Another half hour crawled by before Zoro finally shuffled back.
He hurled the guide to the ground. "Mr. Amon, this thing doesn't work at all."
"It does work. Zoro, your sense of direction is already terminal. Beyond saving. My fault for thinking I could cure it."
Amon shook his head.
"I think so too. Hopeless."
With her own worries solved, Kuina was in lighter spirits and joined Amon in teasing him.
"That's not it. I just got distracted..."
"Alright, let's look at the third item."
Amon still hoped to turn them into walking advertisements back at the dojo, so he pulled out the last piece.
It was a long blade that gave off a faint white glow, eerie and compelling beneath the night sky. One look told you it was no ordinary sword.
Their bickering died. Both pairs of eyes were drawn to it. As swordsmen, they held a feverish love for fine blades.
Gazing at the shining Zanpakuto, Zoro murmured, "What a beautiful sword."
"It even looks sharper than my Wado Ichimonji," Kuina nodded.
They say the worst thing isn't not knowing value, it's comparing good with better. Wado Ichimonji was one of the twelve Supreme Grade swords, yet beside the white blade in Amon's hand, it felt a few rungs lower.
Seeing their rapt faces, Amon was satisfied. This sword was extraordinary, and indeed stood above Wado Ichimonji by a fair margin.
"Mr. Amon, is this the weapon I just pulled?"
From the instant Zoro saw it, his mind had latched onto the blade. It was as if the sword's presence tugged at him.
"Yes. It's called a Zanpakuto, a famed blade from beyond these seas. Its power is tremendous. It has two states, a normal state and a release state. In release, its might increases five to ten times. As for how to awaken it, that is for you to discover."
"Zanpakuto, and a release form."
Zoro's eyes burned hotter. For a swordsman, nothing matters more than a blade that fits the hand and the heart.
Amon smiled. "Exactly. You will have to explore it slowly. Here, take it."
He offered the Zanpakuto to Zoro.
"Thank you, Mr. Amon."
Zoro bowed deeply first, then accepted the sword with care. Holding it in both hands, he stroked the blade as gently as skin, falling more in love with every pass.
"Hehe, no need to thank me. You earned it with your own luck. I'm just the merchant."
"Zoro, want to test its power?"
At that, Zoro's eyes lit up. He wanted to know exactly how strong the Zanpakuto was. Kuina watched with the same anticipation.
"Go on, and put the headband on too. Let's see everything you can do."
"Right."
Zoro untied the "Power" Headband from his arm and tied it onto his head. His aura shifted at once, a wild edge rolling off him. He stooped to collect the two weapons that had fallen earlier, then clenched the Zanpakuto between his teeth. Something eerie and fierce flickered in his eyes.
"Three-Sword Style, Tiger Hunt."
With a shout he sprang forward, blades scything in a blur. Within the arcs of steel, his posture became a crouching beast launching into a kill.
With the headband's boost, Zoro touched the core of the Three-Sword Style secret art, Tiger Hunt, ahead of his time.
Boom. The flashing blades carved through, and a towering tree burst apart.
"What destructive power."
Kuina's face changed at the sheer force of it.
"So strong."
Even expecting a jump in strength, Zoro startled himself with the result. Normally he could not even lift three blades comfortably, but with the headband's aid he had stepped into Tiger Hunt for the first time, and paired with the Zanpakuto it hit like a thunderclap.
In the distance, Amon nodded. The Zanpakuto's power was indeed formidable. And this was without Bankai.