“So the descendants of the Shimotsuki who left Wano Country back then have been recruited back? What a coincidence.”
The official forged documents looked flawless, and even Hyogoro couldn’t spot any problems.
Although Wano Country maintained strict security, after Arceus’s Divine Blessing Ritual, its defenses were no longer as excessive as before. A new wave of talent recruitment had quickly begun.
Queen had a few objections, but he had no intention of voicing them. It was precisely because of this recruitment drive that the locals no longer found the appearance of unfamiliar outsiders strange.
Twenty years ago, people who came to Wano Country tended to look down on the locals. The country was relatively underdeveloped, and aside from a few unique crafts, many aspects of daily life were almost primitive.
Twenty years later, however, the people of Wano Country had developed a sense of superiority themselves. They were no longer amazed by things from the outside world; instead, the outside world marveled at the biota here.
From the skies to the ocean floor, Wano Country had developed a three-dimensional society. The presence of Pokémon had completely transformed its ecology, and for newcomers, sightseeing was usually the first thing they did.
“Why are you so nervous? I have no intention of taking your sword. Since he entrusted it to you, he must have had his reasons.”
Seeing the impatience on Zoro’s face, Hyogoro assumed he had misunderstood something. After briefly examining the blade, he returned Wado Ichimonji.
“There are quite a few marks on it. You didn’t know Ryuo back then, or Haki, as you call it. These marks must have been left before you learned Haki, right? The swordsmith’s skill is a bit lacking, but it’s passable.”
Wado Ichimonji had been damaged during Zoro’s earlier days of reckless sword-swinging. Although it had been repaired, Hyogoro could still see the differences.
Given Zoro’s current strength, he didn’t seem like someone who didn’t know Haki. Otherwise, there’s no way it would end up like this.
“Um… could you tell me who Shimotsuki Kozaburo is?”
“You don’t know?”
“I only knew an old man. This sword used to belong to him, but he never mentioned his name.”
“Then it must be him. I don’t mistake swords. Looks like after they left, they even concealed their names.”
Hyogoro sighed nostalgically. For him, this was a story from a very long time ago.
“It seems you really don’t know anything. Since you’ve immigrated here, you should know that Wano Country remained closed off from the outside world for a very long time. More than fifty years ago, I suppose.
“Kozaburo and his group left the country illegally and disappeared afterward. Judging by things now, it seems he even has descendants.
“He was a famous swordsmith in Wano Country. Wado Ichimonji and Enma, one of the Shogun’s personal swords, were both forged by his own hands. This truly is fate.”
Back then, Shimotsuki Kozaburo had violated Wano Country’s restrictions and left with twenty-four members of his clan to live overseas. Among them was Shimotsuki Ushimaru’s sister, Shimotsuki Furiko.
After arriving in the East Blue, they fought a group of bandits who were attacking a village and easily defeated them. Ten of them eventually settled there, founded Shimotsuki Village, and raised families. Zoro was one of their descendants.
However, they rarely spoke of their family name, so Zoro gradually overlooked it.
“That old man who used to go fishing… his skills were really that incredible?”
Kozaburo had long since passed away, but everything now made Zoro understand why a Famed Sword from Wano Country appeared in a remote corner of the East Blue, and the name of the village was Shimotsuki.
“Sunacchi—”
“He even taught you that phrase? That’s the cry a samurai uses when casting aside everything for a decisive strike. It’s not something to say casually. He must have considered you his disciple as well.”
“He didn’t teach me much, but I remember him saying that unlike kitchen knives, swords are made to take lives, born for the purpose of cutting down enemies. The very purpose of a swordsmith forging a blade is to allow its wielder to take even more lives.”
“That’s definitely something he would say. If there are no problems, you’re hired. The job isn’t complicated, just spar with these Sirfetch’d. If any Sirfetch’d manages to forge a Black Leek through this training, I’ll give you a bonus.”
Zoro somehow ended up with a job and, for the moment, seemed to have settled down. There was just one thing he still didn’t understand.
“Black Leek… what’s that?”
He did remember one of the Sirfetch’d carrying a black leek blade, but he’d simply assumed it had been dyed. It had never occurred to him that the thing was forged through Haki.
“After countless temperings by a swordsman, Haki…”
“Haki can merge into a blade. Every sword has the potential to become a Black Blade, but that’s a sword.”
“The same applies to leeks. These aren’t ordinary leeks. Oh, and you’ll need to use these while sparring too. If one breaks, just get another from the warehouse.”
“Do you people sell these leeks outside too…?”
“We do have one loyal customer. Don’t tell me that’s you?”
Because so many Sirfetch’d trained under Hyogoro, he was quite familiar with matters related to them, including the sale of large leeks. Most people bought them from shopping centers owned by Tesoro or from merchant ships. People like Hawk Eyes were comparatively rare.
“Not me. An acquaintance of mine.”
“I see. Anyway, come take a look at your workplace. Don’t worry, it won’t be complicated. At worst, it’ll be a little tiring.”
Led by Hyogoro, Zoro soon arrived at the dojo. Besides the Sirfetch’d, there were also large numbers of Galarian Farfetch’d waiting for him.
“Your job is to fight them until sunset. One thing to remember, it won’t all be fair one-on-one matches.”
“Got it. Leave it to me.”
Having found work and a way to earn money, Zoro felt things were going smoothly. But after Hyogoro left, that opinion began to change.
The first to enter the ring was a Sirfetch’d. After performing a knightly salute, it swung its signature leek blade and charged.
Clang!
[It’s just a duck… where the hell did it get that much strength…?]
Misjudging the power behind the strike caused the leek blade in Zoro’s hands to tilt off course, but he quickly recovered and continued fighting. At first things were manageable. The Sirfetch’d took turns battling him one by one. But once the Farfetch’d joined in, it became a group battle.
Hyogoro had made the rules very clear: watch your strength. That left Zoro somewhat constrained. However, that warning wasn’t directed only at Zoro, it applied equally to both sides.
As time passed, the number of weapons in Zoro’s hands gradually increased. A single leek was no longer enough to handle the situation, so he drew a second one, switching to Two Sword Style.
Two years ago, a group of baboons that imitated human combat techniques had given him endless trouble.
Today, he was facing Farfetch’d just as numerous as those baboons. While they lacked human-like bodies, they could use Haki, and different ducks even had different styles.
Without his usual weapons and with his job being to act as a sparring partner, these ducks unexpectedly reminded him of the terror that had dominated him two years ago. The feeling became even stronger after the Sirfetch’d that had already forged a black leek blade, and specialized in iaijutsu, entered the field.
Zoro immediately decided to use Three Sword Style. But as he brought the leek handle to his mouth, he discovered an even more fatal problem.
The leek, tough enough to be used as a sword, became surprisingly fragile once it came into close contact with his teeth. He bit straight through it.
The leek was juicy and even had a unique sweetness to it, but that didn’t change the fact that he’d just lost a weapon.
Switching to Three Sword Style: failed.
Worse, it left an opening, and a leek immediately smacked him across the head.
“Damn it! Again! That was an accident!”
Zoro refused to accept defeat. Picking up the leek on the ground, he clenched it between his teeth again. This time, he coated the handle with Haki, preventing the previous mishap from happening again.
“That young man is pretty impressive. He’s managed to last this long.
“My old back can barely survive their abuse anymore. Training sessions like these group battles are better left to the younger generation. Still, it seems the Beasts Pirates have attracted lots of people lately…”
Listening to the commotion from the dojo, Hyogoro felt that he had recruited the right person. At the same time, he couldn’t help but think that the Beasts Pirates’ development was accelerating even further. His wife, however, had her own opinion.
“Isn’t that a good thing? Without them, this country wouldn’t have developed so quickly.”
“You’ve got a point. Besides, the longer someone sticks with this job, the more they’ll gain from it.”
Despite being a job where you got beaten up, many people still applied for it. In the end, it was because even fighting against Farfetch’d and Sirfetch’d could hone their skills, and there was even a chance to receive guidance from Hyogoro.
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