On the deck, Luffy sat at one end while Zoro occupied the other, engrossed in the manga he had opened.
The story unfolded in a mountain garden. beneath a banyan tree sat a striking young boy with a twig in his mouth. He sported a dark blue ponytail, a lavender headband, a dark purple sleeveless waistcoat over a purple kimono, wristbands tied in purple around his wrists, and straw sandals on his feet.
The boy skillfully wielded a long sword, continuously chopping piles of Wooden Golems. Behind him stood a scruffy-looking old man, watching the boy with a broad smile.
"This cut is off by half an inch," the old man remarked. "This one's improved, just 1 centimeter off. Oh, Sasaki, you missed your mark with that cut just now?"
"This cut is nearly perfect again."
Each time Sasaki Kojiro made a stroke, the old man provided precise feedback on the accuracy of his cuts. The Wooden Golem stakes had a red mark—a thin line representing the target Sasaki Kojiro aimed to strike.
Despite the sweat on his young face, Sasaki Kojiro displayed unwavering determination as he focused on chopping the Wooden Golem piles, aiming at the marked red line.
Day by day, Sasaki Kojiro diligently continued this practice, never wavering from the target. His cutting errors progressively diminished.
Zoro found himself captivated by the scene of the boy chopping the Wooden Golem piles, compelling him to scroll down further.
In the blink of an eye, the boy had transformed into a youth. He now possessed a tall, imposing figure and a handsome appearance. If not for the long sword in his arms, nobody would have guessed he was a swordsman.
Raised in a tumultuous era, Sasaki Kojiro had to engage in daily battles with swords and blades to survive. Under such circumstances, ordinary individuals would easily succumb to a brutal and merciless mindset.
However, Sasaki Kojiro displayed none of the signs of madness often associated with warriors. Instead, he exhibited refined habits such as admiring the moon, savoring tea, and reciting poetry.
When not wielding a blade, he seemed to embody elegance itself.
Initially, Zoro struggled to comprehend Sasaki Kojiro's behavior. He believed a swordsman should remain focused on combat, questioning why one should appreciate the aesthetics of life.
But as he delved further into the story, Zoro realized his misconception.
In the following pages, Kojiro Sasaki encountered his first formidable adversary! The battles were evenly matched, each side attacking and defending with equal fervor. The encounters resulted in severe injuries, both parties sustaining deep wounds.
Amidst the fierce combat, as both sides neared exhaustion, the opponent adopted an aggressive, all-out attack strategy, seemingly aiming for a mutual killing blow. This reckless approach significantly increased the chances of victory in such a dire situation.
However...
A gust of mountain wind unraveled the opponent's hair bun, revealing a sense of elegance. Meanwhile, Sasaki Kojiro, wielding a five-foot-long sword, remained composed and collected, as if calmly enjoying the moonlight and sipping tea in his own tranquil courtyard, showing no hint of panic.
Effortlessly maneuvering through the courtyard, he skillfully deflected the opponent's frenzied strikes one by one.
Amid the opponent's increasing bewilderment, Sasaki Kojiro's graceful sword stroke elegantly crossed the opponent's neck—ending the battle!
With a resounding clang, he sheathed his sword, standing tall and straight like a towering pine tree.
Amidst the moonlit mountains, a solitary figure remained in the chilling glow.
Retrieving a wine jug from his waist, he uncorked it and nonchalantly tossed the cork away!
Such a leisurely demeanor!
At this moment, Zoro comprehended it!
Sasaki Kojiro wasn't like those pretentious individuals who merely pretended to appreciate artistry. He had seamlessly integrated the path of elegance into his own style of swordsmanship.
As the story in the manga progressed, Sasaki Kojiro had already mastered the art of swordsmanship, no longer needing to engage in daily battles because most of his adversaries had perished.
In his routine, mornings involved practicing with his wooden sword, chopping Wooden Golem stakes. At noon, he savored tea while basking in the sunlight. By sunset, he enjoyed wine, appreciated the moon, and recited poetry.
As Zoro neared the end of the manga, a sudden realization struck him.
"Wait a minute? You mentioned I could enter the manga. Why have I nearly finished reading it and still haven't entered?" Zoro questioned himself.
Almost instantaneously, the familiar scent of the sea breeze vanished, replaced by the fragrance of a damp mountain forest, carried by the moist wind laden with rain and dew—a sensation that brought relaxation and contentment.
Curiously, Kojiro Sasaki ceased his chopping of Wooden Golem piles, turning to observe the stranger who had suddenly appeared in his yard.
"Are you lost, young man?" Sasaki Kojiro inquired.
Lost? Zoro? That was preposterous!
"I, Zoro, never get lost!" Zoro was about to erupt in anger, almost as a reflex.
However, just as the surge of fury welled within him...
"Hey?!" Zoro exclaimed, widening his eyes as he took in his surroundings, realizing he had somehow entered the world depicted in the manga.
"Senior Sasaki Kojiro," Zoro subconsciously addressed the middle-aged man before him.
"Senior?" Sasaki Kojiro regarded Zoro calmly, his profound gaze seemingly gauging Zoro's strength almost instantly.
Shaking his head, Kojiro remarked, "Young man, if you're here to challenge me, it's too soon."
Despite Sasaki Kojiro's past, he wasn't someone who took lives indiscriminately.
"No, Senior. I want to learn swordsmanship from you!" Zoro blurted out abruptly—a departure from his usual character. His perception of characters in Mangas, influenced by Luffy and Coby, led him to believe that the Manga world was a place to learn art. Thus, he expressed his thoughts without any preamble.
As he gazed at the young man who had wandered into his courtyard, he was reminded of his own teenage years when he encountered an elderly sword master by chance. This encounter set him on the path of swordsmanship. Despite the old master leaving abruptly after a month, he imparted the graceful technique of chopping Wooden Golem piles and the ways of a swordsman—Zoro's sole teacher in life.
In this moment, facing the young man who had intruded into his courtyard, Sasaki Kojiro felt a sense of déjà vu, as if looking at another version of himself from a different time.
"Come, try your hand at cutting a Wooden Golem pile," Kojiro said casually, flicking the wooden sword toward Zoro in a perfectly executed curve.