_________________
— — — — — — — — — — — —
Chapter's Events:
— — — — — — — — — — — —
"Hey, Mr. Fisherman! How's the catch today? I'm looking for a good deal!"
"AAHHH…!"
"What's wrong?" Sanji was surprised to see the fisherman screaming in shock and asked what was happening.
"He's gone…! That green-haired guy…!" the fisherman said, clearly flustered.
"Green…?? Did something happen?" Sanji immediately thought of Zoro.
"I've done something terrible!!"
"Y'see… just now, this guy with three swords came by here, right…?"
"And he says, 'I'm bored, so I wanna do some fishing'…!! So I told him, 'I'll be taking my boat out soon, so just wait for me on board, yeah…!?'"
Hearing this, Sanji immediately asked, "A green-haired guy with three swords and a haramaki around his waist?"
"Yeah! That's him! One-eyed, too!! Do you know him?" The mention of a one-eyed man annoyed Sanji, who quickly pulled out Zoro's wanted poster. ("One-eyed…?")
"Is this the guy?"
"AHHH!! Yep, that's him all right!! He a friend of yours?!" the fisherman confirmed when he saw Zoro's picture.
"…Well, I suppose… I know him, kind of…" Sanji replied.
"But listen! I swear, I told him to wait on my fishing boat! I told him, I did!! But you know what I found when I came back?! He was fast asleep on the gigantic pirate ship right next to it!!"
"I panicked, I tell you! I yelled at him, 'Not that boat!', but he just kept snoring!! And then it was too late! The pirate ship was all coated up and sank right down into the ocean…!! It must've been heading for Fishman Island…!"
Hearing this, Sanji started sweating. "That idiot…"
— — — — — — — — — — — —
Back at the Art Store in Shimotsuki Town:
Arashi stared at the contents of the chapter in shock.
"One-eyed? Did Zoro lose an eye during training?"
This revelation hit Arashi like a thunderbolt — and it shook Terra and the others just as much.
"Oh my god…" Terra covered her mouth in disbelief.
The idea of Zoro losing an eye filled her with sadness. 'He must have gone through so much to become stronger…' she thought sorrowfully.
"But what happened?! Did he fall asleep on a pirate ship by mistake? And now it's headed for Fishman Island?! Don't tell me he won't reunite with the crew until the next island!?"
"This is so frustrating!" Arashi grumbled. He'd been waiting so long to see the whole crew gather at the Sabaody Archipelago.
"Looks like Zoro's sense of direction got even worse after losing an eye… That's probably why he couldn't tell the difference between a fully coated pirate ship ready to dive to Fishmen Island, and a small fishing boat…"
Arashi scratched his head awkwardly while glancing at the small green-haired child in his wife's arms.
"Don't joke about that… Our son just made a mistake! He must've been exhausted from traveling all the way to the archipelago, so he fell asleep right away on the wrong ship!" Terra defended Zoro fiercely.
"Eh…? Look at the next scene, quickly…"
At that moment, Furiko, Arashi's mother, spoke with a gleam of excitement in her eyes.
Both Arashi and Terra's attention shifted immediately to the following panels.
Their expressions turned to shock at what happened next… After all, this was Zoro's big appearance.
...
In Ohara:
Mihawk watched the conversation between the fisherman and Sanji with deep interest. Then a certain word caught his attention.
"One-eyed guy…"
"It seems Zoro has lost an eye…" Issho said thoughtfully.
"Losing an eye in exchange for training from my counterpart… It's a worthy price. I see that Zoro has become far stronger… But I wonder — was training him truly the right choice?" Mihawk questioned his counterpart's decision for the first time.
After all, from Zoro's perspective, Mihawk was still an enemy to surpass in his pursuit of his dream.
"At this rate, your counterpart might find his end at Zoro's hands in the future," Issho remarked with a meaningful smile, sipping his sake.
Mihawk didn't reply — his focused eyes stayed locked on the manga.
At that moment, the sea beneath the Archipelago's ocean darkened.
Sanji, who was about to leave, noticed the disturbance as well.
— — — — — — — — — — — —
"I thought it was a bad sign when he was the first one to arrive at the meeting point — and now look what's happened!!" Sanji turned to leave, his face full of irritation.
"It was a pirate ship, you hear?! He could've been killed by now…!!" The fisherman was wracked with guilt, thinking this was somehow his fault.
"No, no, it's fine. Don't worry yourself — this isn't your fault at all!! That brute won't get himself killed, so you can rest easy. Hell, at least now we know where to find him… So, have you got any fish?" Now that Sanji knew where Zoro had gone, he figured he might as well buy some fish.
But just then, a commotion broke out. "Hey!! Look out at the ocean!! Something's coming up!!" A voice cried out, grabbing everyone's attention.
"It's huge!!"
"Guaaahhh!! It's a galleon!!!" A massive pirate ship emerged from the water — split cleanly in two.
"Did it suffer a coating failure and get crushed by water pressure…?!"
"Was it attacked by a Sea King…?!"
"That crack looks almost like it was sliced through by a blade!!"
"Don't be ridiculous… Who the hell could slice through a massive ship like that?!!"
On the broken ship, the defeated pirates wailed in despair: "Why, you… How dare you…?!"
"…You've ruined everything… Our dreams of the New World…!!!"
The swordsman standing among them responded coolly: "That's just how the dice roll… Blame fate for abandoning your ship to the gods of misfortune."
"Look!"
"What nonsense is this…?!!"
"There's someone on board!!" The crowd pointed at a figure standing on the split ship — someone Sanji immediately recognized.
"What… You're back already? Not that I care…"
Zoro stood there, drenched in seawater, his sword still drawn. The most striking thing about his appearance after two years of training was his missing left eye.
"I… got the wrong boat!!!" he declared.
— — — — — — — — — — — —
"Hahaha! What an entrance! He destroyed a pirate crew on the verge of entering the New World with a single swing of his sword! How unfortunate! How tragic!" Issho laughed with excitement.
Zoro's return after two years was nothing short of grand.
"His growth has far surpassed my expectations…"
Mihawk's lips curled into a small smile while his eyes burned with the thrill of the challenge ahead. He wanted to face this new, stronger Zoro.
After all, the Zoro he'd seen at the start of the story had been far weaker.
...
"Yohohoho! Zoro-san boarded the wrong ship — those pirates can only blame their terrible luck!" Brook laughed heartily.
"At the beginning of the story, when Mihawk sliced Don Krieg's massive ship with a single swing, it was a feat beyond Zoro's reach… But now… It seems Zoro has finally reached that level. I'm so proud…" Saul said with joy.
"Hehehe~ Looks like Dressrosa's arc is going to be even more interesting…"
Doflamingo smirked as he looked toward the gathering's place of the Donquixote Pirates in the manga.
With opponents like Luffy and Zoro, the New World was about to become far more exciting.
...
Back in Shimotsuki Town:
"He's become even more serious… with just one eye…"
Kouzaburo said with a smile, watching the manga unfold.
His eyes then shifted to his young granddaughter, whose wide-eyed admiration for Zoro was clear.
("I wonder if she'll face the same struggles in this life… After all, swordsmen still dominate the art of the blade.")
But Koushirou, understanding his father's thoughts, gently patted the girl's head.
"When you grow up, my little one… I'll train you myself — to be as strong as Zoro, and even stronger! I believe in you."
Seeing her husband's supportive stance, Tsuna felt pure happiness.
This manga truly was a beacon of hope in their dark world — a light for many lost in the shadows.
_________________
Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):
_________________
Chapter 885: The Terrifying Might of Rob!
Chapter 886: Brook's New World Song!
Chapter 887: Franky's Complete Cyborg Body!
_________________
BlackStar_BH:
Join my Patreon at:
https://www.patreon.com/BlackStar_BH
To support me and unlock advanced chapters. Get ahead with up to 30 chapters in advance:
- 5 advanced chapters for $5
- 10 advanced chapters for $10
- 15 advanced chapters for $15
- 20 advanced chapters for $20
- 30 advanced chapters for $30
_______
New! With the addition of the shop feature to Patreon, you can now purchase chapters without needing a monthly subscription! For the curious individuals who like the idea of buying just one or two chapters, you can now control the number of advanced chapters you want to read. I have ensured to set the lowest permissible price on the platform for the advanced chapters! Enjoy!
_______
Hey everyone!
I'm excited to announce that I'm now on Ko-fi. If you enjoy my content and want to support my work, you can now buy me a coffee! Every contribution helps me keep creating and sharing more with you all.
Check out my Ko-fi page here:
https://ko-fi.com/blackstar_bh
There are 30 chapters available there ahead of Webnovel.
The membership tiers on Ko-fi:
- 5 advanced chapters for $5
- 10 advanced chapters for $10
- 20 advanced chapters for $20
- 30 advanced chapters for $30