Chapter 4: Zabuza's Enlightenment
Like a dry branch being crushed—just one slash was comparable to an A-rank technique.
No chakra was used at all. It was done purely with that katana in his hand, which looked ordinary.
Could a real person do that?
"…Maybe!!"
Zabuza looked at the hilt in his hand. His Executioner's Blade had been completely shattered, leaving only the handle.
Yet even with a famous blade like that, he still couldn't unleash a slash so terrifying.
So it wasn't the blade? It was the person? Was he, Momochi Zabuza, actually that weak?
No. If he was weak, then the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist were weak too. The only possibility was that the Uzumaki clansman in front of him was simply too strong.
"As long as you work hard, doing something like that isn't difficult. You probably haven't seen a similar powerhouse, have you? But I have."
Shanks looked at Zabuza, whose whole body was trembling. It was the same as when Luffy and Zoro first met Mihawk—those pirates had looked exactly like this when they watched Mihawk cut their ship apart with a single strike.
Pure shock.
That man on a tiny raft could cut a ship in half with one slash.
Shanks could only say one thing—welcome to the Grand Line.
"Me… can I do it too?"
There was a trace of longing in Zabuza's voice. Could he really do something that powerful?
At that moment, Zabuza desperately wanted Shanks's recognition. If Shanks said he could do it, then he would believe it. Even if it were a lie, he would still be willing to work for it.
Zabuza was not a heartless man. On the contrary, the fact that he, one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, had betrayed his village proved how much he cared about it.
It proved he was not a cold, emotionless shinobi.
Because that village carried Zabuza's hopes.
But when the Bloody Mist era arrived, Zabuza watched the village grow worse and worse. What should have become happier with peace did not improve at all. The village was collapsing, and people seemed to leap from one hell into another.
As one of Kirigakure's Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, Zabuza's status needed no explanation. He could even be called a pillar of the village.
Yet he did not remain loyal to the Mizukage. After witnessing the changes in the Mizukage and the village, he chose to become a rogue shinobi.
Perhaps the only person who truly understood someone like Zabuza was Kisame.
Also one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. Also a rogue shinobi of Kirigakure. And also, someone who valued bonds.
The Seven Swordsmen of the Mist had all been executioners through and through. But Zabuza and Kisame believed that as executioners, they were paving the way for a new era, because the new era would be peace.
In truth, they were wrong. The new era never came. Peace never came.
Shanks saw the longing in Zabuza's eyes. This was a man with unwavering will.
Shanks didn't know what this man had been through. He was covered in wounds, his blade was broken, but a man with unwavering will would not rot away by a quiet sea.
"Of course you can."
Hearing Shanks's answer, Zabuza no longer cared about appearances.
"Shanks, please teach me swordsmanship!"
Zabuza knelt before Shanks and lowered his head. Not out of shame, but out of hope—hope to become stronger, hope to return to Kirigakure someday.
His strength wasn't enough. Not enough to overturn the Mizukage's rule. Not enough to topple those people.
"Until I master Haki, I won't go out to sea. So during this time, how much you can learn depends on you."
Shanks smiled. This man fit his stereotype of people in the world of One Piece—everyone carried something on their shoulders.
"And my swordsmanship is only at the beginner level. Once you become stronger, you'll naturally see even more powerful people."
Zabuza agreed. Even as an elite jonin, there were countless powerhouses in the shinobi world that he had never touched.
The Legendary Sannin, the Kage of every village, the tailed beasts, and those elite jonin who had made their names in war.
"My goal is to become a top-tier powerhouse in the shinobi world. Only then can I return to the village and kill those people."
The fire of hope burned in Zabuza's heart.
If he could learn this kind of swordsmanship at Shanks's side, he would definitely go back someday.
"I will become stronger."
Zabuza lifted his head, his eyes firm.
The next day, there was one more wooden hut by the lake.
Zabuza stayed, and Shanks was no longer alone.
"The most important part of sword training is this process. A swordsman must become familiar with the blade in his hand—familiar the way you treat your most trusted companion."
Shanks explained as he swung his sword.
In the world of One Piece, the most important thing was conviction.
So as a swordsman, conviction had to be unshakable.
"The sword in a swordsman's hand is our most trusted companion."
Shanks demonstrated, and Zabuza followed.
"Trust the blade in your hand?"
Zabuza looked at the hilt he was swinging.
If he were like Shanks, he would have never had such a thought. A weapon was ultimately just a tool. Just a weapon.
"Even a cold weapon has life."
"My swordsmanship isn't the same as your assassination methods. Your methods are for killing. My swordsmanship is just pure swordsmanship."
Shanks explained.
He understood Zabuza's style.
Assassination meant the blade existed to take lives. Everything was for killing the enemy.
"Faster, sharper, stronger—this isn't swordsmanship pursued for killing. It's a purer direction."
Shanks's words made Zabuza realize that their paths were completely different.
As an executioner, Zabuza's blade had always taken lives. That was the only thing his blade had ever done.
"A blade that only kills can't give people hope. How can such a blade cut through the Bloody Mist and bring hope to the village?"
In that instant, Zabuza seemed to understand what had been wrong. Everything he had learned all this time had been wrong.
How could an executioner who only knew how to kill bring hope to the village?
"I think… I understand."
Zabuza nodded gratefully. In that moment, his eyes became clear, no longer cold.
Seeing the change in Zabuza, Shanks froze.
Damn it. So this guy was a genius too. He understood it that fast, while it had taken Shanks almost a full month to get there.