Chapter 134

"..."

Zoro neither confirmed nor denied wanting to see him, simply closing his mouth firmly. However, for Amanai, that was enough of an answer.

"Did you say goodbye to that friend?"

"I told you, he wasn't a friend."

"I'm asking if you did say goodbye."

Pressed by the persistent questioning, Zoro reluctantly answered.

"Sort of."

He hadn't known that it would be the last time.

Certainly, he hadn't intentionally gone to that guy's restaurant. There had been some lowlifes who tried to attack Zoro's hometown, and chasing them had led him near the restaurant.

Since there were no other places to eat, Zoro had dined there. As always, they ended up fighting outside the restaurant afterward.

Clang!

Zoro's swords clashed against the guy's legs and rebounded.

"I thought you'd be lounging around after beating Mihawk, but it looks like you still know how to use a sword? Marimo swordsman."

Sanji wiped sweat off his face as he teased Zoro, who retorted without backing down.

"And you, curly eyebrows, just prancing around. Opened a restaurant and you're not cooking, just practicing kicks?"

"What the hell?!"

"Argh?!"

Flames of anger flared between them.

A couple trying to enter the restaurant hesitated at the sight. The woman cautiously asked,

"Um... are you open today?"

"...!"

Zoro and Sanji simultaneously ceased their combat stance.

Sanji, noticing the woman's beauty, instantly had hearts in his eyes and dashed towards her like lightning.

"Of course, we are open. Welcome to Black Leg Sanji's Ocean-going Restaurant. Please don't mind the marimo here, mademoiselle."

Sanji escorted the woman inside, ignoring the man completely, as Zoro scathingly judged,

"Disgusting."

The fight was awkwardly suspended. Zoro sheathed his swords.

It was a tepid end to their confrontation, but their fights were always like this; starting over trivial matters, often unresolved due to some interruption or another event, and they would fight again later.

Zoro's reasons for fighting with this chef were simple: the guy was unbearable.

Even after the crew disbanded, the relationship between the two, fundamentally incompatible at the soul level, remained unchanged.

Zoro turned away without hesitation. There was no more time to waste because of that curly-browed man. Having dealt with the attackers of his hometown, he intended to return to East Blue.

The guy shouted at Zoro's back.

"Hey, Marimo!"

"Huh?"

As Zoro turned around with a twisted expression, the chef, arm in arm with the woman and with a cigarette in his mouth, grinned.

"Don't starve."

Zoro snorted and replied.

"Don't kick the bucket, Cook."

He turned around completely. And without looking back, he walked away.

...That was the last time he saw Sanji.

It was a farewell befitting them, Zoro thought.

Watching Zoro's calm face, Riko commented.

"You don't seem to have any regrets."

"None. Not about that."

Zoro never made choices he would regret. Even if those decisions led to being broken, defeated, or facing death, he never bent.

...Not regretting doesn't always mean that he made the best choices.

He thought of the red-hatted captain's brother, always with a cheerful smile, wrapped in flames.

The black-and-white photo in the newspaper later captured his corpse.

'Having a troublesome younger brother always worried his elder.'

'I entrust him to you, though it's going to be tough.'

He had said to take care of him.

The one who hated losing someone the most.

When Luffy needed Zoro the most, he couldn't be by his side.

'...I should have apologized.'

It was too late.

"A life without regrets..."

Muttering to herself, Amanai looked at the aquarium. It was a sight so beautiful it felt unjust only to see it now.

"I do have regrets."

The words slipped out before she realized. Zoro turned to look intently at Riko as she continued, her eyes following the fish beyond the glass wall.

"I only realized after coming here. There were so many things I hadn't done."

Of course, being a "growth vessel," Riko wasn't free to go out often, but she felt she should have found a way to try more things.

Being a growth vessel and merging with Lord Tengen isn't death. It's a proud and glorious act of becoming one with him, Riko had been told repeatedly as she grew up.

Yet, Riko vaguely knew that merging with Lord Tengen was hardly different from death.

Until she started school, it hadn't scared her much. She was too young to truly understand the meaning of death.

But after meeting Kuroi, going to school, and making friends, the thought of merging became increasingly terrifying. She secretly hoped for more.

To see more.

To meet more people.

To converse more.

To accomplish more.

More, more.

...She wanted to live.

"—Then, just do it."

A casual remark came out. Riko turned her head. There, Zoro was nonchalantly picking his ear and spoke.

"The things you haven't done, the things you want to do."

It wasn't too late. Not at all.

After all...

"You're alive, aren't you?"

If you're alive, nothing is impossible. Zoro asserted.

Amanai gave a playful smile.

"What if my living ends up destroying the world?"

"Because of Tengen? If that guy turns bad, we'll just stop him."

He might already be a bad guy. Living for over a thousand years by switching bodies felt wrong. It reminded him more of the heads of the World Government he had seen in his previous life.

Zoro hadn't really thought about opposing higher powers. Even when he was much weaker, he had declared war on the World Government. So, waging war on just one country's, even if it's just a section like the sorcery society, was nothing to him.

'I'll have to talk to my father though.'

Riko watched Zoro intently. That was sincere. Aside from being a growth vessel, she had no special talents or skills, but she could tell that much.

She dropped her usual tone and, packing her sincerity into her words, whispered softly.

"...Thank you."

Zoro, his eyes misty, observed Riko's deep blue eyes wavering.

She was hesitating.

But it wasn't a hesitation that negated her previous resolutions, rather it was a struggle to break free from a reality she had resigned herself to accept.

Zoro looked away to the sharks swimming in the aquarium and spoke.

"Think about it some more. There's still time."

After thoroughly pondering, hesitating, and then making a decision.

"Tell me."

To Zoro, Amanai's true feelings were more important than any crisis in the sorcery community or Tengen's stability.

Amanai watched Zoro for a moment and then agreed, saying she would do so.

...

Riko spent the entire opening hours of the aquarium, had dinner as the night fell, and played Mario Kart with Kuroi until they fell asleep late.

In the hotel hallway outside their room, Toji, Gojo, Zoro, and Geto huddled together, keeping watch as the two slept.

Zoro glanced at Gojo.

"Satoru, aren't you tired?"

"I've got my reverse technique."

Normally, even Gojo would be quite exhausted from maintaining Limitless and normal vision this long, but because he was continuously using his reverse technique, his condition was still at its peak.

"Aren't you—supposed to be asleep by now?"

"Not really."

Zoro, who naturally had short sleep hours and, during his pirate life, had often stayed up through the night due to storms, enemy attacks, or keeping watch, was not particularly tired.

Toji covered Zoro's eyes with his hand.

"I'll wake you if anything happens, go to sleep."

"I don't want to."

"Always so stubborn."

As Toji tried to mess up his hair, Zoro, disgusted, dodged his hand.

"You should rest, dad. You've been looking at Riko all day."

"If I'm a marimo, what does that make you, dad?"

"What do you think? Obviously, a gorilla."

"…Ha, Satoru."

Do you want a thorn in your side tonight? Geto, anticipating a potential disaster, slowly moved away from Gojo. Even though Geto had experienced Black Flash and had significantly improved in energy management and technique, Toji was still intimidating.

Unusually, Toji didn't react much to Gojo's comment. Instead, he suggested to Zoro.

"Then let's both take a break."

Gojo waved his hand lazily.

"Yeah, yeah, the baby marimo should go cuddle with the gorilla and get some good sleep~"

"Shut up, boy. I'm the only one who gets to call my son marimo."

"Who says?"

"Shut it, both of you."

What are they doing arguing over someone else's nickname, especially one that the person doesn't even like?

Zoro grabbed Toji's hand and led him away. They didn't head to the hotel room but to an unexpected place. Toji knew all along but let him lead.

They ended up on a terrace. Although they had meant to go back to their room, Zoro was puzzled. Well, this wasn't too bad either.

Above all, the sky was filled with stars. A scene that was once normal in his previous life but was rare in Tokyo due to light pollution.

As Zoro gazed up at the starry night, Toji broke the silence.

"Speak if you have something to say."

"…!"

Zoro widened his eyes slightly and turned to face Toji, surprised that he had noticed.

"You're my son, marimo."

As if I wouldn't know when my own son has something on his mind. Toji gently ran his fingers through Zoro's hair.

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