One piece: The Fairy Of justice (English version)

4 - Kara's Lesson

Meanwhile, on an island where a great battle had just taken place—but the villagers hadn't even noticed—Luffy and his crew were receiving their new boat. At the same time, a new companion was joining their journey.

—I have a bad feeling, guys. We better set sail —Luffy said quickly.

Usopp, now a member of the pirate crew, didn't hesitate to follow his captain's instincts and started unfurling the sails.

Nami was also on the boat. After all, Luffy had saved her from the pirate Buggy. Now she was a bit stronger… Most importantly, she had better reflexes since she had learned to dodge thanks to all the rocks Kara had thrown at her whenever she got distracted. Because of that, she hadn't been caught as easily by Buggy's sneak attacks, unlike Zoro.

Still confused, Nami simply pointed out the direction they should take, and the boat quickly sailed away.

As Kaya and the others happily waved them goodbye, they watched them disappear over the horizon.

—Are you alright, Miss Kaya? —the butler asked, standing beside the young woman, noticing her slightly sad smile as she bid farewell to her childhood friend—. If you had asked, Master Usopp would surely have stayed —he added.

—It's fine, Merry. Usopp has his own adventure —she replied with a bright smile. Then, keeping her gaze fixed on the now empty horizon, she calmly added—: Merry, I would like to learn medicine… just in case Usopp returns injured from his journey.

—We have to protect Miss Kaya!

—That's right!

—Even if it's Captain Usopp who makes her cry, we'll give him a beating —the three kids muttered among themselves, noticing Kaya's affection for Usopp.

But suddenly, something fell from the sky, startling Kaya and the others.

They saw something crash into the water, and after a few bubbles, a green-haired head emerged from the surface. At the same time, a chubby pink-haired boy landed headfirst on the ground, knocking himself even more unconscious than before.

—Damn it! You could have dropped me more gently —Zoro complained, irritated, as he pointed toward the sky, where Kara was still airborne, shocking everyone present.

—I don't like touching people, especially when they look as filthy as you —Kara replied while wiping her hand.

Zoro gritted his teeth, wanting to unsheathe his sword and cut the idiot who was looking at him as if he were trash in half. However, he simply swam to the shore instead.

—It's your damn fault the boat got destroyed —he accused as he stepped back onto solid ground.

—Who would have thought it would be such poor quality that it would break from a sneeze? —Kara said, not feeling even a shred of guilt for having destroyed the boat in an instant.

—Hmm? Seems like we arrived quite late… Well, no matter —she murmured as she observed the surroundings—. Hey, you guys! —she greeted, realizing who was present.

—H-Hello… —the three kids replied, waving a little nervously.

—Are you a Marine? —the butler Merry asked, noticing the cape the young woman was wearing.

—Unfortunately, yes. I'm looking for some guy named Kuro or something like that. Have you seen him? —Kara asked casually, observing them closely—. He's about this tall and pretends to be a butler —she said, gesturing with her hands to describe him.

Meanwhile, Zoro was wringing out his wet clothes and checking if Coby was still breathing.

—Yes, but he already esca— —Merry tried to respond, but Kara cut him off.

—Oh, found him —she said without waiting any longer, and in an instant, she vanished from everyone's sight, moving at an inhuman speed.

Within seconds, she appeared in the sky in the distance… and then disappeared completely.

—Hey, are you okay? —Zoro asked as he slapped Coby's face lightly, noticing his eyes had rolled back.

—Do you guys know where the town is? I need to find a doctor for this guy —he said while lifting the unconscious Coby.

—Of course! It's that way —the three kids answered, pointing in one direction.

Zoro nodded in thanks and started walking… in the opposite direction.

—No, no, sir! It's this way! —one of the kids quickly shouted.

—I think it's better if we go with him. He might get lost along the way —another kid said, looking at Zoro as if he were an idiot.

—Yeah, better —added the third.

—I can hear you, idiots. I'm not going to get lost —Zoro growled, annoyed.

Still, he followed them toward the town.

After leaving Coby with a doctor, Zoro entered a restaurant right across the street.

Luckily, Kara had left him some money, so he ordered food while patiently waiting for her return.

A good while passed when he suddenly noticed anxious murmurs among the civilians, who moved nervously across the island.

—What's going on? —Zoro asked upon seeing the fear on their faces.

—Pirates… A pirate ship appeared at the dock —a civilian answered with a trembling voice.

—Pirates? Well, this could be a way to kill some time —Zoro said, standing up and walking toward the dock. This time, he didn't get lost… He just had to follow the pirate ship he could see in the distance.

When he arrived in front of the ship, he spotted someone familiar resting on the deck, sunbathing as if nothing was happening.

—You took your time. I thought I'd have to wait all day —Kara said upon seeing Zoro approach.

—So it was you… —Zoro frowned in annoyance.

—Disappointed? But it's too soon for that. I brought something similar to a swordsman that might help you train a little —Kara said with a mischievous smile.

With a careless motion, she threw a beaten and tied-up man in front of Zoro.

—And who is this? —Zoro asked, looking at the man crawling on the ground like a worm with disdain.

—He's Kuro. He has a movement similar to Soru. If he manages to kill you in the next two hours, he'll be freed. If not, he'll simply become food for a Sea King —Kara said calmly, while Kuro's entire crew, also beaten and tied up, continued trembling at the sight of her.

Without further delay, Kara tossed a dagger that cut the rope binding Kuro, freeing him. At the same time, she left a weapon within his reach.

—Good luck to both of you —Kara said, raising her fist as if cheering them on.

Kuro, without saying a word, attacked immediately with the sole intention of freeing himself from that monster. He wanted to finish Zoro off as quickly as possible.

—Silent Step —Kuro whispered before vanishing swiftly from his opponent's sight.

—Wow, he's going all out from the start —Kara commented, watching as small cuts began appearing on Zoro's body.

However, the cuts weren't deep. Kuro wasn't used to using a dagger—the same one Kara had used to free him—since he normally fought with his claws, which Kara had easily destroyed when he tried to attack her.

After a few attacks that Zoro couldn't block, his body was covered in wounds. However, he was quickly getting used to Kuro's speed.

He closed his eyes gently, waiting for the next attack. He wanted to hear the sound of Kuro's footsteps when he struck.

At that very moment, Kuro launched a decisive attack aimed at Zoro's neck. His dagger was about to cut him when, at the last instant, Zoro moved his sword swiftly, blocking the blow and opening his eyes.

—Oooh, looks like he's gotten used to it. He learns fast. This will be over soon —Kara commented, watching the fight calmly.

During the week they had spent on the boat, Kara had taught Zoro a few things, mostly out of boredom.

Unlike in the original timeline, where Zoro faced a couple of weaklings while injured to improve his combat skills, thanks to Kara, he could skip all that nonsense.

Even though Kuro was weaker than Zoro, his Soru-like ability made him a tricky opponent. However, all Zoro needed to do was sense when Kuro was attacking. By using his reflexes and senses to their fullest, defeating him would be easy.

—So what if you managed to defend once? —Kuro said, backing away to attack again.

—Is that Mr. Klahadore? —a civilian who had approached to see why the pirates were still at the dock asked.

Despite his fear, he needed to know if they should prepare to fight. Summoning his courage, he got closer, only to witness the battle.

More villagers began gathering, having heard from the three small children that there was a Marine on the ship.

—Why is Mr. Klahadore fighting that guy? —one villager asked.

—Ah, that guy isn't… Kardumen. He's a pirate called Kuro. He might look like him, but don't mind him —Kara said, suddenly appearing among the crowd.

—W-who are you? —a villager quickly asked, startled by Kara's sudden appearance.

—I'm with the Marines… Look —Kara responded, showing her cape with the word "Justice" engraved on it.

Seeing this, many villagers visibly relaxed and sighed in relief.

—Aren't you going to help your comrade? He looks pretty hurt —a child asked.

—No. It's already over —Kara replied calmly as everyone watched Kuro preparing for his final attack.

—Silent Steps —Kuro whispered once more before disappearing, leaving a slash in the ground with his dagger.

Meanwhile, Zoro remained with his eyes closed, holding his three swords.

—Santoryu…

—Die already! —Kuro shouted, controlling his speed and launching himself at Zoro to finish him once and for all.

After all, he had also improved in this fight by putting his life on the line.

—Too bad he's a heartless pirate. He could have been a pretty good Marine… Learning a technique similar to Soru on his own is impressive —Kara said while watching Kuro's final attack.

—Onigiri —Zoro murmured, moving his three swords and slashing Kuro with three lethal cuts.

Kuro fell to the ground, spitting blood.

Zoro, exhausted, collapsed to the ground, panting from the effort.

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