Chapter 224: A Bout with Zoro

Although Richie the lion looks fierce and has a massive frame, in the One Piece World, it can only be considered at the low end of the food chain.

After all, in this world, lions of ordinary size, or even those a size larger, have long since become obsolete.

The more formidable animals in the One Piece World are often ten or twenty meters tall, and that is just on land; if you go out to sea, Sea Kings hundreds of meters long are as common as hair on an ox, and only those over a thousand meters can dominate the ocean, while the truly terrifying monsters have body sizes that break through to the ten-thousand-meter mark.

Compared to them, Richie the lion can indeed only get by in a circus; it might be able to scare people a little in the East Blue, but by the time it reaches the Grand Line, its status would likely be about the same as emergency rations.

After Uchiha Feiyu and Nami scared the foolish lion a little, the lion immediately defected and became Uchiha Feiyu's pet.

"But Feiyu, what do you want to do by subduing this lion? This guy's Power Level is mediocre, its courage is small, it has absolutely no loyalty, and it eats quite a lot... I feel like it has no use at all?"

"It's fine, I plan to use this lion to conduct a little research. If it succeeds, perhaps I can develop something very powerful."

Uchiha Feiyu said indifferently, his gaze turning toward Richie the lion, causing the lion to shiver all over, a look of cowardice appearing on its face.

Unfortunately, it was already too late to be cowering at this point; Uchiha Feiyu would not change his mind because of this lion.

"Take this lion, let's go back to the ship! The Straw Hat Pirates have already arrived at Loguetown, and I don't know if they have done anything to our Going Merry?"

Hearing this sentence from Uchiha Feiyu, Nami, who originally had a smile on her face, suddenly had her expression stiffen, and she clenched her fists:

"You're right, those dangerous pirates—if they lay a hand on our Going Merry, that would be terrible. Let's hurry back to the ship!"

This pair of bandits and thieves had long since treated the Going Merry as their own property, and obviously, they could not allow the Straw Hat Pirates to take back their ship.

The two of them, carrying a lion, rushed toward the port, but halfway there, they saw Tashigi with a very serious look on her face; the two Marines she had taken with her were now beaten to the ground, unconscious.

And the person who did it was not Buggy the Pirate, whom Tashigi had been chasing, but rather a green-haired swordsman.

Although Buggy's strength was actually quite a bit stronger than Tashigi's, he had already been injured by the Straw Hat Pirates and, wanting only to slip away, he did not entangle himself with Tashigi and had long since vanished without a trace.

Tashigi chased for a distance, did not find Buggy's shadow, but instead encountered Zoro, who was currently lost; seeing the Wado Ichimonji in this guy's hand, Tashigi immediately understood Zoro's identity and, holding her sword, wanted to challenge Zoro to a duel.

It was fortunate that Tashigi looked very similar to Zoro's childhood friend, which made this green-haired man show mercy, only knocking down Tashigi's two Marine followers without cutting Tashigi down as well.

However, Tashigi's personality—tenacious and unyielding to put it nicely, or pestering and relentless to put it bluntly—also gave Zoro a massive headache.

"I absolutely will not let a famous sword like Wado Ichimonji stay by the side of a pirate! I have heard the weeping of that famous sword!"

"Bastard, what kind of ghost joke are you making? This sword was given to me by my teacher, and a famous sword is just a famous sword; how could it have any thoughts of weeping?"

"A sword is meant for cutting people; it cannot distinguish between good and evil. You woman, stop pestering me, or else be careful or I'll cut you!"

"Even if my swordsmanship is not a match for yours, I absolutely cannot..."

"Miss Tashigi, what are you doing?"

A familiar voice suddenly rang out from behind, giving Tashigi a big surprise; Tashigi, who had been serious and facing Zoro, hurriedly turned her head and immediately bowed:

"Sorry, it's Mr. Uchiha Feiyu... I didn't see you just now... Right, I am currently in the middle of a battle!"

Afterward, the female swordsman hurriedly turned back around and then assumed a defensive stance aimed at Zoro, but after this interruption, the originally serious and even tragic atmosphere vanished without a trace, leaving only an awkward air lingering.

Zoro blinked, unable to help but speak up:

"You woman... could it be that you're an idiot?"

"What... what insolence! What a rude pirate!"

Tashigi's face turned red with anger... or perhaps it was embarrassment turning into rage, and she was about to continue the fight, but at this moment, Uchiha Feiyu pressed down on her shoulder:

"I already told you, Tashigi, you are no match for this guy; you'd better leave him to me!"

"You are... so it's you two! The thieves who stole the Going Merry!"

Zoro frowned slightly; back at the Baratie, Zoro's injuries were heavy, and he paid almost no attention to the outside, so his impression of Uchiha Feiyu was not deep.

But regardless, the two had met, and Uchiha Feiyu later stole the Going Merry, which made the Straw Hat Pirates keep it in mind; even Zoro, after taking one look at Uchiha Feiyu and Nami, immediately recalled their identities.

And after recalling their identities, Zoro immediately pointed his sword tip at the two:

"Hey, I say, Marine over there, compared to pirates like us who don't even have a bounty anymore, that pair of male and female thieves over there are clearly the more dangerous figures!"

"Don't joke around! Mr. Uchiha Feiyu and Miss Nami stole your ship to help you walk the right path and stop being pirates; how can you treat them as thieves!"

Zoro: "o(￣ヘ￣o#)..."

Do you want to listen to what you are saying? Is this really something a Marine should say? Isn't this double standard going a bit too far!

We are a pirate crew that acts with chivalry, has never done anything bad, and doesn't even have a bounty, yet we are the crooked path, while those two bastards who stole our ship are the embodiment of justice?

Never mind Zoro, even Nami couldn't help but blush upon hearing this; only Uchiha Feiyu, that shameless guy, walked straight up:

"Well said. If you can understand my good intentions, then just disband the pirate crew and join my Adventure Exploration Group!"

"Young man, there's no future in going out to sea to be a pirate. Haven't you heard a saying? That is, if you go out and mix in the world, you always have to pay it back!"

"Damn guy! Stop nagging me! Eat my blade, Three Sword Style—Three Thousand Worlds!"

The three blades in Zoro's hands formed three storms, slashing toward Uchiha Feiyu. Uchiha Feiyu curled his lips, reached out and grasped the Sandai Kitetsu, and just as the blade light approached him, he drew his sword from its sheath and pierced instantly into a tiny flaw at the intersection of the three storms.

The storm composed of three long swords instantly collapsed, the two figures crossed paths, Uchiha Feiyu easily sheathed his sword, while Zoro directly spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, adding new wounds to the old ones on his chest.

"Tsk... the injuries from fighting Dracule Mihawk haven't healed yet, and you're rushing to your death?"

Uchiha Feiyu said with disdain. With Zoro's current strength, although he was not his match, he was definitely not the type to be killed in one move. However, in the battle just now, Zoro's Three Sword Style was not very coordinated, thus creating a slight flaw.

Dealing with a weak opponent like Tashigi, this swordsmanship was still peerless, but facing an opponent of the same level or stronger, the flaw created by this lack of coordination became a fatal defect.

Clearly, the injuries left by Dracule Mihawk had not fully recovered, which led to Zoro making this mistake.

"Damn it... don't underestimate me!"

Zoro gritted his teeth, turned his head, and still maintained the stance of the Three Sword Style. Although his body was increasingly weak and his aura increasingly withered, the sharp spirit unique to a swordsman became even more piercing and brilliant.

The Straw Hat Pirates, and even people in the One Piece World, all have some ability to "sit up from a lying position"; the more heavily injured they are, the more they can often exert their own Power Level.

The Zoro from just a moment ago was only because he wasn't excited, which is why his old wounds pulled at his body movements, causing his swordsmanship to have a slight deformation, but now that he was fully excited, the heavier the injuries, the more powerful his attack would become!

However, Uchiha Feiyu had no intention of entangling with Zoro; he directly reached out and waved his hand, and the Haki that permeated out fluctuated in a strange way, bombarding Zoro's body.

This Haki seemed to have no destructive power, but the moment it made contact with Zoro's body, one could see blood erupting violently from the wounds on his chest, the crimson blood spurting out a full seven or eight meters.

This famous iron man of the Straw Hat Pirates turned pale in an instant, his whole body giving one the feeling of withering, and he collapsed to the ground, unable to crawl back up.

In an instant, the feeling of having almost all the blood in one's body extracted was not very pleasant. This was only because people in the One Piece World have strong vitality; if this were the ninja world, even the Uzumaki Clan or the Senju Clan would have died on the spot.

This was also Uchiha Feiyu using Armament Haki to simulate the effect of the Blood Scripture; it is a more delicate operation than internal destruction—as long as there is a wound on the body, one can instantly force the opponent's blood out from the surface of the skin!

However, the reason the effect was so good was also because this guy Zoro doesn't know any Haki at all; otherwise, with Haki defense inside his body, the effect of this move would have been discounted to some extent.

"Ah... this, Mr. Uchiha Feiyu, did you kill him?"

"No, this guy has tenacious vitality. Send him to the hospital for treatment, replenish some fluids and nutrients, and he should be able to recover in three to five days!"

Uchiha Feiyu shook his head and gave instructions. Zoro currently has no bounty on his head, and although he is a Pirate, in reality, for the Marine, he falls into the category of someone who can be arrested or left alone.

That is why Tashigi asked a few questions after seeing Zoro's miserable state; if it were an ordinary Pirate, no one would even ask if he died.

Just then, the two Marine followers behind Tashigi also climbed up from the ground, so Tashigi simply had the two Marines carry the mummified-looking Zoro to the hospital together.

However, at the same time, Zoro's Wado Ichimonji and the Yubashiri he had just obtained from Loguetown were both happily confiscated by Nami.

Tashigi looked at the two famous swords with lingering attachment and said:

"Mr. Feiyu, and this young lady, how do you plan to handle these two swords?"

"Of course, we'll sell them! The Ryo Wazamono can probably sell for over a million Berries, which can only be considered a side dish, but this Great Grade Sword Wado Ichimonji, if handled well, it's possible to sell it for 100 million Berries!"

The little thief cat Nami immediately issued a declaration that was very consistent with her identity, which suddenly made Tashigi a bit anxious:

"This, how can you do this? We cannot let these famous swords fall into the hands of evil Pirates again!"

So-called handling usually means an auction, and the people who would buy famous swords and aren't short on money are nine times out of ten Pirates.

"Hi, hi, hi, I know, I will be a little selective about the buyers."

Nami said this without much concern, but obviously, the little thief cat was just saying polite words. Although Nami is not a bad person, her moral bottom line hasn't reached that level; as long as there is money, she doesn't care who the buyer is.

"Alright, time to go. Only three people from the Straw Hat Pirates have appeared so far, isn't there still a long-nosed one who hasn't shown up? Maybe he is preparing to sail our Going Merry away right now!"

These words from Uchiha Feiyu finally brought Nami back to her senses. She hurriedly clenched her little fist and said:

"That's right, Feiyu, let's hurry to the pier. We absolutely cannot let these Straw Hat Pirates steal our ship!"

After saying that, Nami pulled Uchiha Feiyu and continued walking toward the port. Tashigi opened her mouth, wanting to say something more, but in the end, she didn't speak.

On the Going Merry, a certain long-nosed crew member was currently carefully inspecting the ship.

This small sailing ship was given to the Straw Hat Pirates by the long-nosed crew member, Usopp's childhood sweetheart Kaya, so naturally, Usopp cares about it the most on a daily basis. In the original story, he even quit the Straw Hat Pirates once because of the Going Merry.

Now that the Going Merry has been recovered, Usopp naturally wants to check it thoroughly.

"Seriously, what did Luffy and the others go off to do? After finding the Going Merry, shouldn't they have sailed the ship away immediately? Why go to Loguetown to look for those two people?"

Uchiha Feiyu and Nami were the only two, so after both of them headed to Loguetown, the Going Merry was naturally empty.

After the Straw Hat Pirates arrived in Loguetown, they saw the Going Merry immediately. At that time, Usopp's suggestion was for everyone to just take the ship and leave, and ignore those ship thieves.

But Sanji said he wanted to go to Loguetown to buy ingredients, Luffy said he wanted to see the Pirate King's execution platform, and Zoro said he wanted to go find those two thieves to spar; not a single person listened to Usopp's opinion.

(End of this chapter)