74 Chapter 72

Today was November 11, 2005, Zoro's sixth birthday.

Waking up early, Toji frowned at the feel of a hand stuck to his face. Beside him, Zoro, who had stretched out his arms and legs, was sleeping soundly, unaware his hand had landed on Toji's eye.

Toji carefully removed Zoro's hand and silently got out of bed.

The small hand that pulled away felt rough with calluses. Toji, who had seen all sorts of things growing up in the Zenin family, didn't recall having such calloused hands at this age.

'But we've been training less lately.'

Instead, he slept. Like an animal hibernating in winter, apart from eating or playing with his siblings, he only slept. He used to nap a lot already, but recently it had gotten a bit extreme.

'Is he not feeling well?'

After all, fighting a Special Grade Curse at the age of five was unprecedented.

Moreover, considering his condition was so bad when Shoko first came out of the hospital that she said he needed at least six months of recuperation, it's natural to think there might be some lingering effects.

But I hope he's not hurting.

Zoro's eyelids fluttered. Toji had kept his breathing very soft, but Zoro eventually opened his eyes.

"Did you wake up? Sorry."

"No, I've slept enough."

Zoro stretched and looked at Toji.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"...Happy birthday."

"Ah."

So it's already that time. Zoro absentmindedly ran a hand through his somewhat fluffy hair.

"So, did you wake up early just to say happy birthday?"

You could have just woken me up. It's not like I've ever really celebrated birthdays in my previous life. Even during my time as a pirate, we didn't celebrate birthdays. Instead, we threw parties whenever we felt like it, and even without birthday parties, every day felt like a feast and was always lively.

Toji bit his lip before saying,

"I'm worried."

"Hm?"

"You've been sleeping a lot lately."

"Ah."

Zoro was aware of it too. Zoro absentmindedly scratched the back of his head.

"I've been dreaming."

"Dreams?"

"Yeah."

There had been several instances of strange dreams since his reincarnation, but recently those instances had become more frequent. When he had those dreams, it was hard to wake up unless he sensed some external stimulus.

"Nightmares?"

"No."

When he dreamt, a few recurring dreams would emerge.

Dreams where a white path appeared out of darkness.

Dreams of being utterly still, unable to feel the ground beneath his feet, the air in his lungs, or anything with his eyes.

Or dreams where he refused to walk down the white path, turning away several times, and eventually stepping off it altogether.

Each was peculiar, but none felt unpleasant or distressing.

'Come to think of it, I haven't heard that metallic scraping sound since that day.'

The "click, click" noise that often accompanied his dreams hadn't been heard since Zoro killed the Special Grade Curse and seemed to break something in his dream. Instead, the dreams themselves continued.

'But today's dream was one I've never had before.'

A throbbing heart and a fragile, beautiful red thread, barely holding together, were the choices given in the dream.

And Zoro made his choice.

The vigorous beating of the heart and the soft texture of the thread he held remained vivid, even after waking from the dream and some time passing.

'Too vivid for a dream.'

Was it a dream, or a memory?

If it were a memory, from when?

If today's dream was a memory, were the previous dreams also memories?

Seeing Toji's face darken, Zoro snapped out of his thoughts and tapped Toji's forehead with his finger.

"Don't worry."

Zoro wasn't someone to be swayed by mere dreams, and these dreams weren't unpleasant or unnatural to begin with. They felt more like things finding their rightful place.

Zoro, who had been gently rubbing Toji's forehead, stood up.

"I'm hungry. Let's eat."

"...If something's bothering you, make sure to tell me."

"I said I got it."

"Is there anything you want to do today? Anything you want to eat?"

"Well..."

"How about a trip? To the mountains or the sea."

Toji lightly suggested, recalling the mocking from Gojo and Geto a few days ago, telling him to take a trip and never come back. Traveling abroad might be too much for the kids since they were still young, but a day or two's trip within the country was definitely doable.

"The sea, huh."

It wasn't a bad idea. Zoro had seen it plenty in his previous life, but never in this world. For Megumi and Tsumiki, experiencing a variety of things would be beneficial.

Zoro recalled something he read in a parenting book. Memories before the age of three might not be concretely remembered when older, but the emotions felt then can leave an implicit mark.

Going out to sea wasn't always purely enjoyable and happy, but Zoro learned about the world through the sea. If he hadn't gone out to sea, he would have remained a frog in a well, full of arrogance and ignorance, with only a small bit of strength.

The sea in this world is different from his previous life, and Megumi and Tsumiki might not feel the same as Zoro did, but he still wanted to show it to them once.

To show them how vast the world is.

"Let's go. To the sea."

...

After breakfast, the four of them drove to the seaside. Smelling the distinctive salty air, Zoro smiled, familiar with the sensation. Even if the world changes, the sea remains the sea.

Toji parked the car and helped Zoro, Megumi, and Tsumiki out one by one. Together, they walked towards the sea.

The cool sea breeze, moist and salty, blew towards them. It was quite cold in November, but the kids weren't cold because they were dressed warmly for winter.

Upon reaching a spot where the sea's expanse was visible, Megumi, seeing the sea for the first time, lit up.

"Wow."

His small mouth opened wide, and he bounced on his feet. Tsumiki's eyes widened as well.

"Is this the sea? It's so vast... How far does it go?"

Zoro shrugged.

"To the end of the world."

"Wow."

Megumi reacted just like Zoro, making him chuckle.

Holding hands tightly, Tsumiki and Megumi ran towards the sandy beach. They jumped around excitedly in front of the crashing waves.

"I want to go in!"

"It's too cold now."

Toji firmly said no, causing Tsumiki to pout.

"I want to go in, though..."

"You can dip your hands and feet—Megumi!"

Megumi, who had been splashing the seawater, suddenly sucked on his hand. Zoro quickly pulled Megumi's hand out of his mouth, alarmed. Megumi grimaced.

"Salty..."

"The sea is made of saltwater. Spit it out! Eh, spit!"

"Spit."

Megumi spat out the saltiness. Oh boy. Zoro used his sleeve to thoroughly wipe Megumi's mouth.

"Don't drink the sea water. You can dip your hands and feet in it. Take off your shoes and socks. Make sure your clothes don't get wet."

"Okay!"

Zoro took off Megumi's shoes and socks, while Toji did the same for Tsumiki. Tsumiki buried her feet in the sand, rubbing them and giggling.

"It feels weird."

"It's different."

The sand at playgrounds and the sand on a beach feel entirely different. The slimy sensation of sea water, the fragments of broken seashells occasionally brushing between the toes, and the waves rolling in and out.

Swoosh, crash.

The waves hit the sandy beach, breaking into white foam. Megumi flapped his arms.

"I wanna swim, swiimm! Like a fish!"

"You can't."

"What about big brother?"

"I can do it."

"You can't either."

Toji, alarmed, grabbed Zoro.

"Wait, have you ever swum before?"

"Of course."

In Zoro's previous world, the sea was visible wherever you went, so except for those who had eaten a Devil's Fruit and couldn't do anything in water except sink, most knew how to swim. Not to mention the Fishmen, who could breathe underwater without saying.

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