NOVPUB
Chapter 236 - Zoro: Asking for Directions?
Sabaody Archipelago, right in the heart of things.
Island 13.
Clang!
The sound of steel on steel echoed as two figures clashed, drawing everyone's eyes.
Island 13 was known as a lawless place. Fights broke out all the time. Pirates, bounty hunters, and shady dealers were constantly at each other's throats, all trying to make a quick buck.
But a fight this intense? That was something special.
"One-Sword Style: Thirty-Six Pound Cannon!" Zoro roared.
"Beautiful Sword: Blue Flying Bird!" Cavendish countered.
The air crackled as their sword attacks met head-on, sending shockwaves blasting outwards with a deafening Boom!
Without missing a beat, they charged again, their swords screaming as they locked together.
"Hiss... these guys are tough!" someone gasped.
"That's Cavendish, the Supernova rookie everyone's talking about! And the other one is Roronoa Zoro, the meanest bounty hunter in Sabaody!"
The crowd buzzed with recognition.
Cavendish, the rising star!
Roronoa Zoro had shown up in the Sabaody Archipelago a couple of years back. A lone wolf, he'd carved out a reputation by capturing tons of pirates, even taking down some real heavy hitters with bounties over 100 million Belly.
Now, he was the top bounty hunter in the whole archipelago.
The two biggest troublemakers, going at it!
Word spread like wildfire, and soon bounty hunters and human traffickers were swarming Island 13, hoping to pick the bones of whoever was left standing.
Night fell, painting the sky in shades of purple and orange.
Clang!
Cavendish's fancy sword blocked three blades at once.
He glanced at the darkening sky, his face serious. "Hey, Pirate Hunter, let's call it quits for tonight!"
"Huh?" Zoro grunted, confused.
"What's wrong with it being dark?"
"Idiot! If I don't get my beauty sleep, my skin will suffer! I'll get dark circles and ruin my image! Do you understand?" Cavendish was practically trembling at the thought. Looking good was his number one priority.
"If you want a piece of me, find me at Uta's concert! We'll settle things then!"
"Uta? Who's that?" Zoro scratched his head, the name vaguely familiar, like a half-forgotten song.
"Oh? You don't know her?" Cavendish's face lit up.
The Pirate Hunter knew him , but not Uta? That had to mean he was more popular, right?
Hahaha, this seaweed-head is kind of cute!
"Here, take this!" Cavendish tossed a concert poster at Zoro. He glanced around, sneered, "I'll leave these sewer rats to me."
"Hey, don't run off-- Huh!"
Zoro knew they were surrounded. He'd been in similar spots before. But then he saw the poster, and his eyes locked onto the figure in the image.
It was Roya!
Roya was in the Sabaody Archipelago!
"Soap Bubble Park." The poster said the concert was at Soap Bubble Park, a safe zone. Three days from now, at three in the afternoon.
Zoro memorized the details. When he looked up, Cavendish was gone. He glanced at a nearby, slightly seedy-looking bar. His stomach was rumbling, and he was craving a drink.
"Shakky's Rip-off Bar? Heh!" The name made him chuckle. Who names a bar that?
Might as well go in for a drink.
I still haven't found that tavern I was staying at the other day. I need to find a new place to crash.
Zoro shoved his hands in his pockets and walked into the bar.
---
A few days flew by.
Island 33, Soap Bubble Park.
2:00 PM. The concert was about to start.
The place was packed with fans and reporters. Even Morgans, the bigshot newsman, had shown up.
Roya and Uta were busy giving interviews.
Every time they landed on an island, they were swarmed by the media. They were used to it by now.
Besides, as respected peacekeepers, it was their duty to spread positive messages.
"The Celestial Dragons are here!" someone shouted.
Two Celestial Dragons, the self-proclaimed gods, arrived, and the crowd went into a panic. It was so packed, there wasn't enough room to kneel. People were terrified of being punished.
Luckily, not all Celestial Dragons were complete fools.
The black-clad attendant accompanying them lowered his head and asked, "Saint Rosward, should we have the audience kneel?"
"Forget the kneeling. The concert won't start if we do," Saint Rosward said calmly. Surrounded by his guards, he made his way to the best seats right in front of the stage.
Once he sat down, his daughter, Shalria, whined, "Father, Charloss is so slow!"
"That's what you get for using a human as a mount," Roswald grumbled.
His whole family had come to the island, but they weren't sticking together. They all wanted to buy different things.
And his son, Charloss, had a thing for riding slow-moving humans, which always made them late.
The concert was about to begin.
"Hello everyone, I'm Uta!" Uta announced from the stage.
Shalria sneered at Uta. "Father, is that the girl Charloss is obsessed with?"
"That's right. Your brother's been talking about her nonstop. I'm planning to buy her and give her to him for his birthday." Saint Rosward stared at Uta, nodding in approval. He turned to the attendant. "Tell the concert staff I want to buy Uta. Offer them 1 billion Belly!"
"Understood, Saint Rosward. I'll arrange it immediately." The attendant bowed.
Anything a Celestial Dragon wanted, they got.
---
Meanwhile, on Island 17...
"Heh, Soap Bubble Park, huh?" Zoro mumbled.
He walked down the middle of the street, a wine bottle in his hand, completely oblivious to the fact that he was heading in the opposite direction from everyone else.
He just wanted to see Roya. He didn't care about the concert. It didn't matter if he was late.
Suddenly, the street went silent.
"Huh? What's going on?" Zoro looked around, confused. Everyone was kneeling, faces pressed to the ground.
Clang, clang!
The sound of chains echoed.
"Damn it! It's all your fault for being so slow! I'm going to be late! This is infuriating!" Charloss screamed, kicking the slave beneath him, not caring about the bruises already covering their body.
After his outburst, Charloss was about to order the slave forward when he saw Zoro swaggering towards him.
Eh?
What's happening?
Why is there a human standing in front of me, moving around!?
"Stop!" Charloss yelled, raising his hand. 𝓃𝓸𝓋𝓅𝓊𝒷.𝓬𝓸𝓂
"Huh?" Zoro finally noticed Charloss and said, without realizing who he was talking to, "What do you want, peasant?"
"Hah???" Charloss froze, then exploded with rage.
He pulled out his pistol.
He was going to kill this insolent human.
Bang!
The gunshot rang out, and Zoro instantly ducked, avoiding the bullet. He gripped his sword hilt, a terrifying aura washing over him. As he passed Charloss, his sword flashed!
"Zing..."
The blade slid back into its sheath.
Poof!
A thin line of blood appeared on Charloss's chest, followed by a geyser of blood!
Only then did the guards and the surrounding travelers react, scrambling away in terror.
"A Celestial Dragon has been cut down!" someone screamed.
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[T/N:
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