Chapter 115: A Swordsman's Oath
The Next Morning - Marineford Port
The warship slowly docked at Marineford.
On the deck, Enel stood with his arms crossed, looking down at the base with indifference.
Next to him, Zoro was vibrating with anticipation, his eyes burning.
The moment the anchor dropped, he launched himself off the ship like an arrow, his three swords glinting in the sun. He sprinted toward the training grounds, yelling at the top of his lungs—
"KUINA!! I'm gonna beat you this time!!!"
Enel watched Zoro's retreating back, a rare smile touching his lips. "That Moss-head... certainly is persistent..."
Marineford - Training Ground
Morning sunlight dusted the training ground like gold powder. Kuina was already in the middle of her daily routine.
Dressed in a light kendo uniform, strands of sweat-damp hair clinging to her forehead, she moved with fluid grace. Wado Ichimonji traced silver arcs in the air, every cut clean and efficient. No wasted movement.
She looked like a sword-spirit dancing in the light, serene and deadly.
"KUINA!! I CHALLENGE YOU!!!"
A familiar roar tore through the air. Kuina paused mid-swing and turned.
It was the figure she knew best.
Zoro had arrived.
He stormed onto the field, Yubashiri in his mouth, Sandai Kitetsu in his left hand, Shusui in his right. Three blades humming, radiating a fierce aura.
Kuina smiled, her gaze sharpening. "Oh? So you finally have three swords?"
Zoro grinned around the hilt in his mouth, his trademark confidence and defiance shining through. "This time, I'm definitely going to win!"
"CLANG!!!"
They moved simultaneously.
Blades collided, sparks flew!
Zoro unleashed a storm of attacks with all three swords, kicking up dust. His footwork was faster, his attacks more ferocious, his coordination tighter than ever.
"Three-Sword Style: Demon Slash!!!"
Kuina's eyes narrowed. She dodged like a phantom, countering with a backhanded upward slash! "Flash: Moonflower!" A burst of cold light!
Zoro blocked just in time, flipping backward and launching another attack!
"Three-Sword Style: Tiger Trap!"
—But he hit nothing but air!
Kuina moved like water flowing around a stone, her blade precisely dismantling his offense layer by layer.
Zoro was shocked. "She... she doesn't have a single wasted movement?!"
In a flurry of exchanges, they moved faster than the eye could track, sword light flashing, the pressure of their clash radiating outward.
After dozens of rounds, sweat was dripping from Zoro's forehead. Kuina's breathing remained steady, her eyes calm as a still lake.
"Damn it... I'm stronger now! My Three-Sword Style is better! Why... why can't I keep up with her rhythm?!" Zoro screamed internally.
Kuina's gaze remained unchanged. "Your swords have more power than before."
She whispered, then attacked again, shifting from defense to offense like a sudden waterfall, forcing Zoro back step by step!
In a split second, Kuina spotted a tiny opening!
"Shimotsuki Style: Waning Moon!"
SMACK!
Zoro's guard was broken, and the tip of Wado Ichimonji stopped exactly one inch from his throat.
The air froze. Kuina exhaled softly, her eyes still sharp.
"2,315 wins. 0 losses."
Zoro looked frustrated, but he didn't back down. His fighting spirit burned even hotter. "Damn it...!"
He looked at his trembling hands, then at Kuina's rock-steady form.
"Why... is her breathing not even disturbed?"
In that moment, he understood.
He had gotten stronger—but Kuina had been getting stronger too. She had never stopped.
His spirit reignited, he gripped his swords. "Kuina... next time, I win!"
A breeze rustled through the trees, dappled sunlight dancing on the ground. Leaves fell silently around them.
Kuina looked at the frustration and burning determination in Zoro's eyes, and her heart skipped a beat.
She was silent for a moment, then turned.
"Follow me."
Zoro blinked, raising an eyebrow, but didn't ask questions. He shouldered his three swords and followed.
They walked past the edge of the training grounds, into a quiet grove deep within the base.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves. Kuina walked to a thick old tree and sat down, patting the spot next to her.
"Sit."
Zoro hesitated, but sat cross-legged, still sulking about his loss. "What? You gonna comfort me for losing?"
Kuina didn't answer immediately. She looked out at the distant horizon, the wind playing with her hair. Her silhouette against the light seemed indescribably lonely.
Finally, she spoke slowly. "Zoro... I ate a Devil Fruit."
Crack—
Zoro's pupils shrank. He froze, his back stiffening, his breath catching.
"You... what?"
He muttered, unable to believe what he was hearing.
The Kuina who had insisted on the "purity of the sword" back in Shimotsuki Village;
The Kuina who refused to compromise despite her physical disadvantage;
The Kuina who, despite the whispers of society and the dismissal of her peers, refused to take shortcuts...
She had chosen to eat a Devil Fruit?
Memories flashed through his mind:
—The lonely, stubborn little girl practicing with a wooden sword until her hands bled;
—The fire in her eyes when she heard people say "a girl can never be the strongest swordsman";
—And the fleeting look of... despair... she had when she first came to the Marines and saw Garp's mountain-crushing fists, the Admirals' overwhelming Haki, and Roy's unmatched power.
Silence, like a dark undercurrent, separated them.
Kuina's voice broke the silence, low and hoarse. "I knew it. You think I'm... not a pure swordsman anymore, don't you?"
There was a slight tremor in her voice, barely noticeable, but enough to pierce the silence.
But then—
"...So that's how far you were pushed?"
Zoro finally spoke. There was no anger in his voice, no doubt. Only a deep, painful understanding.
"I get it."
He clenched his fist, his green hair stirring in the wind, his eyes locked on her.
"Since coming to the Marines, I've seen Old Man Garp smash a battleship with his bare hands."
"I've seen Big Bro Roy take Luffy and Ace's strongest attacks head-on without a scratch."
"I know better than anyone... what you were thinking when you looked at them."
Kuina froze.
He took a deep breath, looking down. "From the beginning, you worked harder than anyone. But you knew better than anyone—hard work alone can't catch up to some people."
"There's a gap in natural talent that training alone can't bridge."
He looked up, his eyes burning like fire. "So you chose to eat the fruit, didn't you?"
Kuina trembled, her eyes shaking, but she didn't answer.
Zoro stood up slowly, his three swords rattling softly.
The wind picked up. The grass swayed.
His shadow stretched long in the sun. His eyes bore into her, his voice cutting through the silence like a blade:
"THAT'S EVEN BETTER!!!"
The shout was like a sword slash cleaving a mountain!
CLANG—!
Yubashiri hit the ground as he planted all three swords into the earth, kicking up dust.
His gaze was iron, his voice low but thrillingly intense. "Let me beat the strongest version of you!! That makes it interesting!!!"
Kuina looked up sharply, seeing the familiar yet strange figure before her.
Zoro grinned, that same wild, uncompromising smile.
"I never cared how someone got strong—I only care about beating the strongest!"
"Whether you use a Devil Fruit or the power of a god... as long as you get stronger."
He yanked Shusui from the ground, the blade roaring like a black dragon, pointing it straight at Kuina. "Then I'll just get crazier, tougher—and use a sharper blade to cut through that 'higher level' of yours!!!"
The wind swirled again, leaves dancing around them like a silent oath.
Kuina stared at the swordsman who had walked beside her since childhood, emotions welling up in her eyes.
Finally, the corners of her mouth turned up.
Not a polite smile, not a resigned compromise, but a free, unburdened, genuine laugh.
"...Hahaha!!!"
She stood up, drawing Wado Ichimonji. The blade shone with a cold, moon-like brilliance in the sun.
Softly, she said, "Then let's see you try, Zoro."
"I'll be waiting."
They stood side-by-side, gazes locked, sword spirits burning, backed by the sun-dappled forest.
Falling leaves spiraled around them, sealing their fateful promise.
In the distance.
Roy leaned against the stone wall at the edge of the training ground. He watched their backs, a small smile on his face. He looked relieved, but also like he was waiting for an answer.
"Those two brats..."
A crackle of electricity sounded beside him. Enel appeared, digging in his ear, looking lazy. "The Moss-head brat sure knows how to talk~"
Roy glanced at him, a serious look in his eyes. "Because he understands 'despair' better than anyone... and believes in 'possibility' more than anyone."
♧♧♧
-> SUPPORT ME WITH POWER STONE
-> FOR EVERY 200 PS = BOUNS CHAPTER
♧♧♧
-> 30 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.patreon.com/c/Segais
(Just remove the hyphen to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you