A/N: And here, we have the 2nd chapter for our story. And this time, it'd show Zoro's origins earlier, and in a way that's a bit happier and just as meaningful, too.
One Piece: Adventures of the East Blue Sea
Chapter 2: The Three-Sword Style's Past! Zoro and Kuina's Vow!
Act I
One day, Luffy and Salvia stretched out their arms and showed their jubilance as Coby was ensuring that the ship stays on the current heading.
"What a day!", Luffy grinned.
"Yeah, it's gorgeous!", Salvia agreed.
"As long as we can stay on this heading, we should reach the marine base in no time at all.", Coby grinned.
"Wow, Coby. You're doing really great out here.", Salvia grinned.
"I'll say. You mean we're actually heading over there?", Nami asked.
"Of course, it's nothing. I'm just using the skills every sailor should have.", Coby responded.
While Salvia gave a light giggle with a grin, Luffy gave a chuckle of excitement.
"Honestly, I don't see what you two are so happy about. I mean, you do realize that we're headed right for a marine base, right? And not just any marine base; the one holding Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro prisoner.", Nami said.
Then, it went to show Zoro making a menacing pose with glowing red eyes with a slash before another occurred and showed a dark blue-haired woman with two swords standing beside him.
"No kidding... This is the man who's diced up his bounties like an animal bent on carnage; a bloodthirsty beast! He's been called nothing less than a living, breathing demon in human form!", Coby stated.
"And as if that isn't bad enough, we have to worry about Kuina, too. She's twice as fast and with that much speed and grace, they might as well be those of an angel.", Nami added.
While the two swordsmen in question were out alone in the crucifixion yard in which only their arms were tied up, they were thinking back on some events long ago back when he was young. Back then, he was out on top of a hill, looking out toward it to see a vast landscape. Inside one of the buildings below, a dojo, as a matter of fact, there was a group of students training to be swordsmen. They thrusted their swords back and forth while in their stances as the teacher looked on. But then, all of a sudden, the teacher heard a voice nearby.
"Hey!", a young boy called out, prompting the teacher to turn and notice him.
"Anybody wanna come out?! I'm here to challenge your dojo. Send someone out here! I'm ready to fight!"
But the teacher simply laughed as he walked over to him.
"A dojo challenge is quite a rarity these days, young one.", the teacher responded.
"Heh. Don't count me out just because I'm a kid. In the next village over, I'm unrivaled.", Zoro smirked.
"Very well, then. I accept your challenge.", the teacher eagerly responded.
"And if I win, then I get your dojo.", Zoro responded.
"And if you lose?", the teacher asked.
"I'll uh... then I'll join this place. How about that?", Zoro offered, earning another of the teacher's light-hearted laughter.
"Sounds very fair.", the teacher grinned before turning to his right.
"Kuina!", the teacher called, prompting the students to back away, making space for Kuina to enter as she spoke to her father.
"Yes. What is it, father?", Kuina asked.
Needless to say, the boy was shocked.
"Hold up! You mean you're not gonna fight me yourself, old man?!", Zoro shouted.
"Kuina may be just a girl, but she's stronger than any adult among us. Even as her father, I can tell you this without prejudice.", Kuina's father explained.
Frankly, he found it a bitter pill to swallow, but he had to agree.
"Fine, okay!", Zoro hesitantly agreed.
"Please, come inside, then and prepare.", Kuina's father invited.
Later, Zoro was brought before a barrel full of trainee swords.
"Can I use as many as I want?", Zoro asked.
"Of course you can.", Kuina's father responded.
Eager, Zoro spat out the leaf in his mouth and smirked. Not long after, he was holding more than 1 sword, let alone 2, some of which are in his mouth.
"All right. Let us begin.", Kuina's father stated.
"Right. I'm ready.", Zoro spoke, muffled due to the swords in his mouth.
Frankly, the other students were puzzled.
"Bow before the gods.", Kuina's father instructed before bowing as Kuina and Zoro did so, the latter inadvertently dropping a sword in his mouth.
"What is he doing?", one asked.
"He's crazy.", another added.
Then, Kuina's father turned around and spoke up again.
"And now... to each other.", Kuina's father spoke.
Zoro and Kuina bowed to each other again, the former dropping another sword from his mouth.
"Begin!", Kuina's father spoke before the two opponents prepared each other.
After a few moments, Kuina struck first only to be blocked by Zoro. However, when she struck again this time, Zoro was flung back, dropping many of his swords. This frustrated to Zoro to no end, noticing Kuina staring him down as she held out her bamboo sword.
"Dang it...!", Zoro grunted before he picked up two of his swords, much to Kuina's surprise and her father's.
"So... Have you studied two-sword style technique before?", Kuina asked.
"No way! This is the first time I've even held a bamboo sword!", Zoro responded.
"Really? Is that so?", Kuina's father responded.
Nevertheless, Zoro was determined to best Kuina.
"Dang it...! I'm strong, I know it! And I'm gonna get even stronger! I refuse... I REFUSE TO LOSE TO THIS GIIIIIRRRRRLLLLL!", Zoro thought as he charged toward Kuina, who just simply bonked him on the head, earning one of the students' reactions.
"Has he ever heard of dodging?", another asked.
"This match is over.", Kuina's father announced before Kuina poked against the floor near a defeated Zoro.
"He's like a bore.", Kuina spoke straightforwardly.
Her father did not take kindly to that.
"Come now, Kuina!", her father shouted.
"He's an amateur, and he's 10 years too early to even attempt using the two-sword style.", Kuina said, leaving a sour taste in Zoro's mouth as he clenched onto Kuina's bamboo sword in anger.
"What...?!", Zoro glared.
"You bitter? Because we can go another round if you want to.", Kuina responded.
Still, Zoro wasn't taking this lying down.
"A loss is a loss, okay?!", Zoro shouted.
"It is wise to accept defeat gracefully. Then, you might...", Kuina's father began.
"Then, I'll be a student here. You got a problem with that?", Zoro snapped.
"Not at all.", assured Kuina's father.
Before Kuina could leave, though, Zoro stopped her.
"Wait. I want you to know I'm gonna train day after day; all the time. And then, I'm gonna beat you. Remember that.", Zoro vowed.
But Kuina was still not impressed.
"That day will never come.", Kuina discouraged.
Still, rather than discourage the young swordsman, Kuina's harsh words compelled Zoro to push himself to the limit in training as first, he repeatedly whacked a stick statue, although not without taking some rests before he held up a rock tied to a rope with his mouth at one point beyond that and even running up ahead of the others while carrying a kid on top of him in another, unaware that Kuina was watching him train. He even went up against another swordsman, forcing him back. But even after all that, he still lost to Kuina.
"Match... over! And the winner... Kuina with 2,000 total wins and 0 losses!", someone spoke.
"Darn it...!", Zoro spoke, getting frustrated with his loss.
"You're weak, Zoro. Nothing ever changes. You know, for a boy, you're pathetic.", Kuina mocked.
This was starting to be more than Zoro could take. Even the others agreed that Zoro has gotten better.
"But... Zoro wasn't weak at all.", one of the boys whispered.
"He's one of the strongest out of all the guys.", another agreed.
"He's even beaten grown-ups.", a third concurred.
But neither of them knew that Kuina was listening until it was too late.
"But... He's nowhere as strong as me. Even with two swords, a weakling is still a weakling. You losers would do good to remember that and keep quiet. Your howling makes you look even more pitiful than you already are.", Kuina discouraged as she took her leave and closed the door.
This left a very sour taste in the others while Zoro just got up and dusted himself as Kuina's father went over to him.
"You've grown so strong, Zoro. And yet, you continue to lose every match against Kuina.", her father said.
Then, the other students started to voice their frustrations.
"Sensei! Are you giving her special training?! She might be your daughter, but that's not fair!", one student shouted.
"You shouldn't cheat!", another berated.
"Calm down. I've done nothing of the sort. You see, Zoro has grown stronger. But Kuina has continued to grow stronger as well.", Kuina's father explained.
At that point, Zoro started to walk away.
"Zoro.", one student spoke in surprise.
"Zoro...", another spoke in concern.
"I'm gonna go clean up.", assured Zoro.
Moments later, Zoro washed his face outside. Only afterward did he show visible frustration over his repeated losses against Kuina.
"DARN IT! Why can't I beat Kuina? Why, why, WHY?! I'm going to be the strongest swordsman in the world! So, why can't I beat her?!", Zoro berated, unaware that Kuina was listening nearby.
Then, he brushed his mouth and cheeks dry from the water.
"That's it...! Tonight, I fight her again!", Zoro vowed.
Little did he know that Kuina's father was speaking with someone.
"It's only been a year since Zoro became a pupil and the boy's progress is nothing short of spectacular. He trained so much more than the other pupils, it's incomparable. That must be what attributes to his progress. But it seems that the boy is still no match for Kuina.", the man said.
"Female swordsmen are faced with immense walls.", Kuina's father began, puzzling him.
"As she is now, I cannot trust the inheritance of this dojo to her.", Kuina's father stated.
But neither he, nor the man knew that Kuina had been listening before he opened the door.
"FATHER!", Kuina shouted.
"Kuina.", the man spoke in surprise.
"It's not polite to eavesdrop, my dear.", Kuina's father said.
"I'll show you I can do it! I WILL become the world's greatest swordsman!", Kuina assured.
But a few moments later, Kuina's father reinstated his decision.
"Kuina. As a girl, you can never become the world's greatest swordsman.", Kuina's father discouraged.
Having been told that at face value, Kuina was shocked. So, she sadly walked away and eventually sat down near a field. Little did she know that Zoro was on his way to face Kuina again only to happen to have just discovered her sitting down near a field all by herself. She looked up and saw Zoro there.
"Zoro?", Kuina asked.
"It's late out. What are you doing?", Zoro asked.
"Funny. I was gonna ask you the same question. What are you doing out so late?", Kuina asked.
Zoro explained as he walked over to Kuina.
"I've come here to challenge you to your 2,001st fight. And it's gonna be the last fight you and me will ever have. This ends tonight. Fight me with a real sword! You do have one, don't you?", Zoro asked.
This surprised Kuina.
"Real swords?", Kuina asked before noticing how determined Zoro is despite his 2,000 consecutive losses.
"You're on.", Kuina responded.
Moments later, she opened the door, went inside the room, and held out her sword before unsheathing a little bit of it from the scabbard.
"The Wado Ichimonji.", Kuina said to herself, her reflection in the sword.
Act II
Later, Kuina and Zoro were facing each other again in a grassy field. After a moment, Zoro saw his chance to attack only for Kuina to block the strike with Zoro striking again, only this time, cutting a bit of her hair and prompting Kuina to strike from the side with Zoro blocking it. They eventually forced each other back. After a moment, they yelled out as they charged toward each other before repeatedly clashing and/or blocking each other's attacks. It wasn't long before Zoro became tired while Kuina was still as composed as ever.
"Two real swords are heavier than you thought, huh?", Kuina asked.
But this only served to anger Zoro.
"See? You still lack strength.", Kuina mocked, only stoking the flames of his rage.
"SHUT UP!", Zoro shouted.
Kuina took advantage of the distraction and then knocked him back and also causing the two swords to be knocked away from him. Kuina then aimed her sword, worrying Zoro before she only struck near his face, the wind blowing past Kuina and Zoro.
"Win. Number 2,001.", Kuina smirked.
Then, the two swords then landed on opposite sides blade-first. FInally, Zoro had broken down into sobs upon failure after failure to defeat Kuina.
"Darn it...! This sucks...! I.. I hate it!", Zoro sobbed, unaware that Kuina had a sad look on her face.
"I'm the one who should be crying out of frustration. Not you.", Kuina said, puzzling Zoro.
"When girls grow up, it's natural for us to develop into physically weaker beings than men. Even you will catch up to me soon enough, I've always heard you say to me, you're gonna be the world's greatest swordsman. When I told my father the same thing, he said I could never be that. And I know. I know that, but... it's just so frustrating...! You're lucky, Zoro, being born as a man... All I ever wanted was to be the world's greatest swordsman...! My breasts have even started to grow out now... If only... if I had just been born a man...!", Kuina sobbed softly.
But this made Zoro angry before he snapped at her.
"DON'T FLY OFF AT THE MOUTH WHINING LIKE THAT AFTER YOU BEAT ME! Because it's not fair! You're my goal! You know how this makes me feel?!", Zoro shouted.
"Zoro...", Kuina spoke, surprised.
"Boy this, girl that, are you gonna keep up that same kind of talk after I beat you someday?! Like skill is irrelevant. That's just an insult to all the training I've been pouring on every day! So don't say that crap, would ya?!", Zoro shouted.
Then, Zoro walked closer to Kuina.
"Now, promise me! Promise me that someday, one of us will be the world's greatest swordsman! We'll compete and see who gets there.", Zoro demanded, surprising Kuina.
After a moment, Kuina gave a genuine smile.
"Dummy... You're so weak.", Kuina responded before Zoro held out his hand.
In no time, Kuina took it.
"It's a promise.", both Kuina and Zoro said in unison.
Later, Kuina was seen training very hard against the man her father spoke with earlier, much to the students' surprise.
"Whoa...! She's gotten even stronger than before...!", a student spoke as her father was just as surprised, too.
Later after that, Kuina was speaking with her father.
"Kuina, can you see if you can get the practice swords from the storehouse?", her father asked.
"Yeah. Of course, Father.", Kuina agreed.
That night, she rushed to get to the practice swords from the storehouse, unaware that two mysterious figures in white hoods were nearby. Unfortunately, she tripped on the way down straight toward the staircase! Kuina exclaimed as she was falling. But fortunately, just as suddenly, she stopped before she could hit the first stair. When she opened her eyes, she was surprised to find herself inches away from the stair before she was moved from the stair and carefully set back down.
"You really should be more careful, little one. It would be a most ungracious ending for an up and coming swordsman to be taken out by a few measly stairs.", one of the mysterious women spoke before Kuina got up and saw them, gasping in surprise.
"Are you... the ones who saved me?", Kuina asked, one of the mysterious figures giggling in a friendly manner in response to the question.
The next day, at sunrise, Zoro was training very hard with his mouth holding onto a weight as he lifted up the rocks, one hand at a time as if they were weights.
"Gotta get stronger... So I can hold lots of swords... If two's not enough, I'll use three!", Zoro thought.
It went on for a while before the 3 students' presence caught Zoro's attention.
"What do you guys want?", Zoro asked.
The silence started to leave Zoro worried.
"Kuina... Kuina left her sword in your room, Zoro.", the student said.
Puzzled, he decided to find out for himself and saw it left on top of his bed like the student said.
"No way...", Zoro said, shocked.
But then, he saw a scroll next to the sword, picked it up, and opened it.
"Take this and may our paths cross again in the future when we meet as equals. Kuina.", Kuina's voice spoke, in keeping with what the note read.
Moved by the note inscribed in the scroll, Zoro shed tears of joy and determination to live up to his goal of becoming the world's greatest swordsman. In fact, sometime later, he ran back to the dojo and got back inside only to find the dojo empty. Eventually, he heard the noise of a cicada from outside as it was resting on a tree.
Sometime later, he went up against a student much older than him and knocked him away, much to the others' shock and awe. Zoro panted after having bested his opponent. Later after that, he trained even harder than before. At one time, he was holding a rock up with his mouth again, but this time with his nose sticking out to the sky before he roared in determination, the rope still in his mouth. Later, he even whacked all the surrounding statues around him until all three broke apart all with a weight in his mouth. After a moment, he turned to see Kuina's father behind him, causing him to drop the weight upon seeing Kuina's sword carried by her father.
The father then explained to Zoro the reason behind Kuina's 2,001 consecutive wins.
"It may appear otherwise to the blind eye, but people are quite fragile things. Kuina... She was a very competitive girl. From the time she was old enough to make a decision for herself, she practiced in this dojo, achieving strength that surpassed many adults. It was this fruition of power that caused her to become a bit conceited. And then you appeared, Zoro. And I thank you for this. Because as you grew ever stronger, Kuina felt compelled to practice even more. So as not to lose to you; so as not to lose to a boy. Through this, she had begun to chip away at the walls of female swordsmanship. Despite any of which I speak, I am... above all things, an ordinary parent. And as any human, I am bound by my emotions, as well as my blood. When I look at you now, Zoro... I...feel only pain.", Kuina's father explained, practically moving Zoro to tears.
"There's more. Before she left, I told her the very reason behind this drive thus far.", Kuina's father explained before it went to a flashback of his own with Kuina having been told this.
"Kuina, before you go there is something I must tell you." Kuina's father said before kneeling down in front of her.
"What is it, father?" Kuina asked, turning to him.
"What I said to you the night before, that you will never be a great swordsman, I never meant any of that, my dear.", he said to her, surprising her completely.
"You didn't? But then why did you-", she started before he interrupted.
"To push you, to have you go past your limits and beyond, Kuina. I've always known you would become a great swordsman. I just wanted you to valve yourself and know your own limits. It would never have been easy, but I knew you were up to the challenge.", her father praised.
And as if a tremendous weight has been lifted off her shoulders, Kuina's eyes started to water before she finally broke down and cried, embracing her father.
"Oh, father...! Thank you...! Thank you, thank you, thank you!", Kuina thanked for all his words of encouragement.
Hearing this especially touched Zoro even more, still trying to hold in his own tears.
"Sensei... I ask that you let me... have that sword...", Zoro pleaded.
Such a request puzzled him briefly.
"Kuina's sword?", her father asked.
For a time, it puzzled him, but regarding the fact that he revealed the true reason behind Kuina's drive and ensuring that Kuina leaves on better terms, he began to understand, even right before Zoro shouted out his goal.
"I'LL GET STRONGER! STRONGER THAN SHE'D EVER BE, YOU HEAR ME?! STRONG ENOUGH THAT MY NAME REACHES OUT TO THE HEAVENS! I AM GOING TO BE THE WORLD'S GREATEST SWORDSMAN...! I PROMISED HER...! I promised...! I did...!", Zoro swore.
Hearing such resolve, Kuina's father gave a grin to Zoro.
"Yes. The sword is yours.", Kuina's father agreed, surprising Zoro.
He then picked it up and offered it to Zoro.
"I leave her shared spirit and her shared dreams... in your hands.", Kuina's father added.
Touched even further, Zoro broke down even further, and this time..., he could no longer hold back from crying. He let out all his tears in gratitude just as Kuina has done before him.
8 years later, Zoro has not only mastered the two-sword style; he surpassed that in favor of the three-sword style, which he used to cut down the rope and a rock into four pieces, never mind possibly six. At that point, Zoro's sensei spoke up behind him.
"It's been 8 years, Zoro. You're finally going to set out on your own?", Kuina's father asked.
"Yes, Sensei. To fulfill... a promise.", Zoro responded, turning to him, his young look fading to a more manly appearance as he turned.
With that, Zoro bowed and started out on his way before his sensei stopped him.
"Zoro! Take care.", Kuina's father spoke before Zoro grinned to him in response.
Back to the present, Zoro and Kuina were beside each other all tied up.
"Honestly, we gotta stop meeting like this at some point...", Zoro admitted.
"Hey, at least we're still alive. We did make it past most of the month already, didn't we?", Kuina asked.
"That we did.", Zoro responded before Kuina nodded.
"After all, we barely survived Don Krieg and his pirate crew. At this point, this is nothing.", Kuina said.
"You could say that again, Kuina.", Zoro agreed.
"Although, you are right about one thing. We really do have to stop meeting like this at some point. It's almost like your lousy sense of direction is always begging to get us in trouble.", Kuina said before laughing a bit from this, peeving Zoro.
"Oh, haha!", Zoro spoke sarcastically as the swordswoman continued laughing.
But what could've happened that landed them where they are? And what exactly were they waiting out the rest of the month for? One thing is for certain: their lives are going to change the day they meet Monkey D. Luffy and Monkey D. Salvia.
TO BE CONTINUED
A/N: So, what'd you think? Pretty great to see Kuina alive and well, isn't it? At this rate, it really IS true what people say: the more, the merrier.