One Piece - A manga adaptation 2022

Chapter 5: The king of the Pirates and the Master Swordsman

"Where are Zoro's swords!?" "I'll tell you! just stop dragging me!" Luffy is running through the corridors of the base, still holding Helmeppo by his suit and dragging him behind him. "Okay, tell me!" Luffy demands once he's come to a halt. "They're in my room! We passed it a long way back." "You should've told me! You're wasting time!" "Ouch! You hit me AGAIN!" "Drop that Captain's son or we'll shoot!" The soldiers had caught up to them and are now aiming their riffles straight at Luffy's head. "I don't want to." He says, then with a straight face, Luffy holds up Helmeppo's body in front of him. "Okay! Go ahead and Shoot!" And he starts running towards them. "Don't shoot! Don't Shoot!" Helmeppo screams. "He's using Helmeppo as a Shield!" "WAAAAAAH!!" –

"AAAAAHH I've been shot! Blood! I'm bleeding!! AAAH!!" In the courtyard Koby is now on the ground writhing in pain at the gunshot wound on his shoulder. "I'm gonna die!!" "Good! You're alive. Now get outta here! They're on their way down." Zoro says coolly. "Hff.. Hff.. But.. I haven't untied you.." "Don't worry about me. I just have to survive the month and they'll let me go. So just beat it-" "They're not going to let you go!! You're going to be executed three days from now!!" "What are you saying!? That idiot promised me! If I survive here for a month, I'll be set free!" "He never intended to keep that Promise!! That's why Luffy punched Helmeppo! Because he found out Helmeppo lied to you!!" Koby explains. "What!?" "The Navy is our enemy now. Please! If I untie you, will you help Luffy!? He saved my life! I won't ask you to become a pirate, but.. Luffy's really strong and so are you! If you team up.. you can escape from here! Please, help him!" "STAY WHERE YOU ARE!" It was too late, the Navy soldiers had already entered the yard, weapons at the ready. "Captain Morgan has ordered your immediate execution!!" Zoro and Koby are really in trouble now..–

"This must be the room! Hey! The swords! But there are three swords!? Which ones are Zoro's? Huh? He fainted?" Helmeppo had just slumped in Luffy's arms, the commotion finally becoming too much for him. "What's going on down there!? Koby!!" –

"Surround the compound!! If that rascal in the straw hat escapes, you'll all be sorry!! You three aren't simple outlaws, are you!? You're trying to overthrow me!!" Morgan yells at Koby and Zoro, joining the soldiers that had already reached them. "Roronoa Zoro! Peasants and pirates may tremble at your name... but you're no match for the great one! You may be a barracuda.. but I'm a great white shark!! TAKE AIM!" As Zoro looks into the barrels of the riffles that will cause his inevitable death, he is reminded of his past. 'I-I.. I can't die yet! There's something I have to do.. I made a promise!' –

"Yaah! Kuina wins again!! 'Two sword Zoro' loses!! Zoro is 0 for 2000 against Kuina! Oh well.." It is now roughly 10 years before the present, as a young Zoro lies on the floor of his dojo in defeat. "Pathetic.. Kind of weak for a boy, aren't you?" A young girl with short dark blue hair and a wooden practice blade says to a frustrated Zoro. "Hey! Zoro's not weak!" "Yeah! He's the strongest in our dojo!" "He's even stronger than the grown-ups!" The other kids of the dojo say to her. "That so? Well, he's not as strong as me! Even if he can use two swords, he's still weak! Losers should learn to suffer defeat in silence." "Darn! Kuina makes me so mad!" "She thinks she's so great just because she's the sensei's daughter!" "She's kinda cute though.." The boys talk amongst themselves. "Lost again, eh, Zoro?" An older man with big round glasses, long black hair in a low ponytail and a Japanese Yukata says as he walks towards the young boys. "It's odd because you are actually very strong." "Sensei!" "Sensei! Are you teaching her secret tricks because she's your daughter!?" "It's not fair!!" "Of course I'm not!" The man says chuckling. "Darn! Why can't I beat that girl!?" Zoro says as he frustratingly throws his wooden practice swords at the ground. "Don't forget that Kuina is a little older than you." "But I can beat GROWN-UPS! I'm going to sail the seas and become the GREATEST SWORDMASTER IN THE WORLD!! I can't keep losing to that girl!"

Outside in the practice yard Kuina is working hard at her swordsmanship until late at night when Zoro comes up to her, holding two of his blades. "Zoro..." "Kuina! I challenge you to a duel.. with real swords!! You're not afraid of real swords, are you?" "Real swords? Okay.. It's your funeral." "ON GUARD!" "I'm ready!" And the both of them hold up their shining blades as they charge at each other. Blades clashing and sparks flying, each of them showing their skills and holding up quite well. Until Kuina gets around Zoro's defences and manages to disarm him and pin him to the ground with her swords by his neck. "That makes 2001 times I've beaten you." "Darn! It's so FRUSTRATING!" "I'M the one who's frustrated.." "Huh?" "When girls get older, they become weaker than the boys. Pretty soon you'll all be stronger than me. Zoro, you're always saying.. that you're going to become the world's greatest swordsman... dad says that girls can't be master swordsman.. you're lucky you're a boy, Zoro... I wanna become the world's greatest swordsman too!!" Kuina says as she starts to cry. "But I'm starting to get breasts.. I wish I was a boy.." "What are you crying about!! You beat me! That's not fair! Beating you is my dream!" Zoro argues. "Zoro.." "Someday I'll beat you because I worked hard, not because you got weaker!! It's got nothing to do with being a boy or a girl!! I'm training all the time to beat You! You're making me Look bad! Let's make a promise to each other! Someday, one of us will become the greatest swordsman ever! We'll fight each other for the title!" "You idiot!" Kuina says as she wipes her tears and smiles at him. "You're too puny!" "It's a PROMISE!" They both say in unison as they shake hands. –

"Zoro! There's been an accident! It's KUINA!" "She fell down the stairs.." "SHE's DEAD!!" Zoro can't believe it.. "Kuina! You made a promise yesterday! You can't run away from your promise!?" "Zoro! Stop it!" The men from the dojo hold him back as he's trying to reach Kuina's sheet-covered motionless body. "Humans are fragile things, Zoro.." "Sensei! May I have her sword?" "..I suppose so.." "I'll have to keep the promise for both of us. I'm going to become such a great master swordsman that my name will be known even in HEAVEN!!" Zoro declares while tearfully holding Kuina's white-hilted sword. –

Back in the present.. 'I promised her! I can't die yet!!' Zoro thinks as the soldiers are about to fire.

"Gum-Gum.. ROCKET!!" And Luffy flies through Helmeppo's window.

"FIRE!!!" Morgan yells, and just as the bullets are about to hit Koby and Zoro, Luffy drops down in front of them, shielding them with his body. "You!?" "LUFFY!!" "STRAW HAT.." However what happens next shocks all of them, all the places where Luffy was hit by the bullets stretched out like spikes from his body. "BULLETS CAN'T HURT ME!!" Luffy screams as he bounces the bullets back from his body. "LOOK OUT!!" The soldiers duck and jump away from the bullets as they shoot everywhere. "Hahahaha!" Luffy laughs. "What ARE you!?" Zoro asks in absolute disbelief. "I'm the guy.. WHO'S GOING TO BE KING OF THE PIRATES!! So which swords are yours? I didn't know so I brought all three.." Luffy says, holding up three Japanese swords, two black and one white "They're all mine. I practice the 'Three-sword-style' 'Santoryu'." "If you fight the navy with me here and now, in the eyes of the government, you'll be one of the bad guys! Of course, you could obey the law.. and let them kill you!" "You must be demon spawn.." Zoro says with a grin. "But I'm not ready to die without a fight! All right! YOU'VE GOT YOURSELF A PIRATE!!"