Chapter 41- Wadou Ichimonji

(A/N: Sorry, I'll somewhat be following the canon event in the next two chapters, albeit with a TrashHeap touch. It will be mostly original again after this scene is over. There are indeed some minor changes due to Jin's presence, so let me know what you all think about it. I'd rather not follow too much canon material if I don't have to, but I do like this particular scene from One Piece a lot for the most part. Good character moments. Anyway, enjoy da chappy.)

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The moment Jin and Zoro entered the store, the shopkeeper's eyes lit up. He looked a bit on the chubby side, and his head was mostly bald aside from pointy tufts of hair protruding from the sides of his skull.

Since Jin was just planning to look around, he handed over his sack of berries to Zoro and said, "Feel free to use this to ask that guy for a sword or two if you want. I'm going to look at the displays for a bit."

"Sure," Zoro grumbled, taking the bag.

While Zoro approached the counter, Jin started walking around the small shop. Checking several swords and other bladed weapons one-by-one, he came to the conclusion that many of them would not hold up for long in the Grand Line. Only a few stuck out to him as decent craftsmanship. In fact, even the family heirloom katana his mother kept in their family's small ancestral hall in their rear courtyard back home made these display weapons look like toys. He figured Zoro would need to soon replace them again after a while if he didn't get his hands on the swords he originally did.

'The shop might have other better weapons in the back or something since I recall the owner had a few special swords I can't remember the names of. Way too many of these feel like flimsy scams, though. Good way to make some cash off eager pirates, I guess.'

Quickly growing bored of the display weapons, Jin approached the counter, only to hear the slightly irritated voice of the shopkeeper.

"You want to buy two swords for just two hundred thousand? At best, I can only give you some mediocre blades from those displays your buddy was just looking at."

"That's good enough for now since I'm short on money," Zoro replied.

At that moment, the shopkeeper noticed the sword at Zoro's waist. Fumbling over his words, he nervously asked, "H-h-h-h-hey… c-c-c-could I m-m-maybe see that s-s-sword of yours…?"

"Why stutter?"

"He probably wants to scam you," Jin casually answered.

The shopkeeper waved his hands and denied the accusation, saying, "O-o-of course not! I'm a legitimate businessman and blacksmith! I simply wish to see the blade!"

"Well, I don't really care," Zoro said, setting the blade within its white sheath on the table.

Upon pulling the sword out of the sheath a little, the man's eyes bulged dramatically.

"Listen," The man suddenly said, "I know you're short on money, so allow me to propose a deal. This sword you've got certainly ain't no jun-"

"Shut up and don't even try it," Jin warned with a sharp glare, accidentally leaking a small amount of Reiatsu that slammed the man's face into the counter. Even Zoro faltered a little and looked at Jin with wide eyes. Sweat leaked from the shopkeeper's face as he hesitantly raised his head a moment later.

"I-I-I'm sorry, s-s-sir."

"Well, I wasn't planning to sell it, either way," Zoro said with a sigh, though he sent a curious glance in Jin's direction as though curious about the strange pressure that made the air feel heavier.

Amidst the tense atmosphere, a feminine voice suddenly exclaimed, "AHHHH! This sword! Could it be?!"

The shopkeeper looked relieved to have somebody interfere with the tense situation, but Zoro panicked and recoiled.

"This is…" The woman raised her glasses a little during a brief pause before concluding, "Wadou Ichimonji, right?"

Raising a brow, Zoro looked slightly puzzled by the outburst.

"Indeed! It is indeed a fairly decent blade!" The shopkeeper hastily agreed, allowing the woman to pick up the blade and look at it. Jin considered interfering, but since Zoro didn't say anything either, he let the scene play out for now.

"Decent?! Why, that's ridiculous!"

From there, Tashigi set the sword back down and embarked on her rant about the famous Great-Grade swords. The shopkeeper only smiled and nodded, sweat dripping from his brow as he glanced nervously in Jin's direction.

After the rant, the man hastily changed the subject by grabbing a sword from behind him and saying, "Ah, you came to pick up your 'Shigure', right? Here you go. I've already finished polishing it."

The man tossed the sword over. Barely catching the blade in her arms, Tashigi tripped backward and almost landed on the display items, but a thin and nearly invisible barrier stopped her from falling.

"Eh?" Tashigi rubbed her slightly bruised forehead, but then studied the mostly translucent barrier. It disappeared a moment later. "Was that a devil fruit ability?"

Meanwhile, the shopkeeper looked at Zoro and grumbled, "Go grab two swords from those displays. They are mostly worth around one hundred thousand a piece."

Finally, Tashigi turned and looked at the two customers she had overlooked previously. Upon seeing the familiar hair colors, she pointed at Jin and Zoro and said, "Ah, it's you two again."

"Yeah, fancy seeing you here," Jin replied with a wry smile while Zoro grabbed a couple blades seemingly at random.

Seeing Zoro holster three swords, Tashigi raised her brows and said, "You love swords, do you? Carrying three of them kind of reminds me of a bounty hunter I've heard about."

"...Bounty hunter?" Zoro mumbled casually while approaching her and Jin.

"Roronoa Zoro. Have you heard of him?"

"I've heard the name a few times."

Jin smirked slightly, but erased it before Tashigi could notice it.

'Almost forgot this interaction. How funny,' Jin thought upon seeing Zoro's feigned ignorance.

"Yes," Tashigi said with a nod, "From what I know, he is a rather famous swordsman here in East Blue, or maybe infamous? To think he treats his swords as merely a means of making money. It's simply unforgivable!"

Frowning, Jin observed Zoro's stoic face that showed little to no change in expression. It didn't sit well with him.

'I forgot the conversation went like this.'

Continuing her emotionally charged rant, Tashigi complained, "Why is it that the evil people in this day and age are so strong? All the famous swordsmen of today are either pirates or bounty hunters. They're the ones who possess most of the world's masterwork blades. The swords must be crying."

In the gap, before Zoro could reply, Jin quietly said, "Shut up."

Stunned, Tashigi widened her eyes at him. The stern tone caught her off-guard since she had pegged him as a kind person who picked up her glasses for her. Even Zoro raised a brow at the annoyed tone in Jin's voice.

"...Are you a criminal?" Tashigi inquired, glaring at him as she reached for her blade.

Glaring back, Jin coldly said, "I am a swordsman. A mediocre one, but a swordsman nonetheless. The fact that you claim the blades are crying in the hands of those people pisses me off. You don't know any of them. You've never crossed blades with them, either, as far as I can tell. Until you've crossed blades, kindly shut up and never claim to know the thoughts and ambitions of another swordsman again."