Marineford War: I Will Stand in the Sky

As they were talking, Chopper, startled, instinctively ran back into the store.

"Ying, you used to like this kind of pet?" Zoro asked, somewhat surprised.

“Hmm, don’t you think those furry and cute creatures are perfect for being gently ravaged?” Ying said matter-of-factly.

"Almost...more or less..."

Zoro mumbled something and then walked into the weapon shop.

……

Meanwhile, on the rooftop of the building opposite the weapon shop, Yaon, who was having tea with Dorrag, saw this scene and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

As for Ying's personality, A'en was naturally very clear about it.

She may be kind at heart, but she also seems to have inherited some of Hancock's eccentricities, and she expresses her affection for her pets in a somewhat rough manner.

Coincidentally, Ying's favorite type of pet is the kind that is fluffy and cute, preferably with an ugly-cute vibe.

"Chopper, thank you for your hard work..."

A smile involuntarily crept onto Ya'en's lips.

That would probably scare Zoro, right?

……

As Ying and Zoro entered the weapon shop, Chopper, terrified, shrank back behind the counter, but his entire body was exposed as if he had hidden himself in the wrong place.

Besides that, Ying and Zoro looked around, and finally their gazes fell on the woman in kendo uniform who was kneeling with her back to them.

"Hey, are you the owner of this shop? I need to buy two swords," Zoro said, getting straight to the point.

"Buying a knife, sure..."

Tashigi spoke, following the rules that Yann had set for her.

"It's just to verify whether a customer's devotion to Kendo is worthy of a sword. They need to have a Kendo duel with me. The winner can choose anything in the shop."

Zoro's face immediately lit up with interest, and he said, "No problem."

[Chapter 722. Kuina? ? ?]

With Zoro agreeing, Tashigi took a deep breath, stood up, and slowly turned around to look at Zoro behind her.

"Gu...Guina?!"

Zoro's pupils dilated in shock, his face revealing an even greater astonishment than when he had seen Mihawk.

A face with almost identical features to Kuina's, even the hairstyle and eyes are exactly the same!

After forcing himself to calm down, Zoro repeatedly checked the woman's appearance in front of him.

That's right, that's right...

The next moment, Zoro suddenly stepped forward and hugged Tashigi tightly, saying excitedly.

"Kuina, you're still alive? What happened?"

Even the slow-witted Tashigi was completely bewildered and asked blankly.

"What?! What happened?!"

"How are you still alive?" Zoro asked with ecstatic joy.

"what?"

Tashigi answered blankly, "Shouldn't I be alive?!"

"No, no, no, it's so good that you're alive, so good..." Zoro said excitedly as he hugged Tashigi tightly.

Just then, Zoro suddenly felt a tremendous force on the back of his neck, and was forcibly lifted up and thrown to the ground.

"Hey Zoro, what's wrong with you? Didn't you say that Tashigi was dead? And you swore at her grave that you would become the 'World's Greatest Swordsman' with her 'Wado Ichimonji'?"

Ying spoke with a hint of dissatisfaction, which immediately made Zoro realize what was going on and turn to Tashigi to ask.

"You're not Kuina, you...who are you?"

Even as he asked the question, Zoro still harbored a sliver of hope that the woman before him would utter the name "Kuina."

However, even the slow-witted Tashigi finally realized what was happening, her face flushed slightly, and she subconsciously raised her hand to adjust her glasses.

"Huh? Where are my glasses?"

Tashigi paused for a moment, then looked down with a blank expression and began searching around.

Seeing Tashigi's airheadedness, which was almost impossible to find in Kuina, Zoro's heart sank.

Chopper, who was huddled next to the cabinet, spoke up to offer a reminder.

"Hey, Tashigi, have you forgotten? You're wearing contact lenses right now..."

"Oh yeah..."

Tashigi immediately realized what was happening, then angrily pointed at Zoro and said, "What were you trying to do so abruptly just now?"

"I...I'm sorry, I mistook you for someone else," Zoro replied with an extremely somber expression.

"Humph!"

Seeing this, Tashigi didn't take Zoro's offense to heart and instead asked, "So you're planning to buy a sword, right? Then let's have a sword duel!"

Zoro watched as Tashigi, who looked almost exactly like Kuina, uttered the words "sword duel," and his expression became incredibly complex. He clenched his fists and hesitated to agree.

"and many more……"

Just then, Yingzhi pointed at Chopper and said, "Can the winner choose anything in the shop, including that tanuki?"

"I've already said, I'm not for sale!"

Chopper protested loudly, doing his best to protect himself, while his eyes looked at Tashigi with a hint of expectation, hoping that Tashigi would refuse this rude request.

However, after recalling what Yann had said, Tashigi said blankly, "The shopkeeper really did say I could choose anything in the shop, including me, the loser, taking everything with me..."

However, Tashigi immediately clenched her fist, made a cheering gesture towards Chopper, and said...

"Chopper, don't worry, I'll do my best. This is also the moment to prove that my swordsmanship is worthy of the 'Famous Sword Yubashiri'!"

In an instant, Chopper's face turned slightly pale.

'Oh? You actually sell famous swords in this shop?'

Ying's eyes brightened slightly, but her gaze towards Chopper carried a certain naked meaning, and she habitually spoke in a commanding tone.

"Hey, Zoro, you have to defeat this woman, no matter what it takes, understand?"

“I… Ying…”

Before Zoro could finish speaking hesitantly, Ying slapped him on the back of the head and reiterated with a horrified expression.

"To prove your innocence... no, to win that Chopper back for me, you must participate in this duel."

Zoro's expression twitched slightly, and he said with difficulty, "Alright."

"Then please follow me."

Tashigi said something, and then led Ying and Zoro to the underground kendo room that Yan had prepared in advance.

As Tashigi and Zoro took their positions and drew their swords, a sword duel imbued with their unique wills began.

At Yann's request, Tashigi, determined to defeat the seven customers who came to the weapon shop to prove that she was worthy of the "Snow Walk" skill, launched the first attack on Zoro.

"Ding Ding Ding!"

The crisp sound of blades clashing rang out fiercely in the basement; it was a pure clash of moves without any fancy flourishes!

However, compared to Tashigi's all-out effort, Zoro's expression was incredibly complex, his eyes seemingly dazed as if he had returned to the thousands of battles etched deep in his soul!

In his 2001 battles against Kuina, Zoro has never won once...

Rather than saying that Zoro's initial path of swordsmanship was to become the strongest, it would be more accurate to say that it was purely out of a refusal to admit defeat and a desire to beat Kuina just once, even if it was just once!

However, Zoro clearly felt that if he went all out, he could easily win.

Even though he knew that the woman in front of him was not Kuina... looking at the face that looked exactly like Kuina's, Zoro couldn't bring himself to swing his sword with all his might!

It was as if Zoro, by swinging his sword with all his might, would completely sever his bond with Kuina, and thus win the duel with Kuina in some despicable way.

"Ding ding ding..."

Gradually, Zoro was even forced to retreat by Tashigi, and even felt that the "Wado Ichimonji" in his hand had become heavier than ever before.

"Hey, Zoro..."

Just then, Ying, who was watching from the sidelines, spoke calmly.

"If you intend to stay here, the sea will not wait for you. A weak man who is immersed in his memories is not qualified to be my partner, let alone compete with me for the title of 'World's Greatest Swordsman'."

At that moment, Zoro's pupils suddenly contracted, and he instinctively clenched his teeth.

"clang!"

The next instant, Tashigi's "Night Rain" and "Wado Ichimonji" collided in mid-air, maintaining a stalemate.

[Chapter 723. The Excuse of Weakness]

Meanwhile, on the rooftop of the building opposite the weapon shop, Dragon and Yann were watching the image projected almost 360 degrees from the kendo room.

"Chief of Staff, that naval sergeant named Tashigi, why does he look so familiar to me?" Dragon said with some doubt.

"Frostmoon Village, Isshin Dojo," Yaen said calmly as he watched the image.

Upon hearing this, Dragon suddenly realized something and said, "I remember now, the daughter of Mr. Koushirou of the Isshin Dojo in Shimotsuki Village."

After a pause, Dorrag said with a sigh.

"After Sabo was rescued by chance back then, he recuperated at the Isshin Dojo for a period of time. Shimotsuki Village served as the organization's food transit station for more than ten years, thanks to Mr. Koushirou's great care. It's a pity that Mr. Koushirou's beloved daughter died in an accident when she was young."

“Indeed, it’s rumored that Kuina has quite a talent for swordsmanship, and given time she may very well become a great swordswoman,” Yaon agreed.

Dragon nodded, then looked at Tashigi in the video with a more scrutinizing gaze, and asked, "So, what's the deal with this Sergeant Tashigi in front of us?"

"Perhaps it's just a pure coincidence, or perhaps there are other possibilities; we'll have to ask Mr. Koushirou if he was reckless in his youth," Yan said.

"Uh……"

Dragon recalled that Koushirou, with his small glasses and a smiling, kind appearance, was hard to imagine his former wild and unruly nature.