40 Chapter 40 - Loguetown

After eating their fill, except for Luffy who supposedly had room for more despite looking like a balloon, Zoro entered the cabin. He first got a big yawn out of the way, but then said, "There is an island in the distance."

"That must be Loguetown, town of the beginning and the end," Nami replied, looking beyond Zoro's shoulder. "It's the proof that we're close to the Grand Line."

Luffy rolled toward the door, passed by Zoro who backed out of the way, and eventually stopped near the railing at the front of the Going Merry. The others followed him, including Jin.

"So this is the island where the Pirate King died…" Luffy muttered in a serious tone. Unfortunately, his current rotund state made it hard for the others to take him seriously, though they certainly tried their hardest to take the captain's words seriously.

"Shall we go?" Nami asked.

"Of course!" Luffy confidently exclaimed, pointing toward land.

By the time they reached shore, Luffy returned to his normal lanky state. Jin didn't even notice when it happened.

Rolling his eyes, Jin thought, 'This kid's devil fruit is still as broken as ever.'

"I'm gonna go see the execution stand," Luffy declared.

"Seems like I can stock up on some decent ingredients and foodstuffs here," Sanji said. Then, in a quieter tone, he added, "As well as fine women."

"I'm going to look for new equipment," Usopp said before setting off behind Sanji.

Zoro glanced at Nami and said, "I'd like to buy something as well, but…"

"I'll happily lend you money, but it'll be with three-," Nami started to say with a greedy smile, but then briefly glanced at Jin. Her smile faltered briefly at his amused gaze, but she quickly turned her attention back to Zoro. She finished her sentence with, "Two hundred percent interest."

"Fine."

"I'll trade you some more of those coins for some berries," Jin offered.

"One coin for one thou- no, one hundred berries. Friend discount."

"Alright," Jin said while stealthily retrieving a large jar full of yen coins from his inventory, each of them no higher than ten yen in value.

'Can finally clear out some of the spare change that's been gathering dust in my coin jar for years.'

Nami's eyes widened into saucers. If this was still the One Piece anime or manga, Jin wondered if he would have seen dollar signs in her eyes. She then traded berries for his yen coins without much hesitation. With an excited expression, she dashed away with motives unknown.

Zoro deadpanned. She forgot to lend him any money due to the distraction.

Noticing a vein throbbing on Zoro's forehead, Jin held up the bag of berries and said, "Don't worry. You need a sword, right? I'd like to look as well, so we can use these. Should be around two hundred thousand, considering how many coins I gave her."

"Alright. I'll pay you back later if I find a good sword."

"Sure. I won't even charge interest," Jin joked with a small smile, drawing a smirk from the green-haired swordsman.

The two then leisurely strolled down the streets of Loguetown. Since it was a new environment, and Zoro didn't seem in the mood to ask for directions, Jin asked a passerby where they could buy swords. After getting an answer, he turned around, only to realize his travel companion was gone. Whipping his head around, he barely saw the Directionless First-Mate walking down a side street that wasn't even close to being on their walking path. Before the guy could disappear, Jin dashed over to him.

Mid-dash, Jin noticed a very faint surge in his power veins, but he didn't know what caused it. The moment he stopped moving, the surge faded into the normal cycle of energy he had grown accustomed to. Puzzled, he dashed forward again, but nothing out of the ordinary happened this time. Without any idea what could have caused it, he set aside the issue as something to figure out when he had more free time.

Moments later, Jin caught up with Zoro on another busy street. When he caught up, Zoro didn't seem to realize that they had split up briefly. Jin didn't particularly mind, either. He only noted to himself to keep a slightly closer eye on this chat group companion who had no sense of direction.

After walking along this street for a little while, a small skirmish attracted their attention. They saw two tall and notably ugly pirates confronting a rather average height woman with shoulder-length black hair.

Obviously troubled by the fact a small woman was being threatened by such large individuals, Zoro grasped the handle of his only remaining sword. In spite of his preparation to help the woman, she easily deflected the aggressive blade attacks from the two men and cut them down.

She tripped over her own feet afterward, though.

Ignoring the clapping and amused jeers from the crowd, Zoro looked down at the pair of glasses that had flown off the girl's face and landed next to Jin's feet of all places. The girl immediately started fumbling on the ground looking for them. Even Jin couldn't help raising a brow. Figuring Zoro would still be able to get the sword he obtained during this time even with this change, Jin picked up the glasses since they landed at his feet anyway. Then, Jin squatted in front of the woman. Zoro stood next to him with a slightly concerned expression.

Handing out the spectacles, Jin said, "Here. Your glasses."

Looking up at Jin, she revealed her somewhat cute and youthful face and large round black eyes.

"Oh, s… sorry for troubling you. Thank you very much."

"No problem."

With that taken care of, Jin looked at Zoro. The stunned expression on the man's face didn't surprise him one bit. Tapping the man on the shoulder, Jin said, "Since this is taken care of, we may as well continue with our business."

"Ah, yeah," Zoro mumbled, nodding in a dazed manner.

The two said a brief farewell to Tashigi while she was cleaning her glasses, to which she thanked them again. She only got a good look at them from the side after cleaning her classes and putting them back on, but their green and purple hair stood out quite a bit amidst a sea of black and brown-haired pedestrians.

The two walked in silence for a while. Eventually, Jin interrupted the silence by saying, "You seemed surprised by her face."

"Yeah… she looks like somebody I used to know," Zoro replied, scratching his head.

"That girl you grew up with, right?"

Zora widened his eyes and halted. Then, his eyes narrowed and he quietly asked, "You knew? Wait. Is this because of that Sage title you originally had?"

"Sort of. I've said it before, but I have observed many places, including here."

"I thought it was an exaggeration, but if you knew that, then what you said includes past… and future?"

"Some, but not all. I'm not omniscient."

"So, that woman…"

"Her name's Tashigi, if that answers your curiosity."

"I see." Zoro frowned and fell silent. Then, he sighed and said, "That is really a nasty coincidence. It's a big world, so I doubt I'll ever see her again."

"Heh."

"...Are you messing with me?"

"Nah. Ah, here's that blacksmith shop the person mentioned," Jin said, changing the subject while entering the place. After sighing again, Zoro scratched his head and followed.

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(A/N: I've always wondered, what if Zoro's lack of direction is actually just his instinct leading him to his goal of becoming the strongest swordsman. Was always a fun thought for me. Anyway, hope you liked the chapter even though it mostly kinda followed canon.)