33 Chapter 33

The evening before Zoro's birthday, Shiu Kong reported in more detail about the Time Vessel Association deserter and the sword he was selling.

[Yes, he was affiliated with Time Vessel Association and has defected. Time Vessel Association has been quite persistent in tracking him. But there's hardly any information about the sword itself. It's not nonexistent, but everything comes from what the guy has said, so its reliability is questionable.]

The sword was a katana, not a cursed tool, with good performance, and priced at 500 million yen. That was all that was known about it.

Without seeing the item in person, it was impossible to discern truth from fabrication. Thus, after much deliberation, Toji decided to meet the man.

Alone.

"You're going by yourself?"

Zoro didn't know exactly what Toji was going to buy, only that it was a transaction with a sorcerer, not regular shopping.

"Why?"

Frowning, Zoro asked curtly, clearly not pleased. Toji carefully responded,

"It's too dangerous to take you with me."

Dealing with sorcerers often involved risks. There could be ambushes by sorcerers disguised as sellers, price gouging at the meeting point, bait-and-switch tactics, or even attempts to kill and rob.

The seller may have been part of Time Vessel Association, but in the end, he was a defected sorcerer. Sorcerers could harm anyone, children or non-sorcerers alike, if it served their purpose. Though the chances were low, if the seller turned out to be a first-class sorcerer or higher, taking Zoro along would be dangerous.

Expecting Zoro to explode in anger, questioning if he was being underestimated, Zoro instead sighed deeply and surprisingly complied.

"Okay."

Zoro enjoyed combat but also understood there were times when it was necessary to avoid it. Currently, Zoro couldn't use flying slashes or Conqueror's Haki. Involving him in Toji's battle would likely be more of a hindrance.

Now was not the time to leap into battle, but to stop and build strength. Accepting that fact didn't mean he liked it, though.

Zoro clenched his fist and said,

"I'll get stronger faster."

"...You don't have to."

To Toji's knowledge, Zoro was already as strong as a second-class sorcerer or beyond. Being so powerful at not even five years old was beyond genius by any standard.

'Whether a distant relative or an illegitimate child, he would be immediately considered a candidate for the next head.'

Even Toji found it difficult to claim he knew all of Zoro's strengths. There were likely several trump cards that Zoro kept to himself, not even revealed to Toji. And amidst all this, Zoro was talking about getting stronger faster.

"Make sure you're not late coming back."

Toji felt a shiver down his spine. To him, Zoro's words sounded like a warning that he'd come looking if Toji didn't return soon.

The thought of Zoro wandering alone in Tokyo at night, potentially becoming lost, made Toji's head spin.

'I must return as quickly as possible.'

Otherwise, he'd spend the entire day searching Tokyo with a Vivre Card in hand to find Zoro.

Months ago, Toji attempted to teach Zoro how to navigate, only to realize the futility when Zoro walked in the exact opposite direction on a straight path. It was then Toji understood teaching Zoro to navigate was impossible.

...And it became clear that Zoro definitely lacked a sense of direction, undoubtedly a wandering soul.

Toji ruffled Zoro's mossy tuft of hair.

"I'll be back quickly. Take good care of Megumi."

"Okay."

Leaving the house, Toji ran with all his might for the first time in a long while. For the past year, he hadn't been working, and when walking or training with Zoro, he always matched Zoro's pace, so there was no need to run this fast.

Silently leaping over rooftops, Toji tilted his head.

'Something feels different.'

But not in a bad way. On the contrary, it felt better. Originally, Toji's physical abilities and senses were so sharp that he could perceive and see all sorts of things while running at high speed. Now, it seemed his range had expanded and his senses had become more refined.

'Maybe it's because of the Observation Haki training.'

Zoro had told Toji that he had already become stronger, and it seemed he wasn't wrong. Toji just hadn't had the opportunity to really feel it.

Upon reaching the destination, Toji saw Shiu Kong and his car. Toji leaped down from the rooftop to in front of Shiu Kong. Watching Toji land lightly, Shiu Kong exhaled a puff of smoke from his cigarette.

"You're here."

"Yeah. The location?"

"They said they'd contact me with the details."

As Toji frowned, Shiu Kong remarked, "Told you we shouldn't go through with this deal."

Shiu Kong dropped his spent cigarette to the ground and stamped it out.

"It's the first time you've shown such interest in a weapon that's not a cursed tool."

It was for Zoro's birthday present, after all. Toji left those words unsaid.

"The money?"

"In my cursed spirit."

"...Surprising. You're really planning to buy it? I thought for sure you'd just take it by force."

"Maybe."

In the past, Toji would have definitely taken the sword by force. There were very few who could win against him in a fight, and if it was just about stealing the sword and running away, he was confident he could manage it even against someone as strong as Gojo Satoru. However, for a birthday gift for Zoro, he didn't want to stain it with blood or leave behind any grudges.

Shiu Kong stared at Toji intently and then spoke.

"You've changed."

"Have I?"

"I didn't think you'd change again after that time."

Toji tensed up, recognizing what 'that time' referred to. Realizing his slip, Shiu Kong quickly checked his phone and changed the subject.

"They've sent the location. Want to go in my car, or will you go alone?"

"...I'll go alone."

Though the plan was originally for both to go, Shiu Kong didn't press further. He might not receive a broker's fee and end up offering a free service, but stirring up trouble with a sorcerer killer wasn't worth worrying about such matters.

Shiu Kong sent the meeting place to Toji's phone and quickly left in his car. Toji checked the address on his phone and pinpointed the location using his mental map of Tokyo. He hadn't expected the Tokyo map he memorized in case Zoro got lost to come in handy like this.

Toji vanished from the spot in an instant.