Chapter 223: What is it like to show off in front of your childhood sweetheart?

Feeling the surge of power coursing through his body, Zoro's eyes lit up with a newfound confidence.

"Thank you so much, Sir James!" he said, expressing his heartfelt gratitude.

At that moment, he truly felt the beauty of the world. The resurrection of his best friend and the realization of his dream made it all seem like a dream, intoxicating and surreal.

However, Zoro remained grounded, refusing to become complacent with his current power. 

He knew that even if Scyther could undergo MEGA evolution and he was bound to evolve alongside two Pokémon simultaneously, his strength still only matched that of the strongest warriors.

But those warriors had gained such immense power relying solely on themselves. In contrast, Zoro needed to sacrifice the combat abilities of his dual swords and Scyther, fusing them into a trinity to unleash his highest level of strength.

In other words, if those strong men also harnessed the power of Pokémon, he would still not be their equal. He was simply fortunate to have met Sir Leo earlier than others.

Zoro saw the current state of the world with clarity. Once the world fully embraced the shock of the Pokémon League Conference and accepted the power of Pokémon, the older, established strongmen would easily rise to the top again.

All Zoro could do was take advantage of this brief window to improve himself as much as possible. 

Thinking this, Zoro glanced at his points balance. From his original 20,000 points, after resurrecting Kuina and obtaining new bond evolutions, he had 9,300 points left. 

These points were enough to redeem a special ability like MEGA evolution. But Zoro held off. 

After all, a month ago, he had promised Koby and the others that he would get them each a Pokémon. The employment company he ran with Laurent was about to open, and they were short on manpower. Zoro planned to train his trusted allies as soon as possible.

At this point, Zoro couldn't help but reflect. He had fully realized that the extra 10,000 points he gained had come from that mysterious combat uniform from a cylinder. 

It was a reminder that appearances could be deceiving. The person who owned that cylinder had a face as annoying as Sanji's, but was surprisingly wealthy! Who would've thought such a small cylinder could be so valuable?

If it weren't for the battle suit, Zoro wouldn't have had the points to exchange for new bond evolutions after resurrecting Kuina. He even regretted letting the snail ship go. 

The person who traveled in that combat suit was no ordinary individual. The ship must have been filled with treasures!

"What a mistake," Zoro muttered to himself. "It would be great if I could meet the organization behind that guy. From what he said before, it seems they're looking for me?"

His thoughts wandered briefly, but Zoro quickly calmed himself and prepared to ask James about purchasing Pokémon.

But at that very moment, a fiery figure burst through the dojo doors.

"Sensei!! Koushiro-sensei! Something's wrong!" The familiar boy yelled in panic as he rushed inside. 

Koushiro and Kuina stood silently next to Koby and the others, curiously watching Zoro as he completed a dimensional trade.

The young man, however, ran straight to Koushiro, his panic overriding any awareness of the unfamiliar figures in the dojo.

"It's not good, Koushiro-sensei!" the boy cried. "Someone's... someone's looking for Brother Zoro! A lot of people..."

The boy was gasping, his words incoherent from fear. 

Koushiro, confused, asked, "What's wrong?"

"They're looking for me?" Zoro frowned, realizing something was up. He stepped forward and placed a reassuring hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Calm down," Zoro said firmly. "A panicked heart won't make you a great swordsman."

The young boy snapped out of his panic under Zoro's command. 

"Now, tell me slowly, what's going on?" Zoro asked.

The boy nodded, swallowing hard. "Well… sensei gave us a holiday. I went to the village, but when I got there, I saw a group of strangers. There were lots of them, at least a thousand. They surrounded Shimotsuki Village and started asking around for you, Brother Zoro. I snuck back here without being seen!"

Zoro chuckled at the boy's exaggeration, patting his head. But as he activated his observation haki, he immediately sensed a life force lurking on the dojo's rooftop, eavesdropping. The energy felt similar to Ichiji's, whom they had captured earlier.

Koby, sensing something amiss, stepped forward. 

"Master Zoro, could it be the organization behind the guy we caught?" 

"That seems likely," Zoro murmured in agreement.

If anyone in East Blue was after him, it was probably the mysterious backers of the guy who attacked him.

Zoro glanced at Doublade and Scyther beside him. 

"Get ready. There may be a fight."

"Scyther!" Scyther responded eagerly, its grin widening. After a month of rest, it was ready for action.

Zoro turned to James with a slight, apologetic bow. 

"I'm sorry, Sir James. Our deal may need to be postponed. Can I contact you after I've dealt with this?"

"Of course," James replied with a smile, understanding the situation. 

In fact, he seemed genuinely happy. He knew the next time he met Zoro, it would be for a much bigger deal. 

With an encouraging smile, James's figure vanished. The others in the dojo, however, remained utterly confused.

"What's wrong, Zoro?" 

Kuina approached Zoro with curiosity, sensing his rising fighting spirit and tension, feeling that something was amiss.

However…

Faced with Kuina's question, Zoro simply smiled gently, a flash of confidence in his eyes, and replied calmly, 

"It's nothing, really. I'm just happy someone wants to give me money."

"What?" 

Kuina was confused.

But Zoro suddenly turned to the people behind him and said, 

"Koby, Alvida, you two help protect Kuina."

"Oh, right!" 

Zoro seemed to recall something. He swiftly removed the sword, Wado Ichimonji, from his waist, handed it to Kuina, and smiled, 

"I always thought I'd return this to you in a more ceremonial way. But given the situation, you'd better use it to defend yourself!" 

He pressed Wado Ichimonji into Kuina's hands and added, 

"At last, Wado Ichimonji has returned to its rightful owner."

Then, pointing upwards, he said, 

"I've noticed you've been there for a while. Why don't you come down and chat?"

"Alright." 

A voice, light with amusement, echoed from the rooftop.

To everyone's astonishment, a figure suddenly appeared before Zoro like a phantom: graceful and slender, adorned with purple moth wings.

It was none other than Sanji's sister, Vinsmoke Reiju, also known as "Poison Pink." Originally, she was scouting the Village with her biochemically enhanced soldiers. But while observing from the air, she noticed Zoro's junior leaving the village in a rush. Out of curiosity, she followed him—and to her surprise, she stumbled upon Zoro.

But… Reiju raised her head and, with a teasing smile and a hint of caution, said, 

"As expected of the man Sanji warned me about. You sensed my presence, even with Germa's tech shielding me."

Though Haki can sense life forces, Germa's combat suits are designed to block detection. The fact that Zoro could bypass that technology showed just how powerful his Haki was. And with Ichiji's sudden disappearance not long ago, Reiju knew she had to be on high alert around him.

Meanwhile…

Hearing Sanji's name from Reiju's mouth made Zoro frown. While Ichiji bore a strong resemblance to Sanji, Zoro hadn't made the connection—until now. 

"Do you know Sanji?" Zoro asked.

"Of course." 

Reiju replied casually, 

"After all, I'm his sister."

"Sister?" Zoro's frown deepened at this revelation.

Reiju's next words, however, cleared his confusion. 

"Yes. Even though Sanji was discarded by our family at a young age for being 'useless,' he and I share the same blood. That's an undeniable fact."

"Useless?" Zoro raised an eyebrow. 

"While I agree that the love-cook can be a bit of a fool, your family abandoned him in favor of that even bigger failure?"

"So, Ichiji is in your hands." 

Reiju's voice sharpened, becoming more guarded.

She knew that if Zoro had defeated Ichiji, he could also defeat her. Luckily, she had already sent her location to their father, Judge. Soon, Judge and the enhanced soldiers would arrive. The atmosphere turned tense. Neither Reiju nor Zoro dared to strike first—with Kuina and Koushirou present, neither side wanted to risk a reckless move.

But…

Zoro could tell from his junior's report that the enemy was powerful. Waiting any longer would only worsen their chances. In that case…

Buzz! 

The wings of Scyther, which had been on standby, suddenly vibrated, and it's Doublade aimed at Reiju.

Zoro shouted, 

"Scyther, use Shadow Sneak Attack!"

Whoosh! 

At Zoro's command, Scyther vanished in an instant. A second later, two cold flashes of steel emerged from the shadows at Reiju's feet, aiming directly at her.

"What?!" 

Caught off guard by the bizarre assault, Reiju quickly manipulated her moth wings, positioning them between herself and the incoming blades.

Clang! 

Sparks flew as the blades struck her suit, which fortunately absorbed the blow.

But just as she exhaled in relief, a dark green shadow streaked forward.

"Shaa! (Two Sword Style: Ultimate Wolf Fang!)"

In the blink of an eye, Scyther reappeared in front of Reiju, its dual arm-blades raised high and aiming directly at her.

Whoosh! 

With a mighty strike, a wave of energy shot forth, forming the image of a ravenous wolf's head. The spectral beast opened its fanged maw, snapping viciously at Reiju.

Boom!

Though Scyther's attack couldn't pierce her battle suit, the sheer force rattled Reiju's body, leaving her with severe internal injuries. The impact shattered the dojo's outer wall, sending Reiju flying backward, carving a deep trench in the ground as she crashed outside.

  ...

  ...

"This... this..." 

In the dojo, as the terrifying power of the Pokémon erupted, the expressions of Kuina, Koushirou, and Zoro's junior brother were ones of utter shock. 

Although Koushirou and Zoro's junior brother had seen Zoro's strength on screen before, witnessing it in person was an entirely different experience—far more overwhelming. 

As for Kuina, who had never seen Zoro's true abilities before, she stood frozen in disbelief, trembling slightly, unable to comprehend the immense power Zoro now wielded. 

Her gaze slowly turned to the figure standing before her, now a full head taller. In that moment, Kuina truly felt the weight of time and distance. 

"So... you've become this strong..." she murmured softly. 

The boy who once seemed as fragile as a bean sprout had transformed into someone incredibly powerful. 

Memories from what felt like just yesterday flashed through her mind, and a strange, indescribable feeling welled up inside her. 

... 

Cough... cough cough... 

Meanwhile, after being thrown to the ground, Reiju coughed up blood, her pupils shrinking in disbelief. 

"So... strong!" 

In just one month, Zoro wasn't the only one who had grown stronger. Nourished by life energy, Scyther and Doublade had also skyrocketed in strength. 

Suddenly, Sanji's words echoed in Reiju's mind, and a bitter smile appeared on her face. 

"Could it be... that mentioning Sanji's name only had the opposite effect?" 

Just as this thought crossed her mind, a cold gleam flashed in front of her. 

Scyther was already chasing after her again, its bright, razor-sharp blades glinting like the tools of an executioner. 

"Damn it! Don't underestimate me!" 

"Pink Poison Arrow!" 

Poof! 

A thick purple mist erupted from Reiju's mouth, quickly transforming into a barrage of countless poisonous arrows flying toward Scyther. 

However, at that very moment, a voice suddenly spoke next to her, making her tremble. 

"Oh? So you can use poison, too?" 

Reiju glanced up and spotted Zoro, holding his Doublade. 

She raised an eyebrow, her wings unfurling in a display of beauty mixed with menace. 

"What's wrong with using poison?" Reiju smiled softly. 

In the next moment, a vast cloud of poisonous mist surged upwards like a tidal wave, rushing toward Zoro and Scyther. 

But in the face of this deadly mist, Zoro simply smiled calmly and said, 

"It's fine to use poison..." 

"...It's just that my Doublade aren't afraid of poison!"