Blades Clash, Zoro's Agony

Kuraigana Island,

It is a damp island shrouded in gloomy weather for a long time. It was once home to a Kingdom of Shikkearu, but now:

The kingdom has been reduced to ruins because of a group of Masira on the island, scientifically known as 'Human Imitators'. They mimic human behaviors: farming, cooking, dressing, and—fighting!

Therefore, the warlike Kingdom of Shikkearu perished, destroyed by a group of armed Masira who 'imitated' humans.

"Well, actually, Zoro's side..."

The White Knight, descending from the sky, gazed at the distant castle. As he flew into the gloomy island, a White Knight, dagger-like 'gaze' swept over him before casually withdrawing. What gave Roman this feeling was...

"Becoming Hawk Eyes's apprentice is enough for Zoro to learn."

Furthermore, Zoro's mind is entirely focused on swordsmanship; other things are not only of no benefit to him, but also merely distract him. Therefore, Roman originally didn't intend to come here, however:

"Since we're already here, let's just take a look on the way."

Zoro:?

In the courtyard beside the castle, a man and a woman sat facing each other, seated on exquisite tea sets. —Of course, it was the gothic Lolita Perona who was brewing the tea, and as for the certain Green Algae Head ...

"My swordsman's sixth sense detected a malice."

Perona was speechless in response to Zoro's words.

"My woman's sixth sense is making me feel nauseous. Aren't you going to go fight those Masira today?"

"No, ordinary Masira are already—!"

Brush--

With a flash, Zoro's figure shot out of the courtyard like Inazuma. The Wado Ichimonji in his hand was suddenly drawn, like a cold light that cleaved through the darkness, silently splitting a building ruin in two, its target pointing directly at the building ruin behind it!

Clang!

But it was caught steadily by a long sword.

"Zoro, it's me."

Amidst the White Knight's helpless voice, the green-haired swordsman merely grinned.

"I knew it was you, Roman."

"Come and fight me!"

I knew it...

"Then—"

"I'd rather obey than be overly deferential!"

The longsword in his hand suddenly spun and twisted, turning fiercely like a shield, deflecting Zoro's blade to the side. At the same time, the White Knight's eyes flashed with a sharp light, as Roman in the distance projected his full attention onto him.

"Momo - 10x Shock Sword!"

As Roman activated his ability, a layer of white light covered the longsword in his hand.

As the White Knight swung his sword! Before the sword even arrived, the shockwave that shattered everything struck Zoro first! Even the island's dim sky suddenly expanded to both sides.

The eerie cracking sound in the air carried an intense killing intent that could make an ordinary swordsman lose his mind and die on the spot without knowing why!

Facing the White Knight's sword strike, Zoro charged forward without hesitation, his Wado Ichimonji and Shusui flashing horizontally:

"Two-Sword Style: Double Slash - Sand Pattern!"

Clang—!!

A piercing, screeching sound echoed across the entire island, and a shockwave powerful enough to shatter one's internal organs exploded outwards! A cloud of dust billowed into the sky! This caused Perona, who was watching from the sidelines, to open her parasol and drift backwards, and then drift away again.

"Honestly, two savage monkeys!"

Glancing at the courtyard chairs, now fragments of pieces from the aftershocks of the battle, Perona wished she could shower each of them with a Negativity Ghost. But:

"What an energetic young man."

A calm, middle-aged man's voice sounded from behind; the owner of this island, this castle, had appeared.

"Hey, you actually came to watch their competition?"

Faced with Perona's surprise, Hawkeye, wearing a white shirt and sporting a full head of black Hawk Eyes after removing his hat, calmly replied.

"Someone came to my house to fight, isn't it normal for the homeowner to come out and check on them? Besides—"

Dressed casually and holding a newspaper, Hawk Eyes calmly watched the two fighting, a hint of emotion flashing in his golden pupils.

The younger generation is truly formidable!

"Zoro, you think you can defeat me with just two swords? You're underestimating my progress these past few days!"

With a single sword strike that left a sword mark over a hundred meters long, and with Zoro dragging two scorched marks on the ground, the White Knight held his sword in one hand, resting the longsword on his other arm, as sharp as a spear and as piercing as a tooth!

"Hahaha, very good, Roman."

With Wado Ichimonji in his mouth, Zoro, who had long since mastered the art of speaking with a sword in his mouth, raised his eyebrows, exuding a ghostly aura and radiating a chilling killing intent!

"It seems you've acquired some impressive skills. Are you finally willing to have a proper sword fight with me?"

Let's go then!

Clang clang clang clang clang!!!

Amidst the continuous clanging of weapons, the entire island seemed to be rolled over by two giant dragons, or slashed at wantonly by an invisible divine sword!

As the White Knight and Zoro fought their way through, the original ruins became even more dilapidated. Sword marks and blade energy tore and cut through everything in their path, making the entire battlefield look like the ragged clothes of Delia, yet with clearly defined lines.

Suddenly, a tall tower was sliced open by a sword and flew into the air. Then, amidst a dense barrage of sword light, it transformed into countless floating geometric shapes that defied the laws of gravity. In the fragmented pieces of the building, the four weapons collided violently once again!

"Three-Sword Style: Black Rope Dragon Twister!"

The blade light spun upwards, soaring into the sky like a whirlwind! A Big Saber whirlwind of blade energy, capable of scraping bones and cutting flesh, swept down, threatening to shred everything into dust! Suddenly, a scorching vortex, as dry as if from a desert, did not yield, carrying sword light like thousands of bullets, and collided fiercely with the blade energy tornado.

"Momo - 10x Sandstorm Sword!"

Like a raging desert sandstorm, waves of blazing golden sword energy surged higher and higher! Endless tornadoes, carrying blade energy, swirled and roared, the fierce winds biting like knives. In their clash, the wind howled, sword energy ripped apart, the earth tore, and mountains collapsed.

It's practically a human-shaped natural disaster!

"Tch, what good is brute force alone?"

Perona, holding a parasol, snorted disdainfully. "You're having such a good time, even your beloved tea set has been chopped into pieces. When we get back, I'll make you bring me a foot bath as an apology!"

Zoro:...

After a while, the incessant booming explosions and the clanging of metal gradually subsided.

The entire battlefield has been completely transformed; within a radius of a kilometer, trees have fallen, mountains have collapsed, and rivers have changed course... It's like a human-shaped map editor!

"Haha... that feels great!"

"Roman, you're finally willing to have a proper fight with me!"

With a long, joyful laugh, Zoro sheathed his three swords and strode out of the battlefield, while the White Knight merely shook his head helplessly. Zoro, though his clothes were torn and stained with blood, seemed unconcerned. The White Knight, though unharmed, however...

"I've lost so much money. I only fought with you for a short while and I've already lost 60% of my paper."

"Moreover, you have not only mastered Armament Haki, but you have also incorporated your unique 'demon aura' into it... In the way of swordsmanship, I am no match for you."

If the fight continues, the White Knight will undoubtedly be defeated!

"If I can't even defeat one of your puppets, then my dream of being the 'World's Greatest Swordsman' would be utterly meaningless, wouldn't it?"

Zoro Guotou and looked seriously at the White Knight —its controller, Roman.

"Roman, focus on your sword practice."

"If you focus on the way of the sword, you will definitely become my greatest rival on the road to becoming the World's Greatest Swordsman!"

"Never mind,"

Roman... no, the White Knight looked up at the sky speechlessly.

"If I had focused on swordsmanship, the Straw Hat crew might have been wiped out somewhere long ago. A captain with a natural ability to attract monsters, a greedy navigator, a lecherous cook, a swordsman with a terrible sense of direction..."

You can't always expect others not to finish you off and then expect to get a good prison sentence, can you?

If they had been even slightly less lucky, the Straw Hat crew would have been finished long ago.

"How dare you slander me out of thin air?!" The Three-Sword Style expert's composure crumbled instantly, his aura of mastery vanishing. Veins bulging on his forehead, he protested, "When have I ever been directionally challenged... I was just wandering around aimlessly..."

"Alright, alright,"

The White Knight waved his hand, interrupting Zoro's self-deception, and looked up ahead to signal.

"The real World's Greatest Swordsman is right here. If we keep praising each other like this, we'll just be being presumptuous."

"Young man, don't underestimate yourself."

Hawk Eyes's gaze fell on the White Knight, and a rare hint of approval appeared on his face.

"Back in the in the East Blue, you were just nameless youths with nothing but passion; but now—" Hawk Eyes waved the newspaper in his hand.

"You are already world-class talents capable of stirring up storms; this era belongs to you."

... Tsk tsk tsk, you're a handsome uncle in your forties, yet you speak with such an old-fashioned air. No wonder you don't have a girlfriend!

After internally criticizing himself, the White Knight was about to say goodbye and turn to leave:

"Oh, right."

With a pat on his helmet, the White Knight flicked his wrist, and a huge wooden barrel fell to the ground.

"This is a bottle of red wine I got from the Holy Land... It's said to be over a hundred years old. — Anyway, I don't drink, but I brought it for...?"

Seeing Zoro's face twitching and his struggling gaze, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't, the White Knight asked in confusion.

"Is there something wrong with this wine?"

"No,"

Although Roman wasn't interested, the moment he took it out, Zoro and Hawk Eyes's eyes instantly fell on the barrel! Roman worried that the two of them might accidentally slice the barrel into pieces with the sword energy in their eyes.

"The wine... it's fine wine. No, it should be called the finest wine in the world!"

Seeing Zoro with tears streaming from the corner of his mouth, the White Knight pushed the barrel forward.

"Fine, anyway, all alcohol can be summed up in two words for me: awful. Since you're exaggerating like that, then it wasn't a waste of my trip...?!"

This time, Zoro's eyes were truly filled with tears.

What the heck? This is wine, not onions! Zoro, that expression doesn't fit your tough guy image at all.

"Ha le ha le ha le~~~"

Perona's distinctive laughter rang out from the side, and the Gothic Lolita floated over, looking at Zoro with schadenfreude.

"When a guy became an apprentice, he swore he would never drink alcohol until he learned the true teachings."

Ah, this...

Is it really that ruthless?

"Then, shall I bring the wine—?!"

In an instant, an incredibly sharp aura descended upon the White Knight, almost causing Roman was remotely controlling the White Knight, to lose his internet connection on the spot.

······

"—Given to Mr. Mihawk."

"Those who practice swordsmanship should not indulge in wine."

Faced with the serious- Hawk Eyes Jora Mihawk, the White Knight nodded repeatedly.

If you say so, then so be it.

If it weren't for that extremely dangerous aura just now, I would have believed your lies! However—just a simple liking for alcohol, compared to those other masters with all sorts of eccentricities, is simply a breath of fresh air.

So:

Having bid farewell to Zoro, the White Knight, now transformed back into an airplane, was contemplating his next target:

"Roman, something's up."

Brush--

In an instant, Roman, who had been resting with his eyes closed in the cabin and was rumored by Borgin and his group to be 'weak', suddenly opened his eyes.

"What is it?"

When asked by Roman, Nami seemed hesitant to speak.

"A pirate ship has been spotted ahead."

"Kill him."

Unbeknownst to him, Roman had also developed the bad habit of making a scene at the slightest provocation.

"He is a rising Supernovas."

"Oh? Let me see—"