"I'm Luffy! The man who will become the Pirate King!!!"
"Nani?!!!"
Looking at the grinning boy in front of him, Zoro felt a headache coming on.
He had a bandana tied around his head, his eyes hidden in shadow like a beast ready to devour anyone nearby — yet he was currently tied to a wooden post.
To explain how things got here, we need to start from when he and Kuina parted ways to set out to sea, each determined to see who would first claim the title of the world's greatest swordsman.
"Zoro, let's meet again on the sea one day and see who becomes the world's strongest swordsman!!!"
With Wado Ichimonji at her waist, Kuina waved goodbye to Zoro and set sail.
"Don't talk big! I'm not weaker than you at all right now!!"
Zoro smirked as he watched the sailboat disappear into the horizon, then stepped out on his own journey.
Since five years ago, after solidifying his fundamentals in swordsmanship, he had rarely lost to Kuina anymore.
After all, in the world of pirates, except for special races or physiques, men generally had greater physical strength and battle potential than women — and Zoro was a prodigy with the sword to begin with.
By now, Zoro had actually begun to surpass Kuina in combat.
This realization hit Kuina hard — the girl who'd always beaten Zoro since childhood.
It also reminded her of something Orin once said to them when they were kids:
"Getting stronger is actually simple — just keep honing your body and fundamentals, then challenge stronger people. Only through battle can you truly grow into a warrior of the sea."
Training + Battle.
That was the formula they both took to heart.
After being suppressed and even defeated by Zoro, Kuina fell into a slump for a while, but eventually decided to head out to sea — determined as ever, just like the childhood rival she'd always measured herself against.
Watching the small ship fade into the distance until it was no longer visible, Zoro, now wearing three black katana at his waist, felt full of confidence.
Beside him, Koushirou looked on, his eyes filled with emotion as both his daughter and disciple had now set off to sea.
"You'll be leaving soon too, won't you, Zoro?"
"Yeah..."
Zoro nodded, standing tall and proud.
"I can feel my progress slowing down. It's time I went to sea to see how far I am from the real monsters out there."
To this day, he could still vividly recall that one move from Orin — when he split the sea with a single strike of his staff. It was the first time he truly understood how vast the ocean was.
But now, burning with youthful pride, he was confident that one day, he would reach that same level.
A young man with a dream — standing straight and unyielding.
...
At the moment, though, Zoro looked rather miserable.
He'd been tied up here for days, with nothing to eat.
"I found three swords, but I didn't know which one was yours, so I brought them all."
Luffy approached, holding three swords, and handed them to him.
"All three are mine. I use Three-Sword Style."
Perhaps because famous blades resonate with their owners, if one looked closely, one could see that the three swords in Luffy's hands were each just over a meter long.
One of them stood out — far more ornate, elegant, and refined than the other two.
"Hey, Zoro, this sword looks better than the others~"
Luffy peered curiously at the three swords like a fascinated child.
"Don't mess with that one! That's not my sword!!!"
At that moment, Axe-Hand Morgan led a group of Marines to surround them, clearly unaware of the difference in strength between them.
As the Marines charged forward with drawn blades, Zoro merely stared coldly at them.
Clang—!!!
With all three swords drawn and crossed behind him, he blocked every attack with ease, his eyes sharp like a demon's as he glared at the wide-eyed Luffy.
"I'll join you as a pirate... but let me make one thing clear first. I'll never compromise my ambition!"
"I will become the world's greatest swordsman — whether for my promise or for the trust of those who've given me their blades, I'll make my name echo across the world!!!"
"If you ever get in the way of my dream... "
But Luffy simply grinned, clearly in full agreement.
"Of course! The world's greatest swordsman sailing with the future Pirate King — sounds perfect!!!"
...
Meanwhile—
In a luxuriously decorated hospital room, several nurses in revealing outfits were tending attentively to their patient.
Some were feeding him fruit, others massaging him — and the S-Ninja Seraphim was nestled beside him, being casually stroked and toyed with by her master.
Orin, one hand running along the white-haired, dark-skinned beauty's smooth body, held an old newspaper in the other. He wanted to get a grasp on what had happened during his absence — to see how much the current world differed from the one he remembered.
"Hawk Eyes..."
Hmm, looks like he's doing well. The iconic beard is grown out now. Still the same cold, aloof swordsman from my memories — sailing around on that little boat, cutting down anyone in his path. Keeping that up for so many years is impressive.
As for Shanks... well, still the same.
Just older now. His hair's shorter, his presence more mature, but that arrogant spirit hasn't changed much.
Orin nodded to himself — everyone seemed to be doing fine.
Then he flipped to another page—
Wait a second?!!!
His mind froze for a moment as his eyes widened. The shadowy face looked familiar, but...
Why does my little Crocodile look like old Crocodile now???
His first thought was that it must've been the work of Ivankov, the Okama King — but he quickly dismissed it. He'd explicitly forbidden that, and even if Crocodile had joined the Revolutionary Army, Dragon wouldn't have gone against his word.
So that only left one possibility...
A Devil Fruit that could change a person's gender — and the only one Orin could recall was the Horm-Horm Fruit.
"..."
Orin's lips twitched. He couldn't help sighing at Crocodile's dedication — how badly did she want to be a man?!
"Well... at least it's not irreversible."
Popping a grape into his mouth, Orin sat up slowly. The women around him bowed and withdrew at his gesture.
He lifted his finger, and in an instant, the attending doctor appeared before him.
"Eh?! How did I get here?! Orin-sama!!!"
Orin ignored the doctor's panic and asked directly:
"How long until my injuries are fully healed?"
Hearing the question, the doctor forced a nervous smile.
"Well... most of your wounds are minor, Orin-sama. We've done everything we could to support your recovery. Honestly, even without treatment, your body's constitution would eventually heal itself."
Indeed, Orin had received excellent care here — his recovery had been faster than natural regeneration alone.
But now that most of his injuries were healed, only a few traces remained that his body could handle on its own.
It was time to get moving again...