25 - Sandai Kitetsu and Yubashiri! Zoro's new swords and the female Sergeant Major

We left the execution platform, walking around town to search for our fellows.

And I still carried around the damn bag with me.

Nami! Someday you'll pay for that! Uh… I don't know how. But! I shall make you pay nonetheless!

"Aaaaaaaaaaa…" I stopped my scheming when I heard a voice coming from above…

As we looked to the sky, we noticed something flying above our heads… immediately groaning when we found it sported a straw hat.

"Luffy!" Quickly identifying the flying object, Nami frowned. "That idiot… what the hell did he do now?"

"Don't… ask… me… ah! Is it me or this bag only gets heavier and heavier?" I walked a few steps before resting the bag on the ground and breathing a few times. I then noticed that the mere existence of the bag (and the fact I'm carrying it) is causing me to lag behind Nami's pace.

I do hope we can find the others soon. As long as I get to carry this bag for as little as possible!

"Ah, ah! We bought so much today! Maybe I'm going to another store…" Cheerfully, Nami walked ahead again.

"Eeeeeehh?! You're kidding, right? That bag's damaging my back and you have the nerve to talk about buying more stuff? Why did I tag along in the first place again?"

"Because I forced you to-I, I mean, I invited you!" Not very smart, Nami. "Just one more! Plea~~se…."

Aw, that cute stare of hers… and I can't help but feel inclined to say yes… quick, look away, look away!

"Uh, I-I don't know if I can ha… huh?" I stopped mid-sentence once I caught Luffy's wanted posters affixed in the wall. "What's that over there?"

"Huh?"

Walking until we stood in front of the posters, we noticed a Marine base nearby. Upon hearing the sound of a door being opened, we hurried to hide behind the walls.

"Damn that girl! Why the hell do I have to do this?!" Hey, I know this voice! Is it…

"Zoro… in the Marine?" Nami took a quick, disbelieving look at the scene.

"Huh, really?" I asked. "Say it again?"

Nami just stared for a few seconds at the scene of Zoro cleaning a floor mop and throwing a bucketload of water away. "I'll pretend I saw nothing."

"What's he doing? Tell me!"

"Zoro's working in the Marine… as a janitor." She said.

"Janitor?" I tried to stifle my laughter, failing miserably. "Hahahaha! Zoro? Janitor?! Hahahahaha! It seems the money you lent him was for nothing!"

Then I felt a fist hitting my head.

"Ow… Nami! Why did you do that?" I said, tending to my newly-formed bump.

"Quiet!" She hissed. "Do you want to get us in trouble? Let's just get out of here. If anyone asks, none of us saw anything!"

"You have to agree that that's very fu-"

"…"

When I saw Nami giving me that if-you-don't-do-as-I-say-I'll-hit-you look, I stopped.

"Ok. Let's go."

So, here continues my "journey" with a bag in hand. We walked around for what felt like fifteen minutes, more or less. Wandering around the town still, since Nami wasn't quite done with her shopping yet, but couldn't decide which store she wanted to go. Incidentally, we ran into Zoro, who walked around still with a single sword, looking for a sword shop.

"Zoro?"

"Zoro-san!"

As soon as he spotted us, he walked towards our position.

"Nami, Dan… what are you two doing here?"

"It looks like you're still looking for an arms store around here, right?" Nami asked.

"Yeah, I am… things happened on my way, though." Short and to the point, Zoro replied.

"Oh, that's it… I remember we saw you back at the Mari-"

I was interrupted, screaming with the sudden, intense pain in my foot… it was stomped by a high-heel.

"Shut up!" Nami quickly twisted her mouth to hiss at me.

"Ow! What's up with you?!" I twisted back at her.

"What was he about to say?" Zoro asked, somewhat befuddled.

"Nothing… nothing at all!" Nami nervously laughed. "Ah? So that's what happened, huh? Yeah… tough break, huh? Well then, we're going now!"

"Hey… Nami, I'm staying." She tried to walk away, but stopped after a few steps. "Go make the rest of your shopping, I'll stay here."

"And how about the bag?" She asked.

"It's safe with me, don't worry." I replied, smiling earnestly. "You can go."

Confidence reassured, she left.

"Where were you two? What's with that bag?" He then grinned a little, for no discernible reason. "Don't tell me, is this all her shopping?"

I stand corrected. For that discernible reason.

"Yes, but not quite." I said with a sigh. "Part of it is mine. All clothes, though."

"Huh, is that so. Wow, this town's bigger than I thought… I sure wish I found a weapons store quick…" He said, looking around, slightly annoyed.

Back to walking we go. After a few minutes and passing by the same place three times, we finally got to a weapons store. Upon stepping in, we saw all kinds of weapons possible and imaginable being shown on the displays. Spears, bows, arrows, pistols, shotguns, everything. Well, not everything everything, but you get the idea.

Zoro went to the cash desk and talked to the balconist, or he would if he didn't find the man sleeping… and drooling. Must be a slow day around here… or the store musn't get customers all that often.

"I want to buy a katana…" Zoro said.

Immediately the balconist woke up, still drooling in a corner of his mouth.

"Ah, yes, yes, yes! Hello, you're welcome! Get comfortable and choose as you wish! Our store is running for 200 years!" He quickly woke up and greeted us properly, smiling and presenting his merchandise, always with the tone of someone hoping his customer will spend as many beri as it takes to leave him rich.

"200 years?!" I gasped in "surprise". "Hmmm… You sure have a lot of history."

I left the cash desk to see the swords they had to offer, staring at the ones in the showcase, apparently the best in the store. Well, judging by the price, no wonder they must be. Costing around 600 thousand, 700 thousand beri each, average, and the most expensive going out at 1 million, 950 thousand beri.

A grip adorned with stylish decorations and a dark-red sheath… yeah, that does look expensive.

Hmmm… What now, Zoro? 100 grand ain't nearly enough!

Steering my eyes away from the displays, I spotted two barrels containing lots of swords. Those must be the cheaper ones. And surely they looked pretty plain, except for a few that really caught my eye…

As I looked over the barrels, Zoro put the money in the balcony and hammered his point.

"100 grand. I need you to sell me two katana."

"What? Two swords for 100 grand? Are you nuts?" Immediately the owner's smiling face faded away with how little Zoro had. He must think Zoro's bankrupt or something. Or he's poor… Yeah, he's poor, but there's more to it.

"With 50,000 beri, you can only buy a low quality one." The balconist, who I guess is also the store owner, sat back with a deep frown in his face.

He's got a point, though. 100 grand in two good swords is nigh-impossible. Unless they're really cheap, but low-quality swords won't handle the stress Zoro's Three-Sword Style might put them through…

The wall was also peppered with other types of weapons in the displays. A collection of spears, armors arranged in order of fanciness, shields with more bling than purpose, bows and arrows… hmmm… maybe I can try transforming my pencil into one of these later.

By the way, you're probably wondering how do I transform my pencil, aren't you?

Well, let's pause the plot for a little explanation, shall we?

It draws much from my imagination. I must have the desired weapon in my mind and then turn the pencil in it. It can go wrong if I don't focus, but a strong dose of practice does the job. The staff was easy to create, but I remember it took me half a year in training just for me to make my spear. New weapons send me right back to the drawing board.

And that's how I shot web.

Back to the plot!

"Anything goes for me. I'm really out of money right now." Zoro insisted, still facing a grumpy store owner… until he took a look at the sword in Zoro's waist and began to sweat cold for no discernible reason.

"O-o-oi… T-t-t-t-this sword! C-c-can I see it f-f-f-f-for an i-i-in-in-instant?"

"Wha? Why are you so nervous?" Zoro asked, confused.

"Please!" The owner practically begged him to.

"What a weird fellow…" Somewhat reluctantly, Zoro pulled the sword from his waist and showed it to the shop owner. I approached the scene, still holding a bow in my hands.

"You're buying something too, Dan?" Zoro asked.

"No." I said. "Just getting a bit of inspiration. My pencil is enough for a weapon. Plus: I don't have to spend any money on it 'cause I'm running out."

"How much do you have?"

I pulled my wallet out of my pocket, only to find a handful of coins. "Hmmmm… bills, none. Five hundred, one-k, two-k… yep, twenty-five hundred or so."

"And how much you had initially?" He asked, looking a bit surprised.

"75 grand."

"Whoa! What did you spend that much in?"

"Tell you later. Because… it seems the man liked your sword, Zoro." " I replied, pointing to the owner breathing deeply.

"Huh?" We turned back to the owner, trying to hold back but literally glaring at the sword in his hands like it was magical. It seems he figured out something about it…

"Wow…" The owner finally spoke up. "What… what an old and shabby sword you have… I can give you money for it. How'bout this. I'll give you 200 grand for your sword. That way you'll have 300 grand and walk out with three decent swords!"

"Ha? What are you talking about?" Zoro continued to question the owner's motives.

"300 grand aren't enough to buy even one sword in that showcase. And Zoro's got a reason not to sell this one. Right?" I looked at him.

"Yeah. No matter how mu-"

The owner interrupted him, still trying a deal. "250 thousand beri. How's this?"

A silent pause…

"No? Then 300 grand."

Another pause.

"Still no good? Then how'bout… 500 grand for this sword!"

Zoro remained impassive through the whole ordeal, only frowning progressively harder.

"Hey, hey… no matter how much you offer for this sword, I'm not going to-"

"Fine! I'll buy it for 650 thousand beri!"

Again, the owner interrupted him, trying his best to take the sword.

"Ah, you're such a wise guy! I'm buying it for 800 thousand beri and it's final! I really mean it!"

Zoro would raise his voice if…

"Good afternoon!"

If a peppy-looking lady didn't run up to the balcony.

"I'm here to get my Shigure. Is it done?" The dark blue-haired woman talked to the owner, bringing with her something wrapped inside a piece of cloth, supposedly a sword.

"Whew… what a relief!" The girl, now talking to Zoro. "You're alright! Did you know? Someone invaded the Marine base today and caused some serious trouble there and I noticed you went missing… I was worried!"

As she yacked on, Zoro kept making strange faces at her… He seemed somewhat afraid to even talk to her he didn't even dare to look directly at her… Have they met before?

"Excuse me…" I poked my head between their conversation. "Not wanting to intrude but already doing so… do you know each other?"

"Yes, indeed!" The girl.

"Oi!" Zoro, nervously.

"We met by chance in the street, though." She clarified. "He broke my glasses and I brought him to the Marine base to work as a janitor as a means to pay for new ones… but he went missing since that mysterious attack. Are you a friend of his?"

"Yup!" I replied, smiling. "The name's Daiki, but people call me Dan. Nice to meet ya!"

"My name is Tashigi. Nice to meet you!" She replied, going back to her talk with Zoro. "Anyway, I am just glad you are alright! Now that I know you are safe… I know as well that you rejected other people's kindness and ran away from an honest job."

She then pulled money out of her pocket and gave it to Zoro. "Take it back, please. I refuse to accept money from men that do this kind of thing…"

Then, also from her pocket, she picked up a pair of square-lensed glasses with violet frames… "I even got new glasses by now."

She immediately shifted her eyes from Zoro's figure to Zoro's sword. "Ah! This sword… is it…"

A silent pause as she stared at the sword. "Wadou Ichimonji! This is the Wadou Ichimonji, isn't it?"

She forcibly took the sword from the owner's hands and better checked it out, only to unnerve the owner some more… but why? Tashigi unsheathed Zoro's sword, took a look at its blade and said:

"The tip of this sword is really magnificent! This is surely one of the 21 Great Grade Swords."

Twenty-one what?

Soon I would find out when she picked up a little book and browsed through it.

"Hmmmm… you're really knowledgeable about sword arts, aren't you?" I asked.

"Yes!" She replied with a glint of excitement in her eyes. "I'm a fan of swords and I'm always collecting knowledge about them. This one, for instance, is a sword worth more than 10 million beri!" She pointed precisely to Zoro's sword, referencing her book.

"But why do a person like you have such a famous artifact?" She asked.

Wait, hold on.

Ten million?! And the store owner was about to buy it for just 800 grand?! Wow, we sort of dodged a bullet now…

The owner tried to hold himself… until he snapped, hit the balcony and angrily stepped in.

"Hey, girl! You told everything to him! I'm suing you for blowing my deal!"

"I-Did I ruin your deal?" Tashigi yelped. "I am sorry… Did I say something wrong?"

"Not wrong… but quite right." I stepped in. "This man was trying to buy Zoro's sword for just 800 grand!"

Upset, the owner hurried to grab a sword with a stylish sheath.

"You came here to get your Shigure, right, girl? It's here! It's sharpened! Now just catch it and go away!"

He then tossed the sword to the girl and she caught it but lost her balance, crashed against a shelf and dropped all swords in it.

"Aaah, why did you go over there?! What the hell is wrong with you, girl?!"

"Sorry…" She meekly apologized.

"Tashigi-san, are you alright?" I walked closer and reached a hand to her.

"Yes… I am." She held my hand, I pulled her up and put her back on her feet. "Thank you."

"Yeah, so what? This stupid girl just saved you." The owner grumbled. "This sword is, in truth, one of the most famous artifacts in the world. It's something too valuable for an amateur like you to have. The fifty grand swords are on those barrels! Grab two of'em and get out of my face!"

Zoro then did as told, walking to the barrels.

"Gee, why is this guy so worked up?" He wondered.

"You really like swords, don't you?" Tashigi approached him. "You even carry three around! It is just like a certain bounty hunter roaming around…"

"Bounty hunter?" Zoro replied.

"He is very famous. His name is Roronoa." Tashigi said.

Uh-oh…

"I hear that name a lot…" Zoro said, smirking still.

Hold on… she's not registering that she's talking to the man himself! He was at the Marine base, yes. So he's the one who must've caused trouble there… and the marines recognized him! Honestly… she's a Marine? Because if she is, Marine's standards are a bit low… she's a cute girl, but she's very clumsy.

Well, all the better to us.

Tashigi continued. "He is recognized in the entire East Blue as being a great swordsman. But he is evil. Using swords to gain money… unforgivable! Why is evil so strong in this age? Most of the greatest swordsmen today either are pirates or bounty hunters… The greatest artifacts in the world are at their mercy… I can hear their cry…"

"Umm, hey, these people may have other motives to hunt bounties or to be pirates… I keep wondering how as soon as a Marine hears the word pirate, they focus on taking them down like there's no tomorrow… it's really all about evil people?" I said.

"Different people have different reasons… Our age's needs tell a whole lot about people's actions." Zoro quipped.

"Opportunity makes a thief, or so the saying goes…" I said.

"Nevertheless." Tashigi clenched her fist. "With this Shigure, I will hone my skills, travel around the world and take the legendary artifacts from the hands of ill-intentioned people! The 12 Supreme Grade Swords… the 21 Great Grade Swords… the 50 Skillful Grade Swords… I will collect them even if it costs my life!"

"Wow, that's too many swords, don't you think?" I yelped at her goal. I wonder what she's going to do with them…

"You'll take this one too? The one you call Wadou Ichimonji?" Zoro asked, frowning slightly at her.

"I, uh… I didn't mean I wanted them for myself." She said, twitching slightly. "I only said I didn't want them to fall in evil hands…"

There was a pause and Zoro picked a sword from one of the barrels. It had a scarlet red sheath and other details that made Tashigi hurriedly browse her book again.

"This sword… is it…" After a quick check… "Exactly! This is the Sandai Kitetsu!"

"Sandai-what?" I asked.

"Sandai Kitetsu, Daiki… I mean, Dan-san." She said excitedly. "Its ancestor, Nidai Kitetsu, was one of the Great Grade Swords! And the firstborn, Shodai Kitetsu, was one of the Supreme Grade Swords!"

She then turned back to the owner. "Gentleman, do you really want to sell this sword for 50,000 beri?"

"Hold on, is this sword that good?" I asked.

"It is! It's fantastic!" Tashigi said, practically two inches from my face. "It is one of the legendary masterpieces of swordsmiths… it'd normally cost 1 million beri! You have to buy it!"

"And the luck is really by your side, Zo-" Whoops!

"Zo?"

Don't blurt it out, man!

"Zo… zo… sorry, I zoned out there! My friend's really lucky to get that sword, isn't he?"

"No! I'm not gonna sell it!" Angrily, the owner stepped in again.

"You'd be right not to, though…" Tashigi said. "To sell it for just 50 thousand… it would be really weird!"

"No, it's not because of that!" The owner interrupted.

"Then why wouldn't you-"

"It's cursed."

Zoro…?

"You know about it?" The owner asked, taken aback.

"No… I feel it." Zoro said ominously.

"Alright, you kids, listen carefully." The owner said. "These are excellent swords but they also carry a curse. Every single one of the previous owners died mysterious and tragic deaths. That's why no swordsman today wants to use them!"

Wow, that's just… that's just…

"Awesome. I'll take it."

Yeah, that's awesome, he'll take the…

WHAT?

"Have you lost your marbles?!" The owner yelped. "What if I let you have this sword and you die? It'll be like I murdered you!"

To the owner's indecision, Zoro stepped forward and made a proposal.

"How about me testing my luck with it?" Zoro said. "If I come out in one piece, I'm worthy of having it."

"H-hey, Z… I mean, hey, how are you going to-"

"Just watch."

He then tossed the sword to the air, making it spin while he stretched his arm. I gasped as I watched the sword come down directly above his arm! He's really risking to have his arm chopped off just to test his luck?!

Fortunately, the sword beautifully swerved around Zoro's arm and stuck itself in the store floor, leaving no scratches on him whatsoever.

A silent, stunned pause…

"I will take it."

Zoro passed his test. The owner and Tashigi both kneeled, sighing in relief.

"Man…" I wiped the sweat off my forehead. "You're really crazy!"

"Just so you know: I am the only one in this world with the right to call myself crazy." Zoro declared. "Girl… could you pick another sword for me?"

"Ok." She recomposed herself, walking to choose another sword but…

"Wait!"

The owner acted first, running to the inside of his store. A few moments later, he went back out carrying another rather fancy sword.

"The long sheath, painted pitch black and with inlays. The blade of unraveled thread. One of the Skillful Grade Swords… Yubashiri! For a small store like this, it might be little, but this is the best sword I have."

Whoa, why is he doing this? Presenting Zoro with a sword like this?

"I can't buy it." Zoro retorted. "I don't have the money."

"You don't need it!" The owner replied, confidently. "I don't want you to pay for the Kitetsu either. I regret trying to trick you before. It was long since I last saw a true swordsman. They say the swords choose their rightful owner and it looks like the Kitetsu chose you! I cheer for your luck!"

Zoro gladly accepted both swords, thanked the store owner and we left.

Wow, what an incredible turn of events!

Standing away from the store, I watched Zoro sparing a glance to his new artifacts, finally resting relieved as he had three swords hanging from his waist again. Not just three common swords, but three of the best swords in the world: Wadou Ichimonji, Sandai Kitetsu and Yubashiri.

Zoro tested his luck and as a result earned two swords, each one with a history of its own. The tour around Loguetown continues and in the next chapter, we will follow Usopp taking part in a duel of honor against a character with superb skills and a kind heart.

Don't miss it!