Sandai Kitetsu, why do you not submit and pledge your loyalty instantly?!
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Perhaps my arrival really did cause quite a few butterfly effects in the pirate world.
After all, according to the original storyline, Kuro of a Hundred Plans and the fish-man Arlong were both defeated by Straw Hat Luffy, yet neither of them died outright.
Tashigi turned her gaze toward Zoro, her tone puzzled.
“You actually intend to use three swords as weapons? You remind me of a certain bounty hunter. What was his name again... Roronoa...”
“Although he is very famous in the East Blue, it is all for the wrong reasons. He actually uses swords as tools for making money. If I ever meet him, I will never forgive him!”
“...”
Zoro came to an abrupt halt.
What kind of absurd situation was this?
She was insulting me right to my face. Was that not a little too disrespectful?!
His full name was Roronoa Zoro.
Roronoa had once been his title as a bounty hunter.
Naturally absent-minded, Tashigi clearly failed to notice the change in Zoro’s expression.
Her gaze remained melancholy as she said with an innocent look,
“I truly cannot understand why the forces of evil are so rampant in this age. Those famous master swordsmen are either pirates or bounty hunters.”
“Nearly all the world’s famous blades are in their hands as well. Those swords must be weeping, mustn’t they?!”
Zoro gave a scornful laugh. Turning his back to Tashigi, he said,
“They may have their own reasons. Everyone follows the call of their heart.”
Zoro could not agree with Tashigi’s way of thinking.
Were all the villains in this world truly evil from the very beginning?
And besides—
Was the boundary between good and evil really so clear-cut?
There was no need to mention anyone else. Among the “villains” he knew, the most notorious was his own master—Chu the Overlord.
To save Cocoyasi Village, Chu the Overlord had even personally slain Captain Nezumi of the Marines.
In the eyes of Marine Headquarters, that was unquestionably an act of rebellion!
But would the Thousand Blades Demon Sword truly feel wronged in Chu the Overlord’s hands?
Naturally, the answer was no.
If he could be reincarnated as one of the swords wielded by Chu the Overlord, Zoro would not feel humiliated in the least. On the contrary, he would consider it the greatest honor imaginable!!!
Clutching her weapon, Shigure, Tashigi declared solemnly,
“In any case, I will use Shigure and train hard as a swordswoman. One day, I will reclaim every famous blade that has fallen into the hands of villains across the world!”
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“The Twelve Supreme Grade Blades, the Twenty-One Great Grade Blades, and the Fifty Skillful Grade Blades—even if it costs me my life, I will save every one of them.”
Chu the Overlord gave a small wave, a playful smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
“Are you saying you intend to take this sword as well?”
Whoosh!
No one saw what had happened.
How had a purple weapon suddenly appeared in Chu the Overlord’s hand—a weapon covered in cracks, as though it might shatter at any moment?
But the instant the Thousand Blades Demon Sword appeared, both Zoro and Tashigi found their eyes drawn irresistibly to it.
“Defense alone, never offense—the Thousand Blades Demon Sword!”
Zoro’s breathing quickened. This was the weapon he had dreamed of obtaining.
“The Thousand Blades Demon Sword? But it looks like nothing more than a rusty iron sword...”
Tashigi froze, speaking silently to herself.
Though those were her words, the shock in her heart was no less intense than Zoro’s.
From that rusty demonic blade, which seemed liable to break into a thousand pieces at any moment, Tashigi felt an overwhelming sword intent.
It was like standing before mountains and seas, the pressure so immense that it stole her breath.
Tashigi had never seen a true Supreme Grade Blade.
Yet she had a feeling that the Thousand Blades Demon Sword before her was absolutely no weaker than any Supreme Grade Blade!
Supreme Grade Blades were weapons that only swordsmen of the master-swordsman class could wield!
Where had this impossibly handsome man—handsome enough to live off his looks—obtained the Thousand Blades Demon Sword?
“Over... Overlord Chu, you misunderstand!”
“I—I do not wish to seize the famous blades. I only hope they will not fall into the hands of wicked men.”
Under Chu the Overlord’s pure, clear gaze, a flush rose to Tashigi’s face. She clasped her hands behind her back, her fingers twisting together nervously.
She was an excellent Marine who had dealt with countless vicious pirates!
Yet she could not understand why she was so nervous. His eyes seemed to possess some kind of magic, making it impossible to meet his gaze.
Chu the Overlord waved dismissively and instructed Zoro,
“All right. We do not have much time. Let us settle what we came here to do and get back on the road.”
Zoro placed the three weapons he carried onto the weapons stand, his heart practically bursting with joy.
From this day forward—
He would no longer be Three-Sword Style Zoro. He would become Four-Sword Style Zoro!!
With Little Wen, the sword spirit whose heart was in perfect accord with his own, he believed his swordsmanship would surely rise to another level.
When that time came, he would have a far better chance of challenging the world’s greatest swordsman, Hawkeye Mihawk.
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Zoro secretly made up his mind. He would have to work twice as hard at his training. He absolutely could not disappoint his master’s expectations!
“Are you certain you want to choose these three?”
“I must say, although these three swords are sharp enough, they lack resilience. They do not even qualify as Skillful Grade Blades, and they will be damaged before long.”
Zoro scratched his head, somewhat troubled.
“Whether they are Skillful Grade Blades or Great Grade Blades, such famous swords are treasures one can encounter only by the greatest luck. I did not find any weapons of that caliber in this shop.”
“Is that so?!”
Chu the Overlord smiled mysteriously.
Zoro was instantly baffled.
What was going on? Had he really overlooked something?
Or could his master truly find a famous blade of the world here?
“Over... Master Overlord, forgive my ignorance. Please enlighten me.”
Zoro’s manner was exceedingly respectful.
“Since you are a disciple of Chu the Overlord, you must not disgrace my name while traveling beyond our territory.”
“At the very least, you must have a Skillful Grade Blade.”
Chu the Overlord suddenly shouted,
“Third-Generation Kitetsu, why have you not acknowledged your master? What are you waiting for?!”
The moment his voice fell—
Whoosh!
A sharp whistle tore through the air beside their ears.
A Skillful Grade Blade appeared, its edge unusually long and its curve strikingly pronounced, without a fuller.
Its blade bore the characteristic flame-like pattern of folded and repeatedly forged steel.
The body of the sword was plain, with a ray-skin grip and wrapped handle designed to improve friction and make it easier to hold.
The sword measured eighty-eight centimeters in total length, was 1.7 centimeters wide, and had an edge approximately 0.8 millimeters thick.
“This... this... this is... Third-Generation Kitetsu!!”
A bead of cold sweat appeared on Tashigi’s brow as she cried out in shock.
In her memory—
Although Third-Generation Kitetsu was not one of the Fifty Skillful Grade Blades, its fearsome reputation had earned the awe and recognition of every swordsman!
It was said that every swordsman who had ever followed Third-Generation Kitetsu had met a terrible end. For that reason, Third-Generation Kitetsu was also known as a cursed blade!
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