Four months.
For the turbulent and magnificent ocean, it felt as if something had been forgotten, or as if nothing had happened.
The sudden disappearance of the silver-haired crew, which had been making headlines for months, had no impact on the sea. Countless major and minor events still occurred every day.
The world would not stop turning because of someone's absence; time marched ever onward.
East Blue.
A small sailing ship, its sails fully hoisted, was cutting rapidly through the waves.
The skull-and-crossbones flag at the masthead snapped and rustled in the damp sea breeze.
Water stains, not yet dried, still marked the ship's deck, clearly indicating that this vessel had just endured an unpleasant journey.
However, as the lookout in the crow's nest, using his spyglass, spotted a small boat rapidly approaching directly ahead of their pirate ship, he knew their ordeal had only just begun.
With a pale face, the lookout quickly turned his trembling body and frantically rang the nearby alarm bell. He then shouted loudly to his companions lounging on the ship's railings below, "The... the... the Pirate Hunter, Roronoa Zoro."
"Hmph!"
The pirates, who had been lazily basking in the sun on deck, appearing like beached fish, sprang to their feet as if they had heard the name of an incomparably terrifying figure. They rushed to the ship's edge in unison, gazing forward.
Upon clearly seeing the figure standing at the prow of the approaching small boat, a figure with three swords at his waist and green hair.
They instinctively took a step back, their pupils contracting rapidly, and they shouted in terror, "Quick, quick, turn, turn!"
One pirate, staring ahead, trembled all over.
"It's too late, it's too late!"
"Hmph!"
Suddenly, as if struck by an idea, he turned and sprinted towards the captain's cabin at the stern of the ship.
Their captain was a notorious pirate with a bounty of 7,000,000 Berries!
Although their opponent was a notoriously brutal bounty hunter who had recently gained widespread fame for slaying countless pirates.
But with so many of them, plus the captain...
He tightened the grip on the gun at his waist, took a deep breath, and knocked on the captain's cabin door.
"They aren't afraid!"
"Hmph! They aren't afraid."
Upon hearing the captain's voice calling him in, he took a deep breath to calm himself.
Then, with a creak that grated on the ears, he pushed open the wooden door of the captain's cabin and loudly exclaimed,
"Bad news, Captain, Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro has arrived."
"Hmph!"
The captain's smoking hand paused, and he slowly, mechanically raised his head, turning his neck to look at his subordinate, "You... what? Say that again."
The subordinate's grip on his gun tightened again as he nervously replied, "Pirate Hunter Zoro has arrived."
The cigarette in the captain's hand trembled, his pupils contracted, his face stiffened, and he froze on the spot.
The subordinate looked at the captain and anxiously asked, "Uh... Captain, should we prepare to fight? Pirate Hunter Zoro will be here soon."
The subordinate's voice broke the captain's tense focus. He threw down the cigarette in his hand and quickly stood up.
"Fight... fight what ghost!"
He grabbed his coat from the side, threw it on, and roared at his subordinate, "That's Pirate Hunter Zoro! A true murderous maniac!"
He had heard about this guy from his comrades more than once recently. Tales of how he wiped out one pirate crew today and massacred another tomorrow.
At first, he hadn't believed it. If there was such a powerful bounty hunter, why would he stay in the East Blue? Wouldn't he have sailed for the Grand Line long ago?
But after one of his familiar pirate crews encountered Zoro and disappeared without a trace, he gained a clear understanding of the terror of this bounty hunter.
He hadn't expected that in the vast East Blue, simply setting out to sea for a little plundering because their pirate crew was out of money.
Unexpectedly, instead of getting money, he ran into the person he least wanted to meet.
The thought of his head soon becoming the source of the other party's wealth sent a sharp pain through his neck.
He grabbed the gun beside him, tucked it into his waist, pushed open the door, and strode out of the room.
"What are you all standing around for? Turn the ship around, quickly!"
The captain emerged from the room and bellowed at his subordinates, who were dazed on the deck.
But the subordinates stood frozen, as if under a spell, ignoring their captain's commands, which they usually feared.
Sensing the abnormality of his subordinates, the captain looked up towards the ship's prow. Upon seeing the green-haired figure squatting on the ship's railing, his throat felt as if something was blocking it; he wanted to speak but couldn't utter a sound.
It was one of the subordinates behind him who showed bravery. He poked his head out from behind the captain, looked at Zoro at the prow, and shouted, "Brothers, there are so many of us, let's go, take him down."
The subordinate's fervor ignited the ferocity within the captain. His eyes bloodshot, he glared at Zoro and drew the gun from his waist, firing a barrage of shots towards the prow.
"Die! You moss-headed monster."
"Hmph!"
Zoro, who had been squatting at the prow, preparing to pull his companion onto the ship, seemed to hear a particularly disliked moniker.
He turned his head, looking directly at the captain through the gaps between the bullets.
"Moss-head."
Veins bulged on his forehead. He quickly drew his swords, holding one in each hand, and swung them in front of him, slicing all the incoming bullets in half.
Then, with a "bang," his legs pushed off the railing, the railing shattered, sending splinters flying everywhere. His figure, as if teleporting, suddenly appeared before the captain, unseen by anyone on the ship.
"Moss-head, is it!"
"I'll teach you to give people nicknames."
Saying this, he raised his right hand holding a sword and slashed towards the captain's neck.
"Your head is mine."
*Splat—!*
A flash of the blade, and the captain froze in place, his outstretched hand suspended in mid-air, holding a gun from which smoke was still rising. But the light in his eyes was rapidly fading.
"You bastard."
A subordinate beside the captain roared and quickly raised his pistol towards Zoro.
*Splat—!*
A flash of the blade, and he too froze, his eyes dimming rapidly.
Zoro swung his swords outwards, then shook them, flicking off the blood, and turned to face the many pirates on the deck.
Only then did the heads of the two men behind him, gushing blood, shoot upwards. Their headless bodies immediately slumped to the deck.
*Thud!*
*Thud!*
*Thump-thump-thump!!*
The sound of heads hitting the deck made the pirates' throats feel as if they were being scorched by fire. They frantically swallowed, their pupils contracting to the extreme as they watched Zoro approach them step by step.
Then, with a shiver, a stream of liquid flowed down their pant legs onto the deck.
Several even rolled their eyes back and fainted with a "plop" onto the deck.
Zoro looked at these pirates, a hint of disgust flashing in his eyes.
He slowly sheathed the swords in his hands and then drew his third sword.
These fellows were not worthy of him using "Kaien" to kill them; they deserved ordinary blades.
Seeing these utterly terrified pirates, Zoro simply swung his swords a few times.
With that, several white wind blades, emitting a green glow, quickly sliced across each pirate's neck, ensuring they died without any pain.
He could not yet unleash the true "Flying Slash" exclusive to master swordsmen.
But with his strength, unleashing wind blades was still quite easy.
He then carefully walked across the deck, stained with urine and blood. As he passed the pirates who had fainted, he didn't hold back, quickly delivering a few more blows.
This was the Zoro of today, more powerful than the Zoro in Kouta's memory.
Of course, he was also more indifferent to pirates.