Shimotsuki, Ryuuma
Summary
Before his demise, Ryuuma adhered to a strict code centered on justice, honor, and the repayment of debts. He held that failing to repay a life-saving debt rendered a person valueless, a principle he considered the way of a true swordsman. This belief was so absolute that he would sometimes blindly follow the requests of those he owed, even when it conflicted with other tenets of his philosophy. Furthermore, he measured the worth of a battle not by the fame it brought, but by what was protected. Ryuuma possessed a distinctive and dangerous habit regarding his weapon. Because he viewed the sword as an extension of the swordsman himself, any contact between his scabbard and another’s was interpreted as a challenge to a duel to the death. While rooted in honorable intent, this rigid interpretation often led him into trouble. Despite this flaw, he harbored a desire to battle "The King," believing the figure possessed a great Warrior's Soul worthy of a duel. Ironically, Ryuuma was unaware that he himself was the King, a title bestowed upon him by the people he had saved. Outside of his swordsmanship, Ryuuma was notoriously poor at managing money and food, frequently leaving him penniless and hungry for days on end. He later reappears in Eiichiro Oda's One Piece as a revived zombie during the Thriller Bark Arc, serving as the shadow for the Straw Hat Pirate Brook.
