One Piece novel Zoro chapter 1 reveals the swordsman's adventure in search of Mihawk

Honorable, selfless, and fiercely determined, the green-haired swordsman Roronoa Zoro is a true icon of the One Piece franchise. Zoro began his pirate adventure alongside Monkey D. Luffy and has remained by his side ever since, assisting One Piece's main character as his loyal right-hand man.

Before meeting Luffy, Zoro was already famous throughout East Blue for his exploits as a bounty hunter. It was Zoro's reputation for strength that led Luffy to seek him out and recruit him as his first mate. However, Zoro wasn't interested in working as a bounty hunter, as his real ambition was to challenge and defeat the World's Strongest Swordsman, Dracule Mihawk.

Such an ambition stemmed from the promise Zoro had made to his late friend and rival Kuina. The recently released One Piece novel ZORO delves into Zoro's adventures before his life-changing encounter with Luffy, exploring what the future "Pirate Hunter" did as he wandered around the East Blue in search of Mihawk.

The complete synopsis of One Piece novel ZORO's first chapter

The novel's setting

Zoro before meeting Luffy at the very beginning of One Piece (Image via Toei Animation)

One Piece novel ZORO is being serialized as part of One Piece Magazine, a publication that complements Eiichiro Oda's manga. The novel is written by Jun Esaka and illustrated by Nakamaru, with Oda's actual involvement in the project remaining unclear. It was rumored that Oda would be supervising the novel, but this was never officially confirmed.

To this date, only two parts of the novel have been published: the prologue and the first chapter. Set several years after Shimotsuki Kuina's death but some time before Zoro's fateful meeting with Luffy, the prologue focuses on the battle between Zoro and a mysterious killer who presented himself as Dracule Mihawk.

Although an impostor, the killer was still a dangerous individual who had left a streak of blood in his wake. However, he didn't stand a chance against Zoro, who easily defeated him. After crushing the fake Mihawk, Zoro decided to leave his hometown, Shimotsuki Village, and hunt down the real "Hawk Eyes." This is where the prologue ends, and the first chapter of One Piece novel ZORO begins.

The Mihawk Memorial Museum

Zoro before the beginning of One Piece's narration (Image via Toei Animation)

Zoro started his journey after bowing down to thank and salute his teacher, Koushirou, the father of the late Kuina. After learning of the existence of a Mihawk-themed museum in Nazawaka City, Zoro headed to that place, thinking he could find clues about Mihawk's whereabouts there.

Along the way, Zoro met and defeated a man named Umen, who seemed quite knowledgeable about Mihawk. Umen agreed to lead Zoro to the so-called "Mihawk Memorial Museum." On the way to the museum, Umen told Zoro about the tremendous fire that had destroyed a large part of Nazawaka City sometime before, causing the death of the town's headman.

Finally, Zoro and Umen arrived at the Mihawk Memorial Museum. A huge reproduction of Mihawk's face served as the museum's banner, with the large, wide-open mouth as the entrance. Umer also revealed that the person who created the museum was Nazawaka City's late headman, Nazawa Matsuba.

The Mihawk Memorial Museum in One Piece novel ZORO (Image via Shueisha)

As Zoro and Umen entered the museum, Zoro's attention was captured by a small toothpick, displayed with reverence in a glass case placed on a pedestal. However, his excitement dropped when Umen revealed the object was the toothpick that Mihawk used when he shared a meal with Jinbe during their time as members of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.

The exploration continued with similarly grotesque objects, such as a feather that supposedly fell from Mihawk's hat and a shovel that Mihawk allegedly used to work in the fields surrounding his castle. Zoro couldn't be more disappointed, as he was expecting something more directly related to Mihawk, but all he found in the museum was useless garbage.

Still, his excitement rose again as Umen told him the museum once kept the "Mihawk pursuit crane," a paper crane revealing Mihawk's location, but it was lost during the Nazawaka City fire. When Zoro affirmed his ambition to challenge and beat Mihawk to rise as the new World's Strongest Swordsman, Umen burst into laughter. He then told Zoro that he could never defeat Dracule Mihawk, a man known for being the leader of the Seven Warlords.

Zoro tried to argue that there was no leader among the Warlords, but Umen replied that if there were, it would be Mihawk, for he was so powerful that even "Red Hair" Shanks, one of the Four Emperors, acknowledged his strength as superior. Umen then revealed himself as Nazawa Umen, the second son of Nazawaka City's ruling family, and thus the younger brother of the current headman, Nazawa Taketo.

Taketo's vigilante corps

Zoro's early days in One Piece (Image via Toei Animation)

Umen proposed Zoro to join the city's vigilante corps, an offer Zoro seriously considered, tempted by the idea of eating regular meals and earning some money. Umen and Zoro then arrived at the Nazawa Family residence, where it was revealed that all the members of Taketo's guard were former pirates with a bounty on their heads.

As the guards belittled Zoro, claiming he was a weakling who didn't even have a bounty on his head, the green-haired swordsman replied that bounties were merely the Navy's opinion on the potential danger posed by a certain individual. The situation escalated into a sparring match between Zoro and one of Taketo's guards.

Zoro quickly overwhelmed and defeated the opponent, forcing the bystanders to acknowledge his fighting skills. As such, Taketo accepted him into the vigilante corps. Zoro expected the work to be exciting, but he ended up with rather boring tasks. That said, Taketo was very nice to him. He appreciated Zoro's skills to the point of giving him special privileges, which made the other guards jealous.

Zoro and Umen in One Piece novel ZORO (Image via Shueisha)

One day, Umen asked Zoro why he never thought of becoming a pirate, as that would be the fastest way to meet strong opponents, including Mihawk. However, Zoro answered that he wasn't interested in that, as he didn't want to follow anyone, and he didn't want to waste time gathering his own crew either.

Intrigued by Zoro's unfriendly nature, Umen wondered if he had always lived this way, never opening up to anyone. Umen then asked Zoro about his parents, to which the young swordsman replied that they were dead and that he had never seen his father's face.

Over time, Zoro started to appreciate his affiliation with the vigilante corps. He could train and eat to his heart's content. One day, Taketo asked Zoro to escort him to the former Navy outpost. There weren't Marines anymore in Nazawaka, as the local law enforcement was entrusted to the headman's guards. However, once a year, some Navy officers visit the city to check the situation.

As Zoro realized, the audit was merely a facade as Taketo brought money to bribe the Marines sent to inspect Nazawaka City. While Zoro was doing some physical training to kill time waiting for Taketo, he was approached by a boy who introduced himself as Tsubaki.

After revealing that everyone in town was gossiping about Zoro's reputation for strength and intimidating persona, Tsubaki suddenly asked Zoro how much it would cost to hire him to assassinate Taketo. The boy explained that his parents worked in a paper workshop destroyed in the Nazawaka City fire, but that Taketo wouldn't give any money to rebuild it.

Zoro didn't take Tsubaki seriously until the boy mentioned that he would give Zoro the thing he desperately wanted to get his hands on, i.e., the Mihawk pursuit crane. However, Taketo returned moments later, prompting Tsubaki to leave. The headman had questions about the boy, to which Zoro feigned ignorance.

The mysterious Rainbow Paper

Zoro and Tsubaki in One Piece novel ZORO (Image via Shueisha)

That night, Zoro met Tsubaki to learn more about the alleged Mihawk pursuit crane. Turning his back on Taketo didn't seem like the right thing to do, but he would cooperate with Tsubaki if it meant getting the chance to fulfill his lifelong ambition of meeting and challenging Dracule Mihawk.

Tsubaki explained that the former village headman Matsuba hid the crane somewhere. He added that his parents were childhood friends with Matsuba, and sometime before the fire incident, Matsuba had sent a letter. In the missive, Matsuba said he would entrust them with a certain precious crane after hiding the item and sent them a code to allow them to find it.

Tsubaki's parents were supposed to meet Matsuba and learn the code on the day the big fire incident happened, but they could never do that as the fire broke out and the headman perished in it. Tsubaki continued his explanation, revealing that the alleged pursuit crane was a Vivre Card. To search for the paper, Zoro decided to explore the Mihawk Memorial Museum once again.

Mihawk's first appearance in One Piece (Image via Toei Animation)

He headed there with Umen and Tsubaki, and the three of them started to search for some interesting insight or clue among the countless trivial objects kept in the museum. At one point, Zoro noticed a dust-covered paper crane that sparkled in multiple colors, reflecting the moonlight through the window.

Zoro and Umen thought it was the Mihawk pursuit crane they were searching for, but Tsubaki spoiled their excitement by revealing that it was just a normal paper crane. However, when Tsubaki mentioned that the crane was made of Rainbow Paper, a special paper his parents had developed but whose recipe had been destroyed in the fire, a bell rang in Zoro's head.

Zoro rushed back to Taketo's estate and started rummaging through the trash to search for something until he pulled out a piece of paper. Upon seeing the paper, Tsubaki recognized it as the same Rainbow Paper his parents had developed. Umen noted that it didn't make much sense for his brother to have a Rainbow Paper item, as both the prototypes and the recipe for that special paper were burned in the Nazawaka City fire.

The Rainbow Paper in One Piece novel ZORO (Image via Shueisha)

Zoro concluded that if Taketo couldn't make the Rainbow Paper by himself, then he must have stolen it and maybe set the fire to get rid of Tsubaki's parents and the former headman, Matsuba. Tsubaki was frightened at the thought that Taketo had killed Matsuba – his own father – and almost done the same with his parents. Thankfully, Tsubaki's parents were now working in a nearby town.

As Zoro mentioned that he had seen the Rainbow Paper crane falling in the hallway of Taketo's estate, Umen speculated that Taketo could be producing the precious paper to sell it outside the country. Enraged, Tsubaki asked Zoro to kill Taketo now that they had uncovered all his evil schemes, but the swordsman told him to calm down as they should confirm the truth first.

To do that, Umen suggested that they explain the circumstances to the Marines and ask them to investigate, as that would either exonerate Taketo or prove him guilty. Zoro told Umen Taketo was in cahoots with the Marines sent to inspect Nazawaka City, but Umen told him they couldn't be so corrupt as to ignore an evident crime if that had been committed.

Umen and Tsubaki headed to the former Marine outpost, where they met the highest-ranking Marine officer present at the time. The Marine, a man with puffy eyelids dressed in a precious silk negligee, asked them what could possibly be their business at that hour in the night.

As Umen explained the situation, the Marine told them he and his men would immediately begin a fair and impartial investigation into the matter. After Umen and Tsubaki left, however, the Marine couldn't help but let out a rodent-like chuckle. The Marine officer's identity is not revealed, but his peculiar laugh may be already familiar to One Piece fans.