacking, not by being led there.
Since he had already offended the other party, he had to cut the weeds and remove the roots!
"That depends on whether you have the ability."
Zoro said in a deep voice.
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