Zoro woke up with the worst headache of his life, an excruciating pounding so intense it felt like his skull was splitting apart. It was as if his mind was a dam that had suddenly burst, inundating him with a chaotic surge of memories and information that threatened to tear him apart from within.

Blinking against the blinding pain, Zoro didn't recognize where he was. The room around him was shrouded in shadows that danced eerily in the dim light. He couldn't discern any details. It was impossible to focus on his surroundings with the relentless throbbing in his head. The pain was so all-consuming that it seemed to drown out all other sensations, leaving him in a numb, disoriented state.

With a deep, guttural groan, Zoro pressed his fingers into his temples, hoping to alleviate some of the pressure. He tried to make sense of the flood of memories crashing through his consciousness.

The last thing he could recall was a vague, almost surreal sequence of events—faces, places, and voices blurring together into an incoherent mess. Desperate to piece together what had happened, he strained to recall his last memory. Each fragment he unearthed hurt more than the last.

.

.

They had made it to Laugh Tale, but their journey was anything but a laughing matter in the past few months. Since Egghead Island, they had been relentlessly pursued by Blackbeard, the Marines, and Government forces. The final stages of their quest had turned into a brutal battle royale, with countless adversaries chasing after the One Piece.

One by one, they lost their crewmates until only Zoro and Luffy remained. They were severely wounded, and it was only thanks to Luffy's abilities that they found any semblance of safety on the island. Sanji had given his all to kick them to safety, holding off the last of their pursuers, knowing Luffy would need his first mate now more than ever.

Zoro could barely sit up anymore, but Luffy was in even worse shape, fading in and out of consciousness and clinging to life by a thread. Zoro held him in his lap, running his hand through Luffy's greasy, sweaty hair in a vain attempt to calm them both.

When Luffy mumbled that he could see Gol D. Roger, Zoro first thought he was hallucinating. He wouldn't have blamed him; they had been through hell.

"Please, let him see you too," Luffy croaked, his voice strained and weak.

Zoro was too exhausted to be surprised when Roger actually appeared.

"Can you do something to help my crew?" Luffy's voice was so quiet and breathy it made Zoro's skin crawl.

Roger looked at them with sorrowful eyes. "I can give you a fresh start. You won't make it, but I can give your first mate the chance to make things right," he said softly. "You are the one I was waiting for, but it wasn't supposed to end like this."

Luffy, after a hazy but trusting glance at Roger and Zoro, gave a tired, thankful smile. Zoro could feel his captain's breathing and heart rate slow, and then stop.

Zoro had known this moment would come, but that didn't lessen the feeling of being shattered into pieces. Luffy was now gone too.

He had tried to remain strong, to be Luffy's pillar, because he knew Luffy wouldn't have been able to carry on without him. Now, the tears he had been holding back since everything had started to fall apart couldn't be contained anymore. He sobbed uncontrollably, feeling empty and lost. It wasn't supposed to end like this. He had failed to protect his crew, and now even his captain.

.

After what felt like an eternity, his sobs quieted, though the tears still streamed down his cheeks.

Roger placed a hand on his shoulder and knelt across from him, meeting Zoro's eyes with a firm but sad gaze.

"Your captain was the one I was waiting for," Roger repeated quietly. "I can send you back with your memories, along with the knowledge from a tale about your journey. Hopefully, it will give you everything you need to make a difference."

Zoro looked at him, exhausted but hopeful. "How much should I change?"

"What you feel necessary, but at best not too much Try getting into contact with Shanks, that will probably give you the best options."

Zoro nodded thoughtfully.

Roger gave him a reassuring smile. "Good luck, kid."

Then everything went black, and images of the tale started flooding his brain relentlessly.

.

.

Zoro had no idea how long he laid there, trying to process it all. Now he had not only his own memories but also a bizarre third person view of events. And it wasn't just his crew's journey—there were scenes of things happening elsewhere in the world, making him feel like an intruder in others' lives.

He felt a wave of discomfort at having seen those outside events and past occurrences. He wasn't supposed to know even half of what he now did, but he understood he'd need that knowledge to make the necessary changes.

Abruptly, the stream of images halted. Not at Laugh Tale, but back at Egghead Island. Even his actual memories from that time began to fade, leaving only the haunting recollection of losing his crewmates.

It quickly dawned on him that it would take time to process everything before he could formulate any plans. His headache intensified with the effort, a harsh reminder that thinking wasn't his preferred activity.

With a deep sigh, he rubbed his face and tried to push aside the overwhelming questions for now.

Blinking, he opened his eyes. Everything looked different. Then it struck him—he still had both of his eyes.

It took several moments and confused glances around to realize where he was – in his room in Shimotsuki Village. With another groan, he confirmed that he was indeed back to being a child.

Damn how far had he been sent back?

His heart rate suddenly spiked. Was Kuina still alive? Could he save her this time?

The thought hit him like a bolt of lightning, propelling him upright.

But as soon as his foot touched the scabbard of her sword, the Wado Ichimonji, he crumbled inwardly.

With a deep sigh, he rubbed his face again. Roger must have known he would try to save her. Perhaps preventing her death would cause too many changes.

Zoro gritted his teeth at the thought. Did that mean Ace had to die too?

He resolved to stop Blackbeard as soon as possible; that, at least, seemed like one of things he could address early.

With another heavy sigh, he rose from his bed and took his swords.

.

.

As Zoro walked through the village, he was greeted by many familiar faces he never thought he would see again. The small houses looked exactly as he remembered, evoking a bittersweet nostalgia. It was peaceful and quiet, with the sound of children playing and laughing, villagers chatting, and the familiar noises of the dojo's activities.

He wasn't ready to face his old master Koshiro yet, so he headed into the forest. Here, under the dappled sunlight filtering through the leaves, Zoro felt he could almost breathe again. The path to his old training spot was so ingrained in his memory that his feet instinctively carried him there.

Arriving at his training spot, he picked up his old gear and began his routine. He hoisted a boulder and carried it for hours, did countless squats, handstand push-ups, and pull-ups, not bothering to count. His only goal was to quiet his mind, to drown out the chaos within.

Ever since waking up, his Observation Haki had been in overdrive, heightened by the trauma he had endured. It was overwhelming, and he struggled to shut it off. He desperately needed to be alone, to escape the sensation of feeling everyone's aura.

For now, he was just grateful that exhausting his body didn't take much effort in his current state. The frustration of being back in his weak, childish form could wait. Now, it helped tiring him out, mind and body.

He knew he was pushing his young body harder than he should, but he didn't care. Eventually, he collapsed in the middle of the woods, too drained to drag himself back. He welcomed the exhaustion, glad that after hours of relentless training, he had finally managed to stop thinking.

.

.

The next morning, Zoro woke up groaning, his entire body feeling like one sore muscle. Every movement made him feel like an old man who had been run over by the sea train.

Determined to make sense of the torrent of new information flooding his brain, he decided to meditate.

One clear objective stood out: stopping Blackbeard. The man was behind most of the calamities. Shanks had also been too easily overthrown by Blackbeard.

He pondered how to neutralize the forces of the World Government and the Marines. The Marines might be less of a problem if Akainu wasn't the fleet admiral—a situation that could only be altered by preventing the War of the Best.

Similarly, the Cross Guild with Buggy could be thwarted if Ace never ended up in Impel Down.

Then there were the profound revelations about Imu, JoyBoy, and the Void Century. They felt so abstract that he doubted he could use that knowledge effectively.

Okay, he thought, those are all the big forces we dealt with in the end.

Realizing that neutralizing these threats might create a power vacuum potentially filled by Blackbeard or unforeseen forces, Zoro knew he and his crew would have to be even stronger this time around.

Getting to Luffy would be the easy part, but what about everyone else?

Zoro's head throbbed painfully, signaling that he had done enough thinking for one day. His body still ached like hell, and he decided to test the strength of his other Haki.

Drawing Wado Ichimonji, he attempted to coat it with Armament Haki. The result was disappointingly weak, a faint shimmer that barely covered the blade. He sighed, knowing that Armament Haki was not just tied to willpower like Observation Haki, but also to physical strength. His child body simply lacked the necessary power.

He wasn't even close to coating his sword with Conqueror's Haki, but he could feel that his basic Conqueror's Haki had intensified, likely a result of the trauma he had endured

It was clear: he needed to make his body much stronger.

Deciding to postpone his sword katas until his body was less sore, Zoro turned and headed back to the village.