Of course, Zoro would never admit he was lost. That would be far too embarrassing. No matter how many times he got turned around, he would never confess that he had an absolutely terrible sense of direction.
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully before replying,
"Well... I'm looking for Hawkeye Mihawk. I got separated from him."
The three young men in Navy uniforms froze at the same time. Hawkeye's name carried serious weight, and as members of the Marines, they all knew of his reputation. None of them, however, knew he had already arrived at Headquarters.
Sabo stepped forward cautiously.
"Then how did you find your way here? Who let you in?"
Zoro answered with a hint of impatience,
"You mean that? Of course, Hawkeye brought me here. He should still be at Marine Headquarters!"
Ace frowned, his tone skeptical.
"Then why didn't you just go there directly? It's not hard to find!"
"Uh..."
Zoro's expression stiffened. Not hard to find? He'd already circled this place several times and still hadn't found the right building!
Sabo narrowed his eyes. Zoro's awkward answer only made him more suspicious. He shot a silent look toward Ace and Luffy. Ace understood immediately and moved to Sabo's side.
Luffy, however, looked confused.
"Sabo, why are you staring at me like that? You're being scary!"
Sabo sighed, clearly exasperated. He drew his steel pipe and leveled it toward Zoro.
"Who exactly are you? How did you sneak into Marineford?"
Zoro sensed the sudden tension. His hand moved to the hilt at his waist, his aura sharpening instantly.
"I told you already. My name is Zoro, and Hawkeye brought me here!"
Luffy blinked in surprise. Then, misunderstanding the situation completely, he shouted,
"Alright! So you're an enemy! Watch me take you down!"
Before Sabo could stop him, Luffy lunged forward, his arms whipping through the air in a flurry of wild punches.
Zoro exhaled calmly. The moment Luffy came close, he drew his blade in one swift motion, striking with the back of the sword against Luffy's stomach.
Unfortunately, Luffy's rubbery body absorbed the blow like it was nothing. The blade sank in slightly but refused to budge.
As Zoro tried to pull free, Luffy grinned, inhaled deeply, and twisted his torso. With a sudden recoil, he flung Zoro — sword and all — several meters backward.
"Nice one, Luffy!" Ace shouted from the sidelines, cheering him on like a spectator at a boxing match.
Sabo leaned on his steel pipe and sighed. "Unbelievable..."
Coughing, Zoro got back to his feet. He'd only trained under Hawkeye for a few days; against someone like Luffy — who'd been tempered by Dragon, Garp, and his two brothers — he was outmatched. He hadn't even mastered Armament Haki yet.
But giving up wasn't in his nature. Gritting his teeth, he drew his remaining two swords and lowered into his signature stance.
Luffy tilted his head, still smiling lazily.
"Three swords, huh? You're kinda like Uncle Onigumo! Except he's got way more blades than you!"
Zoro ignored the remark. His focus was razor-sharp. Crossing his arms in front of him, he inhaled deeply — and then vanished in a blur.
"Three-Sword Style... Oni Giri!"
A metallic clang split the air. Zoro reappeared behind Luffy, blades drawn, holding his pose with confidence. Surely that move had landed clean.
But when he looked at Ace and Sabo, neither seemed alarmed. Both stood calmly, as if nothing had happened.
A cheerful voice came from behind him.
"Whoa! That was close. That move was pretty strong!"
Zoro turned sharply. Luffy's chest was faintly coated with a dark sheen — a fading layer of Armament Haki.
Zoro's eyes widened.
"This... This is the Haki Hawkeye mentioned!?"
Luffy grinned.
"That's right! Now I'm getting serious. I haven't done much since joining the Navy, so I'll make you my first achievement! I'm gonna be a Marine Admiral someday! Soru!"
His figure disappeared completely. Before Zoro could even react, a fist slammed into his gut, sending him crashing to the ground. His vision blurred, and everything went black.
Sabo crouched beside him, checking briefly before saying,
"He's unconscious. Nice job, Luffy. This one's yours."
"Yay! My first achievement!" Luffy beamed. "Do you think Grandpa will promote me to Lieutenant Colonel?"
Ace flicked his forehead with a smirk.
"That's all you're aiming for? Where's your ambition?"
"Hmph! Easy for you to say. You and Sabo are Rear Admirals already! I'm just a Major!"
Sabo laughed.
"You're no ordinary Major. You pinned both of us down once — and even traded blows with King himself. That's something."
"Uh, let's not bring that up. Uchiha Chiga nearly killed me back then," Luffy groaned, rubbing his stomach. "Just thinking about it makes me ache all over!"
Ace snorted.
"That's your fault! Chiga sama was training you, you idiot!"
"I know, I know. But still! I'm kind of scared of him. Back then, whenever I yelled about becoming the Pirate King, he'd suddenly appear out of nowhere and hit me! I think I've got trauma..."
As if on cue, a chillingly familiar voice echoed from behind them.
"Oh? What did I just hear about someone wanting to be some kind of King?"
Luffy froze. Slowly, he turned around — and there stood Uchiha Chiga, the man who haunted his nightmares, with Hawkeye beside him.
Chiga smiled warmly, but to Luffy, it felt like staring into the face of doom. He forced a laugh,
"Ah...Bro Chiga! You must've misheard. My goal now is to become a Navy Admiral!"
Chiga chuckled softly. "That's a fine goal. But tell me, Luffy — the peak of the Navy is the Fleet Admiral. Why stop at Admiral?"
Luffy straightened immediately.
"Because the Fleet Admiral is Bro Chiga! I wouldn't dare aim higher unless you step down!"
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