Luffy leaps off the Merry first, buzzing with excitement, shouting, "We're here! Let's go, Kiri! Execution platform!"
"Alright, see you later, everyone," Kiri says, jumping after him. They dash toward Loguetown, leaving the crew behind.
Nami sighs, "Luffy's hyped. Trouble's coming. Let's hurry."
"Let's go," Silk agrees.
"I'll escort you ladies to town," Sanji offers.
"Thanks, but we're good," Nami replies.
They disembark calmly, waving to Hachi on Arlong's ship. "Watch the Merry. Not a scratch," Nami calls.
"Got it! Have fun!" Hachi waves back.
Nami, Silk, and Sanji head to town, chatting lightly.
Usopp and Zoro remain. Usopp, scribbling a shopping list, emerges late. Zoro, already ashore, looks impatient.
"Usopp, still not ready?" Zoro grumbles.
"Hold on, I'm set. You know what you're buying?" Usopp asks.
"Just swords," Zoro says.
"Lucky. Weapon shop and you're done," Usopp envies.
They walk the rocky shore, careful on uneven ground. Zoro asks, "Where you going? Need weapons?"
"Materials for weapons. With my skills, even a superstore's a treasure trove," Usopp boasts.
"What're you making?" Zoro asks.
"Usopp Rubber Band Gun—chopsticks and strong rubber. Terrifying, right?" Usopp grins.
"Toy," Zoro scoffs.
"Not a toy! Ever faced a rubber band's terror?" Usopp retorts.
"Pass," Zoro says.
They reach Loguetown's welcoming arch. It's peaceful, bustling, bigger than past stops. Usopp gawks; Zoro walks on.
"Wait, Zoro! Why're you leading?" Usopp panics.
"Problem?" Zoro asks.
"You'll get lost!" Usopp yells.
"No enemies," Zoro shrugs.
"You'll wander in circles!" Usopp insists.
Zoro ignores him, forging ahead. Usopp chases, "Admit you're hopeless!"
"Shut up," Zoro snaps.
They walk side by side, Usopp exasperated. A weapon shop appears near the entrance, its sword-shaped sign clear. They head in.
The shop's small, shelves packed with weapons, barrels of swords in the corner. Zoro approaches the counter. "Hey, need to browse."
"Welcome! What're we looking for?" the shopkeeper, Ipponmatsu, asks, rubbing his hands.
He seems shady, but Zoro doesn't care. "Two swords. Got ten thousand berries."
"Ten thousand?" Ipponmatsu's smile fades, attitude souring. He leans on the counter lazily. "Five thousand per sword? Nothing good for that."
"Blunt guy," Usopp mutters.
"Thought I had a customer, but a broke one?" Ipponmatsu sighs.
"Harsh for a customer," Usopp says.
Ipponmatsu points to a barrel. "Five-thousand-berry swords there. Take your pick."
Zoro heads over but Ipponmatsu notices his waist. "Wait, show me that sword."
"Why?" Zoro asks.
"Just an appraisal. Know its name?" Ipponmatsu asks, sweating.
"Nope. Normal sword," Zoro says.
"Let me see," Ipponmatsu insists.
Zoro hands it over. Ipponmatsu trembles, recognizing it. "This… it's real."
He wants it badly. "It's junk," he lies.
"What?" Zoro growls.
"Sorry, kidding!" Ipponmatsu backtracks as Zoro grabs his collar. "It's decent, but I've got better. Sell it to me for ten thousand. With your cash, you'd have twenty for three swords."
"No need," Zoro says.
"Twenty thousand!" Ipponmatsu offers.
"Still no," Zoro replies.
"Thirty thousand!" Ipponmatsu pleads.
A woman rushes to the counter, slamming her hands down, staring at Zoro's sword. Short hair, glasses—Tashigi. "Wado Ichimonji, right?" she says.
"Wado?" Zoro echoes.
Ipponmatsu screams internally, She said it!
Tashigi, entranced, praises, "Beautiful blade… well-maintained."
"It's worth about ten thousand," Zoro says.
"Ten thousand? It's a Meito, worth over ten million! One of the twenty-one Great Grade swords!" Tashigi exclaims.
"What?" Ipponmatsu stammers.
"You tried to scam him?" Usopp accuses, holding a pistol from the shelf.
Ipponmatsu, caught, snaps, "You ruined my deal!"
"Shameless," Usopp says.
"I wasn't selling," Zoro adds.
"Did I mess up?" Tashigi asks.
"You're here for Shigure, right? It's ready. Leave!" Ipponmatsu tosses her sword. Tashigi catches it clumsily, stumbling into a shelf, scattering weapons.
"What're you doing?!" Ipponmatsu yells.
Tashigi falls, unhurt but embarrassed. Usopp laughs, "Clumsier than Silk."
Zoro stares, dazed. Tashigi resembles his late friend, Kuina.
"She looks like someone I knew," Zoro murmurs.
"Oh, her?" Usopp says.
Tashigi, picking up weapons, is scolded by Ipponmatsu. "Since Smoker came, business is dead. No pirates or bounty hunters. Just polishing Marines' swords."
"Smoker made the town peaceful," Tashigi defends.
"Peace ruins my business!" Ipponmatsu complains.
Usopp recalls Kiri's warning about Smoker, the White Hunter. Peace hurts some trades, he notes.
"Ten thousand berries for cheap swords. No bright future," Ipponmatsu grumbles.
"Chin up, old man," Usopp says.
Zoro checks the barrel. Tashigi and Usopp finish cleaning. Usopp asks, "You know swords?"
"A bit," Tashigi says.
"Help Zoro pick. He's got no knowledge," Usopp suggests.
"Sure, if I can help," Tashigi agrees.
Zoro shrugs. They inspect the barrel. Tashigi, eyeing Wado Ichimonji, asks, "Family heirloom?"
"Friend's keepsake," Zoro says.
"Sorry," Tashigi says.
"It's old news," Zoro replies.
Usopp, surprised, listens. Zoro rarely shares his past.
"Three swords? Like the Pirate Hunter," Tashigi says.
Zoro smirks. Usopp interrupts, "He's a fan! Wanted to try it, dragged me along."
"Who's a fan?" Zoro snaps.
"You said so!" Usopp lies.
Tashigi looks serious. "If you want to be a bounty hunter, reconsider. Use swords for good—join the Navy."
"Got a soft spot for it?" Zoro asks.
"I'm a Marine," Tashigi says.
Usopp panics—she's a Marine. If she recognizes them from the newspaper, they're done. Zoro, unfazed, listens.
"I can't stand swords used for profit. I don't like pirates or bounty hunters," Tashigi says.
"Sword nut, huh?" Zoro says.
"Why are the best swordsmen pirates or bounty hunters? Famous blades are in their hands. Swords shouldn't hurt the innocent," Tashigi says.
"Everyone's got reasons, like you," Zoro replies.
Unconvinced, Tashigi vows, "I'll reclaim blades from evil hands. Swords don't want to harm the innocent."
"Even this one? Wado Ichimonji?" Zoro challenges.
Tashigi waves her hands. "Not yours! It's a keepsake, not in evil hands."
"Good to know," Zoro says.
Zoro grabs another sword, sensing something odd. Tashigi, checking her notes, gasps, "Third Generation Kitetsu!"
"Million-berry sword in a five-thousand barrel?" Usopp questions.
"It's a Great Grade blade!" Tashigi exclaims.
Zoro draws it, its eerie gleam striking. "Demon sword," he mutters.
Ipponmatsu, sweating, confirms, "Kitetsu swords are cursed. Owners die tragically. No one dares use them."
"Cursed?" Usopp pales, stepping back.
Zoro studies it. "I like it. I'll take it."
"Are you crazy?!" Usopp yells.
"I don't believe in curses. I'll beat it," Zoro says.
He tosses Kitetsu upward, extending his arm beneath. Its sharpness could sever it. The trio shouts, "Stop!"
Kitetsu falls, missing his arm, stabbing the floor. No injury.
"I win," Zoro grins.
Tashigi collapses, Usopp wipes sweat, Ipponmatsu falls back, stunned. "Never seen a man challenge a sword," Ipponmatsu mutters.
"Pick another," Zoro tells Tashigi.
"Right!" she says.
"You idiot!" Usopp smacks Zoro, who winces.
Ipponmatsu runs to the back, returning with a sword. "Yubashiri, a Fine Grade blade. Sharpness guaranteed. Take it and Kitetsu—no charge."
"Seriously?" Zoro asks.
"I tried to scam you. I'm ashamed. Swords choose their master. You're a rare swordsman. Take them," Ipponmatsu says.
"Free? Sure," Zoro accepts.
He equips Yubashiri, Kitetsu, and Wado Ichimonji, feeling complete. Tashigi and Ipponmatsu sense his potential, awed.
"Three swords feel right," Zoro says, heading out. "Usopp, your turn."
"Free swords? Wild," Usopp says.
"No refusing a man's honor," Zoro replies.
They leave. Ipponmatsu watches, emotional, as if sending off a son.
Tashigi, still seated, murmurs, "Incredible… I can't stand."
She's awed by Zoro's swordsmanship, unlike her own. His three-sword style feels legendary.
Then it hits her. "Three swords, headband… named Zoro?"
She's slow to realize—he's the Pirate Hunter, a wanted man from the newspaper. Panicked, she stumbles out, Shigure in hand, but they're gone. Frozen in confusion, she stands in the street.