50. Dasky! The Butterfly Effect!
With a heavy heart filled with great unease, Zoro followed Chu Bawang as they turned left and right, eventually entering a long-established old weapon shop.
The walls were adorned with numerous weapons—forks, swords, hooked sickles—all coated with a thick layer of dust.
The shop owner was fast asleep.
With Colonel Smoker stationed in Log Town, hardly any pirates dared to visit the shop, causing her business to suffer significantly...
“Boss, I want to buy a sword,” Chu Bawang said as he tapped twice on the counter.
The shop owner abruptly awoke from her slumber, momentarily stunned.
She had weathered many storms in life, but only now truly understood what it meant to encounter a genuine pretty boy.
The customer before her appeared about twenty years old, yet stood over a foot taller than herself!
He had shoulder-length black hair, fair skin, and eyes that shone like stars. His every gesture was as refreshing as a spring breeze.
Paired with a well-tailored white suit, only words like “elegant and graceful” or “a celestial being descended to Earth” could barely capture the aura he exuded.
“Mr... Mr. Bawang, w-welcome! I’m Jessica, the shop owner. I’m at your service anytime!” she stammered, utterly captivated, her words faltering as her eyes sparkled with admiration.
As for Zoro and the breathtakingly beautiful Xiao Qing trailing alongside, they were completely ignored by the shop owner...
“Please, get me two reliable swords for this unregistered disciple,” Chu Bawang said.
“Zoro, come choose your weapons. Consider this your master’s gift for your first meeting,” he added.
“Ah? Ah! Thank you so much, Master Bawang!” Zoro exclaimed joyfully.
Despite having hidden his financial struggles well, he was still seen through in an instant.
A master truly is a master—so formidable.
“Zo... Zoro?!” the shop owner glanced at the Wadō Ichimonji sword at Zoro’s waist and was struck with awe once again.
Though business was poor, her eye for talent was sharp.
In just one glance, she sensed the sharp resolve emanating from Zoro!
Isn’t this the famed East Blue’s greatest swordsman, the three-sword style pirate hunter Roronoa Zoro?!
How did he end up as someone else’s unregistered disciple?!
What shocked her even more was that Zoro showed no intention to refute it.
On the contrary, he respectfully called him ‘master’?!
“Well then, I’ll leave the sword spirit Komon safely with Sister Xiao Qing for now. I’m going inside to pick out some weapons!” Chu Bawang announced.
“Alright, leave it to me,” Xiao Qing replied casually, her sweet smile momentarily stilling the entire room.
At that moment,
A short-haired girl wearing glasses and a pale yellow top suddenly burst into the weapon shop.
“Boss, sorry to bother you. Is the polishing on the Shigure finished?” Dazuki called out loudly as she approached the shop owner.
But as she passed by Chu Bawang and Xiao Qing, she paused slightly.
Chu Bawang was incredibly handsome, and Xiao Qing breathtakingly beautiful—their presence immediately caught Dazuki’s attention!
When she saw the Wadō Ichimonji sword in Xiao Qing’s hand, she became completely unsettled!
“Isn’t that one of the top twenty Great Blades, the Wadō Ichimonji?
This sword is a world-renowned treasure worth over ten million belly! To see it in person today is truly exhilarating!”
Dazuki abandoned her own weapon and rushed over to Chu Bawang, excitedly saying,
“Mr... Mr. Bawang, would you be willing to sell this sword? I’m ready to pay twice its market price.”
The moment she finished speaking,
Dazuki was baffled once again.
What’s going on?
Why did I just call a stranger ‘Bawang’?
Why did I suddenly acknowledge him as my father for no reason? This is utterly embarrassing!
And besides,
I was clearly trying to say ‘Mr. Bawang,’ so why did I stutter just now?!
Wait a minute...
How do I even know his name is Chu Bawang? Is this some supernatural occurrence?!
“Could this be the mysterious bond of fate?” Chu Bawang smiled faintly.
Unexpectedly, even though he personally brought Zoro out to buy swords, they still encountered Dazuki, who shared a profound bond with Zoro.
In the original story, Zoro and Dazuki did not meet in this weapon shop!
Moreover, it seemed Dazuki was unaware that she was now wanted by the authorities.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have spoken to him so politely just now.
Indeed, information on the seas is often unreliable.
The remote and backward East Blue is undoubtedly one of the most inconspicuous corners of the world.
Even world conquest cannot extend its reach to every corner of the globe.
Xiao Qing frowned slightly, displeased.
“You’d better give up on that hope. This sword is temporarily entrusted to my master’s care and will not be sold to anyone!”
“Ma... master? You actually call Mr. Bawang ‘master’?!” Dazuki took a deep breath as she carefully observed the stance between Chu Bawang and Xiao Qing.
Such a beautiful young lady actually referred to Chu Bawang as her master?!
She had thought Xiao Qing and Chu Bawang were lovers.
She never imagined Xiao Qing’s status was so lowly!!
For a moment, Dazuki’s feelings were deeply conflicted.
She felt both sympathy for Xiao Qing’s plight and resentment towards Chu Bawang.
There was no helping it.
Anyone who learned that such a stunning beauty was merely a lowly servant would surely feel sympathy!
The desire for beauty is universal.
Naturally, the somewhat airheaded Dazuki was no exception.
“Master Bawang, I’m back! I found weapons that suit me!”
Just then, Zoro appeared from the back door, beaming as he carried three sharp blades.
However,
Upon seeing Dazuki’s face, Zoro froze!
His heart stirred violently, unable to calm for a long time.
This...
How could this woman look exactly like his companion Kuina?!
Zoro did not hastily speak to Dazuki.
He noticed she seemed not to recognize him!
This left Zoro feeling rather disappointed.
Perhaps his companion Kuina was truly gone...
“Good, you’re back,” Chu Bawang said casually as he glanced at the weapons on the shop’s display table.
Yet he felt a slight surprise.
Isn’t that the Sandai Kitetsu?
How did it end up in this shop?
Having read the original story, he knew well.
The infamous demon blade Sandai Kitetsu and the fine blade Yukibou, one of the fifty great swords, should be in the hands of a shabby shop owner!
Could it be...
His arrival had caused a slight butterfly effect in the pirate world?!