One Piece: King of the World

Chapter 278: Zoro and Nami Set Off on Their Own?

"So, you're telling me there's someone out there who looks exactly like me?" Tashigi asked in surprise.

At this moment, Zoro, Tashigi, Nami, the shopkeeper, Johnny, and a few others were all gathered together.

The earlier misunderstanding had been cleared up, Tashigi had never heard of anyone named Kuina. Meanwhile, Zoro had acquired the Sandai Kitetsu through a test of fate, proving his courage in a gamble against its so-called curse. His fearless display won the admiration of the shopkeeper, who not only sold him the cursed blade but also gifted him another sword, the treasured heirloom of the shop, Yubashiri.

The shopkeeper firmly believed that once Zoro entered the Grand Line, he would undoubtedly become a great swordsman. And what better fate for a fine blade than to be wielded by a true warrior?

However, since Zoro was about to set sail for the Grand Line and Luffy had yet to even begin his journey, the two would not be crossing paths anytime soon. This meant that Yubashiri might not meet the same tragic fate it did in another timeline. Perhaps this time, it would have a chance to shine.

"Yeah," Zoro responded flatly. "She looks exactly like you except she doesn't wear glasses. And trust me, she's much stronger than you."

Tashigi bristled at the remark, but instead of arguing, she asked, "So you're heading to the Grand Line?"

"Yeah. I need to find her and finally settle the score. She beat me 1,250 times. Not once did I ever win. There's no way I can just let that go," Zoro declared, his tone resolute.

Tashigi glanced at Johnny before asking, "So it's just the two of you going to the Grand Line?"

"No, there's one more our other brother is out buying supplies," Johnny replied.

"Three people?" Tashigi murmured before shaking her head. "You guys seriously underestimate the Grand Line. Just the three of you? That's practically a death sentence. By the way... do any of you even know how to sail?"

Sail? What kind of question was that? Zoro looked confused. As far as he was concerned, if you had a boat, you just rowed, right?

Johnny, however, puffed out his chest confidently. "I know a little bit! I can read maps! Once we finish buying the sword, we'll go purchase a Grand Line chart!"

Tashigi's face twitched in disbelief. "You... don't understand anything, and yet you're planning to head to the Grand Line? You do realize normal navigation methods don't work there, right?"

"What do you mean, 'normal navigation methods' don't work?" Johnny looked equally confused. "How do you sail without using a map?"

At that moment, Nami chuckled and interjected, "It's not that you don't use maps at all, but the maps themselves aren't as important as this."

As she spoke, Nami pulled out a Log Pose.

Tashigi wasn't surprised after all, she was from the Grand Line. But Zoro and Johnny stared at it blankly, utterly clueless.

"What the hell is that?"

Their goals were also conveniently aligned. Both of them needed to enter the Grand Line, both were looking for someone, and both were chasing a lead that led straight to Claudius.

Zoro had strength and weapons, along with a ship and supplies. Nami had navigation skills and a sharp mind. If they joined forces, wouldn't that make for a perfect partnership?

Zoro thought the same thing. Since they had run into each other by chance, why not form a team and set sail together?

Tashigi, however, had one last question. "You do realize that Claudius is a Celestial Dragon, right? Finding him won't be easy."

"Well, it's better than doing nothing. Besides, he once told me that if I ever needed anything, I could come to him and join CP-X," Zoro replied casually.

And so, after this unexpected turn of events, Roronoa Zoro and Nami decided to set sail for the Grand Line together.

Meanwhile, far away in the New World, Claudius had no idea that two fresh-faced rookies had just set out to find him. But even if he did, he would probably just laugh it off.

If Zoro and Nami really did manage to track him down, well... he wouldn't mind taking them under his wing. After all, why not? If they were useful, they could help him make some money.

As for what this meant for Luffy?

That had nothing to do with him. If Luffy had a problem with it, he could go complain to his grandpa.

Why not become a Marine? Who knows, maybe he could even make it to Admiral someday.

---

At Marineford, Kuina had just stepped off a warship. Coincidentally, it was a dog-headed warship, which could only mean one thing, the commanding officer was Garp.

"Ahahahaha! Kuina, I heard you're from the East Blue too! I might be heading there soon. Want to come along?" Garp laughed heartily as he disembarked.

Kuina hesitated for a moment, then smiled and shook her head. "No, I'm transferring to G-1."

"G-1?" Garp raised an eyebrow before grinning. "Ah, following in Gion's footsteps, huh?"

"Yeah. She needs reinforcements, and I've heard New World offers a greater challenge. I want to test my strength there," Kuina replied with a smile.

"You've got ambition! Good! Work hard, I wouldn't be surprised if you surpassed even Gion someday," Garp said approvingly.

At the same time, a thought crossed his mind.

If only that no-good grandson of mine had half your discipline... Damn you, Shanks!