When Swords Clash (A One Piece Fanfic: Roronoa Zoro)

CHAPTER 8

The Strongest Female Warrior of Wano

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The next day, at Ebisu town...

"WAAAAAAH! KOMUWASAGIIIEEEEEEHH-CHWAN!"

A loud wailing erupted throughout the humble town of Ebisu, a jumble of incoherent blubber.

Usopp looked at the sobbing cook defeatedly. As per Law's orders (he wasn't even the captain but here he was, bossing the Strawhats around; who does he think he is?), they had found shelter at Ebisu town, near the capital, and were enjoying (not really) a peaceful morning until the daily newspaper arrived.

"Why are you crying?" Usopp huffed. "You only saw her one time!"

"The death of a beautiful woman is a loss for the entire world, idiot!"

Amid the chaos, Law picked up the newspaper and skimmed through the contents, hoping to see something informative. Frankly, he could not care less about Wano's courtesans at the moment. The news could have reported she found the cure to cancer and Law would still not bat an eye, and that was saying something since he was a doctor. Because not only had Sora been missing since last night, his entire crew had not returned from their posts.

Law frowned.

He was having a bad premonition.

Over his shoulder, Franky peeked at the newspaper. "Says the funeral's tomorrow."

Through snot and tears, Sanji glared at him. "Where's your tact? Where's your delicacy?!"

Deciding to change the subject into something more worthwhile, Usopp called for their attention. "Orobi and the others were at the shogun's castle last night. Do you think they got caught?"

"Highly doubt it," Law supplied. "If they did, it would have been mentioned in the papers. They're probably in hiding somewhere."

After discussing more, Usopp eventually remembered Zoro and how the swordsman has been missing-in-action for a while now. He raised his concern with the others.

"Leave 'im be!" Sanji snapped. "The idiot could be across the Grand Line as we speak—we have other priorities to worry about."

He said that, but he was the one who was literally mumbling about using his raid suit in a women's bathhouse. Sanji was the last person to be talking about priorities here, but Law was too stressed to point it out and risk having another useless discourse.

He didn't want to admit it, but he sometimes felt being the captain of two crews. That feeling was probably not far from the truth.

Law was about to dismiss the topic of the lost swordsman for the sake of his mental stability when the group heard anxious noise from the villagers outside the cabin they were in. After exchanging wary looks, Franky stood and padded over to the open doorway, poking his head outside to see what the commotion was all about.

"What is it this time?" Law called out with a concerned frown, nerves tensed. Had Sora been here she would have commented about his ever-growing wrinkles.

"Uh," Franky hesitated. "There's a suuuper storm over the capital. Looks like an incoming hurricane." With the nonchalance in his tone, you wouldn't have thought he was talking about a freaking storm.

"Storm?!" Usopp shuddered, face paling as he held his arms. "Y—you don't think.. Kaido's come over here too? Because I think I'm about to develop an I-can't-fight-a-Yonko disease."