Howdy~ There was a slight delay in uploading due to Birthday celebrations a-plenty and the unforeseen loss of my shed keys (Yes… I work from a shed in my back yard)… Anywho... here be Chapter 3.

To all those reviewing – Many, many thanks & uber-huggles. To those fav-ing the bah-jeebus outta my story Graciaaas~ and to all those ghostly phantom readers who become a figure on my hits & visitors stats *sneaky noms* Thanks! Keep reading~

Hope you enjoy it.

Zoro had refused to sleep; instead he sat in the open door of Luffy's room keeping watch. Every sleepy mumble or movement had Zoro looking at the young man to check he was ok. How Luffy was going to get through this he didn't know, but he'd help any way he could.

Sanji had also been watching, curled up in his fox form in case anyone passed by, a little uncomfortable at having to lie on six of his seven tails, but he had a strange urge to stay right where he was.

The swordsman eventually nodded off, his chin resting on the broad chest, exposed since he only wore the thin kimono he'd shrugged on after his bath. Sanji could feel the cool breeze through his fur, so surely Zoro would get cold. For a while Sanji just stayed curled up watching the green haired man sleep, thinking about how he had to be cold. The fox spirit then got irritated by his lack of action so, looking around he spotted a blanket in the corner of Luffy's room. As he made his way over to it he gradually changed back to his true form since it was difficult to pick things up when you had paws.

Vaguely the fox spirit wondered why he was doing this, the swordsman was the kind of guy that annoyed the hell out of him yet…he had seen a side to the man he'd not expected. Usually these samurai types were arrogant, self-obsessed and fixated on being superior, unwilling to show weakness and in turn compassion, since this hinted at some kind of weakness… Zoro had shown he cared about Luffy, supported him as he broke down and done so openly. Most of the samurai he'd known would have ridiculed Luffy. Zoro, and in fact all of Luffy's followers were… different.

As Sanji settled the blanket over Zoro the swordsman shifted and mumbled, his eyes slowly starting to open. Panicking Sanji took Keimi's form before he could be seen being kind to the boorish man. He dropped the blanket over him and backed off, yet all Zoro did was give a drawn out sleepy sigh and mumble his thanks followed by,

"Hnn… Ears…"

Sanji's hand snapped to the top of his head,

"Shit… always forget the ears when I'm in a rush..." He grumbled to himself letting the façade slip until he was himself again. The swordsman probably wouldn't remember in the morning anyway.

It had been three days since the messenger had been intercepted and each one of them had been the same for Luffy. He woke, he remembered the pain, and he closed down eventually falling back into a fitful sleep.

For the third morning Luffy woke looking up at the ceiling. Frowning a little he gave a shrug.

Not long now, this rebellion will be over and I'll be back with…

His eyes watered.

Ace…

As the grief closed in again Luffy let out a tortured cry, curling up tightly and gripping at his hair. He was desperate for that night's event to have been a dream, but knew it wasn't as the void slowly opening inside threatened to drag him down into its dark, cold depths.

Zoro's head snapped up as soon as he heard Luffy's cry. The sound sent him scrambling over to his leaders side. He placed a firm hand on the young man's shoulder. He'd placed himself on watch, never moving from the spot in Luffy's doorway. He'd only snatched a few hours' sleep over the three days too worried about Luffy to rest properly.

"Luffy, stay with us, don't fall apart."

He said as calmly as he could manage, he was genuinely scared for the man. He'd seen what people did when everything was warped out of all perspective through grief… people did stupid, drastic things. He looked up as the room slowly began to fill with people, all of them desperate to help Luffy if they could.

"Look around Luffy. You can't let this consume you… People need you."

Luffy was shaking as he slowly lifted his head to look at the people beginning to surround him. Familiar faces, all of them full of concern. Numbly he started to sit up; just this small movement seemed to take so much effort. A strong supporting hand at his back helped him. He looked at Zoro his usually bright; lively eyes were dull and lifeless.

"Ace." He whispered quietly.

"I know Luffy. None of us want it to be true … but it is… Gomen Nasai."

Luffy shook his head and covered his ears in a futile attempt to block out the cruel truth. As Zoro watched Luffy sank back down and laid lifelessly staring at the people stood by him, but not seeing them… just looking through them.

Keimi entered with a tray of food, as she had each day, it was piled high with everything she could have made that Luffy liked, food he usually jumped at. She tried to coax some interest from him but could gain nothing. She looked up at Zoro, completely dismayed.

Luffy's men were beginning to slump. The driving force of their group had ground to a halt. He was the one thing that held them all together, brought them through every trial no matter how desperate the situation.

Zoro gestured for the room to be cleared. He knew of only one way to make someone snap out of this kind of depression and it wasn't a nice thing to do or to witness.

As the room cleared he became aware of the fox spirit standing silently in the corner. The blonde made a gesture to the door as though asking if he should leave. Zoro thought about it for a second. He wondered if perhaps Luffy was the 'lost' one the spirit was supposed to be watching over. With the slightest shake of his head he gave the fox permission to stay.

Sanji settled on his haunches and made sure Luffy wouldn't be able to sense him. There was something about the way that Zoro seemed to innately sense that things could no longer go on like this, not for the group's sake but for Luffy's sake. Sanji could sense that if Luffy sank any deeper…he wasn't coming back.

Zoro sighed and pulled the covers off Luffy.

"Luffy, sit up, this isn't how a leader is supposed to act." He pulled the lifeless form into a sitting position. The only response he got was the slow movement of Luffy's eyes to stare at him.

"You have other people to think about, you have responsibilities that aren't just going to go away because Ace died."

Luffy's gaze turned to a glare at the harsh words but still he refused to hold his own weight leaving Zoro to support him.

"Before we left Ace do you remember what he said? About you giving him a reason to live? You helped him find his worth and part of that was to protect you. When you find out the true circumstances I'll bet he died to further protect you Luffy… if you let yourself go now, if you let yourself be consumed by grief you will destroy the thing he felt worth protecting. You'll make a mockery of his death." Zoro's voice was cold and hard but he hated what he was doing, he knew this was going to hurt Luffy but he could think of no other way of forcing some action from the man.

"Shut up Zoro." Luffy snarled as he pulled away, "What would you know?"

"Right now, more than you," Zoro replied. "I know you have people here you are responsible for, you have an obligation to them. You have an obligation to the Daimyo and his most loyal retainer. You have a duty to secure what they dreamed of… but perhaps I was wrong to choose to follow you… you don't seem strong enough to carry this out. People die Luffy. It's a fact of life… I told you when you convinced me to follow you… I wouldn't stick around if you were going to stop me achieving my dream. In the state you're in right now I think you'd be lucky if Keimi stuck around… The men aren't going to stay with a man who wallows in his loss and does nothing about it. It's weak…and…" He had to force himself to continue, "It's pathetic and cowardly. Ace would be ashamed."

Sanji visibly cringed in the corner at the cold and harsh words.

Luffy bristled, "Shut up Zoro." The young man's tone was becoming dangerous.

"Why? It's not like you'll be able to do anything is it? There's a man out there responsible for Ace's death and you're just sitting here, wallowing, not doing anything about it." Zoro stood up and turned his back on Luffy. He could feel the man getting riled… he knew if he gave one last push…

"I don't think I'll understand how Ace could possibly think you gave his life meaning…what a let-down." Zoro felt like he was going to throw up. He hated himself for saying this but…

"Zoro you bastard!" Luffy roared.

He had launched himself from the floor towards the swordsman, fist drawn back. He moved so fast that Sanji was on his feet and about to warn the samurai when he saw the strong body begin to turn. Much to his surprise Sanji watched as Zoro turned and left himself completely open.

Zoro knew it was coming, this was what he'd been goading Luffy into – some kind of action, an emotion strong enough to make Luffy get off his ass and start to think and feel again. He turned and kept his arms by his sides. Though he'd been purposefully trying to make the man react for his own good, what he had said deserved this reaction. So… he stood still and took it.

Luffy's fist crashed into Zoro's jaw sending him sprawling on to the tatamis mats.

"You're wrong! I'll find the one responsible, I'll make him pay for what he did to Ace… and everyone else involved. I'll never let him down." Luffy screamed raising his fist again.

Zoro didn't move. He just gave his leader a knowing look and was willing to accept the next blow should it land.

Luffy faltered his hand lowering slowly as he recognised his oldest ally's expression.

"Better get to planning then Luffy-Sama…Now that you're out of your bed." Zoro said getting to his knees and bowing formally.

Luffy glanced back at his bed, the realisation that Zoro had been forced to such lengths to get him off his ass hit like a club to the face. The swordsman was right, he was being pathetic. He couldn't afford to let himself be swallowed up by grief now. They were in the middle of fighting a rebellion and there were people counting on him… not to mention the two lives stolen that needed to be avenged.

Getting to his knees Luffy suddenly embraced Zoro making the swordsman's eyes snap wide open in surprise.

"L…Luffy what are you doing?" he asked uncomfortably, his arms pinned to his sides and a fox spirit across the room tilting it's head and smirking at the display to make matters worse.

"Thanks Zoro. I'll do what I should." Luffy said hugging the man tightly before pulling back, standing and shouting for Keimi to bring his food as though nothing had happened.

"Go get some rest Zoro, I'll need you in a few hours…I'm beginning to think this rebellion is a waste of our time, there may be another way of going about this." With a wave of his hand he dismissed Zoro and once again shouted for food.

If Luffy was shouting for food Zoro decided that he could rest for a little while. He'd caught the look in Luffy's eyes and knew him well enough to recognise when the young man was set on something. Getting to his feet as people came into the room, Keimi being first with a platter of food piled high enough for several men, the swordsman nodded reassuringly at them then left.

Once Zoro was outside in the bright daylight he quickly looked around and when he thought he was alone he reached up and held his jaw, cursing quietly as he rubbed at it, turning and spitting out the blood that had gathered in his mouth.

"Looks painful," Sanji stated as he came into view, "He's got a good punch."

"I know, technically speaking I deserved it." Zoro replied before continuing to grumble when he found one of his back teeth was loose.

"If you'd meant those words you would have deserved it." Sanji corrected lightly, "You said it all to force a reaction from him, I can understand why you cleared the room though, most people would have thought you to be serious."

"How could you tell I wasn't?" Zoro asked regarding the fox as he made his way to the room he'd been using as his own.

"I could sense how much it troubled you to say those words." The fox spirit said simply as though it was the most natural and simple thing in the world.

Zoro paused for a second as he tried to decide whether he thought that was an invasion of his privacy or not… to have someone able to sense his emotions… it made him feel uneasy since as a swordsman he relied on his ability to conceal them.

"Right…well it's done now and Luffy is going to be ok, I think, now he has something to focus on." He continued on to his room where he closed the shoji door before the fox could follow. "You don't have to follow me everywhere you know…" Zoro grumbled.

With an irritated twitch of his ears and a shake of his seven tails Sanji growled at the rude manners, but also at the fact he realised he'd just been trailing after the rude bastard like a puppy dog.

"I was just hoping your loose tooth would come out while you were snoring and you'd choke on it." Sanji snapped, tails bristling.

Zoro snorted and lay down on the futon, giving a grateful sigh at the prospect of getting some real sleep. Still sensing the fox around, he watched the silhouette outside the shoji door. The fox spirit seemed to shrink as he crouched, his features becoming more and more fox-like until he was carefully lay on top of most of his tails. Rolling his eyes and accepting the fact the fox was hanging around he turned over and let his eyes close drifting off almost immediately.

Delicately settling his chin on his crossed front paws Sanji gave an irritated huff, disturbing some of the dust on the wooden floor he was lay on, making him sneeze and become more irritated with himself. He knew the reason he was hanging around Zoro – the swordsman could sense him. Having someone able to see him and begrudgingly acknowledge him was better than the lonely isolation he usually experienced. Unless he exerted a far greater amount of energy humans couldn't see him in his True form. Even for a Kitsune on the verge of turning eight hundred it sapped their strength so that they could only appear like that for a few hours at most, Sanji preferred not to do that, it had cost him and cost him dearly last time he had sought out human company and exhausted himself.

Even though the swordsman's company wasn't the most entertaining or polite, it was still company.

A few hours later Zoro roused from a deep and comfortable sleep. He could hear the place was now a hive of activity and wondered what Luffy had been up to while he slept. Sitting up he ran his hands through his hair and gave a drawn out sigh. He felt like he could sleep for another few hours…but, if people were moving around he should probably be helping. Groggily getting to his feet Zoro noticed there were now two silhouettes outside his door, that of the fox and also a woman.

Sliding the door open and still rubbing the sleep from his eyes he found Keimi kneeling beside the fox spirit beaming as she ran her fingers through the thick fur.

"Good afternoon Zoro-san, did you sleep well?" She asked without looking up from the fox's face.

"Yeah, I did thanks. Made a new friend?" He asked through a yawn, watching the way the fox had its head resting on the young woman's thigh, looking rather smug.

"Yeah…she's been lay here all the time you've been sleeping. She's lovely isn't she?" Keimi said looking up at Zoro with a wide smile that fell slightly when Zoro snorted with laughter.

As soon as Keimi had said the word 'she' the fox's head had raised up with a somewhat dismayed look in its eyes. Zoro, knowing the fox was male, found it all very entertaining.

"What? What's funny Zoro-san?"

"Oh…I don't know Keimi, I just kind of get the sense this fox is male that's all." He bent down and chuckling he ruffled the auburn fur, "I could be wrong though, ne fox-Chan?" Seeing the glint in the fox's eyes Zoro moved back just before the snapped its jaws at him.

"Zoro-san you shouldn't tease animals it's cruel!" picking he fox up to cradle it against her chest she snuggled it.

Zoro rolled at the way the fox seemed to melt against the girl. "Ero-fox." He muttered under his breath. He then saw something else register on the fox's face as it realised all its tails were on show. The fox struggled slightly in Keimi's grip, trying to lie back over its tails to keep them hidden from sight.

For a reason beyond Zoro's comprehension he found himself trying to divert Keimi's attention.

"Err… Keimi? Isn't it getting a little late? Shouldn't you be getting ready to feed the bottomless pit known as Luffy?"

Letting go of the fox suddenly Keimi's hands flew to cover her mouth as she realised Zoro was right.

"Oh no! I need to go! J..Ja ne!" With that she pushed herself to her feet and ran to start preparing the food.

"Close that time fox-Chan." Zoro teased, his smirk only growing when the fox simply faded from sight with one last snap of its jaws.

Luffy had made some decisions and the whole group had been ordered to pack up and be ready to move after their next meal. This was all Zoro was able to glean on his way to their leaders room. Knocking gently Zoro waited to be told to enter. On hearing the given permission he opened the door and stepped inside, bowing slightly. Luffy was pouring over the parchment the messenger had been trying to deliver.

"You've got everyone ready to move?" Zoro asked.

"Mmhmm. We're giving them two options – to form an alliance with us or to be defeated tonight." Luffy said rolling up the parchment and looking at the green haired swordsman with determination in his eyes. "If we get this finished quickly we can be back in two weeks."

Quickly calculating the distance and the time required Zoro frowned,

"That's two weeks forced march Luffy, don't forget if this goes to an all-out battle the men will be tired, we'll have a number of injured…"

Zoro was worried Luffy expected too much. There was no way the rebelling clan was going to give in, the fight would lead to inevitable casualties and if Luffy forced a march the men would try to keep up for his sake, but… it could lead to them losing more men.

"We just need to limit the casualties as much as possible, whatever we can do to keep everyone safe and get out of here as soon as possible. Akainu needs to pay, nobody turns on their own and gets away with it, nobody! Nobody takes what is important to me and gets away with it… "

"I know that Luffy, and I agree, but we can't rush head long into this. How do you limit casualties if they force a fight?" Zoro moved closer and sat opposite the young man, elbow resting on his knee, chin on his knuckles as he watched Luffy with a concerned frown creasing his brow.

"The leader of the clan has agreed to meet us at the edge of the forest to the south of the village. We'll have a better idea of how this will go once we've had met with him."

"Takanami agreed to meet?" Zoro almost choked on his own words. "He is going to be there?" The swordsman's hand was resting over the start of the scar at his chest.

Luffy nodded slowly. "Yeah, but you're not to challenge him. You said you would wait until you were stronger, until you were sure you could challenge him in a one on one duel. Look at me and tell me honestly… Can you beat him?"

Zoro was silent for a moment, "Honestly? I'm not sure… I am stronger, a lot stronger than I was back then, but I'm not in top condition either." Looking down at his hands he clenched them. "You know I'll challenge him if he's there Luffy, I have to."

Luffy grinned and shook his head, "Just thought I would try to put you off. I know you have to do what you feel is right." He placed the parchment inside his yukata, "I won't be happy if you get yourself killed Zoro… you promised – no more defeats."

"Heh… I think I broke that promise when I went up against Kuma didn't I?"

"You know I'll never class that as a defeat, nor should you. You endured, you lived. He thought he'd have killed you with what he put you through. You might not have beaten the man, but you did beat his trials. No defeat there." Luffy waved a dismissive hand.

"Guess we'll both see how this meeting turns out, ne?" Zoro smirked.

"I guess we will." Luffy grinned back.

As evening approached Luffy had the whole group ready to move depending on the result of the meeting. They were instructed to move in quickly and defeat all enemies in sight if Usopp signalled with a flare. Zoro was hoping it wouldn't come to that… If he could challenge Takanami…and win… there would be no unnecessary casualties.

The select group acting as Luffy's personal guard consisted of Zoro, Usopp and several other men – a small group considering they were heading to the edge of enemy territory. High above them floated the fox spirit, curious to see if the humans could do this without fighting.

The further they advanced the quieter it became, there wasn't a single birdsong to be heard, nor the movement of any animals. It made Zoro wary. The path they were taking was marked out, subtly, but it was still as though they were being kept to a specific track through the small band of forest that separated the north and south areas of the village. Gradually Zoro let himself fall to the back of the group, a little out of the earshot of the rest of them. Looking up to the fox spirit he beckoned him.

With a huff Sanji rolled his eyes and wondered why the hell the samurai would actually want to speak to him.

"What?" He asked rudely without pausing in smoking his pipe.

"Are there any living things other than us in this section of forest?" Zoro asked with a concerned frown.

Sanji quirked a brow but soon discovered that the swordsman's question had some grounding. His ears twitched delicately as he listened. With a frown of his own he shook his head.

"Nothing." He lifted his head and sniffed at the air, "Just the scent of humans and… oil and gunpowder." Sanji replied.

"Traps… I'll wager my swords on the forest being full of them." Zoro whispered before speeding up again to catch the group before they questioned his slow pace.

Sanji was yet again surprised by the swordsman. His intuition was impressive; the more Sanji concentrated the more he could sense that there was a circular perimeter around the village they approached which was devoid of animal life, as the swordsman said it had to be traps.

"Nice reception." Zoro commented a few moments later as they cleared the edge of the forest.

Ahead, arranged either side of their leader were a number of strong looking warriors, the largest towering above them all by feet, was stood to his right glaring at Zoro in particular.

"You lived, I'm impressed," Said the arrogant looking man at the root of the rebellion, his arms crossed cockily over his chest as he sneered at the green haired swordsman.

Zoro's jaw clenched as he stared back not making a sound.

"We are here to provide you with two options Mihawk-San." Luffy said formally, "The first is to form an alliance with us to strengthen forces in the face of another more threatening rebellion. The second… is complete and utter defeat. It's your choice but I advise you think carefully about the first option. Akainu has turned and is determined to take over Japan…that means the end of traditional battle. If he has his way guns and ammunition will be the only way. Faceless. Honourless. War."

Mihawk tilted his chin up defiantly to regard the younger man.

"You advise me? A child in terms of battle experience and you advise me? Don't make me laugh. Akainu is of little concern to me, we would crush him without you… in fact it would make more sense to let him crush you before we crush him… less work for us. However, since you're already here…" He grinned evilly.

"You think you can defeat a whole army of gunmen? I know full well you could take half of his forces, but, he will gladly sacrifice them to slaughter the rest of you, following that he will be free to hand guns to anyone he wants, rōnin… peasant… Nobel it wouldn't matter – anyone can hold a gun. Would you be known as the clan slaughtered by the first honour-ignorant army?" Luffy calmly asked.

"You overstep your mark." Mihawk snapped, though he knew in reality swordsmanship would eventually be replaced by the convenience these guns offered. There was little cultivation of skill needed to handle a gun… Still joining forces with the youngest of Japans generals was hardly something that sat well with him. His amber eyes moved from the young general to his second in command and a smirk formed.

"I will form an alliance with you if Roronoa Zoro can defeat a swordsman of my choosing in a one on one fight… I will choose… him." Mihawk stepped aside and allowed the mountainous man beside him to step forwards.

Zoro's heart had been in his mouth for a moment, he was sure this was to be the challenge he'd been waiting for, but when the other man stepped forward he struggled to hide his disappointment.

"No." Luffy replied immediately, "One or the other, no compromise. This isn't a game. We either form an alliance or we beat you. Properly." He stood slightly in front of Zoro knowing that though the swordsman was perfectly capable of fighting he'd rather not risk the samurai. He appeared fine outwardly and he would never show how much his internal injuries had affected him, it was a matter of pride… but Luffy knew – Chopper, his physician, had told him. Zoro had been lucky to survive.

"Fine, we'll do it your way… I hope you're ready to lose." Mihawk sneered turning his back abruptly and beginning to raise his hand.

"Archers - forty on the surrounding buildings. Swordsmen - high numbers behind the buildings to your east and west." Sanji whispered to Zoro urgently knowing a blood bath when he saw one.

Zoro stepped out from behind Luffy quickly and drew two swords, the ring of their blades loud and more effective than shouted words.

"I accept." Zoro said calmly, "Gomen Nasai Luffy. There are… other factors… to consider. If it is one versus one hundred casualties, you know which you should go for. I'll win." He said without looking back.

Luffy glared at Mihawk as he turned with a sneer. If Zoro was disobeying an order and he wasn't getting to fight his target there had to be something wrong. He trusted Zoro implicitly and so, he backed down.

"Fine, since Zoro would prefer to take your challenge and since I presume I have your word that when Zoro wins you are our ally… I will allow the conditions you set."

"Excellent. The evening will doubtlessly be far more entertaining this way, and so much more civilised." Mihawk replied as he looked Zoro over. It was almost as if the swordsman had known…

"The fight will be an honourable one. Roronoa Zoro versus my master swordsman. If Roronoa wins we will form an alliance, if he loses we slaughter you and your men without mercy. I agree this and will uphold it or I will forfeit my honour."

"Then it is agreed." Luffy said, signalling for the rest of the group to move back. "I'll look forward to drinking victory saké before dawn." He said quietly to Zoro with unwavering faith.

"Hai, Luffy-San." Zoro took his trade mark stance, dual swords drawn.

The huge figure moved forwards silently, katana drawn, face completely blank. He just stood there, waiting and staring. When Zoro moved to circle, still the man did not move. Zoro's eyes narrowed, he knew this arrogant stance and the emotionless stare that seemed to pass right through him. It was Mihawk… this was his body language to perfection… the complete self-assurance that should the opponent attack the man would be able to fend it off easily.

With a growl Zoro attacked, his movements were fleet and savage, every sweep of those blades was focussed on killing his opponent. Steel clashed against steel, the cold sound ringing out around them. The huge man seemed to be defending lazily, as though there was no urgency in his movements. This was something Zoro had struggled against when he'd fought Mihawk for the first time, his judgement had been clouded by the infuriating behaviour but, it wasn't going to happen again.

Mihawk watched carefully. Roronoa, though he had lost their fight, had lodged himself in Mihawk's memory. It was rare even a samurai was as fixated on his target and protecting his honour as much as Roronoa was. Crossing his arms over his chest he smirked, not only had the younger swordsman's technique improved, it seemed so had his focus. His smirk grew as the swordsman he had chosen was made to move, Roronoa would see what it was like to taste defeat again, if his master swordsman was moving it meant he'd seen enough…

The large man was forced into moving now, or so it seemed to the men watching. Zoro knew he hadn't been the one to cause the movement. This man was moving of his own accord, and his movements were gradually speeding up. Zoro's keen eyes focussed on the swordsman's feet and hands, they were the true tell-tale areas. Lunging forward Zoro's swords flashed at chest height before suddenly slashing upward. The larger man seemed ready and swept the blades aside harmlessly, smoothly drawing a second blade. As Zoro regained his balance his opponent took a stance that had Zoro immediately on edge. The stance… was his own, perfectly mirrored.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~TO BE CONTINUED~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rōnin/ rounin - Samurai with no lord or master during the feudal period of Japan. A samurai became masterless from the death or fall of his master, or after the loss of his master's favour or privilege. According to the Bushido (code of the Samurai), a samurai was supposed to commit ritual suicide upon the loss of his master. One who chose not to honour the code was "on his own" and was meant to suffer great shame. Rōnin status was seen as undesirable due to the views of Samurai and Feudal Lords.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter R&R if you have time~ Next chapter on its way ASAP.