Zoro stood on the ship's deck, letting out a satisfied burp. After days of barely scraping by without a proper meal, he'd finally gotten to eat his fill today.
'Damn that foreman,' he thought, chewing on a toothpick. He was supposed to have waited at the dock, but when Zoro had arrived, there wasn't a single ship in sight. The entire shoreline was deserted, leaving him alone with nothing but the sea breeze for company.
'He ran off with my last month's wages, too.' Ever since leaving the Isshin Dojo, his only goal had been to become the World's Strongest Swordsman and finally defeat those two who had bested him. To make ends meet, he'd started hunting pirates, and for a while, it had been fine. The sea was never short on pirates.
But then that "East Blue Overlord" had appeared and practically every pirate crew worth a damn was wiped out. The new ones weren't worth much, and so pirate hunters like Zoro found themselves out of work, scrambling for whatever gigs they could find.
"Seriously, he tells me to head to the Marine Branch, Which one was it again? Oh yeah 16th Marine Branch but doesn't even say where it is?" Zoro leaned against the railing, hands clasped behind his head, a toothpick hanging from his mouth as he gazed out at the waves. "That guy's gotta be messing with me. How is it nobody out here knows where the Marine 16th Branch even is? Every direction I got just led me in circles."
It had eaten up every coin he'd scraped together lately on travel alone, and now he was back to square one, starting over from nothing.
He sighed, lowering his hands to pick up the three katanas resting on his lap. One of them, Yubashiri, had a black-lacquered hilt and a distinctive wavy blade. It was a famed sword, one of the 50 Ryo Wazamono, a graduation gift from Dante. The other two were just cheap knockoffs.
He thought about the rumors he'd been hearing lately.
'East Blue Overlord...' A faint smirk touched his lips as he held Yubashiri level, the steel catching the afternoon sun. 'If one pirate is giving everyone this much trouble, maybe I'll just have to deal with him quickly. And after that, I'll come for you two.'
He wasn't the same kid he was back then. This time, he would wipe that slate clean.
The ship began to pull away from the dock, the sea breeze cool against his skin. He was so lost in the memory, in the weight of the sword in his hand, that he almost missed the shouts from a nearby cabin.
"Roronoa Zoro! Where the hell is Roronoa Zoro?"
"We need him for the interview now, you can start the second we make port. What's he doing, hiding? Did he even have the experience he claimed?"
"You want this job or not? If he doesn't show, we're grabbing the next guy on the list!"
The shouts jolted him back to the present. He jumped to his feet, tucking his swords into his sash, and hurried toward the cabin marked 'Lumberjack Interviews.' "I'm right here," he called out. "Hold on!"
He stepped inside and found the interviewer waiting. The man snapped shut the file in his hand and looked up, gesturing toward a thick log in the corner.
"Roronoa Zoro, applying for lumberjack position. Three months of prior experience."
"Despite the short stint, his work impressed the engineering crew enough for recognition. Last month, his foreman even put in a nomination for advanced lumberjack status on his behalf. But he quit suddenly for reasons unknown, so the promotion never went through."
"Lodged a complaint regarding suspected wage theft by the 18th engineering team's foreman, though the details are still under review."
The interviewer closed the file with a snap and looked up at Zoro, nodding toward a thick log propped nearby.
"Roronoa Zoro, applying for the lumberjack position," the man said, his tone all business. "Are you ready?"
Zoro's eyes burned with resolve. 'First, I earn money. Then, I get a new sword. Then, I train. And then... I go beat those two.'
His right hand came to rest on the hilt of one of his swords.
"Ready."
"One-Sword Style: Log Polishing!"
--**--**
Meanwhile, at the 16th Marine Branch training grounds...
*Thwack.*
"Ow! That hurts!" Kuina rubbed the top of her head, glaring at Dante with puffed cheeks. "You said we were done! Why'd you hit me again?"
"Who said you could drop your guard like that?" Dante replied, a hint of helplessness in his expression.
She was breathing hard, sweat plastering strands of hair to her forehead, her face flushed from the exertion. For a moment, the sharp, fierce swordswoman was gone, replaced by someone who looked a little worn, almost delicate.
"It looks like you've found your own path with the sword," he said softly.
"Of course! I'm going to catch up to you, Senpai, and become the World's Greatest Swordswoman!" At his words, she brushed the vulnerability aside, gathering her messy hair and tying it back. Standing tall again, her poised demeanor returned, and her voice was firm. "And I've never forgotten my path."
She had always chased after him, but she had her own dream, too. With her hand resting on Wado Ichimonji at her hip, she bowed deeply.
"Thank you for the training, Senpai."
Straightening up, she broke into a bright smile. "It got me one step closer to thrashing that old man!"
"..." Dante blinked. 'So her real dream is to beat her own father, not become the World's Greatest Swordswoman.'
He nodded with mock seriousness. "Mm, Koshiro-sensei will be thrilled. When you go to fight him, be sure to call me. I want to watch."
"Sure!" she replied earnestly.
They shared a grin, the moment feeling just like their old days at the dojo. So much time had passed without them even realizing it.
Dante let out a wistful sigh. "Speaking of the dojo... where the hell did that Zoro kid wander off to? Koshiro-sensei called a few days ago to check on both of you."
'Zoro was always stubborn about his sword path,' Dante remembered. 'When he realized Water Breathing wasn't for him, he didn't waste a second, just went back to grinding out his own style. One sword wasn't enough to win, so he picked up two. Two wasn't enough, so he added a third, declaring he'd just keep adding more until he won. I was genuinely worried he was going to end up with some ridiculous seven-sword style.'
Thankfully, it had stopped at three.
"Zoro? Yeah, it's been ages, and still no sign of him?" Kuina let out an exasperated breath at the name. "Is he really that hopeless? Even if he can't find the place, he could just catch a ride on a merchant ship!"
'He probably tried,' Dante thought, recalling Zoro's hopeless sense of direction. 'And failed.' Even if someone were riding on his shoulders shouting directions, the guy would still get lost. It wasn't surprising he hadn't shown up yet.
"Eh, let's not worry about him," Dante said, waving a hand dismissively. "Who knows, maybe he'll show up and blow our minds." He saw that Kuina had recovered her strength and nodded, remembering that Vegapunk had summoned him earlier that morning. "Alright, I'm heading out. Call if you need anything."
"Got it, Dante-senpai."
With that, he turned and walked away.
Kuina remained where she was, her right hand resting on Wado Ichimonji, her eyes following his retreating back. A small smile touched her lips, her gaze filled with determination.
She would catch up to him. There was no doubt in her mind.
Then, a new thought struck her, and her eyes narrowed. 'Speaking of which, what's going on between Dante and Robin?'
Last night... she had seen it with her own eyes. Robin had been slipping out of his room.
===============
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