"So you're finally heading out, huh?" Koushirou asks his favorite protege.
"Yes, sensei, to fulfill our promise". Zoro responds with a smile.
"Never did I think you would head out with a pirate, though."
"Neither did I, it just goes to show you how unpredictable life can be in this world, but at least he's strong enough for me to call him my Captain".
"Yeah, you're right about that. He's extremely strong and knowledgeable; the blade he's carrying is proof enough."
"Yeah, when he pulled it out, it gave me an eerie feeling."
"Yo Zoro, are you ready yet?" An impatient Ace calls Zoro,
"Yeah, just give me a minute, farewell, sensei, thanks for looking after me for all these years."
"Hey Zoro, be safe out there, be sure to look after him for me, Captain Ace."
"I'll see what I can do."
That day, Zoro and I left Shimotsuki village, sailing away in my little raft, and the kids and people from the dojo waved goodbye to Zoro and me.
"I have a feeling that we have some interesting adventures that are out there waiting for us". Zoro said to me with a smile, I remember him saying something similar to Luffy.
"It's not just a feeling, my friend; we do have some interesting and exciting adventures ahead of us. I've been preparing to be a pirate for some time, for about sixteen years to be specific. I started training for this moment, now it's here, my first crew member". I responded
"Oh, and here I thought you were exaggerating when you said you've been training ever since you could walk."
"Nope, not at all, my friend being the greatest pirate who ever lived is not just a dream to me, it's my responsibility to make it happen, and ever since I understood the circumstances I was born in, I started training for it."
After a few hours of sailing, I decided which island to visit next, and then Zoro asked me a question.
"Hey Ace, tell me something, is there a good reason there's a hole in this raft?"
"So that the seawater can seep in and I can absorb it."
"I don't understand, what do you mean by' to absorb seawater?' How is that even possible? Does anyone even do that?"
"Wow, it seems I was right when I said that the world is bigger than you can imagine."
"What does that mean?"
"Tell me, Zoro, do you know anything about Devil Fruits?".
"Devil fruits, what are those?"
Wow, Zoro really doesn't know a thing about the world he's living in, but then again, I don't think he knew about Devil Fruits when he met Luffy.
"Devil fruits are supernatural fruits that grant a unique power when eaten. Some give you power to become fire, some give you power to become lightning, and in exchange for that power, you become cursed by the sea, and because of that, you lose the ability to swim."
"Wow, there are things like that out there?"
"Yeah, that's right, a big reason why you don't know about them is simple, you'll rarely see one in the East Blue, well, not just the East Blue, you'll rarely see one in all four blues. The only place you'll be sure to see one or a devil fruit user is the Grand Line."
"You said people who eat devil fruit can't swim. Does that mean you can't swim either?"
"No, I can swim just fine, I never ate a devil fruit, and quite frankly, I don't ever plan on eating one anyway, there's not any devil fruit in the world that's worth losing my connection to the sea for."
"Really? I just assumed you ate one because you started explaining it to me."
"Well, it's not a problem. I didn't eat one, but my younger brother did. He ate the Gomu Gomu no Mi(Gum-Gum Fruit), which gave him the power of rubber, so he can stretch his body at will."
"Wow, so his body's made out of rubber?"
"Yeah, but because of this, he can't swim anymore."
"So if I had to guess, the place where you'll find a lot of devil fruits will be in the GrandLine?"
"That's right, the majority of devil fruits and devil fruit users are located in the GrandLine. Fortunately, I know just the place where a powerful devil fruit is hiding in the East Blue, just begging for me to take it."
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