Back to One Piece world.
Upon arriving at the Conomi Islands, Noah waited until nightfall to make his move. Using stealth techniques, he infiltrated Arlong's hideout without alerting the sentries. The interior of the building was spacious and decorated with stolen riches.
In the main hall, Arlong and his men were celebrating their dominance with feasts and alcohol.
Noah didn't waste time. With a simple movement of his hand, he unleashed a barrage of wood jutsus that shot across the room, trapping several pirates before they could react.
Arlong roared in fury and tried to attack, but Noah had already foreseen this. He created wooden pillars that blocked his movement and immobilized him. The fish-man struggled, displaying his brute strength, but the pressure of the wood intensified until he could barely move.
The remaining pirates tried to resist, but were efficiently taken down. Some were knocked unconscious, while others were incapacitated to be taken as test subjects to Noah's lab. He had no interest in wasting valuable resources.
With the battle over, Noah inspected Arlong's fortress, taking note of any items or documents that could be useful. He also looted a considerable amount of money and valuables before heading to Cocoyasi Village.
Upon reaching the village square, Noah took Arlong's head and impaled it on a pike in the center.
The villagers began to emerge from their homes, staring at the scene in disbelief. Noah's expression remained impassive as he watched their reactions. He didn't need their gratitude or recognition. He had done this on a whim.
One of the villagers, an older man with a face lined with worry, approached cautiously.
"Who are you?" he asked, his voice trembling but firm.
Noah looked at the man for a moment before replying:
"It doesn't matter. Arlong is no longer your problem. Take this opportunity and move forward."
Without another word, Noah walked away from the square, leaving the villagers to deal with their new reality.
Returning to Arlong's ruined fortress, he looked at the dock where the pirates' flagship rested—a massive red ship with a giant saw-shark head design on the bow—alongside the Marine warship he had arrived in.
"Let's see how far my control over Mokuton can go."
With an excited smile, Noah began crafting an enormous ship using Mokuton to manipulate the wood from both vessels.
It took him an entire day of remodeling to shape the ship to his desired appearance, and five more days of hard work to set up all the magical formations and advanced technology he wanted to implement.
When he was done, what stood before him was a massive black warship with a giant dragon's head on the prow, its jaws open in a menacing roar. Inside the jaws was a massive cannon.
At the top of the mast hung a black flag with a golden solar eclipse drawn on it, as well as on the main sail.
On both sides of the ship were structures resembling draconic wings, which could unfold and be used to glide or fly through the air thanks to two engines beneath them—recreations Noah had built after studying Doraemon's hopter.
"Ha! Yes! Just as expected of me! This ship is truly amazing!"
After admiring his work for a while, Noah pondered what name he should give the ship.
After looking at the massive dragon head on the prow, a name came to him almost instantly.
"From today onward… your name will be Ragnarok. The harbinger of calamity for countless worlds and races to come."
Although at first glance it looked like just another pirate ship, and Noah shouldn't have been so excited about it, he knew ships in this world were special.
If a crew poured their love and care into a ship, treating it as one of their own, it could even come to life—giving birth to one of the most mysterious races in this world: the Klabautermann, which are essentially the ship's spirit born from the crew's affection.
The Going Merry of the Straw Hats managed to manifest its own Klabautermann, which appeared to Usopp in Skypiea.
With an eager smile, Noah set sail on his new ship, leaving behind a crew of confused Marines who had no idea why they were on that island or how they got there.
That Night.
Noah was in the command room of the Ragnarok, flipping through the confiscated documents in search of relevant information.
After some time, he found what he was looking for: a recent report about a rising bounty hunter, Roronoa Zoro. According to the records, the swordsman was currently in his hometown, Shimotsuki Village.
With a slight smile, Noah turned the helm in the direction of the village.
Hours later, the ship docked near a village, and Noah descended with firm steps, following the path that led to a traditional dojo. It was the same dojo where Zoro had grown up and trained.
The atmosphere was peaceful, with the sound of wood striking wood in the training yard, where young disciples practiced diligently.
Inside the dojo, Noah found an old man seated in lotus position, watching the children's training with nostalgia. This was Koushirou, Zoro's master. With a kind smile, Noah approached and struck up a conversation with him. They spoke of trivial things—of the young students and other matters.
Suddenly, Noah's eyes narrowed. Without turning, his hand moved at high speed, hurling a kunai straight toward the dojo entrance.
At that very moment, a teenager around sixteen or seventeen, with distinctive green hair, staggered through the doorway with a bottle of sake in hand. His eyes were barely open from intoxication, but as the kunai whistled through the air toward him, his body reacted on instinct.
"Tch!" Zoro muttered, drawing his katana in a single swift motion.
The blade cut the kunai cleanly in half before it could reach him. The metal fragments fell to the floor, echoing in the silence that had overtaken the dojo. The disciples stared in awe while Master Koushirou sighed and shook his head.
"Seems your reflexes are pretty good, Roronoa Zoro," Noah commented with a smile, finally turning to face the swordsman.
Zoro tossed the bottle aside, his eyes now wide open, a spark of excitement flickering as he sensed the intent to fight in Noah's stance.
"I don't know who you are, but if you wanted a fight, you should've just said so instead of throwing a knife," Zoro growled, raising his katana into an attacking position.
"And miss the chance to see your reaction? That would've been a waste," Noah replied calmly, drawing another kunai.
Without another word, the two lunged at each other.
The katana and kunai clashed with a sharp sound, echoing inside the dojo. Despite the apparent disadvantage of facing a sword with such a short weapon, Noah's speed and precision were impeccable.
Zoro smiled in the middle of the fight. It had been a long time since he found such an interesting battle.
The confrontation dragged on, both measuring their skills, exchanging fast and precise attacks. Noah used his kunai with impressive dexterity, sliding between Zoro's katana slashes with almost superhuman agility. Kōshirō's disciples watched in amazement, seeing how neither gave an inch.
Finally, after one last fierce exchange, both stopped at the same time. Zoro's katana flew out of his hands, while Noah's kunai rested on his chest. A second of tension hung in the air before Noah smiled.
"You're strong, Zoro," Noah said, relaxing his stance. "I like you. Join my crew."
Zoro frowned and answered without hesitation:
"No way."
Instead of asking why, Noah activated his Mokuton.
Thick roots sprouted from the ground and wrapped Zoro from head to toe within seconds.
"What the hell?!" Zoro struggled, but the branches were too strong.
Noah calmly approached and effortlessly lifted him onto his shoulder like a sack of rice.
"Hey, let me go, you crazy bastard! I'm going to kill you once I get out of here!"
Kōshirō, the dojo master, watched the scene with a slight smile, uninterested in intervening.
"Old man, do something!" Zoro shouted, but Kōshirō just crossed his arms, amused.
"If you can free yourself, then you don't need my help," he replied calmly.
Zoro's curses continued as Noah walked on without flinching. When the complaints grew too loud, Noah pulled out a bottle of liquor, opened it with his teeth, and skillfully shoved it into Zoro's mouth like a pacifier.
The swordsman was shocked for a moment, but the strong taste of the alcohol took over his instinct. Instead of spitting it out, he took a sip… and then another.
Noah smiled.
"That's better."
Zoro was still angry, but at least now he was too busy drinking to keep cursing.
Noah returned to the Ragnarok carrying Zoro on his shoulders.
Entering the captain's cabin, he set course immediately for Loguetown.
Upon reaching Loguetown's port, Noah covered himself with a dark cloak, carrying Zoro's tangled body on his shoulders, and stepped into the bustling city. The streets were full of merchants, pirates, marines, and ordinary citizens, all busy with their own affairs.
While wandering, Noah briefly noticed a very peculiar group before refocusing on his path.
His first destination was Ipponmatsu's weapons shop.
Noah entered the store with Zoro still on his shoulder, ignoring the puzzled look from the vendor.
Setting the grumpy Zoro on the ground, he undid the Mokuton bindings, freeing the swordsman who started muttering curses quietly but did not attack.
"Looking for something in particular, stranger?" asked Ipponmatsu as he cleaned one of the katanas on display.
"I'm interested in two of your katanas: the Yubashiri and the Sandai Kitetsu."
Ipponmatsu frowned.
"The Sandai Kitetsu is cursed. I wouldn't recommend buying it."
Zoro, now more interested, took the sword and examined it curiously. Without hesitation, he tossed it into the air and extended his arm underneath its trajectory. The katana spun quickly and fell, but instead of cutting him, its edge slightly deflected, missing his skin.
"I like it," he said with a satisfied smile before sheathing it alongside the Yubashiri.
Noah placed a bag of coins on the counter and gave Zoro a look.
"Stay here. I'm going to get something and will be right back."
Zoro sighed resignedly but did not protest.
"Only because these swords are worth it."
Noah left the store without further ado, but instead of heading directly to a sawmill, he searched through the streets until he found a peculiar group: Buggy's crew.
Stealthily, he followed them to a secluded alley.
Without warning, he raised his hand and whispered:
"Avada Kedavra."
A greenish flash lit up the alley for a brief moment before the bodies fell to the ground, lifeless. Noah approached Buggy's corpse and pulled a fruit from his pocket. Upon touching the body, the fruit changed, adopting the characteristic patterns of an Akuma no Mi.
"So it works," he murmured with a smile before putting it into his 4D pocket.
Without wasting more time, he headed to a store and began filling his 4D pocket with supplies before returning to the weapons shop.
Upon entering, he found Zoro asleep in a corner, hugging his three katanas as if they were treasures.
Noah sighed and gave him a light nudge.
"Wake up, we have to go."
Zoro lazily opened one eye and yawned.
"About time."
With a satisfied smile, they both left the shop, ready to set sail for their next adventure.