Zoro is injured
"Hey, Zoro! Where are you going?"
A student cried out in surprise, but Zoro had already run away.
The other students looked at each other, feeling something was wrong.
"What is Zoro going to do when he runs so fast?"
"Oh no, he's not going to challenge those terrifying pirates!"
"What? Is Zoro crazy? He's only nine!"
"Hurry, hurry, hurry and inform the master!"
A clever student turned around and ran into the dojo to tell the adults the news. The rest of the students sighed and continued chatting.
"Ever since Kuina's death, Zoro has been training even harder."
"It's too far-fetched for a little kid to want to challenge terrifying pirates."
"Hey, wait a minute, why is Zoro running up the mountain?"
"Perhaps, he doesn't intend to challenge the pirates."
Seeing Zoro running towards the hillside, the students breathed a sigh of relief.
"That's right, even for Zoro, wanting to challenge pirates at the age of nine is too outrageous."
"Ah, hurry up and bring back the person who notified the master."
......
Zoro ran all the way to the top of the mountain. He looked around at the surrounding environment with a confused look in his eyes.
"Damn it! Isn't this the direction of the coast?"
Suddenly a loud shout came from the mountain, startling countless flying birds.
The sea breeze was howling, and the huge pirate ship stood quietly on the coast.
Shanks, Merry and Uta were playing in the water at the beach, while Beckman took the crew to the village to replenish supplies.
"Huh~Huh~Finally~Finally here~"
When the lost Green Algae Head finally ran to the shore, he was already panting and his face was flushed.
Beckman had already purchased the supplies, and the crew members were busy carrying the supplies onto the ship while chatting and laughing.
Zoro rushed straight to the red-haired man, his eyes fixed on the long sword at his waist.
Shanks had already noticed the little guy and looked him up and down.
Merry's eyes widened upon seeing Zoro, and he was filled with surprise. "Is this... Zoro?!? Is this Zoro's hometown?"
Zoro calmed his breathing slightly and shouted, "Are you a swordsman? Come and fight me!"
Shanks was stunned for a moment, a little surprised, and then burst into laughter.
Beckman, Hongo and others around them also laughed wildly.
"Ha ha ha ha......"
Jesus Bu teased, "Boss, someone wants to challenge you."
Daqilu followed suit, "As expected of the boss, so many people challenge him wherever he goes."
"What are you laughing at? Is it funny?" Zoro glared at them unhappily, then glared at Shanks with a serious expression, "I'm not kidding. If you're a swordsman, let's fight it out!"
Merry became even more excited: This green flat head, and this serious attitude, it must be Zoro!
I didn’t expect to meet Zoro here unexpectedly. It’s really great!
"Well, you're certainly quite courageous." Shanks finally managed to stop laughing and looked at the breathless little fellow in front of him with interest. "How long have you been learning swordsmanship?"
"It doesn't matter how long I've been studying. What matters most is that I'm strong! Are you scared?"
“Puff——hahahaha——”
Hearing Zoro's arrogant declaration, everyone burst into laughter again.
"This little devil is so funny!"
"Boss, it looks like you've met your match again."
"Let me do it!" Merry jumped out excitedly. She felt that her swordsmanship had improved a lot recently. "I'll accept your challenge."
"What a joke, a little girl like you..." Zoro looked at the girl in front of him who was younger than him, especially the girl with strange octopus tentacles on her lower body. He couldn't help but frowned and subconsciously refused.
But somehow, a picture suddenly flashed through Zoro's mind.
That was Zoro's first time to challenge. Did Kuina, who was in charge of the fight at that time, also view herself in the same way?
"Okay, I'll compete with you." Zoro nodded in agreement. He pointed his sword at Shanks, still unwilling to give up. "If you lose, it will be his turn!"
"Hahaha, since you insist so much, I agree." Shanks nodded with a smile.
Merry cheered and turned to run back to the boat.
After a while, Merry ran back with the wooden sword he practiced with, and stood opposite Zoro with a serious and excited expression.
"Come on! Let's start the game!"
"etc,"
Zoro looked at the wooden sword in Merry's hand, then at the Wado Ichimonji in his own hand, and frowned, "How can we duel with a wooden practice sword? Bring your real sword!"
Meli looked embarrassed: she usually practiced with a wooden sword and didn't have her own sword.
Seeing this, Robert, a crew member next to him, took off his sword.
"Merry-chan, use my sword first."
"Aligato! Lobsang!"
Merry took the sword gratefully, smiling broadly.
A hint of impatience crossed Zoro's brows. This little brat doesn't even have a sword, how can he possibly know swordsmanship? Wasn't it too rash to agree to a duel with her just now?
Meli: Hey, aren't you still a little kid?
The two men got into position and officially began the competition.
Merry swung his sword and rushed towards Zoro first.
Zoro quickly dodged to the side and was secretly surprised: This little kid is quite fast!
The pirates around stopped teasing and stared at the duel between the two little guys with curiosity.
After the two of them really started fighting, the impatience between Zoro's brows gradually disappeared, and his eyes staring at Merry became more and more solemn.
Although Merry's swordsmanship was very immature, she was very strong and fast, and she was able to fight Zoro on equal terms.
The sword flashed, and the two men fought back and forth, the fight was difficult to resolve, and they were in a stalemate for a while.
Shanks, Beckman and others watched with great interest, cheering from time to time, and some crew members even made bets to guess who would win.
"This little guy is quite capable."
"Merry-chan, come on!"
"Don't lose to this brat."
The swords kept colliding with each other, making clanging sounds.
However, Zoro's brows furrowed more and more, as he was surprised to find that there was a very familiar shadow in Merry's sword moves.
This move...the more Zoro fought, the more he felt something was wrong.
He exerted force suddenly, bursting out with a powerful force, knocking Merry's sword away, with the tip of the sword pointing at her neck.
"Who did you learn swordsmanship from?" Zoro looked gloomy.
Merry was startled by Zoro's appearance, but answered obediently, "I learned swordsmanship from Shanks."
"Who is Shanks?" Zoro frowned.
"That's him." Merry raised his tentacle and pointed at the red-haired pirate standing next to him.
Zoro immediately raised his sword and pointed the tip at Shanks, his fighting spirit surging: "I win. As agreed, it's your turn."
He must figure out what those familiar sword moves are!
"What an impatient kid." Shanks shook his head helplessly. Instead of using his own sword Griffin, he picked up Merry's practice wooden sword.
Zoro felt insulted and was so angry that his hair stood on end. "Asshole! What do you mean by this? Do you look down on me?"
"No, if I use a real sword, you'll be cut in two." Shanks explained good-naturedly, "Using a wooden sword won't hurt you. If you can't accept that, then there's no way we can continue the duel."
"Damn it!" Zoro didn't quite accept Shanks' explanation, and his eyes were full of dissatisfaction.
"Still want to compete, kid?"
"Come!"
The showdown begins again.
This time, it was Zoro who launched the first attack, and the sharp sword pierced Shanks' vitals.
Shanks moved lightly, his body as smooth as flowing water, and easily avoided Zoro's attack.
He did not use all his strength to defeat Zoro at the beginning, but instead took a guiding attitude, countering Zoro's moves and consciously guiding Zoro's attacks, appearing to be at ease.
Zoro's attacks were either dodged by his opponent in advance or easily resolved by the wooden sword.
Facing Shanks, Zoro's attacks missed again and again. It felt like punching with all his strength but hitting a ball of cotton, which made him feel extremely frustrated.
"Damn it! Don't hide!"
"Kid, are you so eager to admit defeat?"
As he spoke, Shanks flicked his wrist, casually dismantling Zoro's attack once again.
The two fought for another ten rounds.
Zoro found that he seemed to have learned something from the duel, but at the same time, he also found that Shanks' swordsmanship was very different from the moves Merry had just used, and the familiar sword moves he expected did not appear.
A wave of disappointment surged in Zoro's heart, and he suddenly shouted angrily: "No need to show mercy, show your true strength and fight me!"
Shanks was stunned for a moment, a hint of apology flashing in his eyes.
He suddenly realized that his opponent had not asked for any guidance, and his own self-willed behavior might be an insult to a swordsman who had seriously requested a duel.
"Okay." Shanks restrained his smile and his expression finally became serious. "Be careful, kid."
Shanks swung his sword violently, and a restrained but still very powerful sword energy flew towards Zoro.
Zoro's face instantly became solemn. He raised his sword towards the sword energy and did not retreat.
The sword energy was extremely oppressive and instantly enveloped Zoro.
Zoro didn't even have time to react before he was hit by the sword energy and flew backwards like a kite with a broken string.
"Bang———" The little green algae head fell heavily on the beach, slid for several meters before stopping, and raised a cloud of dust.
"Zoro!" Merry was shocked and flew forward.
Zoro had been completely unconscious from the sword energy and lay limply on the beach, motionless.
Merry helped Zoro up, and when she saw a trace of blood flowing from the corner of Zoro's mouth, she suddenly panicked.
"Ah! It's blood! Zoro is hurt!"
Merry held Zoro's hand worriedly, her voice tearful, as if she was about to cry.
"Help! Zoro is dying! Is he going to die?"
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