Chapter 461: Zoro’s sword

I made my way through the narrow back alleys of Shells Town, navigating with the ease of someone who had done this sort of thing many times before—even if the location was new.

The streets were quiet here, away from the market and the hum of daily life. The further I went, the more the air felt thick with silence... and tension.

I wasn’t heading toward trouble, per se. I was heading toward money.

The Marines in Shells Town had grown complacent. That much was obvious. Their patrols were lazy, their eyes dull with routine, and their arrogance ripe for exploitation.

I had already learned from the old man at the food stall that Axe-Hand Morgan had a hoard of personal treasure stashed inside the Marine base.

Gold, jewels, bounty confiscations, extortion money—it all ended up in a private vault that only he and a few officers had access to.

So naturally, that’s where I was going.

Now, some people might call what I was about to do theft. But I prefer the term asset redistribution.

After all, Morgan stole it first—from honest citizens, from fallen pirates, and from anyone too weak to resist. I was just... balancing the scales.

The back entrance of the Marine base was surprisingly unguarded. A single distracted Marine stood nearby, smoking a cigar and grumbling about his shift.

I slipped past him like a shadow, silent and unseen, my movements precise and smooth. Once inside, I kept low, relying on my dulled presence and passive magic resistance to remain undetected.

The map of the base I’d quickly memorized from a stolen document led me deeper into the structure, into a section less patrolled—Morgan’s wing.

After a few turns and ducking behind a crate to avoid two chatting officers, I found the vault door. It was a thick slab of metal reinforced with a simple locking mechanism—not enchanted, not technologically complex. Just brute force and poor design. It might’ve stopped your average thief.

Unfortunately for Morgan, I wasn’t average.

I extended a hand and softly whispered, "[Lock Melter]." The lock glowed faintly before fading into ash, the mechanism collapsing with a quiet clunk. The door creaked open.

What greeted me inside made me raise an eyebrow.

Gold coins spilled from open chests, glinting in the faint light like liquid sunlight. Piles of jewelry—rings, necklaces, ornate bangles—scattered across shelves.

Bounty posters were rolled up and discarded, some with red Xs across the faces. There were a few paintings too—probably looted from pirates or taken from townsfolk who couldn’t pay their taxes.

I stepped inside and began scooping gold into a pouch. I had carried it just for this purpose. A dimensional pouch, limited but efficient. Gold poured in, lightening the shelves with every second.

Then, I saw it.

At the far end of the room, leaning against the wall with quiet reverence, were three swords. A bundle of blades bound together in cloth and tied at the hilts.

Even without drawing them, I recognized them immediately.

"Zoro’s swords," I muttered, walking over.

Wado Ichimonji, the most distinct among them, practically radiated a quiet pride. Beside it, the other two—Sandai Kitetsu and the unnamed third blade Zoro carried before Enma—felt heavier. Not in weight, but in presence. They didn’t belong here, dumped like trophies on display.

I crouched and gently ran a finger along the white scabbard of Wado Ichimonji. "You’ve waited long enough."

Without hesitation, I took the swords and slid them into a new harness I had materialized from my inventory. I didn’t plan on using them myself—I respected swordsmanship, and these weren’t mine to wield. But Zoro would want them back, and I had a feeling that Luffy and Koby were already working on finding him. This would make things easier.

I took one last sweep of the vault. A few more gold bars, an emerald-studded dagger that looked like it belonged in a collector’s showcase, and a bottle of aged rum sealed with pirate markings. I slipped them all into the pouch.

Then I paused.

Something about the vault felt... off.

I glanced back toward the door. The hallway was still empty, no alarm had sounded, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was being watched.

I tapped the ring on my finger, activating a silent [Detect Life] spell. A tiny pulse of light rippled outward, invisible to the eye, and I picked up two faint signatures. One was Koby—nervous, but determined. The other was... Luffy. I could feel the chaotic energy radiating from his presence. They were close to Zoro.

"Perfect timing," I whispered. "Guess it’s time to deliver a gift."

~~~

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