"Grade Sword... and a cursed blade?!"
Zoro stared at the two swords in astonishment before immediately examining them.
The quality of Yubashiri and Sandai Kitetsu spoke for itself.
The moment he confirmed that both weapons were genuine famed blades, he looked at Kaito with visible hesitation.
"Captain... I just joined the crew, and you're already giving me two famous swords."
"I don't think I deserve something like this."
Deep down, he loved them.
Although his master had already entrusted him with Wado Ichimonji the previous night, as a Three-Sword Style swordsman, he still lacked two worthy blades to accompany it.
Yubashiri and Sandai Kitetsu had appeared at exactly the right time.
With them, he no longer had to worry about finding suitable swords.
"If I'm giving them to you, then take them."
Kaito smiled.
"If you feel guilty about accepting them..."
"Then prove you're worthy of carrying them."
"I will!"
Zoro took a deep breath and nodded solemnly.
"I'll definitely prove myself worthy."
After handing Yubashiri and Sandai Kitetsu over to Zoro, Kaito immediately ordered the fleet to depart.
"They're really leaving..."
"Good luck, Brother Zoro!"
"The War Pirates..."
"I wonder whether joining a crew like that will be a blessing or a curse."
From the harbor, Koshiro, the disciples of Isshin Dojo, and the villagers of Shimotsuki Village silently watched the fleet of twenty-five pirate ships disappear over the horizon.
More than half a month later...
"Be careful!"
"Don't damage the supplies we just bought."
"Ship Number Nine is already full!"
"Load the rest onto another ship."
"Nami, Nojiko, you're back."
"How did buying the Grand Line navigation equipment go?"
"I only bought a few Eternal Poses..."
Nami sighed miserably.
"They're ridiculously expensive."
The War Pirates' fleet was currently docked at the harbor of a small island.
Crew members bustled about as they transported freshly purchased supplies onto the various ships.
Robin was checking inventory alongside Tashigi when she noticed Nami and Nojiko returning under the escort of a dozen crew members.
Unable to help herself, she asked about the shopping trip.
Nami looked as though someone had stolen her life savings.
"There was no helping it."
"Items from the Grand Line are scarce in every one of the Four Blues."
"And navigation tools like Eternal Poses are especially expensive."
Even though all supply expenses would later be reimbursed, watching so much money leave her hands still felt like someone was carving flesh from her body.
After chatting briefly, Nami and Nojiko returned to the flagship.
"Don't rely on brute force."
"Swing your sword with your heart."
"That's right."
"Every slash should feel like your sword is meditating with you."
"You have to understand your blade through your heart."
"Hm?"
"I just praised you and you've already made another mistake."
"Again!"
The deck of the flagship was just as lively as the docks.
Lafitte and Zoro occupied one corner of the deck.
Using his Paper-Paper Fruit, Lafitte continuously created walls of hardened paper as tough as steel.
Standing opposite him, Zoro repeatedly swung his swords.
Occasionally...
One slash would successfully cut straight through the paper wall.
Most of the time, however, the wall remained intact, leaving Zoro's hands numb from the impact.
Whenever that happened, Lafitte immediately pointed out his mistakes before forcing him to repeat the exercise.
His supervision was incredibly strict.
Their relationship had developed much like Mangu's and Sandy's.
After crossing swords in Shimotsuki Village, Lafitte and Zoro had formed a surprisingly good rapport.
He no longer hesitated to devote his time to teaching Zoro.
Naturally, the reason Lafitte was willing to do so was because of Zoro's exceptional talent.
In the original timeline, after leaving Isshin Dojo, Zoro had wandered through East Blue as a pirate hunter.
In Kaito's opinion, that period had largely wasted his natural gifts.
Environment shaped people.
And East Blue simply wasn't strong enough to sharpen a swordsman of Zoro's caliber.
That was also why Zoro's strength had exploded after reaching the Grand Line.
In truth...
That rapid growth was the pace he should have been developing all along.
Although Zoro had lost badly against Lafitte, both his talent and determination had earned Lafitte's respect.
So after leaving Shimotsuki Village, not only did Kaito continue tempering Zoro's will through his Conqueror's Haki, but Lafitte also began personally teaching him out of genuine appreciation for his talent.
Now...
The War Pirates had nearly reached Reverse Mountain and were preparing to officially enter the Grand Line.
During that same period, Zoro's strength had improved tremendously.
His sword strikes occasionally sliced straight through Lafitte's steel-hard paper walls.
His swordsmanship had already begun touching the threshold of the Realm of Cutting Steel.
Besides Lafitte and Zoro, others were training as well.
At another corner of the deck, Mangu and Sandy had each picked up barbells weighing several tons.
Instead of lifting them normally, the two swung them around like giant clubs.
Every swing generated tremendous gusts of wind.
The two simply stood opposite one another, seeing whose airflow could knock the other backward first.
"Phew..."
Robin wiped the sweat from her forehead.
"Finally finished counting everything."
She looked down at the notebook recording every supply shipment and let out a relieved sigh.
Standing beside her, Tashigi was equally exhausted.
She nodded repeatedly.
"Yes."
"This is our final resupply before entering the Grand Line."
"We've purchased far more supplies than ever before."
Although Loguetown was one of the closest islands to Reverse Mountain in East Blue, it wasn't the only route there.
After leaving Shimotsuki Village, Kaito had led the fleet directly toward Reverse Mountain instead of returning through Loguetown.
Now, after more than half a month of sailing, they had finally reached its vicinity.
This island served as their last stop before officially entering the Grand Line.
Once the inventory was complete, Robin and Tashigi returned aboard the flagship.
"The captain has really been working hard."
Robin stood on the deck and shaded her eyes from the bright afternoon sun with one hand.
Looking out across the distant sea...
She spotted three ships repeatedly sailing back and forth along the same straight route.
Unable to help herself, she quietly sighed with admiration.
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