The air shimmered in the scorching sunlight, and the cicadas chirped weakly.
Tomioka stood on the street in front of the tavern, muttering, "Mugiwara."
Then he stepped out, blending into the sparse crowd on the street, once again enveloped by the suffocating heat.
He hadn't walked far when a wave of exclamations and arguments caught Tomioka's attention.
The sound came from an old-looking weapon shop on the street. The doorway was empty; all the commotion came from inside.
More importantly, an ominous aura was subtly emanating from within the shop. It wasn't the stench of a demon, but more like a curse condensed from the weapons themselves.
Tomioka's footsteps paused for a moment at the door. Then he silently pushed open the shop door, and the bell above the lintel rang crisply, instantly drowned out by the louder sounds inside.
"Stop it! That's no joke! That's the cursed sword'Sandai Kitetsu'! It will kill you!"
A shop owner-looking man, whose sparse hair on top flew out like ox horns on either side, was shouting in terror, his forehead covered in cold sweat.
Tomioka's gaze instantly locked onto the green-haired man in the center of the shop. Three golden teardrops dangled from his earlobes, swaying slightly with his movements.
At this moment, he was holding a newly drawn long sword before his eyes—the ominous aura emanated precisely from this sword.
It was a chilling demonic energy, as if countless lost souls were entwined around it!
However, the green-haired swordsman was not afraid; instead, he grinned, his smile wild and unrestrained, carrying an absolute confidence that disregarded life and death.
If anyone familiar with pirate rumors in the East Blue were present, they would recognize the man before them: carrying three swords, with seaweed-green hair, a bounty hunter whom pirates would immediately flee from—Roronoa Zoro.
"Is that so? Well, then..." Zoro's deep voice echoed through the shop.
"Let's see which is stronger: my luck or its curse!"
Before he finished speaking, amidst the exclamations of the shop owner and another blue-haired, bespectacled female swordsman in the shop, he suddenly tossed the cursed sword into the air! Then he closed his eyes and waited.
The cursed sword spun rapidly in the air, tracing a chilling gleam that made hearts pound. After a series of rotating arcs, its target was Zoro's outstretched arm!
Time seemed to stretch at this moment.
The shop owner's shouts became hoarse: "Your arm will be cut off! That's an incredibly sharp blade!"
The bespectacled female swordsman covered her mouth, her face pale.
Tomioka watched silently. Every trajectory, speed, and angle of the falling sword were infinitely slowed down and analyzed in his eyes.
This kind of resolute determination, exposing oneself entirely to danger, inexplicably reminded Tomioka of Sanemi Shinazugawa, who was always covered in scars.
"Clang—!"
A crisp metallic clang rang out.
The cursed sword Sandai Kitetsu precisely grazed the swordsman's arm, embedding itself deeply into the wooden floor beside him, its blade humming incessantly.
Silence enveloped the shop.
Immediately, the green-haired swordsman showed a wicked smile: "I'll take it!"
With a "thump," the bespectacled female swordsman, as if all her strength had been drained, slumped to the ground, her eyes behind her glasses filled with shock and lingering fear.
Zoro's gaze inadvertently swept over the female swordsman slumped on the ground—Tashigi.
The moment their eyes met, his smile faltered slightly.
'...What the hell?'
A fleeting irritation flashed through his mind: 'That face... even with glasses, why does she still look so much like...'
Then he shook off the thought, clicking his tongue in annoyance.
In this moment of astonishment and silence, Zoro's gaze, like a hawk, began to lock onto Tomioka, whose aura, having just entered the shop, was completely out of place with his surroundings.
He felt a pressure as calm as water yet unfathomably deep—this was his swordsman's instinct, honed through countless battles.
Tomioka noticed this sharp gaze.
But he judged that the other party had no immediate hostility and had already conquered the cursed sword, so he ignored Zoro's gaze.
His gaze turned to the female swordsman slumped on the ground. He walked over and silently extended his only arm.
Tashigi was startled for a moment, instinctively grabbing Tomioka's forearm.
The steady strength of his arm allowed her to stand up. Her face still showed lingering embarrassment, and she hastily adjusted her slipping glasses: "Ah, th-thank you. My name is Tashigi."
As Tashigi introduced herself, some familiar text appeared beside her.
[Target: Tashigi]
[Status: Ashamed, flustered]
Tomioka's voice was steady and cold, then he cut to the chase: "Execution Platform Plaza, do you know how to get there?"
Tashigi composed herself and pointed in a direction: "Ah, I'm sorry, for the Execution Platform, you should go in that direction after leaving the shop."
At this moment, someone in the shop who looked like the shop owner's wife interjected: "Honestly, no matter who comes to this town, they always go to that place to see it. I really don't know what's so good about an execution platform."
The shop owner, Ipponmatsu, immediately retorted: "What do you know! That's a man's romance! That's where the Pirate King Gol D. Roger met his end!"
Seeing that the few people in the shop seemed about to start arguing again, Tomioka felt that the purpose of asking for directions had been achieved, and he intended to turn and leave.
His gaze swept over the green-haired swordsman who had subdued the cursed sword one last time; the other party still maintained a vigilant stance.
Tomioka's gaze passed over his chest—the subtle pause in his breathing, the unnatural tension in his muscles, all pointed to one conclusion—a hideous, huge scar, clearly not long healed, was coiled there. This was a potentially fatal injury.
Based on Tomioka's instinctive judgment of injuries, he calmly stated a fact:
"You have a strong life force."
Zoro's smile, however, instantly vanished, and veins almost immediately popped out on his forehead: "...You, are you looking down on me?"
Tomioka looked at him, his eyes still unruffled, and simply responded faintly: "No."
Having said that, he no longer lingered. He pushed open the shop door, returned to the scorching sunlight, and walked in the direction Tashigi had indicated.
He hadn't walked far when the shop door behind him was suddenly pushed open, and the swordsman from earlier, scratching his head, strode after him, a hint of annoyance still on his face, muttering: "Damn it... By the way, you're going to the plaza too, right? I was planning to go too, let's go together."
Tomioka stopped, looked back at him, and nodded.
Their gazes briefly met. Tomioka's eyes fell on his waist—in addition to the cursed sword from earlier and his original katana, there was a new sword, making a total of three.
Zoro noticed his gaze, and the earlier displeasure seemed to be forgotten. He grinned and said: "My name is Zoro, Roronoa Zoro."
He patted the three swords at his waist, his tone carrying an undeniable firmness.
"I'm a Three-Sword Style swordsman."
[Target: Roronoa Zoro]
[Status: Joyful]
[Preferences: Swords, challenges, getting lost?]
[Suggestion: Lead to the plaza]
Tomioka looked at the preferences and suggestions in the description. After thinking about it, such clear advice, he thought, this time it surely wouldn't be wrong.
So he looked at Zoro and said very naturally: "Mm, follow me, I'll take you."
Zoro: "??? Hey! Who needs you to lead! You, don't make it sound like I'm some idiot who can't find his way!"
'...'
[Power Stones Required]