Chapter 58: Chapter 58

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East Blue – Loguetown

"Oh, I know you! You're the guy who returned my glasses earlier, right?", the girl asks, approaching Zoro, who was checking out the swords in the barrel.

"Yes", Zoro says, not wanting to talk to her much.

"Thanks for that, by the way. Nice to meet you; my name is Tashigi", Tashigi says, extending her hand to greet Zoro.

Still focused on finding a suitable sword, Zoro ignores her hand and merely grunts in acknowledgment, "Hrmm."

"You use three swords, right? Reminds me of a particular pirate hunter", Tashigi comments, apparently unaware of Zoro's dislike for her, or simply ignoring it.

"Pirate hunter?", Zoro asks, turning his attention to Tashigi.

"Yeah, I think his name is Roronoa Zoro. He uses three swords, just like you", Tashigi says, trying to recall if that was really the correct name.

"Yeah, I hear that a lot", Zoro comments, continuing his search for two good swords.

"He's quite well-known here in the East Blue, can you believe it? A guy who wields a sword just for money is that famous; it's an insult", Tashigi comments, sharing her opinion.

"...Sigh... why is 'evil' so powerful nowadays? All the greatest swordsmen in the world are either pirates or pirate hunters; most of the meitou are scattered across the world in the hands of these people. It's really such a shame", Tashigi muses, delving deeper into her thoughts.

"It's not like the Marines are one hundred percent good either", Zoro comments, finally finding a sword that caught his attention.

"That's a lie. The Marines protect people; we defend justice", Tashigi says, furrowing her brow.

"You're of the Marines, right? Once you see the real world, you'll understand that not everything is black and white. Like an idiot friend of mine always says, the world is made up of many shades of gray", Zoro says, picking up the sword that caught his attention from the barrel.

"I… still, I cannot in good conscience let these swords fall into the wrong hands, I will travel the world and recover all the meitou from these people's hands," Tashigi declares determinedly, trying not to let herself be shaken as Zoro's words penetrated deep into her mind.

"Recover? So that means you're coming after Wado here?", Zoro asks, looking Tashigi directly in the eyes, making her feel pressured.

"What? No, it's not like that, I don't want to take all of them, I just don't like the idea of them being used for evil", Tashigi says, raising her hands to placate Zoro.

"Swords are weapons, and weapons are made to kill. Therefore, it doesn't matter which side the person is on; if they wield a blade, then they are willing to kill people, which is considered a malicious act. If you don't have that mentality, then don't consider yourself a swordsman. In the end, the question that remains is: why are you carrying a weapon if you're not going to kill anyone? You won't need it, anyway", Zoro comments, drawing the sword he picked from the barrel.

"Hey, old man, is this one also fifty thousand?", Zoro asks the vendor, who had been paying attention to Zoro's words the entire time.

When the vendor realizes which sword Zoro is holding, he says, "Yes, it's fifty thousand, but I can't sell you that sword, kid; it's a—"

Zoro then interrupts him, saying, "Blade with a conscience."

"How did you know? Doesn't matter, it's a cursed blade, kid, not a blade with a conscience. Its name is Sandai-Kitetsu; all the swordsmen who wielded it or one of the other Kitetsu had a tragic end", the vendor comments with a serious expression.

"I know because I can somehow feel and hear her, just like with Wado. This whole cursed sword thing doesn't exist; people misunderstand. This sword was created for the purpose of causing harm, killing, and drawing blood, and its 'spirit', so to speak, desires that as a consequence. If the one who wields it doesn't give it that, it will eventually take it from him by force. All of the named swords have a conscience, some with strong temperaments and demands, while others are calm and obedient," Zoro explains as he uses his breath to sense the aura and presence of both swords and what they in a way say.

While Sandai-Kitetsu is practically screaming like a spoiled child wanting blood and to cut something, Wado Ichimonji remains unperturbed and ready as always, humming while waiting for the next battle.

"Still, kid, I—", the vendor begins to say, only to be interrupted by Zoro.

"How about a little test then? Let's see if this spoiled brat wants to come with me or not," Zoro says with a grin before throwing his unsheathed sword into the air and extending his arm, placing it in the path of the falling sword.

"WHAT? ARE YOU CRAZY, KID? YOU'RE GOING TO LOSE YOUR ARM!", the vendor screams desperately at the sight of Zoro doing this.

"Huh!?", Tashigi exclaims, surprised and scared at what Zoro is doing.

"Hmm? What's happening?", Nojiko asks, confused, appearing near the counter while holding a round metal shield like Captain America's in one hand and a tomahawk axe in the other.

The sword then falls, passing over Zoro's extended arm without leaving a scratch and plunging deep into the ground right afterward.

While everyone was shocked and speechless, and Nojiko was confused, not understanding what was happening or why her crewmate had done such an idiotic thing, Zoro said with a smile, "I'll take it."

"Hey, can you grab another sword from the barrel for me?", Zoro turns to Tashigi, who was looking at him dazed, and asks.

"Hey, kid, wait just a minute; I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere", the vendor says before heading to the back of the shop to apparently fetch something.

A few minutes later, the vendor returns, bringing a sword on a display stand, and as he places it on the counter, he says, "It's a Ryo-Wazamono; its name is Yubashiri, a long sword with a synthetic lacquer finish in black color. Its blade has a precise cut; my shop may not be anything special, but I guarantee the quality of this blade. It's my best and most valuable sword."

"Nice sword, old man. I can feel it's good, but as I said before, my budget is one hundred thousand. Besides this spoiled kid here that you said was fifty thousand, I don't have money for an expensive sword like that", Zoro says apologetically while feeling the aura of Yubashiri; the sword seemed quiet and loyal, analyzing everything coldly.

"I don't care about the money; I want you to keep it. In fact, I don't want any money for the Kitetsu either. I apologize for trying to trick you earlier. It's been a long time since I've seen a real swordsman. They say the sword chooses its master, right? Well, I believe both of them are in good hands now", the seller says with a serious expression.

"Well, I guess thank you, then", Zoro says while in his mind he thinks, 'Did this old man try to trick me?'

And as Zoro begins to leave the shop now with three swords again, Nojiko turns to the vendor and asks, showing the shield and the tomahawk axe, "I picked these two; how much will it cost?"

"Oh, good choice. Both are of great quality; they'll last a long time with proper maintenance. Each is five hundred thousand, so one million", the vendor says after taking a look at the best shield and tomahawk axe he had in the shop.

"I'll take them. Oh, do you accept gold bars as payment?", Nojiko asks, remembering that small detail.

"I do."

"Oh, then here, have a nice day", Nojiko says, handing him an amount of gold equivalent to just over a million before bidding farewell and leaving to catch up with Zoro.

Meanwhile, Tashigi was still dazed as she watched the two walk away.

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(AN: 1,336 Words)

Hello, everyone! Thank you for sharing your opinions, but I've made my decision. For now, I won't be rewriting this fic, and I'll continue posting shorter chapters at the same frequency [this might change in the future, as I plan to eventually go back to writing chapters with around two thousand words each]. In the future, once I finish this fic, I intend to rewrite it into a definitive version, correcting errors, adding things, removing things, etc.

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If you enjoy my writing, please consider supporting me on my Patreon page. There, you'll find advanced chapters of everything I write or will write: patreon.com/_Luizinho_

If you enjoyed this fic, support it with your Power Stones, it helps a lot.

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