I, the great swordsman, am definitely not a bootlicker

In the dark, damp, and resentful castle, moonlight occasionally penetrated the thick clouds, illuminating the eerie shadows surrounding the castle...

"Really! There were only three of us on the island, why did we have to fight him? Now we almost lost our life again!" Perona, who was standing beside the bed, kept chattering and scolding the unconscious Zoro.

At this moment, a man with bandages wrapped around his upper body and eagle-like eyes quietly walked into the room: "Are you still alive?"

Perona was startled and leaned forward to block Zoro, taking a fighting stance, staring at the man in front of her cautiously: "What do you want to do!? He's already like this, and you still won't let him go? Don't forget, I was the one who bandaged your wound!"

Hawkeye glanced at her and said, "Don't worry, the duel is over. I won't attack a young swordsman who has no ability to fight back."

Then, Hawkeye glanced at Zoro lying on the sickbed: "...With your talent, I can already see a future where you will surpass me. Why...why are you so anxious all of a sudden?"

Hawkeye was a little confused about Zoro lying on the sickbed. In his opinion, Zoro had been fighting with the apes for half a year since he came to this island, which meant that he was not in a hurry to leave.

Moreover, Hawkeye also knew that Zoro's words provoked him in order to make him lose his composure. That is to say, Zoro was clearly aware that there was still a gap between him and him.

Then why are you so anxious to challenge yourself?

"Of course, it's to defeat you, so that I, as your girlfriend, can feel safe enough in this cold castle. A cold, single, middle-aged uncle like you won't understand!"

Hawkeye felt offended and left the room silently.

In fact, the reason why Zoro rashly challenged Hawkeye was not only because of the perfection of his Armament Haki, which made him a little inflated, but the most important thing was that three months ago, his swordsmanship had reached a bottleneck.

Whether it was fighting with the Gorilla King or exercising self-discipline, he tried many ways, but could not improve his swordsmanship. It seemed that everything was already perfect, and he could not find any areas that needed to be improved.

So he had planned to challenge Hawkeye a long time ago, and find a breakthrough in his swordsmanship through a duel with Hawkeye. Despite this, he still held back for three months and practiced self-discipline like crazy. Only after his three basic values ​​had exceeded 1 and he had comprehended Ryuo, did he challenge Hawkeye.

But despite this, he still ended up in a miserable defeat. Fortunately, he had an excellent physique, so Hawkeye's careful knife saved his life.

Of course, Zoro was defeated honorably in this battle, because Hawkeye was also seriously injured. As the world's number one swordsman, he had not been injured for a long time. After the battle, he also fell into a coma for a while, and it was Perona who helped him treat his wounds during this period.

It is no exaggeration to say that Zoro is now only a hair's breadth away from being an admiral or an emperor. He can pursue the ultimate swordsmanship like Hawkeye, or he can be entangled in the color of dominance...

Only children make choices; adults want it all! With the world's strongest sparring partner right before his eyes, Zoro recalled his life-threatening battle with Hawkeye in the East China Sea, where his swordsmanship had been boosted by 70%. Before leaving Dark Island, the desire to fight Hawkeye dominated him for three whole months.

During these three months, he trained and fought day and night, so when the battle came to an end, he fell into a deep sleep with peace of mind, and this sleep lasted for three full days.

……

"What!? You're leaving!?"

"Hmm... There's not much point in staying here any longer. After fighting that man, I've seen the path to improving my swordsmanship. Only by constantly challenging strong enemies can I forge my own black sword."

"But...but the world's number one is right here!"

"I've already lost to him for the second time. How could I still be so shameless as to not die at his hands? Stay here and continue challenging him. The next time I challenge him, I will take away the throne of the strongest in the world."

"But... you just recovered from your injury and still need to recuperate..."

"Why are you being so hypocritical? Let's go together."

"But... Hey!! Are you going to take me with you!?" Perona seemed to have heard something extraordinary.

"Yeah! If I'm alone, I might get lost..." Zoro said seriously.

"Huh? So... you took me with you just because you might get lost?" Perona looked unfriendly.

Oops... I think I said the wrong thing. Zoro had been dominated by the system for half a year, and he subconsciously moistened his throat.

"Ahem... I have Uncle Rayleigh's life card. I will definitely find Luffy and the others. There's no such thing as getting lost! It's all an excuse for you."

Perona was very upset. After being together for half a year, she could tell the truth from the lies just by hearing it, especially that cough.

"Don't go!!"

Sigh... It's really hard for me. However, with Rayleigh's life card, with my current physical strength, I can fly over even if I have to moonwalk all the way.

"Okay, forget it..." Then he began to pack his luggage and prepare to say goodbye to Hawkeye. If possible, it would be best if Hawkeye could sponsor a small boat. As long as he kept his eyes on the paper, he shouldn't get lost.

Perona was so angry that she stamped her feet and left angrily.

……

Grand Line, the port of Dark Island.

A girl in an elegant black dress stood quietly, like a touch of unexpected tenderness in this melancholy island.

She held a wine-red umbrella, which swayed gently in the breeze, like a bright red flower quietly blooming in the boundless darkness.

Under the umbrella was her slightly thin figure, and her gaze seemed to penetrate the fog shrouding the island and was fixed on the vast ocean.

It was as if I could retrieve the fragments of time I spent with him.

Over the past six months, every time they walked hand in hand and had fun chatting, it surged in her heart like a tide, then slowly receded, leaving traces of varying depths.

The sea breeze blew gently, carrying the salty fragrance of the sea water and the call from afar, gently brushing across her hair, and seemed to whisper the tenderness and reluctance of the past.

But the noise of the waves hitting the shore seemed to remind her that no matter how beautiful the past was, it has eventually become a thing of the past.

"Since you are reluctant to leave, why don't you go with him?" At this time, a swordsman dressed as a gentleman appeared beside her, standing with his hands behind his back, his eyes looking at the vast ocean.

She suddenly glared at the man and said, "Are you going to be number 18?"

The man frowned slightly: "What do you mean by number 18?"

"Hmph!" She raised her head proudly. "You can't wake someone who's pretending to be asleep; you can't tie up a dog that wants to run away! Who would be reluctant to part with that bastard?"

In the vast ocean, a scumbag on a small boat sneezed inexplicably, then took a deep breath of the free sea breeze and felt the long-lost sunshine. When he thought about going to Daughter Island to reap the profits, he was in a good mood and admired the system panel.

Host: Sauron

Strength: (+)

Constitution: (+)

Speed: (+)

Swordsmanship: (+)

Ghost Qi: -250

Asura Path: 250

Observation Haki: Top level (wide range perception, listening to everything, consciousness conveying thoughts and resonance) (Proficiency MAX)

Conqueror's Haki: Top Level (Proficiency MAX)

Armament Haki: Advanced (Proficiency 450/1000)

Love value: