"Hahaha, we've become wanted criminals."
Holding the newspaper Nami bought from the news bird, along with the wanted poster inside, Luffy laughed while scratching the back of his head.
"And with a bounty of thirty million Berries."
"Look, I'm in the picture too~~~"
Sanji was speechless at Usopp's words.
"But it's just the back of your head at the bottom of the wanted poster, what's there to be proud of?"
"Please be serious, our heads are being targeted." Nami covered her forehead, beginning to feel Roman's pain.
"With such a high bounty, even 'pirate hunters' and Marine Headquarters will take action. Now is not the time for us to be carefree..."
"We'll charge straight into the Grand Line!"
Luffy said with great enthusiasm.
"Alright!" X2
Usopp and Sanji, now on the same page, raised their arms and cheered, causing Zoro, who was resting on the other side, to open one eye.
"Everyone, there's land at 2 o'clock."
On the other side, Roman, who was sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed, slowly spoke.
Several 'paper cranes' were flying around the Going Merry, as Roman was training his scouting abilities; meanwhile, a white armored figure stood at the helm, maintaining the direction of the Going Merry.
Needless to say, this was also Roman's fruit ability.
Paper Dance - Paper Crane.
Paper Dance - White Knight.
Not leaving a single moment for rest... Zoro glanced at Roman, who was training his fruit abilities even while resting, wondering why he was so... diligent?
Forget it, if you can't understand it, don't think about it!
If he wanted to become the world's greatest swordsman, he couldn't afford to be less diligent than a fruit ability user.
He got up and continued training.
"That should be Loguetown, the town of beginnings and ends."
Nami, who was carefully studying the map, found their coordinates and also mentioned the famous landmark.
"Loguetown is where Gold Roger was born and also where he was executed. That's why it's called the 'town of beginnings and ends.'"
"And it's also the last town before the Grand Line, so~~"
Facing Luffy's eager expression, Nami smiled and tilted her head.
"How about it, want to take a look?"
"Of course!"
---
"Wow, this is Loguetown?"
"It looks so prosperous~~"
Even though it's the last town before the Grand Line, the streets were bustling with people. This, of course, is because:
"Listen up, everyone, the Marines here are not—"
"I want to see the execution platform~~~"
However, before Roman could finish his sentence, Luffy had already dashed off.
...
"I'm going to check out some good ingredients~~"
This was the enthusiastic Sanji.
"I need to replenish some equipment."
This was Usopp, who relied on gadgets in battle.
"I have some things to buy too,"
This was Zoro, touching the lone sword at his waist.
"I'll lend you money, with double the interest~~"
This... was undoubtedly Nami.
"The Marines here are very..."
"Forget it, Luffy's already gone."
Roman was genuinely troubled and could only release a few paper cranes to search for Luffy from the air. At the same time, he pulled out a stack of Belly:
"Alright, everyone gets 100,000 Belly for expenses."
?
"Roman, where did you get so much money?"
"Could it be—!"
"What are you thinking," Roman's face darkened as he looked at the group with expressions of 'I can't believe you're that kind of person.'
"Do you think I can already use my Devil Fruit ability to make fake money?"
"Besides, you guys have no sense of money..."
No, Nami has an excess sense of money!
"I didn't charge Cocoyasi Village for the weapons on my ship, but I didn't give them away for free to other towns."
Seeing the confused faces in front of him, Roman waved his hand.
"Anyway, do you want it or not?"
"Yes!" X4
...
"Nami, don't you have money yourself?"
"I have things to buy too~~"
...
——————
After distributing the 'expense money,' the group split up. And Roman—
"How about this outfit?"
Nami stepped out of the fitting room in a mink coat, tight corset, and fur skirt, leaning against the door with an air of nobility.
"Very good, it suits your temperament perfectly~~"
"And this one?"
Nami posed in a red cheongsam, her smooth leg line and the windmill orange tattoo on her shoulder adding a touch of wildness.
"Ah, so elegant, my dear customer~~"
"And this one~~"
"Fantastic!"
"And how about this one?"
"Very good..."
????
Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?
Sitting nearby, Roman couldn't help but ponder these philosophical questions. Why did he agree to accompany Nami shopping!? Isn't working out on the ship more enjoyable...
"Do I look good, Roman?"
"Ah... good... you look good..."
"Hmph,"
"Customer, these clothes..."
"I don't want any of them!"
Watching Nami storm out angrily, Roman, who was folding paper cranes, snapped back to reality. Seeing the shopkeeper's disappointed face, he casually pointed to one of the outfits Nami had tried on.
"I'll take this one. Wrap it up for me."
"Alright, customer~~"
---
Meanwhile, Zoro;
"I want to buy two swords. Here's 100,000 Beli."
"Tsk, only 100,000..."
100,000 Beli was actually quite a lot, but weapons were always in short supply in this world. After all, a single weapon could create more 'wealth.' So:
"The swords on that rack over there are 50,000 each. Pick any one you like~~"
Zoro wasn't annoyed by the shopkeeper's lazy tone. After all, these were just temporary replacements. If necessary, Roman could use his abilities to create better swords...
Thinking back, he should have chosen two swords from the ones Roman sold.
"Wow, is that sword..."
A voice interrupted Zoro's thoughts. It was a girl with glasses and a checkered shirt. But more importantly:
"What are you doing here?"
Zoro's eyebrow twitched. If you asked why: this girl named Tashigi looked exactly like the girl Kuina he had made a promise with in his childhood!
If he hadn't attended Kuina's funeral himself and witnessed Tashigi's swordsmanship just now, Zoro might have doubted his own memory.
"I'm here to pick up my sword, 'Shigure,' which is being maintained at this shop."
She adjusted her glasses and looked at the sword 'Wado Ichimonji' at Zoro's waist with an eager expression.
"This is one of the 21 Great Grade Swords. I can't believe I get to see it here~~"
"Ah... is that so..."
Facing this familiar face, even Zoro, who only cared about swords, felt a bit overwhelmed.
As they talked, Zoro gradually learned that this girl named Tashigi was dedicated to collecting 'famous swords.'—Don't get it wrong, she wasn't a collector. She just didn't want to see these famous swords being used by bad people to gain fame and kill indiscriminately...
What a naive person!
"But only bad people need weapons,"
The weapon shop owner grumbled unhappily, "Ever since that 'Smoker' of yours came here, my business has plummeted!"
"Captain Smoker is not a 'Smoker.' He maintains the peace here..."
"Yeah, yeah, all I know is that he's driving my shop out of business."
This girl, is she a Marine?
"Oh, by the way, if you're choosing a sword."
It was clear that the girl knew a lot about swords. She picked out one from a pile of 50,000 Beli swords:
"This is the Sandai Kitetsu, right?"
"Incredible, such a fine sword for only 50,000 Beli!"
"Ah... ah... yes..."
Facing the girl's curiosity, the weapon shop owner was sweating.
"This is a priceless treasure. Its predecessor, the Nidai Kitetsu, is one of the Great Grade Swords! The Shodai Kitetsu is one of the Supreme Grade Swords."
"No... no way..."
Seeing Zoro take the sword, the sweating weapon shop owner shouted in a fit of conscience,
"That sword can't be sold—"
"It's a cursed sword, right?"
However, Zoro had already drawn the katana named 'Sandai Kitetsu,' his calm voice interrupting the shop owner's words.
"Huh?"
"You know..."
"No," Zoro denied the weapon shop owner's words, "I can tell."
To ordinary people, things like 'aura,' 'killing intent,' and 'malice' might seem intangible, but to a skilled swordsman, these are very real! Especially for Zoro, as a swordsman, this sword appeared to him with an ominous red and black aura entwined around the blade, accompanied by faint wails.
"Yes," the weapon shop owner nodded.
"The swords named 'Kitetsu' are all fine swords, naturally sharp, but they are also cursed swords!"
"Every swordsman who has used a Kitetsu has met an untimely death! Even those who were completely unaware didn't live long after picking up these swords. For a time, these 'Kitetsu' swords were even used as assassination tools given to targets..."
As weapons meant for killing, they ended up killing their own 'masters.'
"I originally wanted to get rid of it, but I was also afraid of that inexplicable curse..."
"Ah, sorry, I didn't know this sword was so terrifying~~"
Faced with the shop owner's 'horror story' and Tashigi's bowing apology, Zoro just smiled proudly.
"Great, I like it."
"I'll take this sword!"
"Huh?"
"Hey... hey hey! Are you an idiot? If you die using this weapon, it'll be like I intentionally killed you..."
"Hmph, then let's see if the curse of the cursed sword is stronger, or if my luck is stronger."
With that, Zoro tossed the Sandai Kitetsu into the air, letting it spin rapidly!
Swish—
Then he suddenly extended his arm, placing it in the path of the falling blade!
"If I lose, it means I'm just that weak—"
!!
!!
"Your hand will—"
"Ah~~"
Faced with the panicked shop owner and the frightened Tashigi covering her mouth, Zoro calmly closed his eyes. Then:
Swish,
The spinning cursed sword fell around Zoro's arm, not even touching a single hair!
"I'll take this sword!"
Thud,
The cursed sword named Sandai Kitetsu fell to the floor, the entire blade silently embedding itself into the floor! Demonstrating its sharpness, but in the face of Zoro's luck... no, strength! It could only submit obediently.
Thump,
The girl named Tashigi was so scared she fell to the ground.
Bang,
The weapon shop owner was also so frightened that he crashed into the shelf behind him!
What... what confidence and dominance...
"Alright, there's one more sword..."
"Wait!"
The weapon shop owner, who had gotten up, rushed into the back room and came out holding a black lacquered katana with a cross-shaped pattern.
"This is the shop's treasure, one of the fifty skillful grade swords, 'Yubashiri'!"
"Hahaha, a fine sword indeed, but I don't have that much money..."
"No need for money!"
"As the old saying goes: A treasured sword for a hero! It's been a long time since I've seen a swordsman with eyes like yours. Instead of leaving this sword here with me, it's better to be with a hero like you."
...
"That was terrifying, my legs are so weak I can't even stand."
Watching Zoro leave with three swords, Tashigi, still sitting on the ground, couldn't help but express her genuine admiration.
---
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