Shira pulled out a Den Den Mushi from her pocket.
The Straw Hat Pirates weren't the broke crew from the original story anymore. Having communication equipment like Den Den Mushi was pretty standard for them now, especially after their adventures in Arabasta had left them with more resources than they knew what to do with.
She dialed Nami's number.
Purururu. Purururu.
Gacha.
"What's up?"
Nami's voice came through, and the snail mimicked her face, complete with chewing motions. She was clearly eating something.
"Zoro just got taken away by some strangers wearing Marine uniforms. But he seemed to know them, or at least one of them. He went willingly."
"Wait, what?" Nami sounded confused. "That directionally challenged idiot actually knows people out here in the Grand Line?"
"He said he'd be back before evening. But the Marines who stayed behind said some weird stuff before they left. They mentioned something about a festival and a vessel or something like that."
The moment she finished speaking, BANG!
A gunshot echoed through the Den Den Mushi, followed by several more in quick succession.
The call cut off abruptly.
She stared at the snail for a moment, then turned toward the right side of the ship. Gunfire was coming from that direction.
The Going Merry wasn't far from the harbor, maybe a few hundred meters at most. But after that initial volley of shots, everything fell into silence.
What had just happened?
---
Inside the restaurant, Nami lowered the Den Den Mushi and let out a long breath.
"Well, that scared the shit out of me. Why'd they suddenly start shooting?"
She looked around at the villagers who'd been knocked down in an instant. None of them were seriously injured, but they were definitely out of commission. Sanji had disarmed them with precise kicks, while Alvida had simply grabbed several muskets and bent the barrels like they were made of clay.
"You filthy pirates!" One of the villagers glared hatefully at them from where he lay on the floor.
Alvida shrugged. "This is pretty normal."
She wasn't wrong. As pirates, unless they were on a pirate-controlled island, being welcomed anywhere was basically impossible. The casual, friendly attitude from earlier had been the real anomaly.
Luffy, still working on a massive hunk of meat, looked a bit confused. "Hey, why'd you attack us all of a sudden? We were having such a nice meal."
"What do you mean 'why'?" The restaurant owner wiped blood from the corner of his mouth where Sanji's kick had grazed him. "You're pirates. Attacking pirates isn't wrong!"
"Oh! Yeah, that makes sense." Luffy grinned.
The rest of the crew nodded seriously, as if the restaurant owner had made a perfectly reasonable point.
The owner stared at them, momentarily stunned. Then he looked around at the young men of the village now lying scattered across the floor after being taken out in a single exchange.
These pirates' strength was terrifying. Yet instead of finishing what they'd started or retaliating properly, they'd just sat back down and continued eating like nothing had happened.
"You're not going to fight back?"
"You attacked us, we defended ourselves," Marcus said. "But since you didn't poison the food, let's call it even."
If there had been poison in the meal, he would have noticed immediately. Anything toxic he consumed showed up in his status effects. But after eating this much without feeling anything, the food was clearly safe.
That fact alone revealed quite a bit about these people's character.
The restaurant owner's expression grew complicated. The young men on the floor exchanged glances, clearly not sure how to process pirates who didn't act like pirates.
Finally, he let out a sigh. "You should leave this island. As soon as possible. Before nightfall."
Everyone turned to look at him.
The owner glanced at the young men around him, about to explain further, when the old woman who'd originally exposed their identities walked out from the kitchen.
"Let me play the villain," she said tiredly. "You boys clean up the mess."
The owner fell silent, and the young men quietly began gathering broken furniture and righting overturned tables.
The old woman looked at the Straw Hats. "The companion who was taken, he's a swordsman, isn't he?"
"That's right."
She tapped her hunched back absently. "Earlier, the girl mentioned the Shichiseiken. Do you know the legend behind it?"
"When the blood moon descends, souls are sacrificed to the blade, and the cursed sword appears in the world," Robin replied softly, touching her arm with a complicated expression.
Just minutes ago, she'd used her Devil Fruit ability to scout the island's ruins and had discovered a mural carved into ancient stone. The writing was in a script so old even she had trouble reading parts of it.
The mural was damaged, sections destroyed either by time or vandalism. But what remained showed that phrase clearly.
"Yes," the old woman nodded. "But that legend goes back centuries. Every hundred years, a blood moon descends on this island. Guarding against it has been my clan's mission for generations beyond counting. But times changed. After the Great Pirate Era began, pirates flooded the seas. They came here looking for treasure that doesn't exist, food we couldn't spare, entertainment we couldn't provide. Our people died of hunger, or died defending what little we had. Now all that remains of us is the small group you see at this port. Maybe fifty people total. And then... three years ago..."
Marcus couldn't stand the cryptic storytelling anymore. "Three years ago, pirates attacked. Your population dropped so low you couldn't maintain the seal anymore. The Shichiseiken awakened. It's a cursed blade that controls anyone who touches it, making them lose their sanity and go on killing sprees. Now you're looking for sacrifices, blood to feed the sword. You're planning to use swordsmen or pirates to satisfy it, aren't you?"
The old woman stared at him for a long moment, then nodded slowly. "You're smarter than you look, boy. Yes, we use pirates' lives. This all started because of pirates! If it weren't for them, we'd have enough to eat, enough people to maintain the seal properly. Why would we ever need to awaken the Shichiseiken?"
"Unfortunately, it's a group of adventurers who came this time. Not the murdering, pillaging kind."
Despite her hatred of pirates, she could clearly tell the difference between ruthless criminals and people like the Straw Hats. Her conflicted expression said as much.
In an age where pirates had become synonymous with evil, holding onto that kind of rational judgment was remarkable.
Marcus found himself surprised. When madness becomes normal, sanity gets treated like a burden. In the Great Pirate Era, holding onto kindness and moral nuance was probably the most dangerous thing you could do to yourself.
Blind, indiscriminate hatred toward anyone who sailed under a pirate flag, that was just the survival instinct this world demanded now.
The Straw Hat crew fell into silence. Luffy pulled his hat lower.
Everyone understood that pirates were branded as villains by the world. And offering comfort to victims of pirate attacks wasn't really something pirates had any business doing, no matter how well-intentioned they might be.
Marcus frowned. "If this sword is so dangerous, why not just destroy it? Why keep it around at all?"
An object that brought nothing but death and suffering, unless it was tied to religious worship, which didn't seem to be the case here, should have been destroyed generations ago.
The old woman shook her head wearily. "We've tried. Believe me, we've tried everything. Throw it into the ocean? It returns when the blood moon rises. Shatter the blade? It reforms. Melt it down? The metal refuses to stay liquid. The Shichiseiken always comes back to this island when the blood moon appears... and then the massacre begins."
Marcus listened to the old woman's story.
Ever since he'd recognized this as the Shichiseiken arc, he'd been trying to recall how the plot was supposed to go. But clearly, this world had taken the basic premise and run with it, adding its own twisted logic to fill in the gaps.
And the more he heard about this sword, the weirder it got.
Every blood moon, it would return to the island, sometimes even going on killing sprees of its own accord.
Even if you threw it into the ocean or tossed it into a volcano, it would still come back? That was some seriously bullshit curse magic.
The rest of the crew looked spooked by the ghost stories, exchanging nervous glances.
Bon Kurei said thoughtfully, "Actually, I've heard quite a few rumors about the Shichiseiken back in my Baroque Works days. Most stories claim that whoever wields it would instantly become a master swordsman. The blade supposedly grants incredible skill."
Everyone's eyes shifted to Nami, since she'd mentioned hearing similar tales before.
Under their stare, she spread her hands defensively. "You all know I used to be a treasure thief. I heard the Shichiseiken is worth a fortune, something like forty million berries. Some nobles and rich collectors got obsessed with the idea of owning it. That's more than most Supreme Grade Blades go for."
Marcus tilted his head. "Supreme Grade Swords are cheap?"
"It's just a reference point," Nami explained. "Not every blade is worth the same. But any sword classified as a 'cursed blade' starts at around ten million minimum. The really notorious ones can go for over a hundred million."
"Makes sense, I guess..." Marcus nodded slowly.
The valuation of Supreme Grade Blades had always seemed off to him. Especially that ten million price tag people threw around, it got mocked constantly in fan discussions. After all, there were only twelve Supreme Grade Blades in the entire world. Theoretically, they should be rarer than Devil Fruits.
And even the cheapest Devil Fruit went for at least a hundred million berries.
After that brief tangent, the old woman picked up where she'd left off.
"So right now, your swordsman friend is in serious danger. The Shichiseiken craves the blood of skilled swordsmen above all else."
Usopp suddenly perked up, remembering something. "Doesn't Zoro already carry a cursed blade?"
"Sandai Kitetsu," Marcus supplied.
"Yeah, that one! So he's already dealt with a cursed sword before. He should have some kind of resistance to this stuff, right?"
The rest of the crew continued eating and drinking.
The old woman stared at them in confusion. "You're... not worried about your friend?"
The Straw Hats exchanged glances with each other.
Of course they were worried, but they also trusted in Zoro's strength.
Marcus glanced at his minimap interface. Zoro's marker showed he was up on a small hill not far from here.
Clearly, he was already in contact with the sword.
Seeing how relaxed everyone was acting, the old woman could only shake her head helplessly. She'd given her warning. What happened next was out of her hands.
Nami noticed Marcus staring in the direction of the hill and asked, "He's over there?"
"Yeah, but it looks stable for now. No signs of fighting or anything."
The crew all knew Marcus had some kind of long-range observation ability, so after hearing that confirmation, they relaxed even more.
"Hey Chef, you got any more meat?" Luffy called out.
The restaurant owner, who had just finished cleaning up the mess from their earlier scuffle, sighed but headed back to the kitchen anyway.
Marcus pulled out an ender pearl and handed it to Usopp. "Fire this in that direction."
Usopp looked surprised. "What's going on? Did something happen?"
Marcus' sudden action made everyone tense up for a moment.
"Nah, I'm just curious about the Shichiseiken. You all know I'm interested in swords and sword techniques."
The old woman frowned at his attitude. "Don't underestimate the Shichiseiken. Once it—"
Before she could finish her warning, Usopp raised his slingshot to his lips and blew into it.
"It'll be a bit off-target, but you can navigate the rest yourself. I won't bother with the hair-guidance system for this one."
With that, he released the pearl.
The ender pearl shot through the air, then suddenly accelerated after a small explosion propelled it forward.
The old woman stared blankly. A moment later, when she looked back at where Marcus had been sitting, the chair was empty. He'd vanished completely.
She sat frozen in silence for a long moment, then let out a sigh.
People who underestimated the Shichiseiken rarely met pleasant ends. And trying to stop them would just add one more sacrifice to the count.
---
Up on the hill, Zoro stood face to face with someone he hadn't seen in years, Saga, a friend from his childhood.
Zoro's goal had always been clear: become the World's Strongest Swordsman.
Saga's dream, on the other hand, was to cut down all the evil in the world with his blade, a far more idealistic and arguably impossible ambition. In terms of raw talent and combat ability, he had never been a match for Zoro. But he was one of the few people who could actually last more than a couple of exchanges against him.
But now, as Zoro looked at his old friend, something felt wrong.
"The aura coming off you is wrong."
Saga's gaze dropped to the sword at Zoro's waist. "And you're any different, Zoro? You carry a cursed blade yourself."
Zoro rested his hand on the hilt of the Sandai Kitetsu. "There's a difference between mastering a sword and being mastered by it."
Saga gave a wry, humorless smile. "Forget it. I didn't come here to argue philosophy with you."
Zoro relaxed slightly at hearing his friend's familiar laid-back tone. His eyes then drifted to Saga's right arm.
"Your injury... it healed?"
"This?" Saga glanced at his arm almost dismissively. "Yeah, thanks to the Shichiseiken. Otherwise, it wouldn't have recovered so easily. Maybe not at all."
Zoro didn't ask for details about how exactly that worked. In this world, strange and miraculous things happened all the time. Marcus could probably fix injuries like that too if he put his mind to it.
"Want a drink?"
The simplest, most honest invitation between men who'd once trained side by side.
Saga didn't refuse. He grabbed a bottle and they settled in.
For a moment, it felt like the early days when they'd both first set out into the world seeking their dreams.
"Hahaha, I can't believe you actually became a pirate," Saga laughed, slapping Zoro's shoulder.
Zoro gestured toward the people standing around them in Marine uniforms. "And you went and became a Marine. Guess it fits your ideals about cutting down evil."
"I never actually became a Marine."
"What?" Zoro lowered his cup and looked around in surprise at the men. "Then what's with all this?"
"Zoro, you know what I realized? There's no such thing as 'justice' in this world. Not real justice anyway."
He slammed his fist down on the stone table with enough force that cracks spread across its surface, small fragments breaking off and tumbling to the ground.
Zoro stayed quiet, watching his friend carefully.
"After I got injured, I tried to join the Marines. I'd heard there was someone with a Devil Fruit ability that could heal damaged limbs. Thought maybe they could fix me up, let me continue fighting."
"And?"
"The ability worked... just not for people like us. Nobodies from the East Blue don't get access to that kind of medical care."
Zoro frowned. "But you made it to the Grand Line. That should have qualified you for the main forces, right? You're not some grunt Marine."
"Haha, you give me way too much credit." Saga took a long drink. "A guy from the East Blue trying to join Marine Headquarters? Not a chance. Those positions are reserved for people with connections, family ties, political backing. And I tried to join after getting injured, remember?"
"So I made my way to the Grand Line, figured I'd sign up at Marine Headquarters directly. Turns out the Marines there were even more rotten than I could've imagined."
Zoro listened quietly, watching the dark aura radiating from his old friend grow thicker.
"What happened?"
"You know how the Marines count achievements?"
"No."
Saga let out a bitter laugh. "Killing pirate captains, powerful pirates, their crew, each level gives different merit points. For captains and officers, any Marine who captures them can exchange the bounty for medals and promotions. But when it comes to regular pirate crew members, the definition gets... flexible. Still counts as merit though, ten men, a hundred men, a thousand."
"I was just a hired guard on a merchant ship, had some fighting ability. During a clash with pirates, I saved everyone aboard, fought off the whole damn crew while bleeding from three different wounds. When the Marines finally showed up, they took control of the captured pirates. That part I didn't mind."
His grip on his cup tightened.
"But they were one man short of the 'hundred underlings' mark. And the merchant ship's owner, because the pirates had destroyed some of his cargo and he didn't want to pay me for protecting his ship, simply labeled me as a pirate."
"What?" Zoro's eyes widened slightly.
"Yeah. A swordsman who bled to defend that bastard's ship got branded a pirate with just a few words. And those fucking Marines didn't even bother investigating. They just treated me like a criminal, threw me in chains while I was still wounded and barely able to stand."
Saga slammed his cup down on the stone table. "After that... After being imprisoned, I found a chance to escape. Drifted to this island thinking I'd just die here from my wounds. But then..."
His hand moved to the sword at his waist.
"You ever experienced what it's like to lose everything, then suddenly have it all back again? And more?"
Zoro slowly set down his own cup. What could he say? That everything would be okay? That was bullshit and they both knew it.
"What about them?" He gestured toward the uniformed men standing guard around the hill.
"Them? Those Marines who chased me here, wanted to capture me and drag me back to face punishment for escaping. Now they're all sword slaves."
Zoro didn't immediately respond. Some people might have tried to lecture Saga about mercy or forgiveness or some other noble garbage.
But he wasn't that type.
If their positions were reversed, if he'd experienced that same betrayal, that same injustice, would he be sitting here calmly drinking?
If Luffy hadn't saved him back then from his own situation, where would he be now?
Once he started thinking along those lines, he could only let out a long breath.
"And the kid?" He glanced at the boy sitting quietly off to the side, watching their conversation.
"Him? That's Toma. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have survived the shipwreck that brought me here. He also introduced me to Maya, but..." Saga waved his hand dismissively. "No point dragging you through all that. Let's drink."
He refilled his cup and downed it in one smooth motion.
Seeing that, Zoro didn't want to ruin the mood by pushing further. He drank as well.
After a moment of silence, he got straight to the point. "So... you didn't bring me up here just to think about old times, did you?"
Saga looked at him seriously. "Have you ever heard the legend of the Shichiseiken?"
"No."
Saga didn't seem surprised by the answer. He pointed at the three swords hanging at Zoro's waist. "That cursed blade of yours, the power feels good, doesn't it?"
"...Yeah. It does."
Something in Saga's eyes brightened. He touched the Shichiseiken at his own waist. "This sword's power goes way beyond your cursed blades. If fully unleashed, it could transform an ordinary person into a strong swordsman. We're both wielders of cursed blades now. We should work together. Tonight's the night, when the blood moon rises. If we join forces to fully awaken the Shichiseiken, its true power will be completely unleashed!"
"You're being corrupted by that cursed energy. Can't you feel it?"
But Saga just laughed. "So what if I am? Power always comes with a price. So what if the curse is seeping into me? I'm still me! I'm the wielder of the Shichiseiken, that's all that matters!"
Was Saga really still himself at this point? Was he the one wielding the Shichiseiken, or was the sword wielding him?
Zoro's gaze drifted down to his own Sandai Kitetsu. The danger of cursed energy was apparently far more serious than he'd realized. Compared to what was happening to Saga, his own cursed blade seemed almost harmless.
Just then, an explosion echoed across the hilltop.
He turned his head and saw an ender pearl smash into the ground about twenty meters away. A moment later, Marcus materialized out of thin air, stumbling slightly as he landed.
Zoro wasn't particularly surprised, he'd been half-expecting someone to show up.
"Saga, that's my—" Zoro started to explain.
But before he could finish the sentence, Saga had already drawn the Shichiseiken.
"Saga?"
Marcus had noticed the sudden shift too. His expression turned wary as he scanned the area.
The moment he'd arrived, everyone who hadn't been hostile a second ago suddenly registered as aggressive on his threat detection.
"The hell?"
In a flash, Saga vanished from where he'd been standing.
A sharp metallic clang rang out as the Shichiseiken clashed hard against Marcus' diamond sword.
"Damn, you're impatient," Marcus said.
Zoro jumped to his feet, hand moving toward his swords. "Wait, Marcus, something's seriously wrong with him right now!"
"Yeah, I noticed." Marcus twisted his wrist, trying to disengage from the power struggle. "The sword's controlling him, he's not even in there anymore."
"What?!"
Marcus attempted to break free from the blade lock. He wasn't afraid of prolonged clashes, his strength could handle that kind of contest. But the Marines surrounding the hilltop were already starting to close in.
His diamond armor would protect him from their blades, sure, but that didn't mean he wanted to test that theory with a dozen swords at once.
And Saga was displaying frighteningly precise swordsmanship. Every feint Marcus tried, he countered them all.
Gritting his teeth, Marcus suddenly released a burst of raw force. The explosive push sent Saga flying backward, his feet carving trenches in the ground as he skidded to a stop dozens of meters away.
"Alright, I don't know what is going on here, but I can't just stand by while my crewmate gets attacked," Zoro said, quietly drawing all three of his swords.
Marcus kept his eyes locked on Saga, who was already recovering from the knockback and preparing for another assault. "His target is me specifically. Let me handle him, I want to test out some of the techniques I've been working on anyway."
Zoro hesitated, looking between Marcus and Saga's empty expression. "He was my friend once."
"I know. Don't forget what my milk can do."
That reminder seemed to ease Zoro's concerns. He nodded once, then turned to intercept the Marine soldiers who were charging forward like mindless drones.
But the moment Zoro's blades clashed with theirs, his eyes narrowed. These weren't normal Marines anymore. Their strength was increasing with each exchange, and the cursed energy radiating from them was growing denser by the second.
Meanwhile, Marcus focused entirely on Saga. The man looked mindless, like some wild animal driven by pure instinct, but the way he positioned his body, the shifts in his stance, the control over his movements... they were slowly changing.