Zoro's Decisive Move: Asura: Ichibugin

As soon as the scene appeared, comments expressing admiration for Zoro popped up on the screen. {He actually chose to take all those slashes head-on. That's impressive!}

{What incredible willpower! If it were me, I'd probably have dropped to my knees already!}

{That looks so painful! Is this guy even human? He actually managed not to scream. He's amazing!}

{Zoro's a real man, a man of iron and blood.}

{...}

{...}

On a fishing boat somewhere in the East Blue.

"Come on, Brother Zoro!" Sword God Johnny and Sword Saint Yosaku said, their faces full of concern.

In the East Blue, at the Shimotsuki Dojo in Shimotsuki Village.

"Senior Zoro."

Zoro's juniors looked at him on the screen, their faces full of concern.

Shimotsuki Koshiro stood beside them, a trace of the same concern appearing on his face. "Zoro."

In the video, Zoro, who had taken every falling slash head-on, was suddenly covered in wounds, panting heavily.

Kaku, however, had no intention of letting him off. He thrust his nose at Zoro with "Nose Gun."

Zoro hurriedly raised his two swords and crossed them in front of himself, blocking Kaku's attack. But the tremendous impact still sent him flying into a large rock nearby, smashing it to pieces.

Zoro cursed, "Bastard," and slowly got back to his feet. Kaku praised his tenacity, saying it was admirable.

Zoro spat out blood and said he had been tempered through countless trials. He then sheathed the two swords in his hands and drew Wado Ichimonji, which he had not yet used, sheath and all. He spun it a few times in his hand and told Kaku he was going to break through his "Tekkai."

Kaku didn't believe him and told Zoro to give it a try.

Zoro drew Wado Ichimonji and slashed at Kaku, using "One-Sword Style: Iai: Lion Song."

Kaku didn't dare take Zoro's attack head-on. Instead, he blocked it with "Rankyaku: Ryudan," telling Zoro that his eyes would judge whether he could take an attack with Tekkai.

Seeing that the move hadn't worked, Zoro decided to change his approach. He drew his other two swords and clenched Wado Ichimonji in his mouth. Then he unleashed all the muscle he had built up over the years at once. His arms swelled like small mountains as he slashed at Kaku with "Three-Sword Style: Nigori-Zake."

Kaku hurriedly countered with "Nose Gun," but this time he lost to Zoro in their contest of strength.

Zoro blasted him into a wall of the room, knocking a large hole in it.

Zoro told Kaku, who lay in the hole, not to act so superior all the time. He could be defeated too, so he should stop looking down on everyone.

Kaku slowly got to his feet in the hole and reminded Zoro not to look down on him either. Next, he would show Zoro a giraffe's latent wild side.

Kaku promptly dropped to all fours, his neck retracting section by section until he looked like a cannon emplacement.

He called the move "Giraffe Cannon," immediately prompting Zoro to retort that there was no such giraffe in the world.

Ignoring Zoro's remark, Kaku used "Extreme Nose Gun: Giraffe Man-Shooting Stockade." His neck extended, sending his nose hurtling toward Zoro like a cannonball.

Zoro hurriedly sidestepped the attack and aimed his three swords at Kaku's long neck, declaring it his weak point.

Kaku disagreed. He immediately launched "Rankyaku: Hakurai," spinning like a razor as he slashed at Zoro.

Zoro had no choice but to pull back the swords he had aimed at Kaku and hold them in front of himself, barely managing to block the attack.

Now on the other side, Kaku told Zoro that he was the one full of openings, and that his next move wouldn't let him get away.

But Kaku had retracted his neck too tightly, squeezing out his arms and legs and making himself look like an Italian pasta machine.

This drew another retort from Zoro, who demanded to know what on earth Kaku's body was made of.

Unexpectedly, Kaku took the opportunity to name the move "Italian Pasta Machine." He then stood up and proudly told Zoro that adapting to circumstances was one of his fine qualities as an assassin. A long neck was good, but long arms and legs were more convenient. Next, he would show Zoro the fighting style he had devised at this critical moment.

The next second, however, he used "Giraffe Man-Shooting Stockade" again, shooting his neck out and attacking Zoro with his nose.

Zoro was furious. He felt he was being toyed with, and he had no time to play with Kaku.

He tightened his grip on the two swords in his hands, turned sideways, and swung with all his might, unleashing "Three-Sword Style: Dragon Twister." A powerful current of air spread outward from him, forming a small tornado that stopped Kaku's attack.

The tornado was so powerful that Kaku couldn't hold out for long. He used "Soru" to dodge, while the tornado spiraled upward and tore through the ceiling.

Kaku hurriedly used "Geppo" to fly up into the room above.

When he came back down, he had two swords in his hands.

He then slashed wildly at Zoro while boasting about his abilities. He was a four-sword-style swordsman, and now that he also had the power of a giraffe, Zoro had no chance of winning.

Hearing this, Zoro put force into his swords and stopped Kaku's assault. He told Kaku that nothing he had just said gave him a reason to defeat Zoro.

Kaku looked at Zoro with utter disdain, saying he was merely talking tough. If he had the ability, he should show Kaku what gave him the confidence to say that.

Zoro immediately obliged. He bent low and used "Three-Sword Style: Leopard Hunt," spinning toward Kaku like a leopard, his three swords slashing like propeller blades.

Kaku hurriedly used "Kami-e" to try to evade the attack, but Zoro anticipated his movement and slashed him across the abdomen. Blood spurted out like a fountain.

Kaku stared at Zoro in shock, as though this had happened to him for the first time.

Zoro immediately mocked him, asking whether this was the first time he'd ever been cut.

Kaku didn't deny it. He admitted that he had underestimated Zoro a little, but from now on, he wouldn't give Zoro another chance.

The next second, his legs kicked wildly as he unleashed "Rankyaku: Shuriken." Dozens of slashes in the shape of shuriken shot toward Zoro.

Zoro hurriedly swung his three swords, blocking every one of them.

Kaku didn't stop attacking, however. He retracted his neck and used "Giraffe Man-Shooting Stockade," ramming Zoro with his nose and sending him flying.

Then he raised his neck and used "Bamboo Forest Whip," smashing Zoro, who was still airborne, into the ground before giving him two more heavy lashes.

The instant Kaku raised his neck, Zoro hurriedly ran away from his attack range.

But Kaku had no intention of letting Zoro go. He sped up his neck and used "Bamboo Forest Thrust," jabbing rapidly at Zoro like a skewer and striking him hard.

Only when he grew tired of jabbing did he stop. But after only a short pause, Kaku raised the swords in his hands and used "Reverse Scale," slashing at Zoro, who lay on the ground panting heavily. Zoro got up just in time and blocked the attack with two swords.

Kaku, however, seemed to have anticipated this. The corner of his mouth curled up slightly as he said to Zoro, "Here I come!"

With that, he flicked Zoro's swords aside and attacked fiercely with both hands and feet.

As he did so, he didn't forget to taunt him. "Come on! Come on! What's wrong? Just defending yourself is already taking everything you've got, isn't it?"

"You can't beat me, boy. You're nothing but pirates, yet you dared to make an enemy of the World Government. That was a grave mistake from the start."

"Such reckless behavior is enough to show you're no champion of justice, just like that woman."

"Hmm?!"

Kaku's words seemed to strike a nerve with Zoro. He suddenly stopped blocking and pointed his swords forward. Several demonic apparitions appeared around him in an instant, forcing Kaku to stop.

Kaku stared at Zoro in disbelief. He didn't understand where those things around Zoro had suddenly come from.

"You've gotten carried away and said far too much!" Zoro said, his face dark.

"Looks like you don't understand plain speech. Then I'll cut you in half with the Rankyaku: Amane Dachi that split this entire tower in two!" Kaku leaped back as he spoke, planted one foot on the ground, and began spinning wildly. Waves of air spread outward from him. "Give up! You have nowhere to run! This is completely different from the show I put on earlier!"

Zoro looked at him calmly and said, "Idiot. You're the one who should give up."

As he spoke, an invisible pressure spread outward from Zoro, stopping the waves of air blowing toward him.

Then he thrust the two swords in his hands forward, crossing them as he said in a low voice, "Demon Aura: Nine-Sword Style: Asura."

The next second, he sprouted three heads and six arms, and a demon god with three heads and six arms appeared behind him.

Kaku was stunned. Though shocked, he still insisted, "That is impressive, but it's already too late!"

Zoro said confidently, "You're the one who should be saying it's too late."

"Save that big talk until you can dodge my Rankyaku!" Kaku unleashed the slash formed by his furious spinning. "Amane Dachi!"

"Whoosh!"

A gigantic slash hurtled toward Zoro.

Zoro crossed his nine swords in front of his chest and struck at the enormous slash coming toward him, instantly reducing it to mist.

"What? He turned the slash into mist?" Kaku said in disbelief.

Zoro immediately leaped up and followed the mist toward Kaku, slashing at him as he chanted, "Never tiring of suffering, that is the path of Asura. Asura: Ichibugin."

"Pfft!"

Zoro slashed past Kaku and appeared behind him.

Kaku dropped to his knees. His giraffe neck retracted, and he slowly returned to human form before collapsing.

Words appeared from the system: "Straw Hat Luffy Pirates, swordsman—Roronoa Zoro vs. CP9 member—Kaku."

"Winner: Straw Hat Luffy Pirates, swordsman—Roronoa Zoro."

Comments discussing the fight immediately appeared on the screen. {That duel was a real treat to watch! All those moves made my head spin. That was awesome!}

{Those two put on a truly spectacular fight! I doubt I'll ever get to see another one like it in my lifetime!}

{That thing behind Roronoa Zoro just now was a demon god, right?! He even brought that out. How many normal people are there in the Straw Hat Luffy Pirates?}

{Roronoa Zoro, you're so cool! Starting today, I'm your fan!}

{...}

{...}

On a fishing boat somewhere in the East Blue.

"Nice! Brother Zoro won! That's great!" Sword God Johnny and Sword Saint Yosaku said excitedly, hugging each other.

In the East Blue, at the Shimotsuki Dojo in Shimotsuki Village.

"All right! Senior Zoro finally beat that giraffe!"

"Well done, Senior Zoro!"

"Three-Sword Style really is cool! I want to learn it."

"Me too!"

"So do I!"

"Teacher, we want to learn Three-Sword Style," Zoro's juniors pleaded, crowding around Shimotsuki Koshiro. "Please teach us Three-Sword Style!"

"Huh? Well... I suppose I can, but it'll be very hard!" Shimotsuki Koshiro had intended to refuse, but seeing the eager looks in his students' eyes, he suddenly changed course. "Your senior Zoro went through a lot of hardship back then!"

"We're not afraid!" the students said in unison. "If Senior Zoro could stick with it, so can we."

"All right, then! Go to the storeroom in the back and bring out the training equipment! Class starts in a moment," Shimotsuki Koshiro said, pointing to the storeroom behind the training ground.

"Yes, teacher!" The students immediately turned and ran to the storeroom. They opened it and carried the training equipment out piece by piece.

"Zoro, you've improved so quickly! You've become very strong now!" Shimotsuki Koshiro looked up at Zoro on the screen, his face full of comfort. "Kuina, if you know this in the afterlife, you'd be very happy, wouldn't you?"

Somewhere on the Grand Line, aboard a warship.

Tashigi touched the Famous Sword Kashu at her waist and silently vowed, Just you wait, Roronoa Zoro! The next time we meet, I'll defeat you and arrest you.

In a room at Marine Headquarters.

"Cutting steel! Demon aura! Nine-Sword Style! You've improved quickly, Roronoa."

Hawk-Eyes Mihawk put away his book, rose from his chair, and walked out of the room, paying no attention to the calls of Moonlight Moria behind him. "Perhaps... the next time we meet, you'll be able to have a real fight with me!"

At that, an excited smile suddenly curled his lips.