Under Nami’s command, the White Pearl sailed through the storm-covered waters.
The following day…
They finally reached land.
It was a rare, beautiful day.
Norton stepped out of the captain’s cabin onto the deck and lazily stretched.
“What a shame.”
“It’s just a deserted island.”
Ahead of the White Pearl lay an island covered in dense forest.
It looked almost prehistoric.
As far as the eye could see, there were only endless green treetops and flocks of birds.
No smoke.
No signs of human life.
Originally…
Norton had planned to buy better weapons for the twelve remaining pirates under his command after docking.
And perhaps spend some time enjoying a tavern afterward.
Clearly…
That wasn’t happening now.
Still…
Being able to set foot on land and breathe fresh air was nice.
There had been pirates who went insane after spending too long at sea.
Norton even knew a story.
A pirate crew had wandered the ocean for so long without finding land…
That every single person aboard eventually lost their minds.
A fisherman had told him that tale.
Supposedly…
It was based on a true story.
“Everyone can go ashore and stretch your legs.”
“We’ll regroup here before sunset.”
The crew immediately dispersed.
“Sanosuke.”
Norton called out.
“Go hunt us a few animals.”
“I want meat that’s tender.”
“Can you manage that?”
“Leave it to me.”
Sanosuke answered without hesitation.
Just then…
Nami suddenly pointed toward the coastline.
“Hey, Norton!”
“Look!”
“There’s a small boat over there!”
Following her finger…
Norton spotted a tiny sailboat hidden inside a secluded cove.
Its hull was almost completely concealed by thick branches.
Without looking carefully…
It would have been impossible to notice.
“So someone else landed here?”
Furning blinked.
“On an island this desolate?”
“I’d guess so.”
Nami stared warily toward the forest.
“Whether they’re still alive is another question.”
She had already heard the roar of tigers echoing from deeper inside.
This island clearly belonged to beasts.
“Anyway…”
“I’m staying near the shore.”
She immediately began pitching a tent.
The beach was obviously the safest place.
If wild animals appeared…
They could retreat to the White Pearl immediately.
A ship over a hundred meters long naturally intimidated ordinary beasts.
Animals instinctively avoided creatures larger than themselves.
It was survival instinct.
“Furning?”
Norton turned toward her.
“Want to explore the island?”
Most of the crew had already disappeared into the forest.
Only a few cooks and shipwrights remained behind to build campfires.
Norton wasn’t comfortable leaving Nami and Furning alone.
Not everyone aboard could be fully trusted yet.
“I’ll stay here too.”
Furning smiled.
“I can keep Nami company.”
As an aristocrat…
Everything on this wild island fascinated her.
But fascination often came with danger.
She wasn’t afraid of danger.
She simply didn’t want to cause Norton trouble.
Norton nodded.
Since neither girl wanted to explore…
He didn’t feel like going either.
“Nami!”
“Bring me my fishing rod.”
“I’m going fishing.”
Meanwhile…
Sanosuke had already passed through the outer forest.
The deeper woods were eerily quiet.
Ancient trees twisted toward the sky.
Massive vines hung from the thick canopy overhead.
The air was damp.
Cold.
“Hardly any sunlight reaches down here…”
he thought.
Since entering the forest…
He had already hunted two animals.
Neither satisfied him.
Their meat wasn’t tender enough for Norton’s request.
So he continued deeper.
Suddenly…
The silence was broken by sounds of battle.
Sanosuke’s eyes narrowed.
Using the trees as cover…
He silently approached.
After advancing roughly two hundred meters…
He found the source.
A green-haired man…
Was fighting a gigantic tiger.
The beast stood nearly three meters tall at the shoulder.
Its eyes were blood-red.
Its enormous fangs dripped with thick saliva.
One look at it was enough to terrify ordinary people.
Yet…
The green-haired man remained perfectly calm.
Another detail caught Sanosuke’s attention.
The stranger wielded…
Three swords.
One in each hand.
And another clenched between his teeth.
His fierce gaze resembled a wild beast.
This man…
…is dangerous.
Sanosuke reminded himself.
A ninja should never underestimate an opponent.
At present…
Only Norton could reliably detect Sanosuke’s stealth.
Zoro’s attention remained fixed on the tiger.
Every muscle in his body tensed.
Man and beast stood motionless.
Then…
The tiger finally lunged.
Its roar shook the forest.
At that instant…
Zoro’s eyes sharpened.
All three swords slashed simultaneously.
“Three Sword Style—Oni Giri!”
Three brilliant arcs cut through the air.
The blades bit deeply into the tiger’s body.
A massive wound split open across its torso.
Blood burst outward like blooming flowers.
The enormous beast collapsed.
Zoro sheathed the two swords in his hands.
He removed Wado Ichimonji from his mouth.
After carefully wiping away the blood with a leaf…
He lovingly returned it to its scabbard.
“Looks like…”
“There aren’t any opponents left on this island.”
Recently…
Zoro had begun feeling that his swordsmanship had reached a bottleneck.
He still trained every day.
But his progress had become painfully slow.
“If only there were someone stronger.”
“I want to fight stronger opponents.”
“A swordsman would be best.”
Just as he turned to leave…
Someone suddenly dropped from the shadow of the treetops.
A ninja.
“Hm?”
Zoro stopped.
“Where did you come from?”
Anyone capable of approaching him without being noticed…
Was unquestionably strong.
After revealing himself…
Sanosuke ignored Zoro completely.
He simply walked toward the tiger’s corpse.
This meat looks excellent.
It should satisfy my lord.
Seeing himself completely ignored…
Veins bulged on Zoro’s forehead.
“Hey!”
“You bastard!”
“That’s my prey!”
Sanosuke glanced back indifferently.
“Weren’t you leaving it behind?”
“I wasn’t taking it.”
“That doesn’t mean you can have it.”
Zoro’s eyes grew dangerous.
His hand moved toward his swords.
Sanosuke sighed.
He gently set the tiger down.
“I had no intention of fighting.”
“But now…”
“I’ll have to kill you.”
“My lord wants this meat.”
“I won’t give it away.”
“Try it.”
Zoro drew his sword.
The tip pointed directly at Sanosuke.
The atmosphere immediately grew tense.
Without another word…
Sanosuke struck first.
A kunai flashed through the air.
It disappeared almost completely into the surrounding shadows.
Only a brief glint of cold steel remained.
Clang!
A sharp metallic ring echoed.
Zoro had cut the incoming kunai out of the air.
The deflected weapon flew back even faster.
Sanosuke sidestepped.
The kunai embedded itself deep into a tree trunk.
“Excellent reflexes.”
Sanosuke calmly retrieved another kunai.
“You’re not bad yourself.”
Zoro licked his lips.
Although this wasn’t a swordsman…
He was unquestionably a worthy opponent.
His blood began to boil.
Excitement surged through him.
Compared to Zoro’s blazing battle spirit…
Sanosuke resembled a cold-blooded serpent.
If Zoro was a raging beast…
Then Sanosuke was a venomous snake lurking in darkness.
A ninja fought by striking from the shadows.
One hit.
One kill.
Sanosuke had no intention of clashing head-on.
He slowly retreated.
His body melted into the shadows.
Zoro’s pupils shrank.
He had completely disappeared.
The already-dark forest became even more oppressive.
Danger seemed to lurk everywhere.
Where’s he coming from…?
Zoro carefully scanned every direction.
Whoosh!
A faint sound sliced through the air.
His eyes widened.
Behind me!
Pure instinct screamed at him.
He immediately ducked.
The massive tree before him—
Thick enough that several people together couldn’t encircle it—
Silently split in half.
The cut was perfectly smooth.
Zoro instantly spun around.
His twin blades slashed through empty air.
Too late.
Sanosuke had already vanished back into the darkness.
In a battlefield like this…
The ninja possessed an overwhelming advantage.
As long as he refused to reveal himself…
No one could determine his exact location.
His opponent could only wait.
Every initiative belonged to Sanosuke.
Whether to attack.
Or retreat.
The choice was always his.
Zoro understood immediately.
To avoid exposing his back… New chapters come out on g.com first.
He rolled several times across the ground.
Then pressed himself against a massive tree.
At the same time…
All three swords came out again.
The instant Wado Ichimonji returned to his mouth…
His resolve became absolute.
He had already sworn…
Never to lose again.
Not to anyone.
He would continue winning…
Until his name reached heaven itself.
From the darkness…
Another kunai flew.
Zoro swung all three swords.
Clang!
Sparks flashed.
Wado Ichimonji intercepted the attack.
Sanosuke’s angle had been vicious.
He had approached from above while running along the trees.
If that kunai hadn’t been blocked…
It would’ve pierced straight through Zoro’s skull.
“…Tch.”
Sanosuke clicked his tongue.
He prepared to disappear again.
Zoro wouldn’t allow it.
Like a man grabbing the last lifeline before falling into an abyss…
He relentlessly chased after him.
Sanosuke retreated upward through the trees.
Zoro climbed after him…
Driving his twin swords into the trunks for purchase.
Meanwhile…
The sword clenched in his mouth never stopped attacking.
Forced into close combat…
Sanosuke had no choice but to parry with his kunai while retreating.
The two vanished into the canopy.
Zoro had seized the brief instant when Sanosuke attacked.
Now…
He refused to let go.
The duel carried them higher and higher.
The forest grew darker still.
The deeper shadows finally gave Sanosuke room to breathe.
Unfortunately…
Zoro lost sight of him.
He wildly slashed through the darkness.
Only leaves and vines fell.
“Come out!”
“You coward!”
“What kind of man hides like this?!”
Zoro roared angrily.
Sanosuke remained silent.
No amount of taunting would provoke him.
He was a professional ninja.
Emotions never dictated his actions.
Even if he felt something…
He would never expose an opening because of it.
All I have to do…
…is wait.
Hot-headed fools like him are the easiest opponents.
Yet…
To Sanosuke’s surprise…
Zoro calmed down almost immediately.
The anger remained.
But it no longer controlled him.
Even so…
The murderous aura radiating from the green-haired swordsman…
Made him resemble a dormant volcano.
Then—
An accident happened.
Sanosuke suddenly lost his footing.
The branch beneath him…
Snapped.
Damn this cursed luck!
Why now?!
Although he quickly grabbed a hanging vine…
Preventing himself from falling…
Zoro had already found him.
“Three Sword Style—Oni Giri!”
The same attack that had killed the tiger…
Returned.
BOOM!
Dust exploded.
Earth scattered.
The enormous tree split cleanly apart.
Its massive crown crashed to the ground.
Sanosuke landed lightly.
He looked down at his chest.
His black ninja outfit had been sliced open.
Blood slowly trickled from the wound.
Just two centimeters deeper…
And it would’ve pierced his heart.
He really is dangerous.
Looking up…
He saw Zoro tying a dark green bandana around his head.
He looked exactly the same.
Yet…
His aura had completely changed.
If before he had been a savage beast…
Now…
That beast had finally bared its fangs.
“I only came to collect meat…”
Sanosuke’s expression grew serious.
“…and I ended up with someone like you.”
He removed his forehead protector.
Then drew the ninja sword at his waist.
Back at the shore…
Norton sat on the railing of the White Pearl with a fishing rod in hand.
His ears twitched slightly.
“Hm?”
Nami, who sat nearby swinging her legs while studying a nautical chart, looked over.
“What is it?”
“I found something interesting.”
Norton smiled.
“Watch my fishing line for a bit.”
“I’ll be right back.”
He handed her the rod.
“What happened now?!”
Nami complained as she took it.
“Sanosuke seems to have found himself an opponent.”
“He’s having a hard fight.”
“The enemy is probably the owner of that little boat you found.”
With those words…
Norton vanished in an instant.