Chapter 74: If It Happens Again, I'll Have to Kill You
The Zodiac. Inoshishi (Boar).
"..."
Even though he had been expecting it.
Hearing 'Inoshishi' announce his identity, Koushirou still felt a jolt in his heart.
It was understandable. In the current era, anyone hearing that the fourth top executive of The Zodiac was at their doorstep would struggle to remain calm.
"...I see, Mr. Inoshishi."
But Koushirou regained his composure quickly. "I will notify the honored guests. Zoro, take Mr. Inoshishi to the dojo."
With that, he turned and walked down a small path.
"..."
Watching this, Zoro's suspicion deepened. 'Honored guests'?
That means there are others besides this guy?
"Are they those people?"
Zoro frowned.
Having trained under Koushirou for over a decade, he knew his teacher had some very mysterious friends. They would occasionally appear in Shimotsuki Village and stay at the dojo for a while.
During those times, they usually wouldn't stay in the dojo, but hide somewhere secluded, with Koushirou delivering food to them.
Koushirou never mentioned their identities to the students.
"Is this guy one of them?"
Zoro pondered, but felt his teacher's attitude was different this time.
"'Inoshishi'... is that a codename?"
And he felt like he had heard similar codenames somewhere, but he had been too busy training for his departure to remember.
"Anyway, follow me."
Zoro touched the bruise on his forehead and led the way.
Inoshishi put on his top hat and followed closely.
"Hey, young man."
He even initiated a conversation, as if the earlier confrontation hadn't happened.
"I heard it earlier. You're 'Zoro the Bold,' nicknamed 'Big Sword,' right?"
"Hah?"
Zoro paused, then his eyes went white with rage. "Great Swordsman! World's Greatest Swordsman Zoro! You're doing that on purpose, aren't you!?"
"Hahahaha! Details, details."
Inoshishi laughed. "Anyway, I want to ask you about someone."
"Details matter! That's my ambition..."
Zoro wanted to argue, but Inoshishi's next words stopped him. "The person I want to ask about is Shimotsuki Kozaburo. Koushirou's father."
"...That old geezer?"
An image instantly popped into Zoro's mind—an old man who loved to smoke.
Most of the village didn't know much about him, but Zoro was an exception. When he was a kid, that old man gave him his first two swords.
He remembered clearly. That old man was indeed the Master's father, and...
"He was a famous swordsmith."
Inoshishi smiled, pointing to himself. "Although I'm not good at forging swords—mostly smelting metals—I'm still a blacksmith. So, I want to ask you some things about him."
"In exchange, I can tell you the locations of some Meito (Famous Swords) and some intel. After all, aside from the Wado Ichimonji at your waist, your other swords aren't exactly Meito, are they?"
His voice was like a devil's whisper. "Don't worry. I won't ask anything harmful to Mr. Koushirou. Just some trivial matters... If you don't want to answer, you don't have to."
Zoro: "..."
D-Damn it. Is this guy a demon?
Soon after, Zoro led Inoshishi to a room in the Isshin Dojo.
"...Sit here. I'll go make tea."
By now, there was a hint of anticipation in Zoro's eyes.
He wasn't interested in most things, but 'Meito' were an exception. What swordsman wouldn't want a Famous Sword that suited them?
And Inoshishi had indeed told him the locations of some Meito. Two decent ones were even in the East Blue.
This made Zoro even more eager to set sail.
But according to Inoshishi, there was another, even better sword in the Grand Line—Zoro had heard of that place, a sea full of strong opponents.
That made him even more excited.
"Once I set sail, I'm going to the Grand Line!"
Thinking this, he turned, closed the door, and left.
But just after he left...
"Since your people are already here, can we start talking business?"
Inoshishi placed his top hat on the tatami mat in front of him and spoke calmly.
As the words fell...
Click! (x3)
Three figures hidden in the room instantly revealed themselves.
"Yooo-ho!"
The first figure dropped from the ceiling—a Mink wearing steampunk clothes with a massive mechanical backpack.
He threw a small ball at Inoshishi.
Thud!
The second figure emerged from behind a wall—a tall, fiery woman holding a flag, dressed boldly, with a cigarette and wine-red sunglasses.
She used the flag as a weapon, pinning Inoshishi's arms from behind.
BOOM!
The third figure burst from the floor beneath Inoshishi's feet—a young man wearing a top hat with goggles and gloves.
He shaped his hand into a dragon claw, grabbing Inoshishi's leg.
"Revolutionary Army: East Army Commander Belo Betty, South Army Commander Lindbergh, and Chief of Staff Sabo."
Inoshishi's voice remained calm.
"It's a pleasure to meet you three. But... I came to discuss a deal. What is the meaning of this?"
As he spoke, the small ball Lindbergh threw stuck to his head.
Lindbergh flew in front of him with his jetpack. "Cut the crap!"
He shouted. "Forget the deal for now! Tell us first—how did you know about this place!?"
"I'm warning you, this 'RA-4396' micro-bomb is my latest creation! The blast radius is contained, but the power is enough to incinerate a Giant's limb! If you dare move... Hey! What are you doing!?"
Before he could finish, his expression changed.
Because Inoshishi... moved.
"Hm!?" (x2)
Belo Betty and Sabo's expressions changed too.
They discovered that no matter how much force they applied, the opponent's body seemed completely unaffected.
Sabo's proud Ryusoken grip couldn't crush the leg, and Belo Betty's flag pole creaked under the strain.
"Retreat!"
Sabo made the decision instantly.
The three of them backed away simultaneously.
And then...
BOOM!
As Lindbergh said—the explosion happened.
The small but intensely powerful blast instantly engulfed Inoshishi's location in flames, pulverizing the tatami mats.
"O-Over..."
Watching this, Lindbergh was stunned. "We just wanted to ask about his intel source..."
"Hey! Lind, why did you use a real bomb!?"
Belo Betty asked, her face dark.
"I thought if he sensed it was fake, our plan would fail! I had the remote ready to stop it anytime..."
"And speaking of which... is this guy crazy!? Who activates a bomb without saying a word!? Wouldn't a normal person at least say something!?"
Lindbergh was freaking out.
"Enough. I planned this. It's my fault," Sabo said gravely.
"Anyway, notify Mr. Dragon first."
The three of them knew they were in deep trouble.
Originally, they were following Dragon's orders to negotiate with 'The Zodiac.'
But they had to admit, The Zodiac's knowledge of the Revolutionary Army was alarming.
The Isshin Dojo in Shimotsuki Village was one of their most secret bases.
In fact, Koushirou hadn't even joined the Revolutionaries to protect the village; he just helped them secretly because he admired their spirit.
To have such a base exposed was shocking.
Especially since all the cadres considered Koushirou a close comrade.
So after discussing it, the three came up with this plan—force him to reveal his source, test his strength, and gain leverage in the negotiation.
Of course, they never intended to hurt Inoshishi. Before coming here, Dragon had defined the situation:
"They have no malicious intent. Using 'Nezumi' to contact us beforehand was to avoid conflict. Otherwise, they could have just come to Shimotsuki Village and used the village to force us out."
But clearly, things hadn't gone as planned.
The Zodiac member... had just been blown up.
The consequences for the Revolutionary Army were obvious—retaliation from The Zodiac.
Nezumi, Ryuji, Yuji... thinking of those three names, Sabo felt a chill.
But just then...
"The Leader told me once—three strikes and you're out."
The sudden voice froze the three in place.
"The young man outside the village was the first strike. You three cadres are the second."
With the sound of footsteps, they saw Inoshishi walk out of the smoke.
He dusted off his top hat.
"Even though it's a business deal, there won't be a third time."
He looked at them calmly. "Or... I'll have to kill you."
"..." (x3)
The three Revolutionary Army cadres looked grim.
They looked at Inoshishi—there wasn't a single scratch on him.
"An explosion of that intensity..." Lindbergh couldn't believe his eyes.
"Incidentally, regarding your question—how we knew about Shimotsuki Village..."
Inoshishi put his clean hat back on and smiled.
"Consider this intel a bonus for the upcoming negotiation."
"Seven years ago, Mr. Dragon visited his hometown, the Goa Kingdom in the East Blue. He saved Mr. Sabo there. Then, your group came to this Shimotsuki Village for supplies before returning to your headquarters, Baltigo."
He looked at the increasingly horrified trio.
"Mr. Sabo, am I correct?"
☆☆☆
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