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."

Yosaku raised an eyebrow. "What? Why?"

Before Yosaku could argue, Johnny leaned in and muttered, "If we let the boss go alone… we'll probably end up searching for him on the Grand Line."

Yosaku froze. The thought of Zoro's legendary lack of direction sent a chill down his spine. He quickly nodded and said, "You know what? That's a good point. Johnny, you go with him."

Zoro didn't seem to care either way. Under Johnny's guidance, they asked around and eventually found the location of a sword shop on the island.

As they walked through the streets, Johnny suddenly spoke up. "Hey, boss, did you hear? The Krieg Pirates left the East Blue two days ago. They're heading for the Grand Line to try and make a name for themselves. Pretty impressive, huh? With their strength, they might actually have a shot at becoming the Pirate King."

Zoro scoffed. "Not a chance. I've never been to the Grand Line, but I can tell that it takes more than that to survive there. Krieg's nothing special."

Johnny smirked. "Oh yeah? And what about you, boss? Are you stronger than him?"

Roronoa Zoro—the three-sword-wielding bounty hunter. Aside from reclusive masters like Koshiro, he was easily one of the strongest swordsmen in the East Blue.

But Zoro was self-aware. He had seen Mihawk, the world's greatest swordsman. He had even encountered Claudius, the leader of CP-X. He had studied the battle scars they left behind, evidence of their sheer power.

Judging by those marks alone, these people were monsters. At his current level, Zoro couldn't even dream of slicing through an entire valley with a single strike.

"I'm just a frog at the bottom of a well," Zoro muttered.

Johnny blinked in confusion. "Frog at the bottom of a well? What are you talking about, boss? You're already the strongest swordsman I know! If you make it to the Grand Line, you're bound to claim the title of the world's strongest soon enough!"

Zoro didn't answer. Instead, he glanced up at a shop nearby. "That's the sword shop, right?"

Before Johnny could respond, Zoro pushed open the door and walked inside.

Inside, a young woman with short orange hair was leaning on the counter, playfully bargaining with the shopkeeper.

"Come on, mister, I'm a beautiful woman. Shouldn't you give me a discount just for that? If not, how about two fresh oranges from my hometown?"

Zoro spared her a brief glance before ignoring her entirely. His mind was entirely focused on swords and swordsmanship. If there was any woman who could ever hold his interest, it was Kuina—no one else.

The girl, of course, was none other than Nami.

Claudius's intervention in the East Blue had drastically changed the region. The Fish-Men pirates, including Arlong, had been sent off to the Calm Belt. The Marines had also cracked down on crime, leading to a far more stable environment.

As a result, Nami had never become a thief. Instead, she had simply chosen to go out to sea, driven by her dream to map the entire world with her own hands.

She also wanted to find Claudius, thank him in person, and give him two of her favorite oranges as a token of appreciation.

After sailing all the way to Loguetown, she was now preparing to enter the Grand Line. But first, she wanted to buy a quality dagger for self-defense. The only problem? She was broke. So, here she was, trying to charm the shopkeeper into giving her a discount.

Zoro, meanwhile, walked straight to the counter and spoke. "I'm heading into the Grand Line. My current swords won't cut it. Got any good ones?"

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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