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The Twelve Zodiac, Inoshi.
"..."
Even though he already knew the situation, Kōshirō couldn't help but feel a jolt when Inoshi announced his identity.
This was understandable, after all, on the current Sea, anyone would struggle to remain calm upon learning that the fourth-highest-ranking Officer of the Twelve Zodiac had appeared at their doorstep.
"...So you're Mr. Inoshi," Kōshirō said, quickly regaining his composure. "I'll inform our distinguished guests. Zoro, please escort Mr. Inoshi to the dojo."
With that, he turned and walked down a narrow path.
"..."
Watching this scene, Zoro's suspicions deepened. 'Distinguished guests?'
'Does that mean there are others besides this guy?'
'Are they the ones?'
Zoro's brow furrowed.
Having trained in sword techniques under Kōshirō for over a decade, Zoro naturally knew that his Sensei had some very mysterious friends. They would occasionally appear in Shimotsuki Village and stay at the Dojo for a while.
During their visits, these individuals rarely remained at the Dojo. Instead, they would reside in some hidden location, with Sensei personally delivering their meals.
Kōshirō never revealed the true identities of these "people" to his students.
'Could this guy be one of them too?' Zoro wondered, but Sensei's attitude toward him seemed different.
'Inoshi... Is that a code name?'
He had a nagging feeling he'd heard a similar code name somewhere before, but with his recent focus on sword practice in preparation for setting sail, he couldn't quite place it.
"Anyway, follow me," Zoro said, leading the way.
Zoro rubbed the bruise on his head and led the way.
Inoshi readily complied, donning his ceremonial attire and following closely behind.
"Hey, little brother," he said, even initiating conversation as if their earlier clash had never happened. "I overheard earlier… you're the 'Great Sword Hero' Zoro, right?"
"Huh?" Zoro blinked, then his eyes flashed white with fury. "It's Greatest Swordsman! The World's Greatest Swordsman Zoro, you're doing this on purpose, aren't you?"
"Hahaha, such trivialities don't matter," Inoshi chuckled. "Anyway, I wanted to ask you about someone."
"Trivial? That's my ambition!" Zoro protested, but Inoshi's next words stopped him cold: "The person I'm looking for is Shimotsuki Kōzaburō, Mr. Kōshirō's father."
"...That old man?"
A figure instantly flashed through Zoro's mind, an old man who loved to smoke.
Most of the villagers knew little about him, but Zoro was an exception. When he was a child, it was this old man who had given him his first two swords.
He remembered clearly that the old man was indeed Sensei's father, and...
"He was a renowned swordsmith," Inoshi said with a smile, pointing to himself. "While I'm not skilled in forging blades, my specialty lies in smelting metals, I am still a swordsmith. Therefore, I'd like to ask you, little brother, about him."
"In exchange, I can tell you the locations of some famed blades and share some information. After all, aside from the Wado Ichimonji at your waist, none of your other swords are considered famed blades, are they?"
His words were like the whispers of a wicked demon: "Rest assured, I won't ask anything that could harm Mr. Kōshirō. Just some trivial matters. If you don't want to answer, you're free to decline."
Zoro: "."
'Demon? Is this guy a wicked demon?'
Soon after, Zoro led Inoshi to a room within the Isshin Dojo.
"Sit down here. I'll make you some tea."
A hint of anticipation flickered in Zoro's eyes.
He usually had little interest in most things, but famed blades were an exception. What swordsman wouldn't want a famed blade perfectly suited to them?
Inoshi had indeed revealed the locations of several famed blades, including two decent ones in the East Blue. This only strengthened Zoro's resolve to set sail.
However, according to Inoshi, an even better blade lay in the Grand Line, a sea Zoro had heard of, a place teeming with powerful warriors.
That only excited him more.
'Once we set sail, we're heading straight for the Grand Line!'
He thought to himself, then turned and pulled the door shut behind him.
But the moment he left...
"Since your people are already here, can we begin negotiations?"
Inoshi casually placed his ceremonial sword on the tatami mat in front of him, his voice calm and steady.
As his words faded, three crisp clicks echoed through the room.
Click! Click! Click!
Three figures hidden within the room suddenly materialized.
"Yoo-hoo!"
The first figure dropped from the ceiling, a mink race member dressed in steampunk attire, a massive mechanical backpack strapped to his back. He tossed a small sphere toward Inoshi.
Thud!
The second figure emerged from behind a wall, a tall, fiery woman with a flag in hand, dressed provocatively, a cigarette dangling from her lips, and wine-red sunglasses perched on her nose.
Using the flag as a weapon, she swiftly pinned Inoshi's arms behind his back.
Bang!
The third figure emerged directly from the floor beneath Inoshi's feet, a young man wearing ceremonial goggles and gloves.
He transformed his hand into a dragon's claw and seized Inoshi's leg.
"Revolutionary Army 'East Army' Commander Belo Betty, 'South Army' Commander Lindbergh, and Revolutionary Army Chief of Staff Sabo," Inoshi announced calmly.
"It's a pleasure to see you all. However, I came here to discuss a trade. What is the meaning of this?"
As he spoke, the small ball Lindbergh had thrown stuck to his head.
Lindbergh himself flew forward with his jetpack, shouting, "Enough talk! We'll discuss trades later. First, tell us, how did you find out about this place?!"
"I'm warning you, this 'RA-4396' micro-bomb is my latest creation. While its blast radius is tightly controlled by my technology, its explosive power is enough to instantly turn every Giant clone caught in the blast into ash. If you make any sudden moves, hey! What are you doing?!"
Before he could finish speaking, his expression changed.
Inoshi had already begun to move.
"Hmm?!" *2
At the same moment, Bellobetty and Sabo's expressions also shifted dramatically.
They realized that no matter how much force they exerted, their opponent's body seemed completely unharmed.
Sabo's proudly honed Dragon Claw Fist joint locks failed to restrain Inoshi's joints, while Bellobetty's flag emitted a sharp crack.
"Retreat!" Sabo immediately ordered.
The three of them retreated almost simultaneously.
Then,
Bang!
Just as Lindbergh had warned, the explosion erupted.
The extremely concentrated, high-intensity explosion instantly engulfed Inoshi's former location in raging flames, vaporizing the tatami mats beneath him.
"We're done for..." Lindbergh stared in disbelief. "I just wanted to find out where he got his information!"
"Hey, Lind! Why did you use a real bomb?" Bellobetty asked grimly.
"I thought if he sensed it wasn't dangerous, our plan would seem too fake! I had the remote ready to disarm it anytime."
"Besides, who activates a bomb without saying a word? Wouldn't a normal person at least say something first?" Lindbergh was clearly shaken.
"Enough. I planned this. It's all my fault," Sabo said gravely. "We need to report this to Mr. Dragon immediately."
The three knew they were in deep trouble.
They had originally come to negotiate a deal with 'The Twelve Zodiac' on Dragon's orders. However, they had to admit that the extent of the Twelve Zodiac's knowledge about the Revolutionary Army was deeply unsettling.
The Isshin Dojo in Shimotsuki Village, this was one of the Revolutionary Army's most covert strongholds.
In truth, the dojo's master, Shimotsuki Kōshirō, had never formally joined the Revolutionary Army. Out of concern for his village, he had merely chosen to secretly support them, admiring their resolve and spirit of resistance.
The fact that such a hidden base had been discovered sent shockwaves through the Revolutionary Army.
This was especially true for Shimotsuki Kōshirō himself, whom nearly every Revolutionary Army Officer regarded as their closest comrade-in-arms.
After discussing their options, the three devised this plan. Originally, they only intended to extract the source of the information, test the opponent's strength, and, at the very least, gain the upper hand in negotiations through intimidation.
Naturally, they never intended to truly harm Inoshi. Before coming here, Dragon had already made his assessment: "They harbor no malice. Their early contact through 'Zishu' was to avoid conflict. Otherwise, they could have simply come to Shimotsuki Village and used the villagers to force us out."
But the situation had clearly deviated from their expectations.
This member of the Twelve Zodiac had been killed by their explosion.
The Revolutionary Army's predicament was now obvious, they would inevitably face retaliation from the Twelve Zodiac.
The code names Zishu, Shinryu, and Youji (Rooster) sent a chill down Sabo's spine.
But at that very moment, a voice suddenly cut through the air, freezing the trio in their tracks.
"The Leader once told me: 'Things shouldn't happen more than three times.'"
Footsteps approached, and Inoshi emerged from the billowing smoke of the explosion, brushing dust off his ceremonial robes.
"Though we're here to discuss business, there won't be a third time," he said calmly, his gaze sweeping over the three officers. "Otherwise... I'll have no choice but to kill you all."
The Revolutionary Army officers exchanged grim glances. They stared at Inoshi, noting the complete absence of injuries on his body.
"That level of explosion... and he's completely unscathed?" Lindbergh could scarcely believe his eyes.
"By the way, regarding your question, how we obtained information about Shimotsuki Village..."
Inoshi, having dusted off his ceremonial mask, placed it back on his face with a smile.
"Consider this information a gift for our upcoming negotiations."
"Seven years ago, Mr. Dragon visited his hometown, the Goa Kingdom in the East Blue, where he rescued Mr. Sabo. Afterward, your group resupplied at Shimotsuki Village before returning to the Revolutionary Army's headquarters on Baltigo."
As he spoke, he watched the three officers' faces grow increasingly horrified.
"Mr. Sabo, am I correct?"
(End of Chapter)