From his seat in the tavern, Ian watched the green-haired boy march across the village square with all the confidence of a conquering hero.
The image would have been far more convincing if the barrel he was carrying wasn’t nearly half his size.
Roronoa Zoro.
At this point in his life, he was still very much a child.
A wooden practice sword hung from his waist.
His face hadn’t yet lost its youthful softness.
And despite the fierce determination written across his features, there was something undeniably endearing about him.
It was difficult to reconcile this stubborn little boy with the man Ian remembered from the future.
The swordsman who would one day stare down monsters without flinching.
The warrior who would stand beside the future Pirate King.
The legendary blade who would earn the respect of the strongest figures on the seas.
Looking at him now, Ian could only shake his head.
“It’s hard to believe he was ever this cute.”
The bartender raised an eyebrow.
“You know him?”
“Know of him.”
Ian took a drink.
“Not personally.”
“Hah.”
The bartender snorted.
“You’re not missing much.”
Unfortunately, Zoro heard that.
The boy stopped so abruptly that the barrel nearly slipped from his hands.
His head snapped around.
“What was that supposed to mean, Carlo?!”
Marching straight toward the counter, he slammed both hands onto it with all the authority a child could muster.
“Say it again!”
Carlo didn’t even look up.
“You heard me.”
Zoro’s face immediately turned red.
“Let’s settle this with a duel!”
His hand dropped dramatically to the wooden sword at his waist.
The seriousness of the gesture made Ian nearly choke on his drink.
Carlo finally glanced over.
Then burst out laughing.
“A duel?”
“Yes!”
“You?”
“Yes!”
“With me?”
“Yes!”
The bartender shook his head.
“Maybe learn how to swing that thing properly first.”
The reaction was immediate.
“I CAN swing it properly!”
“Sure you can.”
Carlo grabbed another bottle from beneath the counter.
“Run along, swordsman.”
The dismissal landed harder than any punch.
Zoro’s shoulders stiffened.
“Nobody around here respects me.”
For once, the complaint sounded completely sincere.
Ian lowered his drink and hid a smile.
The future World’s Greatest Swordsman was currently losing an argument to a bartender.
Life really was full of surprises.
At that moment, Zoro finally noticed him watching.
Suspicion immediately appeared on his face.
“What’s so funny?”
Ian smiled.
“Nothing.”
“You were laughing.”
“I was appreciating the scenery.”
“There aren’t any windows behind me.”
“Exactly.”
Zoro narrowed his eyes.
The kid was surprisingly sharp when his pride wasn’t getting in the way.
Then something occurred to him.
“You know my name.”
“A famous swordsman is hard to miss.”
The compliment hit its target perfectly.
Zoro’s expression softened instantly.
“Well…”
A faint blush appeared.
“I’m not famous yet.”
“No?”
“No.”
He crossed his arms.
“I’m still training.”
Then he lifted his chin.
“But one day everyone will know who I am.”
There it was.
That absolute certainty.
That stubborn conviction.
Even as a child, Zoro never doubted where he was heading.
Ian raised his bottle toward him.
“I believe it.”
For a moment, Zoro looked genuinely surprised.
Then Ian added casually,
“Although your swordsmanship doesn’t look very impressive right now.”
Silence.
Complete silence.
Zoro stared.
Then pointed at himself.
“Me?”
“Yes.”
“My swordsmanship?”
“Correct.”
“Not impressive?”
“That’s what I said.”
The boy looked personally betrayed.
“That’s ridiculous!”
Ian laughed.
“You know it’s true.”
“No, I don’t!”
“You do.”
“I don’t!”
“You really do.”
“I absolutely don’t!”
The argument continued for several more exchanges before Ian reached out and casually ruffled the green hair atop Zoro’s head.
The boy froze.
Completely froze.
A devastating attack.
Especially against a child desperately trying to appear cool.
Ian nodded thoughtfully.
“Remarkable.”
“What is?”
“That someone so impressive in the future could be this full of himself as a kid.”
Zoro blinked.
“In the future?”
Ian simply smiled.
Then he stood.
At the edge of his vision, a familiar notification appeared.
Shimotsuki Village Check-In Progress
15%
Ian’s eyebrows rose.
Fifteen percent.
Just from meeting Zoro?
Interesting.
Very interesting.
It seemed the future swordsman was far more important to this village’s completion than Ian had expected.
Good to know.
“See you around, Zoro.”
“Wait—”
But Ian was already walking toward the exit.
The boy stood there staring after him.
Confusion gradually spread across his face.
“Future?”
He scratched his head.
“Was that supposed to be a compliment?”
A pause.
“Or an insult?”
Another pause.
“Did he call me amazing?”
A longer pause.
“Wait.”
His eyes widened.
“Did he call me full of myself?”
The realization struck all at once.
“HEY!”
Too late.
Ian was already gone.
Behind him, Carlo emerged from the storage room carrying another barrel.
“Still thinking about that traveler?”
Zoro immediately pointed toward the door.
“Who was that guy?”
Carlo shrugged.
“No idea.”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously.”
“He knew my name.”
“You yell it across the village every other day.”
Zoro paused.
“Fair point.”
Carlo handed over the barrel.
“Now hurry back before Master Koushirou starts wondering where you’ve disappeared to.”
Zoro carefully took the load.
Then narrowed his eyes.
“One day I’m beating you in a duel.”
“Of course you are.”
“You’ll regret laughing at me.”
“Absolutely.”
“I’m serious!”
“Mm-hmm.”
The bartender’s complete lack of concern somehow made everything worse.
Zoro huffed and stormed out.
Meanwhile, Ian wandered through the village streets.
The evening air was pleasant.
Warm lantern light spilled from open windows.
Families gathered around dinner tables.
Laughter drifted through the streets.
The aroma of home-cooked meals lingered in the air.
Compared to life aboard a ship, the village felt wonderfully alive.
“Now this is nice.”
He took another drink.
After several days at sea, he had begun missing civilization.
Good food.
Good company.
A proper chair.
The essentials.
Unfortunately, finding a place to stay proved more difficult than expected.
Several inns were already full.
Others had stopped accepting guests for the night.
After nearly an hour of searching, Ian finally gave up.
“Back to the ship it is.”
At least his cabin was comfortable.
Returning to Shimotsuki Harbor, he stocked up on food and drink before boarding his vessel.
Soon he was sitting at the bow beneath a sky full of stars.
The moon hung high above the sea.
Gentle waves rocked the ship.
For a while, he simply enjoyed the moment.
A traveler didn’t need much more than this.
Food.
Drink.
The ocean.
And the promise of tomorrow.
After finishing another piece of grilled meat, Ian summoned the system panel.
Shimotsuki Village Check-In Progress
15%
“Fifteen percent from a single meeting.”
He leaned back thoughtfully.
“So Zoro really is important.”
That wasn’t surprising.
The challenge was figuring out how much of the village’s completion was tied to him.
The obvious route was Isshin Dojo.
The problem?
Ian knew almost nothing about swordsmanship.
“Joining a sword dojo when I barely know which end of a sword is supposed to face the enemy feels questionable.”
He stared up at the stars.
“Koushirou, huh…”
The hidden master was almost certainly another major source of progress.
The question was how to approach him.
As Ian considered his options, a sudden sound interrupted his thoughts.
Footsteps.
Fast ones.
Someone was running through the harbor.
The rhythmic pounding echoed across the quiet docks.
Ian looked up.
A familiar voice reached him moments later.
“Huff…
huff…”
The speaker sounded exhausted.
But determined.
“That’s it!”
“Huff…”
“I have to get stronger!”
“Huff…”
“I can’t lose to Kuina!”
Ian blinked.
Then smiled.
The voice continued.
“One day I’ll become the World’s Greatest Swordsman!”
The declaration rang through the moonlit harbor.
Unrestrained.
Earnest.
Filled with conviction.
Ian couldn’t help laughing.
“Well.”
He set down his bottle.
“What are the odds?”
There, running along the docks beneath the moonlight, was a young boy with green hair, a wooden sword, and enough determination to challenge destiny itself.
Roronoa Zoro.
Sweat soaked his clothes.
His breathing was ragged.
Yet he never slowed down.
One lap after another.
One step after another.
Relentless.
Ian watched him for a moment.
Then another.
And another.
A thought occurred to him.
The future remembered Zoro’s victories.
His legendary battles.
His impossible feats.
But moments like this—
The lonely training.
The endless repetition.
The stubborn refusal to quit—
These were the foundations that made those future accomplishments possible.
The beginning of a legend rarely looked impressive.
More often, it looked exactly like this.
A tired kid running beneath the moon because he refused to give up.
A smile appeared on Ian’s face.
Apparently, destiny wasn’t interested in waiting until tomorrow.