Disclaimer: One Piece and its characters belong to the great Eiichiro Oda.

Wado Ichimonji

She had been with him the longest, ever since poor little Kunia had her fatal injury that horrible day. She had even fought against his blade during their two thousand and first fight. The ringing clash of metal still sits clear in her mind until this day. Most katana belonging to a specific family would be horrified at the idea of being passed off to a non-family member, but not she. Her fellows always told her she was too gentle, too forgiving.

"Wado-san", the other ladies would say, "Are you sure you are not disgusted by the thought of being wielded in his mouth? Santoryu, what kind of offhanded style is that anyway?"

But she would just smile and batter their comments away. If it meant helping him remember Kunia and his vow of becoming the greatest swordsman in the world, she is content.

He treated her well. Despite the daily grime and gore they encountered, she was spotless, the beautiful white never tarnished. He is reckless, even brutal at times. Other katana of his had suffered breaks under his hands, when he didn't properly control his strength, or used their sharp edges to climb up jagged slopes. Despite being subjected to the same rough treatment, she alone did not have any dinks along her metal body. Being amongst the twenty-one finest blades is probably the main reason for this, but she liked to imagine that he took special care of her.

"Wado, your owner is so clumsy, he doesn't even know your true value". This is a comment she came across often from other katana she crossed paths with and fought against. That is ok, because she knows she represents much, much more, beyond a simple name given to her by her maker. She represents a promise. A goal.

To him, she is priceless. A storekeeper once tried to purchase her off him, 6 times more the money he had on him. He responded that he wouldn't sell no matter the price. At the time he still didn't know her name. The swordswoman Tashigi had commented that all the best swords in the world seemed to belong to pirates, that the swords are crying. She couldn't be further away from the truth. That encounter had caused raw emotion stirring in her very soul, a first in hundreds of years.

Hunt Zoro down? Take her from him?

Those incompetent fools can do so in their dreams.

"So you are called Wado Ichimonji huh?"

After that encounter at the weapons shop, his deep voice was directed towards her for the first time in their twelve years journeying together. She had laughed back, which was very unlady-like and definitely not suitable for her age, but that is ok as well. Once in a while.

"Well met, Zoro."