Chapter 77: A So-called Swordsman... How Could He Be Bound By The Sword In His Hand?
The Straw Hat crew found an inconspicuous spot near the port of Loguetown and slowly docked the Going Merry.
Lufia was the first to jump off the ship, standing on the pier with her hands raised high, letting out an excited cheer at the bustling town before her:
"Such a huge town—!!!"
Her eyes sparkled like a child who had discovered a new toy:
"I want to see—the execution platform!!!"
The legendary place where the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, was publicly executed.
Ralph stood behind her and, upon hearing this, instinctively wanted to say, "I'll go with you."
But the words caught in his throat, and he paused.
After chasing after a girl for so long, even a blockhead should have learned a thing or two.
He changed his tone and said:
"I'd like to see it too."
Lufia beamed, turning around to grab Ralph's arm:
"That's great! Ralph, let's go together!"
Ralph nodded silently to himself.
Hmm.
This is the art of conversation.
Sometimes, replacing "I'll go with you" with "I'd like to go too" makes all the difference.
The former sounds like "accommodation" or "taking care."
The latter implies "shared interest."
Just then, Sanji's voice came from nearby:
"I'm going to buy some ingredients! A port as big as Loguetown must have fresh ingredients and special spices!"
As he said this, his eyes weren't on Ralph or Lufia at all, nor was he paying attention to Nami. Instead, he was captivated by the bustling streets.
To be precise, he was captivated by the women of all kinds, dressed in various styles and with lovely appearances.
Usopp patted the large bag on his back:
"I need to restock on supplies too! Ammo, materials, all sorts of tools... Loguetown must have good stuff!"
Zoro crossed his arms, his gaze sweeping over the shops along the street:
"I'm going to get two new swords."
He raised an eyebrow at Ralph:
"Don't you need a good sword? That one of yours... isn't really up to par, is it?"
At Ralph's waist hung a sword.
Its scabbard and hilt were adorned with gilded patterns that glittered in the sunlight, looking quite ornate.
It was a decorative sword taken from the wall of Arlong Park.
Back then, Zoro had taken two swords to fight Hachi—one was easily shattered by Arlong's bite, and the other was casually taken by Ralph.
Ralph patted the scabbard casually:
"This one is enough for me."
Zoro grinned wryly,
"That sword was just a decoration on Arlong's wall—flashy but impractical. In a real fight, it'd shatter at the first clash."
But Ralph laughed:
"I don't mind! I'm not a swordsman. As long as it looks good, that's enough."
He paused, then turned to Lufia:
"Lufia, do you think this sword... is pretty or not?"
Lufia leaned in, examined it carefully, and then nodded emphatically:
"Yeah! It really is pretty! Very cool!"
Ralph shrugged at Zoro, his expression seeming to say, "See, even my Lufia says it's nice."
Zoro was thoroughly annoyed and shouted at Ralph:
"How can you live up to Hawk Eye's high regard for you?! He personally acknowledged that your talent in swordsmanship is unprecedented!"
Hearing this, Ralph's expression grew more serious.
He fell silent for a few seconds, then slowly spoke:
"Zoro, a true master of the sword... how could they be bound by the sword in their hand?"
Then, he pretentiously gazed into the distance,
"The reason Hawk Eye's blade is a 'Black Blade' is because it's the blade Hawk Eye uses. It's not that Hawk Eye obtained a Black Blade and then became the world's greatest swordsman."
Ralph turned his head, shifting his gaze from the horizon back to Zoro, looking directly into his eyes:
"To wield an ordinary blade with the power of a Supreme Grade Sword... that is the realm the strongest swordsman should achieve."
Zoro was stunned.
He opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but found...
What Ralph said actually made sense.
He was left speechless.
After struggling for a long time, Zoro could only grit his teeth and say:
"Just wait until I defeat you... I'll correct your nonsense with facts!"
Ralph smiled: "I'll be waiting."
At that moment, Nami approached, her eyes turning into Berry symbols:
"Zoro, do you need money to buy a sword? I can lend you some—"
She showed a sweet smile: "But it'll be triple interest!"
Zoro: "...Aren't you being too greedy?! Are you some kind of devil?!"
"Hehe!"
Amid the noisy laughter and cheerful banter, the Straw Hat crew dispersed in Loguetown, each heading toward their own goals.
...
On his way to find a weapon shop, Zoro fell into brief confusion.
With one hand in his pocket and the other resting on the hilt of Wado Ichimonji, he walked through the streets of Loguetown.
Joining this pirate crew... was it the right or wrong decision?
Captain Lufia, though a girl, was truly someone who respected dreams and was extremely ambitious.
Helping her become the Pirate King would be challenging and would also allow him to hone his swordsmanship, advancing toward his goal of becoming the "world's greatest swordsman."
And that "simp" Ralph by her side... was the perfect whetstone.
But precisely because of such a captain, the ship's treasures never stayed saved—they all ended up in her stomach.
This forced him to compromise and borrow 100,000 Berry at high interest from Nami, just to have money to buy a sword.
Yet his search for a weapon shop wasn't going smoothly either.
Zoro unexpectedly encountered a woman who was highly skilled in swordsmanship but indeed a bit airheaded.
To his surprise, he found that the woman without her glasses looked strikingly similar to his deceased childhood friend, Kuina!
The girl with whom he had made the promise "to become the world's greatest swordsman."
The stirred memories created ripples in his heart.
They looked too much alike...
And she was a swordswoman too.
How could there be someone so similar in the world?
And of all people, he had to run into her.
Today really was... the worst luck.
Zoro shook his head, clearing away the distracting thoughts, and continued his search for a weapon shop.
However, his "bad luck" wasn't over yet.
When he finally found a decent-looking weapon shop and pushed the door open—
"Eh? Aren't you the person who helped me pick up my glasses earlier?"
A familiar voice.
Zoro looked up.
Inside the weapon shop, the short-haired, bespectacled woman stood behind the counter, looking at him in surprise.
Chief Petty Officer Tashigi.
Two encounters in one day.
Tashigi also seemed to find it quite a coincidence. She adjusted her glasses, a friendly smile appearing on her face:
"What a fateful encounter."
Her gaze fell upon Wado Ichimonji at Zoro's waist.
Then, her eyes widened.
"This sword... is one of the Great Grade Swords, Wado Ichimonji?!"
Tashigi's voice was full of excitement as she stepped closer, carefully examining the blade:
"There's no mistake! The way the hilt is wrapped, the patterns on the scabbard... they match the records exactly!"
She lifted her head, looking at Zoro with a gleam in her eyes:
"You must be an extraordinary swordsman! To wield such a renowned sword..."
Zoro furrowed his brow.
Influenced by Ralph's earlier words, he suddenly disliked this method of "judging a person by their sword."
Does having a fine sword necessarily make one a skilled swordsman?
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