The Realm of Iron Cutting, Future Sight

Swish! Swish! Swish!

The 50th grade of the swift swords, as cold and sharp as snow, is called "Yuki"; the ominous black Sandai Kitetsu "; and the unassuming yet incredibly skillfully crafted Twenty-One Great Grade Swords Wado Ichimonji"—

Three precious swords flashed and slashed, their blades flashing like dazzling lightning, subtly sealing off all the opponent's escape routes with their sweeping movements. The whirlwind of sword energy coalesced into a fierce, steel-like aura and pressure, relentlessly pressing towards the enemy, even carving smooth, crisscrossing sword marks into the battlefield with this terrifying force!

Zoro is not yet twenty years old, demonstrates the full extent of the Isshin-ryu Saber Technique in terms of killing intent, power, and skill. He has even incorporated his self-created Three-Sword Style into his swordsmanship!

As expected of the Isshin Dojo in Shimotsuki Village... he can even be considered a genius swordsman throughout the entire East Blue.

But:

Clang, clang, clang, clang!!

Amidst the dense clanging of metal, facing the furious swordplay was the calm, Bald Strongman, Mr. 1.

Facing Zoro's fierce attacks, he remained unmoved, his punches and kicks displaying a refined simplicity honed through countless trials! He forcefully withstood all of Zoro's attacks.

If Zoro's attacks are like a raging storm or a raging torrent, then Mr. 1 is like a steadfast pillar or a towering cliff! No matter how Zoro slashes and cuts, he remains completely unmoved.

Snap,

After another fierce exchange, Zoro retreated, his mouth gripping the ' Wado Ichimonji, his twin blades raised like horns! After gathering his strength, he suddenly attacked again, his entire being moving like a ferocious demon.

?

"Onigiri!"

Clang!

Mr. 1, dressed as a bald monk, was knocked to the ground by immense force! Meanwhile, Zoro, having bypassed his opponent, suddenly turned around, his twin swords and Wado Ichimonji crossed into claw-like shapes:

"Tiger Hunt!"

Boom—

The towering Mr. 1 was instantly cleaved into the yellow sand, creating a crater the size of a house in the ground. Zoro, who had retreated to catch his breath, let out a disgruntled sound.

"Tsk, you're all fine?"

Snap,

Mr. 1 calmly dusted off his clothes as he stood up from the sandpit. Zoro's combo attack hadn't even torn the hem of his clothes!

"Don't waste your energy,"

"My Devil Fruit ability makes my skin as tough as Famous Sword, and even my internal organs are as tough as steel."

... As we can see, the method of attacking internally through vibration also fails...

After being exhausted by Roman's 'Paper Dance - Iron Armor' defense, Zoro had already considered how to deal with such a highly defensive opponent—creating shockwaves through slashes to destroy from the inside was one method he had devised, but now it seems:

It was completely ineffective on the first use.

"So troublesome..." Devil Fruit are really 'cheating'!

"That's for sure, because:"

Mr. 1 returned Zoro's words verbatim to him before the battle began.

"You didn't touch me!"

!!

Being humiliated on the spot made Zoro's veins throb. But:

"Since you've cut enough—"

Mr. 1 charged at Zoro, his hands clasped together in a palm shape! His ten fingers transformed into sharp blades, pushing towards Zoro like a 'Kamehameha'!

"It's my turn to attack."

—Daisy Foaming Daisy Slash!

Clang!

Zoro had just breathed a sigh of relief after being slammed into the rocks behind him by the opponent's immense force with his twin swords crossed in front of him, suddenly froze.

Because behind him, ten Big Saber had appeared on the rocks of the cliff! They corresponded to Mr. 1's ten fingers.

This guy!

It can actually unleash such a fierce sword aura...

"Fly!"

With Mr. 1's indifferent voice, ten radiating sword wounds suddenly appeared on Zoro's chest! It was clear that he had already been cut through by the opponent's invisible sword energy.

Thud—

During the second burst of sword energy, Zoro was sent flying backward, and the giant rock behind him collapsed at the same time, crushing him underneath!

········

I trained harder than anyone else, and I narrowly escaped danger several times...

When Zoro was trapped under the rock, he asked himself honestly and realized that he was by no means a lazy person.

—What exactly is lacking?

Is it the 'Armament Haki' that Roman mentioned? Believing in oneself, believing in one's own sword, and being able to cut through everything? Even Roman himself probably doesn't believe that...

Or is it what the teacher meant by "a sword that can't even cut paper"? But what does it mean to be unable to cut even "paper"? I only know that forging ahead is the "path of a swordsman"!

Splash!

Zoro gritted his teeth as he rose from the ruins.

"What infuses the soul into fists and knives..."

"Nothing can protect paper from being severed..."

Boom--

Zoro lifted a boulder the size of a house and slammed it down on Mr. 1! Faced with this attack that could crush flesh and blood into a pulp, the bald monk Mr. 1 calmly spread his fingers into a knife.

"No matter what it is... I will chop it into pieces."

—Dust Slash!

In an instant, countless sword energies sliced through the oncoming boulder, neatly dividing it into hundreds, even thousands, of pieces! And behind these stones:

"Cut!"

Zoro swung his sword down fiercely. If he couldn't cut through metal, it only meant he hadn't tried hard enough! It only meant his strength wasn't enough! Then he would:

Stronger

Faster

Even more ferocious—

In an instant, the sword strikes resumed, and Zoro's aura and killing intent were several times stronger than before!

A layer of dark, misty blade light extended from the three swords, spreading out a suffocatingly fierce aura that filled the battlefield! Insects and animals lurking in the sand and soil instantly froze, dying silently under Zoro's killing intent.

"Crab sting!"

In this battlefield beside the cliff, accompanied by the deafening roar of blades cutting through the air, three swords, held in reverse and crossed horizontally, slashed towards Mr. 1's neck, his entire stance resembling a crab about to seize its prey!

As Zoro forcefully pulled the knife back, a phantom of a crab claw appeared behind him! He could even see the cold iron pincers gripping the sharp blade and suddenly slashing, the killing intent swirling, the thick stench of blood suffocating.

"Ooh,"

Mr. 1, whose neck had been slashed hard by Zoro, experienced the taste of 'pain' for the first time in a long time! It felt as if his proud skin was about to be torn apart at any moment, forcing him to immediately be on high alert.

To avoid any unforeseen complications, we should act quickly.

"Spiral Draw Slash!"

Two thick arms suddenly transformed into rings of blades that spun rapidly, deflecting Zoro's sword upwards, and then:

Puff puff puff puff!

The rapidly spinning blade instantly grazed Zoro's chest, staining it crimson! And that wasn't all. "Spiral Punch!"

The high-speed spinning blade fist slammed into Zoro's chest. Even Zoro's superhuman physique was instantly knocked out of his hand, his eyes rolled back, and his sword flew out of his grasp! He flew backward and crashed heavily into the cliff face before falling to the ground.

····cannot····

... You must not turn your back on the enemy...

Zoro consciousness already clouded, struggled to his feet, only to be met with:

"Annihilation Slash!"

Sharp sword energy slashed across the landscape! It not only cleaved Zoro's chest to shreds but also shattered the cliff behind him! Countless boulders collapsed! With a thunderous roar, Mr. 1 turned and left.

"Finish--"

!!

Suddenly Guotou, Mr. 1, dressed as a bald monk, stared in disbelief at the man standing amidst the rubble.

Ugh, I'm so so upset...

He vowed to become the World's Greatest swordsman, but faced with various ability users along the way, his sword repeatedly failed him...

It seems Roman deliberately provoked him into fighting this guy covered in blades. Because both Luffy and Roman's Devil Fruit ability would be countered by this blade-wielding man, right?

If I fail, who will deal with him?

Usopp? Nami? Chopper...?

So I can't give up yet!

Only I can—

"Why is it still standing there? I slashed it so badly... and it still managed to dodge the boulder!"

Faced with Mr. 1's incredulous expression, Zoro didn't even have the strength to answer, but he knew very well:

Dodge... No, I just sensed a place where the boulder couldn't hit me!

On his deathbed, the whole world seemed to change in Zoro's "eyes":

The sky, the earth, the rocks—and that damned blade-wielding man across from me!

Everything exuded a unique 'breath,' and in Zoro's 'eyes,' everything was so clear; he only needed to follow the rhythm of the breath:

Is this the 'Observation Haki' that Roman keeps talking about all the time?... It seems a little different... Oh well.

Picking up the Wado Ichimonji from under the rock, Zoro sheathed his katana and assumed a proper drawing stance.

"Still want to fight?"

"This time I'll chop you into pieces—"

Facing Mr. 1, whose ten fingers were like knives rushing towards him, Zoro simply drew his katana unhurriedly.

The moment the sword was drawn, its speed instantly changed from extremely slow to extremely fast. This strike seemed to transcend the boundaries of time and space, disappearing in an instant. When it reappeared, Zoro was already standing behind Mr. 1, the Wado Ichimon slowly returning to its sheath!

"One-Sword Style: Iai: Lion's Song!"

Puff!!

Mr. 1, who claimed to have never been injured by a swordsman, coughed up blood and Guotou with a grim expression. He didn't even realize when he'd been struck! How did this guy's strength increase so drastically in an instant?!

"... The next step... is it to cut open the diamond?"

When faced with Mr. 1's question, Zoro simply gave a calm answer.

"That would be such a waste."

It's not that it can't be done, it's just that it would be 'too wasteful'...

"I give up..."

Thud!

Mr.1, the top fighter of Baroque Works (the crocodile is the boss), fell to the ground.

Thud!

Zoro Iron Cutting with a single strike, then collapsed to the ground.

On a white stretcher.

"That's really impressive,"

Before he lost consciousness, a familiar voice rang in Zoro's ears.

"No wonder he's the future World's Greatest Swordsman!"

Of course...

P. S.: A side effect of long-running manga series is that fighting power becomes somewhat 'unpredictable'. At this point, Great Swordsman was already able to cut through Mr. 1's bare hands and withstand his 'Great Grade Swords' attacks. He even experienced 'precognition' several versions ahead of time, and then Enies Lobby... sigh, I'm already having a headache figuring out how to explain this later.