One Piece: King of the World

Chapter 277: No One Knows the Way!

In the East Blue, at Loguetown, Roronoa Zoro had already become a seasoned bounty hunter. He had left Shimotsuki Village some time ago, venturing out on his own.

Of course, he was still as hopelessly lost as ever. It seemed that no matter where he went, no one could give him proper directions.

Not that it bothered him too much. As long as he didn't starve to death, he was fine. With his swordsmanship, which was more than enough to dominate the small-time fighters of the East Blue, Zoro had found a decent job as a bounty hunter.

He had cut down quite a few pirates, exchanged their bounties with the World Government, and made enough money to survive. More importantly, he was using this opportunity to search for someone.

That's right, his reason for setting out to sea was simple: he wanted to find Kuina, who had been taken away by Claudius years ago. He had to challenge her to a duel and see who was stronger now.

But since he was hopeless with directions, he had made no real progress. He didn't even know where Kuina was. Before he left, Master Koshiro had mentioned something about looking for CP-X, but that hadn't helped at all.

He was already lost, how was he supposed to find an organization like that?

Recently, however, he had gained two travel companions. One was Johnny, a self-proclaimed sword master. The other was Yosaku.

These two boasted about one day taking down Dracule Mihawk himself, yet here they were, tagging along with Zoro.

Thanks to these two somewhat competent guides, Zoro had managed to reach Loguetown.

His reason for coming here was simple, this was the gateway to the Grand Line. He had realized that if he wanted to find Kuina, he had to head there next.

"Boss, let's stock up on supplies here before we search for the entrance to Reverse Mountain and make our way into the Grand Line," Joseph suggested, noticing the three swords at Zoro's waist.

"Yeah," Zoro nodded. "But first, I need to find a better sword."

Kuina had been taken away by Claudius years ago, and later, she ended up at Marine Headquarters alongside Mihawk for a time. After Mihawk had finished his business there, he had left, but Kuina had decided to stay, drawn to the Marines and their ideals.

Seeing this, Claudius had made arrangements for her to train under Gion, a powerful swordswoman. Not only did this provide Kuina with a mentor, but it also ensured that someone with ties to Claudius was embedded within the Marines.

Now, Kuina had grown into a formidable Marine officer, holding the rank of Commodore at Marine Headquarters. She wielded a sword of the Wazamono grade, a well-crafted blade of notable quality.

Zoro, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky. His weapons were mediocre at best.

Loguetown, being the last major stop before the Grand Line, was teeming with pirates looking to resupply. However, because of the presence of a particularly formidable Marine captain stationed there, most of these pirates lingered around the outskirts, avoiding direct confrontation.

Zoro needed more Berries to afford both supplies and a decent blade. Of course, as a bounty hunter, finding a pirate to take down would be the best way to earn some quick cash.

Unfortunately, he still had no knowledge of Haki, and during a recent battle, one of his swords had been shattered. Naturally, now that he was on the island, his first priority was to acquire a quality replacement.

"Boss, why don't you go buy your sword first? Leave the supply run to us," Yosaku offered with a grin.

Johnny, however, quickly covered his mouth and whispered, "No, I should go with him. You handle the supplies, Yosaku."

The shopkeeper, sensing a genuine customer, quickly turned his attention away from Nami. "Of course! All our blades are of fine quality, sorted by grade and price. What are you looking for?"

But Zoro wasn't listening. His eyes had locked onto a pile of discarded swords in the corner. Something there had caught his attention.

Taking a few steps forward, he reached in and pulled out a single blade. His brows furrowed slightly as he murmured, "Now this... is a fine sword."

"Ah—wait! I wouldn't recommend that one!" the shopkeeper warned. "That's a cursed blade, the Sandai Kitetsu! It's said to bring misfortune to its wielder!"

Zoro smirked. Before he could reply, the shop door swung open again.

"Hey, shopkeeper! Got anything new? I heard you got your hands on a Meito recently right? Mind letting me take a look?"

A young Marine woman with glasses had entered, her voice crisp and energetic.

"Tashigi!" the shopkeeper greeted with a smile.

Zoro's eyes widened in shock. "Kuina?! So you were here all along?! You never left the East Blue?!"

"Kuina?" Tashigi looked at Zoro in confusion, not understanding what he was talking about.

However, as soon as her eyes landed on the sword in Zoro's hand, her expression changed. The sword enthusiast in her instantly took over, and she exclaimed excitedly, "The Sandai Kitetsu!"

Zoro, still convinced she was Kuina, tightened his grip on the sword and said in a deep voice, "Let's see how much stronger you've gotten over the years!"

With that, he drew the Sandai Kitetsu.

Tashigi was startled by his sudden aggression, but she reacted instinctively. Her own blade, Shigure, was unsheathed in an instant, and she stepped into a defensive stance.

"Who are you?! How dare you attack a Marine?!" she demanded.

But the moment Zoro clashed blades with her, he immediately sensed something was off.

Why is she... so weak?

Before things could escalate further, the shopkeeper quickly intervened, shouting, "Wait! That's Marine Sergeant Tashigi! Don't cause trouble!"

Zoro blinked in shock. "Tashigi? You're not... Kuina?"

For a moment, his mind reeled. Could it be that his childhood rival had a long-lost twin sister?

Master never mentioned that...

***

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