Wine for Your Sake [Zoro x OC]

18. Juzumaru and Dionysus

(POV: Zoro)

I stand in the empty alleyway, staring at the dead-end smack in front of me.

"Where did Chopper go?" I murmur.

"Nice view," a coy voice says behind me. "You plan on staring at this alleyway for the rest of the day?"

"Jun," I grumble.

"Up to a point, Observation Haki can become tiring, you know," she remarks. "And if you keep this up, eventually, we might never find you."

I turn around and walk past her. "We haven't had a problem when you weren't around."

"You'd like to believe that, wouldn't you?" She grabs my arm firmly before I can go any further.

Her hand can barely wrap halfway around it, but I let it be and hear her out.

"There's a sword shop just down the street. You wanted me to get new swords, didn't you?"

I pause. "Now that you mention it..."

"Here, follow me." She starts walking with her grip still on my arm.

I tug it away. "What are you doing?"

She looks back, confused. "I'm holding onto you so you don't get lost again."

"I can just follow you," I say. "No need to be so extra. I'm not gonna get lost."

She groans. "I'm a little tired, okay? I can't use my Observation Haki every time to see where you're going. I want to reserve it for emergencies."

This time she grabs my wrist, making it a lot easier to keep her hold on me, and starts jogging without warning. Because the shop is nearby, I let it be and continue to follow her.

Out of this entire street, the sword shop appears to be quite small but furnished the best. As we enter, our boots clack against the spotless limestone floor. The wooden walls around us are perfectly preserved to keep their brand-new condition.

My sight immediately flies to the sword posted in the center of the room on a long stand, surrounded by a thick glass cube covering. It has a black sheath decorated with gold paint. A beaded rosary is tied around the top of the handle, and it hangs on like an earring to a woman's ear.

"The Juzumaru," Jun and I mutter in unison.

It's one of the twenty-one Ō Wazamono (Great Grade Blades), but its status has been unknown until... now.

"How much for this?" She asks the store owner.

"Hey, don't ask that so casually," the owner says. "This is one of the Ō Wazamono, you know? They're very hard to obtain and are only wielded by top swordsmen!"

She points to me. "Like Roronoa Zoro?"

He squints at me and gasps. "If it isn't the famed Pirate Hunter! I heard you had a clash with Mihawk! For you, I'll put it at a discount! 400,000 beli, take it or leave it!"

I feel my eye twitch. So she was bringing me along for the discount?

"I'll take it!" She takes a handful of cash out of her pocket and slams it on the cashier's table. "I mean... he'll take it. He's also looking for another sword. Do you have any other one of the Ō Wazamono?"

He shakes his head. "Unfortunately, that's the only one we have. But."

He gestures to the sword displayed in the corner. The sword has a white sheath splotched with crimson-magenta primroses. Its white handle is stained a dark red. I don't recognize it.