A/N: Guest appearance warning. Maybe a bit OOC for the guest, but…after this chapter he's gone, so it's not that important.

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Zoro and Tashigi returned to the dojo at the end of the day, both weary but triumphant. Halfway through one of his battles, Zoro saw the words "Skill mastered: Oni Giri" flash in front of his face. The poor sot he'd been facing never saw it coming before his HP was drained. What Zoro did not like was the fact that his character's stamina was so low—he'd have to work hard to fix that.

Zoro mulled over the fights he had seen Tashigi participate in. She had improved dramatically since their last meeting, and he was pleasantly surprised—she'd be great to train with later in the game. What am I thinking? She's the enemy! I'm never going to see her in this game after this! he thought to himself.

They arrived at the dojo to find the students bowing to Koshiro before taking their leave. Koshiro waved to them and asked, "Have you accomplished your task?"

"Hai!" They said together.

"Good! As I'm sure you have noticed, things are getting a little easier. There are two more things I would like to point out before sending you to your next teacher. First…" He held up one finger. "Your classes. Eventually, you will be given the chance to change your class again upon reaching level forty—and then another time upon reaching level 80. Beyond that, I cannot say, for they only reveal it to those who care to go that far. I've heard rumors that the administrators specialize new classes specifically for those who can make it that far. Secondly…" Two fingers were held up. "Look at your swords and equipment. You will encounter merchants who sell different items and find ways to obtain different weapons. It is entirely possible, if you own named swords, to regain what you hold in real life. You still have Wado Ichimonji, I trust?" he asked Zoro. When Zoro nodded, he smiled in relief. "I am glad. Kuina would have been furious if you lost her sword. There is a Wado Ichimonji in this game, and many other famous swords. You will have to work hard to find them."

"Right now I have…a 'Novice Blade,'" Tashigi said. "It even sounds depressing. I miss Shigure right now."

Koshiro smiled. "Now go. You say that you are also of the ninja class? The teacher is not hard to find, but is rather eccentric. I'd suggest looking to the northern end of the city. There's a man who lives above a ramen shop who should be able to help you. Now go on, you might be able to catch him if you leave now." As they turned to leave, he spoke again. "And Zoro…don't forget to keep practicing. It has only been a short time since we have met, miss, but please try to keep him in line."

The last thing Zoro saw of his sensei before the door was closed was that serene, smiling face and the eyes that beamed behind those round glasses.

---

They found the ramen shop without much trouble (Tashigi had taken the lead at once, so they didn't get lost) and Tashigi entered first, calling out, "Excuse me? I heard that the ninja teacher resided here…"

The counter was sparkling clean and devoid of any customers. The pots behind the counter steamed and released the tantalizing smell of beef broth, but there was no cook in sight. A small sign that read "Ichiraku Ramen Bar" was posted above the door.

Zoro placed a hand on the hilt of one sword, drawing an inch of steel carefully. "There's someone here," he said, looking around surreptitiously. "Be on your guard."

They listened in silence, save for the hissing of the fire as a droplet of water fell from the pots into the flame. Zoro closed his eyes, listening, thinking back to what he had learned at Alabasta.

Listen to the breath of everything, he thought. Everything is accounted for, save…

He whipped around and drew his sword, placing it against the edge of the throat of the man that definitely hadn't been standing there when they had entered the room. He wore a black jumpsuit with orange trimming, and had packs on his legs from which shuriken stuck out haphazardly. He wore a black headband with a forehead protector on it, and grinned cheekily under a mop of blonde and graying hair.

"Ahahaha, caught me, did you? You're pretty good, boy, pretty good…" the man muttered, walking behind the counter and putting on an apron. "So, what'll it be? The pork ramen is my specialty, but the miso isn't too bad, either. Perhaps you'll give your girlfriend the special Diet Ramen? All-natural ingredients, and so good that you can almost taste it."

"We're not together," Zoro and Tashigi said at once.

"Hmph, you wish you had a boyfriend like me," Zoro said, sticking his tongue out at her. She rolled her eyes in response.

"Are you the ninja teacher?" Tashigi asked, adjusting her glasses. "We were referred here by Koshiro-sensei."

"Ah, Koshiro! That old dog, he always insists he plays for his students but I know he really likes being in The World. So, you must be secondary class ninjas if you're coming here after Koshiro. You can call me Uzumaki-sensei. Or no, Uzumaki-sama! Yeah, that has a nice ring to it…" Uzumaki rambled on incoherently.

"So, what's our lesson, then?" Zoro interrupted his daydreaming. The man snapped out of his reverie and coughed.

"Erhem! Well, I'll have you know that where I come from, I've been a ninja for all of my fifty-seven years of life. I used to be a hot-shot when I was young, too—with dreams of becoming Hokage and all that. But that was a long time ago…" he donned the dreamy expression again.

Zoro cleared his throat.

"Impatient, are you? Alright! First lesson! Dynamic! You and your lady friend here must get this from me." He jingled a tiny bell and hung it from his waist. "You can use whatever methods you want, but whoever doesn't get the bell doesn't get referred to the next step. Capiche?"

Zoro and Tashigi glared at one another and shrugged.

"If this is supposed to pit us against each other, don't bother. It's already been done," Tashigi groaned. "Shall we?"

They both drew their swords, and Uzumaki quickly put up his hands. "Wait! Don't do it in here, dolts, you'll destroy my precious ramen shop! Just because you can't actually eat it doesn't mean it's not valuable." He led them through a back door, which led to a spacious yard filled with rocks, trees, and even a pool of water. "This is my personal training space. It cost a mountain of gold to convince those administrators that the players wouldn't miss the museum that used to stand here. So, shall we begin?" He put his hands together and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Zoro and Tashigi stood back to back, listening carefully.

"There. Three o'clock."

"I see him too. He's not very good at hiding himself, is he?"

"It's probably the orange on his jumpsuit that does it. Plus, he's wearing a bell."

"Gives him away pretty badly."

"I can hear you, you brats!" Uzumaki said shrilly before clapping a hand over his mouth. "Oh, damn."

It took a minute for Zoro and Tashigi to wrestle him to the ground, even with the group of doppelgangers he had conjured up to distract them. After tussling on the ground, Tashigi held up the bell triumphantly while Zoro dispatched the doppelgangers with one of his swords.

"Ha…ha…it was a glorious and trying battle, but your teamwork came out on top in the end…" Uzumaki gasped, clutching a stitch in his side. "I really have to start laying off that pork ramen, the sodium is killing me."

"So, do I pass?" Tashigi asked, jingling the bell with a grin.

"Yeah, yeah. You both pass. Congratulations," Uzumaki said grudgingly. "Wait. No, no! You haven't learned the essence of being a ninja. You must be sneaky and stealthy, and able to walk through a forest full of crunchy leaves underfoot without disturbing anyone who happens to be there. Um…you must be like smoke!"

"Smoke, huh," Tashigi said, looking nostalgic. "I think I know a bit about that."

"Isn't smoke what gives the fire away, though?" Zoro quipped. "I would rather not be the one to set off the alarms."

"Fine, you impertinent—okay. One more task. Since all you guys did was mob me, I'll need you to learn what makes a ninja so special in the game. Do you remember the results of you screening test?" he asked.

Tashigi nodded. "Moderate Physical and Intelligence levels, but nothing exceptional or detrimental in either."

"Er, a high Physical but…low Intelligence…" Zoro muttered, looking unusually engrossed in the wall.

Uzumaki snorted. "A higher Physical basically means you have elevated levels of stats needed for melee fighting—more Hit Points, higher Attack and Defense. More Intelligence points to magic, and you'll have more Special Points for using spells, higher Intelligence for potency, higher Resistance to spells. There are other statistics such as Agility, Dexterity, Luck, and the newly installed Amiability. Those depend on the class you choose." He rubbed his forehead protector, thinking. "Ninjas generally have higher Agility, Dexterity, and Luck, but lose out on Amiability. I want you to utilize that advantage while coping with the loss in Amiability by sneaking into the King's palace and stealing the Sacred Lotus without getting caught. You have until tomorrow morning," he said with a grin.

"Where is this place?" Tashigi asked in alarm. It was already nightfall, so they didn't have much time left.

"It's in the center of the city, near the fighting ring. You'll know it when you see it. Now go, you don't have much time," Uzumaki urged. "Time passes far more quickly in The World than in real life. Even if you've been through an entire day of the game, it hasn't been more than an hour or so since you actually started the game. However, when administrators or players schedule events, they use real time."

"Yeah, because of your stupid time limit, we have even less time," Zoro said in annoyance, moving out the door. "C'mon, let's get that thing."

They left the ramen shop quickly and were astonished to feel how quietly they slipped out of the restaurant and onto the rooftops. Indeed, their feet hardly make any sound and all, and the sound of their clothing was barely noticeable—and that was when they were running helter skelter.

They saw the sloping roof of the largest building in the city looming in the center of town, and noticed the many guards stationed at regular intervals to block every entrance to the city. They were all NPCs, but they were armed with long-range as well as close-range weapons that warned off anyone tempted to try and enter the palace.

Zoro and Tashigi stopped short on the roof of a hustling bar, where they would be less likely to be heard above the racket of its occupants.

"So how are we going to go about doing this?" Tashigi asked, adjusting her boots nervously. "I think we should make sure that nothing will make any noise, like our swords." She tied the hilt of her blade across her back, fastening it until there was no chance of it becoming cumbersome.

Zoro looked down at his three swords with a frown. "I might be able to handle two swords that way, but the third one doesn't have anywhere to go."

"Couldn't you just use one, like a normal person?"

"It's who I am, woman. Don't question my ways until you can beat me."

"Why, you…!"

"Nevermind. Don't worry, I won't let them get in the way. You don't suppose we could reason with them, do you?"

"I think that 'low Amiability' indicates that the NPCs won't find us to be very friendly."

"Damn."

Zoro looked down at the drinking players in the bar and had an idea. "You don't suppose we could start a little diversion, do you? Bribe some of these players to stumble drunkenly around one part of the building and sneak in the other way."

"That is so blatantly obvious that I doubt they'll fall for it. Let's do it," Tashigi said. "What will we bribe them with, though?"

"Leave it to me."

Zoro shimmied down a pipe and approached a particularly idiotic looking drinker with a group of toadies hanging around him.

"Hey, you! Yeah, you, the idiot with the ugly expression on his face. No, that's just your face. I bet you couldn't drink a jug of The World's whiskey faster than I could," Zoro said derisively.

"Idiot! Wasn't the point not to draw attention to ourselves?" Tashigi hissed from the roof. Zoro ignored her as the man approached him.

"What's a noob like you doing in a place like this? I didn't know you'd have enough gold to afford even the peanuts on the counter. I think you need to learn your place, you little—" The man didn't have time to finish as Zoro smashed his face in with his elbow.

"Hey, he hit the boss!"

"Let's get him."

Zoro grinned up at Tashigi as he began to run. "I'll lead these fellows in the right direction. I'll meet you on the southern side, okay?" He ran off before she could say another word.

"Wait…won't he get hopelessly lost?" Tashigi thought in despair. "Well, might as well start on my way."

---

Half an hour later, Tashigi was tired of waiting for the green-haired man to meet her. The NPC guards were all absent, but so was Zoro.

"I knew he'd get lost. I just KNEW IT," she grumbled as she began to climb through the window she had managed to pry open. She was pleased to find that she hadn't tripped or stumbled ever since changing her class.

"Miss me much?" Tashigi jumped as Zoro jumped through the window after her. "Those idiots kept wandering off. I had to knock out two more of them just to get their attention." He dusted off his pants and looked around. "So where do we start?"

"You mean, you didn't get lost?" Tashigi gasped.

"Hey! That's not funny. This whole Dexterity stat thing seems to be kind of convenient, though," Zoro said. "Usually when I'm going somewhere the destination moves around, but this time it didn't give me any trouble."

Tashigi decided it wasn't worth explaining who it was that was doing the moving. "What do you think this Sacred Lotus thing is?" she asked as they snuck through the empty halls of the palace. They turned a corner, and Zoro pointed.

"Probably that thing right there."

She looked up and saw a beautifully carved ruby lotus that sat on a pedestal in the middle of the room.

"It can't possibly be that simple," she said in disbelief. "But the game graphics are marvelous…look how it shines in the light!"

"They probably didn't expect any of the players to know that it was here," Zoro said as he picked up the flower. "Requesting information: 'Sacred Lotus.'" Immediately, words popped up in front of his face, and they read them carefully.

"Sacred Lotus. Property of the King of the City of Lotus. Not to be confused with the Sacred Lily of the City of Lily. An ancient heirloom that has little practical purpose, but can be sold for over three hundred thousand gold on the black market. Possession of it equates to theft." Suddenly, the room blazed with light as the words disappeared and were replaced with a blaring clanging noise.

"Is that the alarm?"

"Probably. Let's go."

They stole out of the room and jumped through the window from which they came. They arrived back at Ichiraku Ramen without much incidence.

Uzumaki looked up from a large bowl of steaming ramen he was stuffing down his face. "Oh, crap. You actually got it?" he mumbled through a mouthful of noodles and onion.

"What, you didn't expect us to get it?" Tashigi asked incredulously.

"Well…no," he admitted. "I've never had a student who passed the bell test before, so I just made the test up on the spot. No one followed you, did they?"

"Nah, none of the NPCs were fast enough to follow us," Zoro said, pulling the Lotus from a pouch at his side. "Here you go."

Uzumaki gazed at the gem before stammering, "I think you've learned everything you need to know from me. Congratulations, I give you the authorization to continue as secondary class ninjas." He turned back to his bowl of ramen. "You can do whatever you want with your prize. I certainly don't need to be found in possession of the King's heirloom. The administrators will probably swoop down on anyone caught trying to sell it in the open markets." He looked around carefully and whispered to them, "The City of Sakura is known for its black market. If you travel there, you can make a pretty penny off of that." He cleared his throat and continued in a grandiose voice, "Now go, young ninjas, and make your sensei proud!" He ate, ignoring them as though they had already left.

"…right," Zoro said, and left with a gaping Tashigi in tow.

Outside, Zoro turned to Tashigi and gave a short half-wave, half-salute.

"I'm off to find my crew. Bye, then," he said, turning to leave. He stopped when he didn't hear her own footsteps walking in another direction. "Aren't you going to go find your own friends?"

She blushed a deep red color. "O-of course! Right away!" She began to march off resolutely, and peeked over her shoulder to see if he had left. She tripped and fell when she saw him looking at her incredulously. "What are you looking at? Go away!"

"You're here alone, aren't you?" Zoro stated, more as a matter of fact than as a question.

"I don't know what makes you think that," she said nervously, plucking at her collar.

"You are the worst liar ever. You'd make a terrible pirate. You should have Usopp teach you a thing or two. C'mon," he said, picking her up by the arm. "Let's go."

"Where are you taking me, Roronoa?" she said in alarm, trying to pull away.

"Back to Luffy. You can stay with us until you decide to log off," he said, not looking her in the eye. She saw a slight tinge of red staining his dark skin, and she smiled.

"Alright, but only for a little bit! I still remember that you're a pirate, Roronoa…Zoro."

("'Roronoa Zoro' has gained (1) Amiability Point)