Narrator
Tap!
Tap!
Tap !
"Haaa! Haaa! STAY AWAY FROM ME, YOU PSYCHO!"
The screams of this individual tore through the silence of the night. The sound of his panicked footsteps echoed in the surroundings, and his heavy breathing only made the atmosphere thicker.
Gok!
"HNGH!"
At the noise coming from behind him, he spun around instantly, cloaking himself in the densest layer of cursed energy he could muster. Yet he found nothing in front of him. Still, he didn't lower his guard for even a second—because he knew. He knew he was there.
"RORONOA ZORO!!"
Slash!!
The man's head separated from his body, but it didn't fly. It simply slid off his neck gently before hitting the ground.
Thud!!
The cursed energy surrounding the man fizzled out, and the calm of the night reclaimed its rightful place—
Only to be disturbed again.
Step!
Step!
Step!
A silhouette approached the still-standing corpse. The figure was tall and masculine.
A black mask covered the lower half of his face, while the upper half was hidden by the shadow cast by his hood.
Three katanas rested at his hip. Their sheaths were beautiful—any novice could tell they were masterfully crafted.
"One less to worry about." He inspected the corpse again—no, the slash. "I'm getting pretty good at flying slashes now."
His voice was cheerful and proud. There was no doubt this kill had brought him a certain level of satisfaction.
After basking in that satisfaction for a few moments, he slipped a hand into the pocket of his hoodie and pulled out a flip phone.
He opened it and dialed a number. He barely had time to initiate the call before the person on the other end picked up.
"Yeah, hey. Job's done. Tell your guys to come clean up. Same account as usual."
The man on the other end didn't even get a chance to say a word before the killer hung up and pocketed the phone.
"He's totally gonna complain, but no way I'm staying on the phone. Does he even know how expensive prepaid minutes are right now?"
He finally pushed back his hood, revealing black hair and steel-gray eyes. Then he lowered his mask, revealing a sharply defined jawline.
Anyone who knew him beyond the identity of Roronoa Zoro would've recognized him.
It was Zen'in Zoro. (Zoro's image)
"Man… the moon's really beautiful tonight."
He stared up at the sky intensely, but soon his gaze drifted into the depths of his own mind. It lasted several seconds before his eyes widened.
"Craaaap! I forgot to tell him I was taking a break from the profession for a while. !"
He pulled out the phone again. But when he tried calling—
"Son of a—my minutes are out?!"
---
Zoro
We didn't stay long at Tsukumo Hyo's place. Summer break was ending, and her daughter would be coming back from her aunt's house soon.
Thanks to his Heavenly Restriction, Toji had recovered enough for us to manage on our own.
I planned to take us somewhere where the Zen'in influence was weaker, but still crowded enough for me to train.
I had the perfect destination: Osaka.
Osaka is a port city 500 kilometers from Tokyo and about 50 kilometers from Kyoto.
In 1975, its population was nearly 3 million. The extended metropolitan area had around 9.8 million residents.
Small compared to Tokyo's 27 million, sure—but still full of cursed spirits.
Driving alone would've taken more than six hours. Going on foot was a real challenge for me, but especially for Toji.
And that's when Hyo surprised me one last time.
"Brat, get over here," I heard her call from the garden.
"I'll be right back, Toji."
"Okay~"
I walked into the garden—and what I saw shocked me.
There was a brand-new mountain bike. Deep black, lined with silver and gold streaks.
A large trailer was attached to the back, and inside was what I assumed to be an inflatable tent.
In other words, the best possible gear we could've hoped for for our journey.
I tore my eyes away from the equipment and stared at her, stunned.
"Alright, listen kid. I don't like you, and I don't ever want to see you again…"Her tone was firm and her face stiff—but when she spoke her next words, her expression softened."…but you and your brother are still just kids. Letting you leave on your own fills me with guilt—but I have no choice."
She pointed to the bike and the trailer.
"That's the least I can do to ease my conscience. So get it through your thick skull—I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing it for me."
I couldn't find the words to express my gratitude. All I managed to say was:
"Yes, ma'am."
And just like that, we set off.
In her overwhelming kindness, she gave us hiking backpacks filled with food and clothes, as well as a very generous 100,000 yen.
Since we only had one bike, Toji had to stay in the trailer most of the time. But he didn't complain.
"Big brother, big brother! Look, a giant tower!"
"Big brother, look, a dog!"
"Big brother, look, a river!"
He was finally seeing in real life everything he'd only ever seen on TV.
Traveling across the country was honestly an incredible experience. The new landscapes almost made me forget we were fugitives.
Of course, we had some issues along the way.
To the point where I started wondering if people with Heavenly Restriction attract bad luck.
I mean… getting stopped by the police in every town we passed through? I understood—two five-year-olds wandering alone with just a bike and a trailer is suspicious.
Getting soaked by rain every time we found a good camping spot? Fine—early June in Japan is rainy season.
But getting attacked by seventeen bears on the road? Seriously?
And that's not even counting the ones we only crossed paths with—we saw over thirty bears during our escape.
Luckily, none of that was a real problem. One little burst of COC and the critters ran off with their tails between their legs. (So to speak, of course.)
Other than that, those five days were honestly the best of my life.
I don't know about Toji, but I'm pretty sure he felt the same.
And pedaling 500 kilometers was fantastic training for my endurance and leg strength.
That's how I finally set foot in Osaka for the first time—with legs like jelly.
"Alright, now we just need to change identities, earn money, find a place to live, get a new ID, and secure a legal guardian just in case things go south."
I started listing everything we needed—and honestly:
"Nothing too hard, right Toji?"
"Huh? Were you talking to me, big brother?"
Of course, Toji was too focused on the scenery to listen.
"Nothing, it's fine. Go back to what you were doing."
Obviously, things weren't going to be that easy.