East China Sea.
In a mountain forest somewhere in a certain sea area.
"Three Sword Style - Oni Giri!"
A flash of sword light, and with a "poof," a mighty grizzly bear, over 5 meters tall, froze in place.
Ding—!
Behind it, a man in a white t-shirt, with a bandana wrapped around his head, was standing up, sheathing the two swords in his hands at his waist.
He then took the sword he was biting in his mouth, swung it to the right, flicking off the bloodstains, before turning to look at the grizzly bear behind him, his eyes full of mockery.
"The weak can only be my food."
Only then did the grizzly bear fall to the ground with a "bang," twitch a few times, and fall silent.
Sheathing the third sword, Zoro looked up at the sky. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the tree canopy, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
"Where the hell is this place now."
He hadn't expected to be stranded on an island so soon after setting sail.
There must be some trap on this island that prevented him from leaving; he would never admit he was lost.
Speaking of getting lost, he thought of the Straw Hat kid who had brought him out of the forest in the Goa Kingdom a month ago.
That kid dared to mock him. If that guy hadn't brought him out, he would have cut him down.
Afterward, that guy invited him to be his crewmate.
He didn't feel any burden about that, and for some reason, as if it were destiny, he felt that although the Straw Hat kid mocked him, their personalities suited him well.
And he knew that going to the Grand Line alone was impossible, so after a moment of hesitation, he agreed.
But that guy wouldn't set sail for another year. A year later, Sora would have already reached the pinnacle of the world. How could he wait?
If not for the Straw Hat kid's carefree smile, he would have wanted to strike him down at that very moment.
However, a man must keep his word once he gives it. So, no matter how reluctant he was, he had to wait for that kid in the East China Sea for a year.
A year.
Thinking about the recent news he had seen about Sora, although he had promised the Straw Hat kid, he couldn't really wait for him for a year in the Goa Kingdom. He had to go out to sea and fight strong opponents. Only through battle could he rapidly improve his strength.
So, after explaining the situation to the Straw Hat kid, he unhesitatingly set sail once more.
This voyage was smooth. He encountered many different pirates and felt his progress in battles.
But, but, but, damn it, he was stranded in a forest again.
Last time, the Straw Hat kid had led him out. What about this time?
Uncomfortable.
Zoro lowered his head, looked at the fallen grizzly bear, and muttered, "Looks like I need to find a couple of lackeys."
Although he was very reluctant to admit it, he truly didn't know how to get out of such a forest.
Before, with Saka around, he never worried about such things.
Thinking of Saka, his face instantly darkened.
If he hadn't been careless and had misjudged the pirates' strength, Saka wouldn't have died.
Although he had killed all the pirates afterward and avenged Saka, his childhood friend was gone.
This made him feel very guilty for a long time.
He patted his face, and his usual confidence returned. The past could not be reclaimed; life was about looking forward.
Only by doing so could he prevent the departed from becoming shackles on his climb to the peak.
And he, carrying Saka's share, would catch up to Sora's pace.
He hadn't forgotten what Sora had told him when he left!
Based on the reports of Sora he had seen in the newspapers, he knew Sora was already at the peak of the world and would soon become the true strongest in the world.
He was absolutely certain of this.
Looking ahead, Zoro's gaze remained as firm as his gaze had always been towards Sora and Kuina.
"Wait for me."
Then he turned, chose a direction that looked pleasing to him, and walked forward, disappearing soon after.
...
On the other side of the island.
A girl with orange-yellow short hair, wearing a striped t-shirt and orange-yellow shorts, with a dagger at her waist, was holding a shovel and digging something in the muddy ground below a cliff.
As she got closer, she could hear her muttering softly while digging.
"Strange, the map I got from pirates is this location!"
She said, standing up, and took out a crumpled piece of parchment from her pocket, unfolding it.
She looked at the location marked on the parchment, then looked around, then walked a few steps to the right, and finally nodded, putting away the parchment.
"Okay! This must be it. It should be here."
Looking at the ground, her clear black and white pupils sparkled with the glint of money.
Then she picked up the shovel and began digging into the ground in front of her without hesitation.
Familiar eyes, awakened tone, and most importantly, a familiar appearance.
If this wasn't Nami, the "Little Money Cat," who else could it be?
Although the Arlong Pirates had been destroyed by Sora and his crew, Nami's yearning for money, seemingly etched into her bones, had not changed at all.
After setting sail, without the Arlong Pirates, the nightmare that had weighed on her heart, she had indeed become much livelier.
But besides surveying the seas and drawing sea charts, she still stole treasures from pirate ships.
During this period, she also met a fellow thief, "Genzo."
But that guy was a liar. The last time they were caught while stealing from a treasure hunter's vault, that guy had abandoned her without hesitation.
This had angered her for a long time.
Fortunately, the pirates had all chased after that guy, allowing her to escape unharmed.
Thinking of this, her hand paused slightly. In fact, she had realized afterward that Genzo might not have been the kind of person he appeared to be. But they never met again after that, so she couldn't understand why he had left her and escaped alone with the treasure.
Never mind, she put Genzo out of her mind the next moment. With his intelligence, he wouldn't be in any trouble.
Picking up the shovel, she threw herself back into the joy of digging for treasure.
Soon, she emerged from a pit, covered in dirt, holding a locked chest.
From the tin on the chest and the rust on the lock, it could be seen that this chest had been buried for a time far beyond many people's imagination.
Nami, climbing out of the pit, sat down on the ground, looking at the chest in front of her, her face full of joy.
Without a key, she didn't wait. She picked up the shovel and smashed it against the chest.
With a few clangs, the chest shattered.
The moment it shattered, it seemed as if a golden light emanated from the cracks of the chest, making Nami even more excited.
Her eyes gleamed, and she brought the shovel down hard on the chest.
Boom—!
The chest instantly split into pieces.
And the gold coins inside scattered everywhere like a shower of petals.
"I'm rich, I'm rich."
Looking at the gold coins, Nami's eyes had completely turned into the shape of money.
However, she didn't know that the pirate ship whose map she had stolen had already found her small boat and was now, led by their captain, walking towards her on the beach.
And in the forest, Zoro stood still, his ears twitching. He turned, looking in the direction of Nami's cliff, his eyes lighting up.
"Someone's there."