Two monsters

"Why..."

Zoro sighed helplessly. No matter how unwilling he was, he had to step forward at this moment.

But to be honest, he really didn't want to fight this woman.

With that face on the other person's face, he really couldn't bring himself to do it.

"Roronoa Zoro!"

Tashigi, keenly noticing the change in Zoro's expression, frowned and said, "Are you looking down on me?"

This scene reminded her of what happened in Loguetown two years ago.

The other person had a similar expression, which made Tashigi very unhappy.

Zoro didn't speak, but looked at Tashigi with a complicated expression.

"Why would I need Zoro to deal with you?" Perona stepped forward, staring intently at Tashigi, and said, "Let me be your opponent."

Without giving Tashigi a chance to refute, Perona floated into the air after speaking and rushed towards Tashigi at an extremely fast speed.

For some reason, she disliked this female navy officer intensely, so she decided to teach her a lesson.

Tashigi frowned slightly, but she didn't say anything. She simply turned around and silently watched Perona approaching rapidly from above, intending to deal with her first before going to find Zoro.

"Take this!"

"Negative Hollows!"

The next moment, a large number of Negative Ghost flew out from Perona's side and headed straight for Tashigi below.

"So this is what my subordinates were talking about—something that can make people negative?" Tashigi stared intently at the Negative Ghost, then enveloped her weapon in Haki and launched a merciless attack.

"Puff!"

"Puff!"

"Puff!"

In just a few breaths, Tashigi defeated all the Negative Ghost that flew towards her.

"Haki... so Haki!"

Perona's face turned red with anger. Why was this woman so Haki?!

"In a place like the New World, if you don't even Haki, you'll find it impossible to get anywhere," Tashigi said calmly.

Perona:???

What does this guy mean?

Is that swearing?

"I feel like I got yelled at," Franky said, scratching his head.

I'm so Haki I don't have a commanding presence.

The other people, who weren't particularly Haki, also had somewhat complicated expressions, as if they felt they'd been scolded.

"So what if you Haki?" Perona glared at her and said, "I can still beat you even without Haki!"

Tashigi:???

Tashigi looked puzzled. She had only been explaining things to the other person; why was he so angry?

It was Tashigi's reaction that made Perona even angrier.

"Damn it, die, Explosive Ghost horde!"

The next moment, a large number of Explosive Ghost flew over and mercilessly attacked Tashigi.

This time, Tashigi did not choose to attack from the spot. Instead, she used flying attacks to slash at the Negative Ghost while constantly retreating to avoid being hit by the explosion.

Tashigi only stopped after all the Explosive Ghost had been dealt with.

"Now... it's my turn."

Before Perona could react, Tashigi darted in front of Perona and kicked her.

"Bump!"

The Haki kick landed precisely on Perona's abdomen, sending her crashing down from mid-air.

"Whoosh~"

Like a cannonball, Perona swiftly hurtled towards Zoro.

Seeing this, Zoro quickly rushed over and caught Perona in mid-air to prevent her from being seriously injured.

"Hateful..."

Perona, who was being held by Zoro, glared at Tashigi through gritted teeth. If it weren't for the fact that Tashigi didn't know Haki... No, she really couldn't swallow this.

"Zoro, put me down!"

"You should stay here," Zoro said, setting Perona down. "You're no match for her."

If the opponent had used a knife, Perona would have been seriously injured.

"Click!"

Perona's face immediately contorted with rage; what did she mean by saying she was no match for this woman?

Although what she said was true, she was really angry at that jerk!

Zoro didn't look at Perona anymore, but turned to look at Tashigi, and then his expression became complicated again.

Even though it wasn't the first time he'd seen it, this face still gave him a feeling that he couldn't quite explain.

"Roronoa Zoro, hand over the Famous Sword!" Tashigi said, raising the long sword in her hand.

I don't want to fight you.

"Click!"

Tashigi's face immediately bulged with veins. It was that same attitude and tone again!

That despicable bastard!

"That's not up to you!" Tashigi shouted, then drew her sword without hesitation and launched an attack.

"Falling Rain!"

Search~

The next moment, an incredibly terrifying Flying Slash shot out from the sword, heading straight for Zoro's face!

Zoro, who had witnessed all of this, immediately changed his expression. Without hesitation, he drew the Wado Ichimonji and precisely struck the Flying Slash.

"Clang!"

"That force..."

Zoro stared intently at Tashigi's hand. Although he didn't know her exact strength, the power of that Flying Slash was enough to show that she was a powerful swordsman.

"I'm not the same person I was two years ago." Forcing herself to calm down, Tashigi stared at Zoro and said, "Roronoa Zoro, I won't let this Famous Sword continue to tarnish your hands."

"Covered in dust..."

Zoro was so angry he laughed. What did he mean by "covered in dust"?

When did the Famous Sword in his hand become covered in dust?

He's been fighting against strong opponents all these years, okay?

"This woman..."

After glancing at Tashigi, Xi Yan looked at Smoker with a strange expression and said, "Did she hit her head?"

Smoker's lips twitched slightly upon hearing this. What did he mean by "bumped his head"?

If you want to say Tashigi has something wrong with her head, just say so!

"Everyone's dreams are different, and Tashigi's dream is to retrieve all the Famous Sword that have fallen into the hands of bad people, preventing them from becoming accomplices to evil," Smoker said. "I don't see anything wrong with that."

From his perspective as a naval officer, Tashigi's idea was correct.

The motives may be a bit strange, but as long as they can kill pirates, they are good marines.

"Isn't that robber logic?"

Xi Yan looked at Smoker speechlessly. What did he mean by taking back all the Famous Sword that had fallen into the hands of bad guys?

If you want to collect Famous Sword, just say so.

"You wouldn't understand," Smoker said calmly.

After saying that, Smoker didn't continue to explain to Xi Yan, but instead raised his fist and smashed it down.

Seeing this, Xi Yan gave up on continuing to speak and raised his fist to strike.

"Clang!"

"Boom!"

The two men were exchanging blows in the open space, their fight incredibly intense.

This scene made Zoro extremely envious.

He also wants an opponent like that.

What do you mean by that?

Tashigi, keenly noticing Zoro's gaze, frowned and said, "Do you look down on me?"

It's one thing to look away while fighting her, but to actually give her that kind of look... Damn it, I really want to stab that bastard.

"I told you, I don't want to fight you." Zoro frowned and said, "If you keep arguing, don't blame me for being impolite."

"I already said, I want your Famous Sword back!"

After saying that, Tashigi didn't waste any more words and charged towards Zoro with her long sword in hand.

Seeing this, Zoro could only reluctantly step forward to avoid injuring his companions with the enemy's attacks.

"Clang!"

"Clang!"

"Clang!"

The moment they made contact, they slashed at each other several times, sparks flying everywhere!

"Just who is this woman?" Franky asked in surprise, "How could she fight Zoro like this?"

Zoro cleaved Pica's giant stone statue in two with a single strike; how could this female Marine possibly withstand that kind of power?

Or is it that... Zoro wasn't even using his full strength at all?

"I want to know too." Perona gritted her teeth and glared at Tashigi, then turned to Usopp and said, "Hey, Usopp, do you know anything about this woman?"

Of all those present, only Usopp had been with Zoro from the very beginning, so Zoro might know something.

"I first saw her in Alabasta," Usopp said, stroking his chin. "But... I reckon Zoro probably saw her back in Loguetown."

Although Zoro didn't mention it at the time, Loguetown is the territory of the Old Smoker, and his second-in-command is Tashigi. In addition, Sanji later mentioned a certain woman.

Therefore, Usopp deduced that Zoro must have met him back in Loguetown.

"So we already knew each other..." Perona clenched her fist, but then, as if she had suddenly remembered something, she loosened her fist in frustration.

Usopp was taken aback. Why did the fearless Ghost Princess suddenly show such an expression?

But his intuition told him that it wasn't a good time to ask such a question, so Usopp wisely chose to keep quiet.

Alabasta...

Franky stroked his chin and said, "That was the time you defeated Crocodile, wasn't it?"

In the end, Franky still felt a little regretful.

It's such a pity he missed out on this opportunity.

"It was indeed that time," Nicole Robin nodded. "I met this woman in this very place, and I even fought with her."

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, Perona immediately turned to Nico Robin and asked, "You two fought?"

"Yes, and I even beat her."

Perona:???

What do you mean by Robin defeating this woman?

Robin doesn't Haki either.

How did she defeat her opponent in this situation?

Are you sure?

Franky pointed at Tashigi, who was fighting Zoro to a standstill, a hint of doubt appearing in his eyes.

It wasn't that he doubted the veracity of Nico Robin's statement, but... was Nico Robin really that strong?

Nicole Robin naturally understood Franky's meaning, so she explained, "She wasn't this Lihai before. I subdued her in one move back then."

After saying that, Nico Robin paused for a moment, then continued, "At least she wasn't Haki back then."

"So, she grew up during these two years?"

Cavendish glanced at Tashigi in shock. This woman had actually managed to catch up with Roronoa Zoro in just two years?

She's a monster too, isn't she?

"Probably." Nico Robin glanced at Tashigi, then at Smoker, and said, "That Smoker too."

As she spoke, Nico Robin recalled the scene from Shakky's pub.

The other party had mentioned information about Smoker before, and that he had grown rapidly in the past two years.

But no one knows exactly how they did it.

"Two monsters."

Luo drew a conclusion about the two men.

Whether it's Tashigi, who could fight Roronoa Zoro for so long, or Smoker, who could go toe-to-toe with the Blood-Eyed Ninja, it's all the same.

Especially Smoker, his title of Admiral Candidate is probably genuine.

"Clang!"

"Clang!"

"Clang!"

After exchanging a few more blows, Zoro said in a deep voice, "You have indeed become stronger, but so have I!"

So what?

Tashigi stubbornly declared, "I will definitely take back the Famous Sword from your hand!"

After saying that, Tashigi used the force of Zoro's attack to retreat a short distance, and then sheathed her long sword again.

"In the past two years, I've teetered on the brink of death countless times!" Tashigi said, gathering her strength, "All for the day I can reclaim the Famous Sword from the hands of you villains!"

"Click!"

"That kind of talk again..."

Zoro's face immediately contorted with rage, veins bulging, as he roared, "Why is it wrong for a sword to be in our hands?"

If someone else had said that, Zoro probably wouldn't have cared at all.

But it's precisely Tashigi's face...

Faced with that face, Zoro simply couldn't control his emotions.

"Because you are..."

Tashigi instinctively wanted to say that Zoro and his crew were bad people, but as soon as the words were on the tip of her tongue, images of Alabasta and the Straw Hat Pirates saving Dressrosa not long ago flashed through her mind.

It was these very scenes that caused Tashigi's newly formed momentum to gradually weaken.

People who lack inner strength are simply unable to unleash their full potential.

"What, can't answer?"

Tashigi didn't answer, only a hint of confusion flashed in her eyes.

She subconsciously turned her head to look at Smoker, hoping to get some answer from him, but Smoker was currently fighting with Xi Yan and had no time to pay attention to her.

But Xi Yan happened to see Tashigi's eyes.

Your subordinates seem a bit lost.

"I know," Smoker said in a deep voice.

Tashigi had already had similar ideas back in Alabasta.

But he believed that Tashigi could adjust her mindset on her own.

Some things only need one piece of advice.

"So you're not worried?" Xi Yan turned his gaze to Tashigi again and said, "A confused person can't unleash their full potential."

"She's my subordinate!" Smoker suddenly grinned. "How can I be her superior if I can't trust her wholeheartedly?"

"You..."

"Stop talking nonsense, you bastard, take this!"

As the fist drew ever closer, Xi Yan suddenly smiled.

Then, he raised his fist and punched back.

"Then let's continue!"

"Clang!"

"Boom!"