Chapter 46: In The Pouring Rain

  The storm raged on, drenching the streets of Logue Town insheets of rain. Thunder echoed overhead, and the relentless winds whipped atevery loose piece of fabric or sign in the port town. Zoro stood oppositeTashigi, their eyes locked in a tense standoff. But before the real fightbegan, Zoro had an idea—a smirk creeping onto his face. His gaze flickereddownward, spotting a small, harmless fish floundering in a shallow puddlenearby.

  “Hey, Tashigi!” Zoro shouted over the roaring wind.

  “What?” Tashigi snapped, her grip tightening on the hilt ofher sword as she prepared to strike.

  Zoro bent down and picked up the fish, holding it out towardher. “You’re a Marine, right? Help me save this poor fish.”

  Tashigi blinked, her sword arm faltering just for a secondas her eyes widened in confusion. “What are you talking about?!”

  Zoro flicked the fish toward her, grinning as it flopped inher direction, momentarily distracting her. “It’s drowning! Shouldn’t you bedoing something about that?”

  In her moment of distraction, Zoro sprinted off, leavingTashigi sputtering in frustration behind him. She wiped the rain from her eyesand gave chase, but Zoro was already vanishing into the chaos of battle,catching up with Sanji and Usopp. They were still running with the giant wagonfull of supplies, its wheels squealing against the wet cobblestones as theyraced toward the port.

  Sanji gnced over his shoulder, his cigarette barely lit inthe pouring rain. “Took you long enough, moss-head.”

  “Shut up, love cook,” Zoro shot back, sliding into formationbeside them. “We’ve got Marines closing in fast.”

  Usopp was panting, his long legs struggling to keep pacewith the others as he gripped the reins of the wagon. “I swear, why do thesethings always happen to us?”

  Zoro turned his head, and sure enough, a squad of Marineswas bearing down on them from the alleyways. Armed with rifles, swords, andspears, they rushed forward, intent on cutting off their path to escape. At thesame time, pirates from Buggy’s crew emerged from another side street, cacklingas they joined the fray, hoping to corner the Straw Hats.

  “Zoro! They’re closing in!” Usopp yelped.

  “Just keep moving,” Zoro growled, unsheathing his two newswords, his hands gripping the hilts with deadly precision.

  A dozen Marines converged on them, and Zoro leapt intoaction, his bdes slicing through the air with lightning speed. He cut downtwo soldiers in a single fluid motion, his new swords humming as they dancedthrough the rain. But more kept coming. It seemed endless—the Marines’desperate attempts to capture the notorious Straw Hats knowing the reward ontheir heads was worth risking their lives.

  Sanji kicked away a pirate who lunged at the wagon, spinningin mid-air as he delivered a bone-crunching blow. “Don’t slow down!” heshouted, his leg cutting through the downpour like a bde.

  Zoro spun, his swords deflecting the barrage of attacks fromthe approaching Marines. A spear grazed his side, but he pressed on, parryinganother strike before bringing his bde down on the assaint. The onsughtwas fierce, and though Zoro’s skill was unmatched, the sheer number of enemiesbegan to overwhelm him. For a brief moment, a Marine managed to break throughZoro’s defense, swinging his sword toward the swordsman’s back.

  A loud bang echoed as Usopp, from atop the wagon, fired hisslingshot, knocking the Marine’s bde off course. “I’ve got your back, Zoro!”Usopp shouted, though his voice trembled with fear.

  Zoro grunted in appreciation, his swords moving in a blur ashe cut through more enemies. The group was pushing their way through the narrowstreets toward the open port, the Going Merry visible in the distance.

  As they neared the docks, the rain intensified, sheets ofwater pouring down, making the ground slippery. Just as the Straw Hats thoughtthey might have an open path to escape, Tashigi emerged once again, her sworddrawn, her face set with determination. She moved like a ghost through therain, appearing in front of Zoro with her sword raised.

  “This is where it ends, Roronoa Zoro!” Tashigi shouted, hervoice cutting through the downpour as she blocked their way.

  Sanji and Usopp exchanged a quick gnce. “We’ll handle thewagon. You take care of this, Zoro,” Sanji said, already guiding the wagon pasther.

  Zoro met her gaze, his swords still in hand. “You reallywant to do this, huh?”

  “I’m a Marine. It’s my duty,” Tashigi replied, her voicesteady but her grip on her sword tense. She charged forward without hesitation,swinging her bde with precision. Zoro raised his swords to meet hers, thecsh of steel ringing out despite the storm.

  Their swords danced In the rain, each blow matched withfierce intensity. Zoro was calm and composed, his movements calcuted andsmooth, while Tashigi fought with passion and determination. She was skilled,no doubt about it, but Zoro’s experience gave him the upper hand. He could feelthe difference between them in every strike, though he wasn’t entirely withoutrespect for her abilities.

  As their swords cshed, Zoro briefly gnced around and sawa mother and daughter struggling in the chaos of battle—caught in the middle ofa colpsing awning, its frame weakened by the storm and the fighting aroundthem. Zoro’s instincts kicked in, and he broke away from the fight for a splitsecond, dashing toward the civilians. With a powerful swing of his sword, hesliced through the debris before it could colpse on them, lifting the frameaway and helping them to safety.

  Tashigi, watching this unfold, felt something stir in herchest. She had always thought of pirates as selfish and violent, and yet hereZoro was, saving civilians in the midst of a battle. Her grip on her swordfaltered for a moment as conflicting emotions washed over her.

  “What… What are you?” she whispered to herself, eyes widewith confusion.

  Zoro returned to the fight, panting slightly from the effortbut still focused. “They were in the way,” he muttered, wiping the rain fromhis eyes. “Can we get back to this now?”

  Tashigi shook her head, regaining her focus. “You’re still apirate. I won’t let your actions cloud that.”

  They cshed again, Tashigi pouring her heart into everystrike, but Zoro was unrelenting. His swords, tempered by battle and honed byhis training, were too much for her. Every time she attacked, Zoro blocked orcountered with precision, and his strikes carried the weight of his resolve.

  As their duel raged on, the storm reached its peak, the windhowling and rain pouring in torrents. Zoro, though maintaining control, couldsee Tashigi’s growing frustration. She was giving it her all, but Zoro’ssuperior skill was apparent. In a final, decisive moment, Zoro knocked hersword from her hand, his bdes at her throat. He paused, breathing heavily butvictorious.

  Tashigi fell to her knees, the rain mingling with her tearsof frustration. “Why… why won’t you finish me off? Is it because I’m a woman?”

  Zoro stood over her, silent for a moment, the rain pouringdown his face. “No,” he said softly, sheathing his swords. “It’s because youlook like someone I once knew… someone I cared about.”

  Tashigi’s eyes widened, her breath catching in her throat.The storm seemed to quiet around them, the rain still falling but softer now,almost as if the world was holding its breath.

  Zoro turned, the weight of his confession hanging betweenthem, and began walking away. “You’re strong, Tashigi. But I don’t kill for noreason.”

  As Zoro disappeared into the rain, Tashigi sat in stunnedsilence, her emotions swirling in the storm’s aftermath.

  Meanwhile, Goku stood facing Buggy and Alvida, the stormstill swirling with fury. Buggy grinned, spinning his daggers in the air with aflick of his hands, while Alvida hefted her massive iron club with a smirk.

  “So, Straw Hat Goku,” Buggy sneered, “ready for a realfight?”

  Goku gred at them, his fists tightening, his Saiyan bloodboiling with anticipation. The storm, the chaos, and the battle all around themhad only fueled his desire to fight. He could feel the energy building insidehim, and he was ready to unleash it.

  “You talk too much,” Goku said, his voice low and dangerous.His eyes glowed with determination as he prepared to unch himself intobattle.

  The real fight was just beginning.

  [A/N: A shoutout to my test patreon Dolf_91. Thank you for your support bro. You can also read 15-20 chapters ahead avaible on patreon.com/saiyanprincenovels]