"The Seven Star Sword, or the legend of this island, is not as simple as the treasure legend you imagined."

The girl Maya put down the teapot and said with a serious expression.

"So, General Polusalino seems to say the same."

Maya, the old woman, and Lacs all looked surprised when Nami said this, and Nami pondered for a moment and began to tell the legend she had heard from Polusalino about the place:

"The tragedy of all began on that night of the red full moon."

"Hmmm......"

The old woman who was listening on the sidelines had more wrinkles on her face than just now.

"It was an ominous night, and the three princes of the kingdom of Askar met a beautiful shrine maiden at the same time, and all fell in love with her. Then, in order to win the favor of the shrine maiden, the three princes took out the proof of the throne that had been passed down from generation to generation in the kingdom of Askar, the holy sword Seven Star Sword, and fought around it. ”

"The Seven Star Sword, which became the object of flesh-and-blood competition between brothers, absorbed the blood and hatred of too many people, and attracted the ultimate killing and destruction - it became a real demon sword, and caused the kingdom of Askar to perish."

"The general Polusalino you are talking about, knows the meaning of these reliefs on the altar?!"

Maya looked at Nami in surprise.

"Because it's General Polusalino! He knows a lot of things, it's like he's omniscient! ”

Chopper touted as if he was proud of himself.

"But I don't know what happened after that, because General Polusalino didn't tell me."

"Then I'll continue the story."

"Mother-in-law?"

"It's okay, Maya, you all come with me."

The old woman walked slowly in front on crutches, followed by Maya, Lacs, and Nami.

The old woman walked quickly up the steps with a completely different pace than she had seen, and came to the top of the destroyed altar.

"After the destruction of the kingdom of Askar,"

The old woman continued the topic that Nami had not finished, "If it was just a fight between princes, things would be fine, but the Demon Sword Seven Stars, which has terrifying power, has caused countless terrible battles in the form of blood sacrifices. The war is gradually expanding into the surrounding seas, and our beautiful sea is about to be dominated by the awakening 'ultimate killing and destruction'. The destroyed country is not just the kingdom of Ascar, there are ......"

The old woman used her wrinkled hand to caress the relief of the shrine maiden, which had been destroyed.

"Therefore, in order to save the world from the war, the witch planned to stop the blood and hatred absorbed by the Seven Star Sword by herself, and sacrificed her life to purify the demon sword."

"Human sacrifice?"

Nami's expression froze.

"That's right—the three princes stopped fighting because of the death of the shrine maiden, and gradually realized how stupid their actions were, and finally woke up. In order to repay the shrine maiden's sacrifice, they built a sealing tower and sent the shrine maiden there to put the three orbs they received from the gods of Askar in the tower, sealing the power of the demon sword of the Seven Star Sword and the 'ultimate killing and destruction' that has not yet fully awakened, forever. Later, the surviving people of the kingdom of Azkar, our ancestors, guarded these orbs for generations. ”

"Those three orbs actually have such a story!"

Nami listened to the story meaningfully.

"However, if they are such important orbs, why did Miss Maya bring them to that lake yesterday?"

Chopper suddenly remembered what happened yesterday.

"That's the ritual of purifying water."

"Clean water?"

"It is the ritual of washing oneself and its utensils before performing the priesthood." Nami explained to Chopper, then looked at Maya and the old woman, "But what kind of ritual are you going to do with those orbs?" ”

"Once in a hundred years, a full red moon will appear in the sky. Under the magic power of the moonlight, the sealed demon knife will greatly increase its demonic power, and with the help of the demon knife, the 'ultimate killing and destruction' will be fully awakened. In other words, it is up to Maya, who has inherited the blood of a shrine maiden like me, to bring the purified orbs to the three towers again and re-lay the barrier for sealing on the island. ”

"The night of the red full moon is ......"

"It's tonight."

Lacks answered Frankie's question.

"Huh?!"

"In that case, why would those fellows in the Navy get in the way of this ceremony? He also took away all the orbs...... And honestly, how do I feel that those navies are different from the ones we usually see? ”

Nami asked.

"Because those people are no longer considered sailors, they are just puppets controlled by the naval master Saka, with the help of the power of the Seven Star Sword."

Lax said to Nami.

"Navy Master Saka......?"

"Seven-Star Sword...... Puppet? ”

Frankie and Chopper's eyes widened.

"Saka was in the sealed castle by the lake half a year ago, and his mind was eroded by the dark forces. Therefore, for Saka, who wants to increase the power of the demon sword on the night of the red full moon and awaken the 'ultimate killing and destruction', our seal can only be an obstacle, so we came to snatch the orb. ”

"Whether it's Saka himself, his puppets and his men, the power of the demon sword makes it impossible for them to touch those orbs, so he will use your partner, the swordsman, to come here and snatch the orbs."

The old woman stood on the altar and looked at Nami and the others, and sighed.

"In other words, all the navies who came to attack the village, including this so-called naval master Saka, they were all good people before?"

In response to Nami's question, the old woman nodded.

"But since they have been affected by the forces of evil, why would Sauron help them? And if Zoro was also controlled by the power of the demon sword, he wouldn't be able to touch those orbs, would he? ”

Frankie said solemnly.

"Sauron...... That companion of yours, the swordsman, is named Roronoa Zoro, right? ”

"Huh? Miss Maya, have you heard of Zoro? ”

Maya nodded as Chopper asked.

"Saka and Mr. Zoro...... They were supposed to be friends who studied swordsmanship in the same dojo when they were kids. ”

"What?!"

Hearing about the unknown past of her companion who she didn't even know about, Nami and the others were stunned.

"Saka......" Maya turned her head, "When Saka used to live in this village, he told me about his past and the agreement between the two of them......"

……

Sanji was the first member of Luffy's gang to meet Zoro. At Bharati, a sea restaurant in the East China Sea that day, Zoro even challenged the world's most powerful swordsman, Hawkeye.

After that meeting, Polusalino told Sanji that Zoro would join their future team. And in order to further temper Sauron's strength, Polusalino also asked the warship to take Sauron to the West Sea - compared to the weakest sea in the East China Sea, there are a large number of gangsters in the West Sea, and the comprehensive strength of the pirates is also stronger, which is very suitable for cultivation.

Therefore, until Luffy and the others completed the rendezvous with Zoro in the West Sea, Roronoa Zoro was a well-known pirate hunter in the West Sea.

"Zoro? Are you—Are you the 'Pirate Hunter' Roronoa Zoro?! ”

"I've heard you're the best pirates in the area, but it seems like it's just some idle rumors."

Zoro put the three knives in their scabbards, and with a non-relenting gesture, turned his back at the captain of a pirate group.

The rest of the pirates were all defeated by Sauron, and the captain was the only one left.

"Bastard! I don't know who wins or loses! ”

The captain drew two pistols.

Facing the opponent in front of him who didn't know the difference in strength at all, and who didn't know anything about the vastness of the sea like himself, Zoro bit his lip impatiently.

"This guy is not something you can beat with a gun."

"What?"

On the wooden boxes piled up on the dock, a man stood.

This swordsman, who was carrying a big sword on his back and was like Sauron, jumped down with a sass, and in a flash, he picked off the pirate captain's two spears.

"Abominable ......"

The pirate captain, who was punched in the abdomen again, finally lost consciousness completely and fell to the ground.

"Long time no see."

"Isn't this Saka?!"

Facing the sun, Zoro finally saw the man's face, and his expression changed suddenly.

"I've also started my training to take my swordsmanship to the next level, and I've always believed that if I go to sea, I'll be able to meet you one day, Zoro!"

Saka placed his hand on Zoro's shoulder.

"Hey—do you still have it?"

"Huh? Ahh Absolutely! ”

SAKA SAID AS HE PULLED OUT THE SHORT KNIFE THAT WAS TIED TO HIS WAIST - THE NAME "ZORO" WAS ENGRAVED ON THE OAK HILT.

"This is the sword of oath you gave me! Have you forgotten? Didn't we make promises to each other the morning you left the ashram to start your journey? You have to become the world's number one swordsman, and I have to find the ultimate sword of justice! You kept this dagger as evidence of your oath, didn't you?! ”

"How could you forget?!"

"What about you...... Hahahaha! ”

The two of them laughed because of the reunion with their old friends and the tacit understanding that was self-evident.

……

The West Sea at night.

A cargo ship laden with supplies has been attacked by pirates.

"Hahahaha!"

"Kill them! Kill them all! ”

The pirates pulled the rope behind the iron hook that had caught the side of the cargo ship, and finally brought the two ships together. All the pirates boarded the frigate-free cargo ship, and the crew scrambled back and forth on deck for their lives.

"Ahh

The pirate who slashed at the crew with a knife was cut down by himself instead.

It was Saka who rushed into the middle of the pirates.

"You guys, do you know who's on this ship?"

Saka didn't leave the pirates to react at all, and cut down the enemies one by one.

Zoro joined in with three swords, and the pirates scrambled towards their ships in front of the swift skills of the two swordsmen.

And Saka, as well as Sauron who came with him, naturally didn't just let them go, and jumped on the pirate ship together.

The deck of the pirate ship suddenly became a white-hot battlefield, and the two swordsmen kept waving their swords horizontally and vertically to the side.

"Ahhhh

Zoro slashed one of the pirates with the ship's mainmast and severed it in two. The sails that were still hanging from the mast fell in an instant, making the pirates on deck feel as if they were stuck in a swamp.

There was a loud earthquake, and then the mast of the pirate ship smashed into several pirates and landed on the cargo ship docked nearby.

The huge inertia when the mast fell down, yes, the anchor on the port side of the pirate ship flew up at once. Smashing into the anchor on the deck of the pirate ship like a wild horse, he hit Saka from behind.

"Ahh

Although his swordsmanship cultivation is almost the same, Saka's domineering appearance is far inferior to Zoro's. When he turned around, it was too late, and the anchor chain was tightly wrapped around his right arm. Moreover, the anchor also smashed a large hole in the deck, and fell into the cabin with Saka.

"Ahh

"Saka!"

Zoro slashed the pirate in front of him and ran in the direction where the anchor had fallen.

He looked down through the hole in the deck to see that Saka's right arm was wrapped in an anchor chain and hung in the air, meaning that the anchor had wrapped all its weight around Saka's right arm.

"Saka!"

"Hmm......"

"Leave it to me!"

Zoro subconsciously wanted to cut off the anchor chain, but Saka persuaded him in time: "Go back to the cargo ship and deal with those pirates first, Zoro!" I'll figure it out on my own! ”

"The captain of this pirate group hasn't shown up yet, he must have seen our combat effectiveness, so he wants to avoid us, take advantage of the chaos to hide or do something!"

"Don't let him take advantage of it!"

(End of chapter)