32 Chapter 32

Toji sat blankly in front of the sofa after dinner at home, Zoro's words echoing in his mind.

'What do I want to do after obtaining Haki...?'

He couldn't grasp it.

There was a vague desire to become stronger. But if that was all, he shouldn't be so impatient about not having mastered Haki yet. He wasn't weak now, after all.

'Do I want to obtain Haki to protect Zoro and Megumi?'

That wasn't entirely untrue. He did feel that way.

"..."

However, there was also a faint, different desire.

A longing that even Toji couldn't articulate clearly.

"Papa."

Megumi offered Toji a yogurt. Toji opened the lid for him. This wasn't for Toji to eat. It was a request for him to open it. Toji had learned this lesson after he absentmindedly ate it himself once, resulting in Megumi bursting into tears.

Megumi happily sucked on the yogurt. After a burp, he handed the empty yogurt container back to Toji.

"More."

"No."

"Why?"

"Ask your brother."

Megumi turned and whined towards Zoro.

"Brooother."

"Eating too much sweet stuff will rot your teeth. Then you'll have to go to the hospital."

Zoro said, placing the dish brush in the sink. Megumi frowned deeply.

"I don't want to."

"If you don't want to go to the hospital, then don't eat it."

"I don't want to!"

"It'll rot your teeth."

"I don't want to…"

Zoro didn't even glance over. Toji watched the scene with a small smile. Zoro cared deeply for Megumi, but he wasn't overly indulgent. When it came to saying no, he was quite firm.

Deflated, Megumi snuggled into Toji's embrace. Toji shifted to make space for him. As Megumi's hair grew longer, it sprawled out more, turning him almost hedgehog-like.

Zoro came into the living room and glanced at Toji. Their eyes met, but Zoro shrugged, indicating he had no intention of helping Toji with his dilemma and focused solely on Megumi.

Toji sighed. He thought perhaps getting beaten up by his eldest son, as before, might have been preferable.

Since he wasn't coming to an answer about Haki, Toji decided to think about something else.

"By the way, your birthday is on the 11th of this month."

"Yeah, it is."

"Is there anything you want?"

Last year, Toji hadn't been able to celebrate Zoro's birthday because it coincided with the day he returned home. There was too much to do, and by the time he was settled, it was too late to arrange anything. This year, Toji wanted to give Zoro something he truly desired.

"A sword. Preferably, a katana."

"A sword…"

It was needed. For his last birthday, Toji had given Zoro his monkey-shaped dagger necklace, leaving Zoro currently without a weapon. Although Toji rarely left Zoro alone, and Zoro tended to use whatever was at hand as a makeshift weapon, not really needing one.

Toji did have swords among his weapons collection. However, for some reason, they didn't seem to fit Zoro well. They might be used temporarily, but as for something specifically for Zoro...

Moreover, most of the swords Toji owned were cursed weapons. Using them in combat could leave traces of cursed energy at the scene. Given Toji's caution about Zoro being discovered by the sorcery authorities, cursed weapons weren't ideal.

'I'll have to see Shiu Kong.'

Toji thought calmly. Zoro raised three fingers.

"Three swords."

"No."

"Tch."

"You haven't even got all your permanent teeth yet."

And he's talking about holding a sword in his mouth, as if that wouldn't risk losing them all.

"One of my front teeth is wobbly. A new one will come in soon."

"Well, that's why it's a no."

Zoro made a displeased face. Megumi watched Zoro for a moment before he, too, clicked his tongue.

"Tch."

"..."

It was clear to anyone he was imitating Zoro. Zoro's face froze in surprise, and Toji's body shook as he tried not to laugh.

"Kuh...huh..."

"Don't laugh."

"Why? It's funny. Tch!"

"Tch!"

"Megumi, stop clicking your tongue."

"Love you! Tch!"

"Love you too... Hey, Megumi!"

...

A few days later, Toji called Shiu Kong.

[So, you're looking for a quality katana?]

Shiu Kong's skeptical voice came through the phone. Toji replied,

"One that's not a cursed tool."

[Picky, aren't you?]

Finding a good katana was easier if it was a cursed tool. The reason was simple: aside from sorcerers, hardly anyone uses katanas as weapons nowadays, except maybe the yakuza.

There were antiques, but those were expensive and often lacked in performance as weapons, made from inferior steel from times when metallurgy wasn't as advanced.

Naturally, there weren't many people specializing in making katanas. There were cheap ones available, but finding something that would satisfy a sorcerer killer was extremely difficult.

[How about taking on a job? Kill and take. There's a job to handle a cursed tool user in Okinawa.]

"I'm not doing it."

Toji flatly refused.

[Hmm, not even going to hear out the pay?]

"It's too far."

Getting a birthday present meant he'd have to be away from Zoro for a long time to acquire it, and Zoro wouldn't be too pleased with any gift if that were the case. It'd be meaningless. Plus, if it's a cursed tool user, they would likely possess cursed tools.

He wondered if he had started too late in preparing for the gift, with the birthday less than five days away.

Would he have to resort to giving one of his own swords? Toji scratched his head in frustration.

[Oh, now that I think about it.]

"What?"

[I heard about some guy who smuggled out a really good katana from Time Vessel Association and went AWOL. He's looking for a buyer.]

"Time Vessel Association?"

Anyone involved in the sorcery world would recognize that name. It was the residence of Tengen, the immortal sorcerer who had protected the country for centuries.

Toji smiled wryly.

"Even Time Vessel Association has defectors? I thought it was full of zealots ready to lay down their lives for Tengen."

[Well, it shows it's a place where people live, after all.]

And where people live, betrayal is inevitable. Understanding Shiu Kong's implication, Toji asked,

"Are you sure it's not a cursed tool?"

[Definitely. Many laughed, saying who would pay that much for a non-cursed tool sword.]

"How much are they asking?"

[500 million yen.]

Toji frowned. That price was comparable to a top-grade cursed tool. Of course, such cursed tools are rarely sold, so the asking price is generally inflated.

But if it truly was a non-cursed tool yet a quality katana, there couldn't be a more useful item for Zoro right now.

As Toji fell silent, Shiu Kong asked in a surprised tone,

[What, you're really considering buying it? Or planning to kill and take?]

"Thinking about it."

[I wouldn't recommend it, Zenin. After all, its quality is just what that guy claims, and there's no way to know if such a sword really exists. Plus, if it's real, it was something stored in Time Vessel Association.]

It could potentially provoke not just Time Vessel Association but the entire sorcery community. Toji was well aware of the risks Shiu Kong mentioned.

However, something felt oddly compelling. It seemed like what Toji, or more precisely, Zoro, was looking for.

It was just intuition, lacking logic or evidence, but Toji couldn't ignore this feeling.

"Look into it."

[Alright. But don't blame me if you end up dead.]

"I won't die."

Because he had a son who would chase him to the ends of hell if he did.

Toji hung up the phone, hoping things would go smoothly.