One Piece: With Sign-in System-Chapter 276 - 27: Retrieving the Blade

Evening fell.

The rain had passed, leaving the roads wet and muddy under a clearing sky.

Ron and Shinobu made their way forward, following a winding path through the forest.

As they passed near the hot springs, they unexpectedly ran into someone.

"Heeheehee~ Nothing beats a soak in the hot springs~"

Wearing a wide bathrobe and humming happily, Mitsuri Kanroji trotted down the stone-paved mountain path. As she spotted Ron and Shinobu up ahead, she blinked in surprise.

"Huh? Shinobu and... Mr. Ron?!"

Ron and Shinobu both turned, noticing her presence.

"Shinobu! Mr. Ron—are you two here to enjoy the hot springs too?"

Her long pink-and-lime-green hair bounced as she raised a hand in greeting, her round face beaming with joy. She skipped cheerfully toward them with wide, excited strides.

Looking up at Ron, she smiled brightly. "Mr. Ron, it’s been a while!"

...

Up in the hills—

"Ehhh—!"

With her large misty-green eyes wide, and pink cheeks slightly flushed, Mitsuri looked between Ron and Shinobu in delight and surprise. A pair of beauty marks sat neatly under her eyes. "Wait, wait, wait—you guys are here for that super-secret power-up thing too?!"

Ron chuckled softly and nodded.

Mitsuri tilted her head, puzzled. "But Mr. Ron, you’re already incredibly strong. Do you really need some kind of secret weapon to get stronger?"

"You’ll understand once we get there."

Mitsuri peeked at Ron from the corner of her eye.

So tall... so composed... so handsome and kind... and on top of all that, unbelievably strong...

Her cheeks turned a deeper pink.

This might be... the most ideal marriage candidate she had ever met!

But... would someone like him ever like her?

A girl with strange-colored hair, an enormous appetite, freakish strength, and nothing like a "normal" young lady...

As memories of her past flickered through her mind, Mitsuri’s confidence faltered. She lowered her head shyly, suddenly feeling small and unsure.

Shinobu gave her a glance, saying nothing.

Ron, of course, sensed the subtle shift in her mood. But he, too, remained silent.

After all, he was a traveler—someone who could vanish from this world at any moment. He had no intention of tying himself too deeply to anyone here.

...

Before long, the three of them arrived at a clearing within the forested mountains.

There, a boy wearing a fiery red oni mask was standing in front of a mechanical doll with six arms, completely absorbed in his work.

"How exactly was this thing made...?"

"This technique..."

He was so focused he didn’t even notice the three figures approaching from behind.

Mitsuri tiptoed up to him and gave him a playful pat on the shoulder.

"Yo—Kotetsu!"

"Wah!" the boy yelped, startled. When he saw who it was, he let out a sigh and wiped his forehead theatrically. "Oh—it’s just you, Miss Mitsuri. You scared me half to death."

"You’re borrowing the ’Yoriichi Type Zero’ again, huh?"

Mitsuri scratched her head and grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, I came up with a new sword move recently and wanted to test it out."

The boy—Kotetsu—sighed beneath his mask. "You need to be careful, okay? The Yoriichi Type Zero is already super worn down. If it takes much more damage, it might break for good."

"I’ll be careful!"

As he handed her the key, Kotetsu finally noticed Ron and Shinobu standing a short distance away.

His expression immediately tensed with suspicion. "And who are they...?"

"No worries," Mitsuri said cheerfully. "That’s little Shinobu and Mr. Ron—one’s a Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, and the other is our most honored guest. They’re definitely not strangers."

"...I see."

Hearing that, Kotetsu’s wariness visibly eased.

He still trusted Mitsuri Kanroji deeply.

Shinobu looked at the mechanical doll with six swords clutched in its hands. "So this is the sword training automaton that helps refine one’s technique... Yorichii Type Zero... Yorichii?"

She turned to Kotetsu and asked, "Kotetsu, why is this automaton named Yorichii Type Zero?"

"Why...?"

Kotetsu tilted his head, puzzled. "I don’t really know either. It’s been called that ever since our ancestors built it centuries ago."

He thought for a moment and added, "But I heard my father say this automaton was supposedly modeled after a real samurai from the Sengoku period. The six arms were designed to replicate that swordsman’s techniques. Maybe the name has something to do with him."

Shinobu’s eyes lit up in realization.

There was no doubt now.

This Yorichii Type Zero was modeled after the legendary swordsman Yoriichi Tsugikuni, the man who created the breathing techniques themselves.

The six arms were meant to emulate his unparalleled swordsmanship.

At that moment, Mitsuri inserted the key and activated the automaton.

With a whirrrr, Yorichii Type Zero stirred to life. Its six arms swung the gleaming blades in a deadly dance, slicing through the air in all directions.

Mitsuri drew her specially-forged Nichirin Blade and leapt into combat, matching the automaton’s strikes with her own, using it to hone her swordsmanship.

In that forest clearing, the air shimmered with silver flashes as blades clashed with dazzling speed.

"Even an automaton can display this level of power... This must be a glimpse of Yoriichi Tsugikuni’s swordsmanship," Shinobu muttered in awe, fully feeling the overwhelming strength of the strongest swordsman in history.

Ron looked at her and said calmly, "Give it a try when she’s done."

"No way! That automaton can’t take much more damage!" Kotetsu quickly interjected in panic. "The technique to build it has been lost. If it takes any more hits, it’ll break for real!"

Shinobu’s hand hovered over her sword’s hilt, uncertain.

But Ron, expression calm, said, "The thing I’m here for is inside that automaton. Whether you test it or not... I’ll be destroying it."

Shinobu froze at his words.

Kotetsu’s eyes bulged. "Y-You... what did you just say?!"

...

Mitsuri, sweat dripping from her brow, finally finished her practice session and stepped aside to rest.

"Whew... Training with this thing really wears you out."

"Hm? What’s up with Kotetsu?" she asked, noticing the boy sprawled on the grass nearby.

Ron chuckled. "Asleep."

"Is that so? Kotetsu really is still a kid," Mitsuri said with a gentle smile.

Shinobu brushed past her, walking straight toward the automaton.

"?" Mitsuri tilted her head in confusion.

"Shinobu, are you going to practice too? But your fighting style doesn’t suit this kind of training..."

"How would I know if I don’t try?"

With a fluid motion, Shinobu drew her slim Nichirin Blade and launched herself at the still-active automaton.

Clad in her butterfly-patterned haori, she fluttered between the flashing blades like a butterfly caught in a storm. Her piercing thrusts landed one after another with pinpoint precision, etching pale marks into the automaton’s armored surface.

Mitsuri was astonished.

"Wait... Is it just me, or did Shinobu get way stronger than before?"

Ron smiled faintly as he watched her.

It was true.

Compared to the Shinobu who had first appeared before him, the one now dancing within that whirlwind of blades had improved dramatically.

Not only her sword technique, but also her total mastery of breathing, physical coordination, poise in each strike, and—perhaps most importantly—her composure.

After experiencing Ron’s swordsmanship firsthand, and facing his suffocating presence, Yorichii Type Zero now seemed like child’s play to Shinobu.

Whoosh!

Insect Breathing, Dance of the Bee Sting: True Flutter!

Her eyes laser-focused, Shinobu thrust forward—cutting through the storm of blades with a strike so sharp, so precise, it sliced right through Yorichii Type Zero’s armor and pierced one of its arms clean through.

"Not good," Mitsuri winced. "That’s another broken part... Kotetsu’s going to be furious."

Shinobu exhaled softly, sheathed her blade, and stepped back.

Ron looked at her and said, "That last strike was impressive. You’ve already brushed against the threshold of that realm."

"Really?" Her eyes lit up, though she soon frowned. "I did feel like I saw all its weaknesses in that instant—but the feeling disappeared too fast. I couldn’t hold on to it."

"No need to rush."

Ron began walking toward the still-moving automaton.

Mitsuri blinked. "Even Mr. Ron’s going to try it? This is bad... if he fights it too..."

Before she could finish—

CRACK!

A single sound split the air.

All six of Yorichii Type Zero’s swords shattered simultaneously.

Ron’s fist was lodged deep in its chest.

The automaton twitched violently, its joints creaking and clanking.

"J-Just... one blow...?" Mitsuri stood frozen in shock.

But what happened next left her even more speechless.

Ron reached into the shattered automaton’s chest—and slowly drew out a long, ancient katana still sheathed in its scabbard.