The Terrifying Strength of the Vice-Captain!

The battlefield ahead.

"Hmph, Roronoa Zoro. I'll cut off your head and make my name known across the seas!"

Riding a unicycle, Cabaji charged at Zoro with a haughty expression, his longsword flashing coldly through the air.

"You'll become the stepping stone that carries me to the top!"

"A unicycle! So cool!"

Standing in the back, Luffy's eyes instantly turned into stars. He had completely missed the point.

Zoro merely gave a cold smile, slowly drew all three swords, and assumed his classic Three-Sword Style stance.

"Luffy! Victor! Don't interfere in a swordsman's battle!"

With Wado Ichimonji clenched between his teeth, Zoro shouted through muffled but overflowing confidence.

"I'll deal with this acrobat in no time."

"Okay!" Luffy nodded obediently, then seemed to remember something and looked around. "Huh? Where's Victor? He was right next to us just now."

"You arrogant pirate hunter!"

At the center of the battlefield, Cabaji laughed in fury at Zoro's blatant contempt.

He stomped hard on his unicycle, launching himself into the air before bringing his blade down at Zoro's face from above.

"Acrobatics: Steam Murder!"

Despite its name, he didn't use any steam.

Clang!

Zoro did not even shift his feet. With one hand on his sword, he easily blocked the attack.

If this had been the Zoro from the original story, stabbed in the kidney by Buggy and weakened by blood loss, he might have found it difficult.

But this Zoro was in perfect condition!

"Is that all you've got to make your name known across the seas?" Zoro mocked.

Cabaji clicked his tongue, not expecting his opponent to be so strong.

He used the recoil to leap backward, his gaze turning icy.

"Don't rush. The real show is yet to come! Acrobatics: Fire-Breathing Daddy!"

Cabaji took a deep breath and blasted a huge wave of flames at Zoro.

Whoosh—!

The flames swept toward him.

But as Zoro looked at the fire, Victor's Great Fireball involuntarily surfaced in his mind.

"Tch."

Zoro sneered disdainfully and casually slashed his sword. The force of the wind split the flames apart.

"Compared to Victor's fire, this is laughable. It's just a little spark!"

"What?!"

Cabaji frowned. He had not expected his ultimate move to be dismissed so thoroughly.

"If that's the case... how about this? Hot-Air Murder!"

He wildly swung his longsword, instantly whipping up the dust on the ground into a cloud that obscured everyone's vision.

"Huh? What kind of acrobatics is that? You're just kicking up sand."

Standing amid the dust, Zoro closed his eyes and carefully listened to locate his opponent.

Just as Cabaji used the dust for cover and stabbed at Zoro with a vicious grin—

Splat!

Zoro did not even open his eyes. He simply swung his sword backward, precisely cutting across Cabaji's abdomen.

"Argh!"

Cabaji was horrified. He staggered back in a panic, clutching his bleeding stomach, his face full of disbelief.

Zoro slowly flicked the blood from his blade, his gaze as terrifying as a demon god's.

"What's wrong? You acrobat-loving monkey? Can't keep performing already?"

"Get him, Zoro!!" Luffy shouted excitedly from behind.

"Damn it..." Cold sweat poured from Cabaji's face through the pain.

At that moment, Buggy, who had been watching from the sidelines, finally could not sit still.

"Cabaji! I'll hold him down, and you kill him with your strongest sword technique!!"

Buggy roared as both his hands suddenly detached from his body and sped along the ground toward Zoro, intending to bind his limbs.

However—

Smack!

Just as those hands were about to touch Zoro, a straw sandal stomped down hard, pinning Buggy's hands firmly to the ground.

"Ah, that hurts, hurts, hurts!!!" Buggy screamed.

Luffy stepped on Buggy's hands expressionlessly and said calmly,

"Don't interfere with Zoro's fight, you bastard."

Zoro glanced back, the corner of his mouth lifting.

"Thanks, Luffy."

Meanwhile, deep within the ruins of the Buggy Pirates' base.

After immense effort, Nami finally cleared away the collapsed wall and found the Buggy Pirates' treasure vault.

Looking at the wooden door secured by an enormous iron lock, she revealed a little devilish smile.

"While those idiots are fighting, I'll grab the treasure and sea charts and get out of here!"

Nami picked up a thick wooden stick from nearby, took a deep breath, and smashed it hard into the already loosened lock.

Bang! Crack!

The lock, already damaged in the explosion, snapped apart.

Nami tossed aside the stick and carefully pushed open the door.

After lighting the oil lamps on the walls, the sight before her instantly took her breath away.

Gold coins, gemstones, pearls... piled up like mountains!

The treasures glittered seductively beneath the dim light.

"Wow...!!"

Nami's eyes turned into Beli symbols as she threw herself into the pile of gold coins and rolled around blissfully.

"There's so much! I'm rich! It's all mine!"

"Hey! Woman, what are you doing?!"

A rough voice suddenly shattered Nami's dream.

"Hehehe, a little mouse snuck into the warehouse!"

"Huh? Where did this thief come from? Trying to steal Captain Buggy's treasure while everyone's distracted?"

Nami's entire body stiffened as she mechanically turned her head.

At some point, six grinning pirates had blocked the entrance to the vault.

They held gleaming blades in their hands, their greedy eyes fixed on Nami.

"Oh no... I let my guard down!"

As she watched them slowly approach, Nami's heart pounded violently.

She gripped the wooden stick tightly, cold sweat sliding down her forehead. "Six people... I can't beat them..."

"Hehehe, you're a pretty little thing. Why don't you stay and keep us boys company?" The pirate leader licked his lips as he approached.

Just as Nami prepared to make a desperate stand—

"Oh? It's pretty lively in here."

A clear, amused voice suddenly sounded from the doorway.

Nami abruptly looked up, delight bursting into her eyes. "Victor!!"

Victor leaned against the doorframe with his hands behind his back, his black eyes appearing especially deep beneath the oil lamps.

The six pirates suddenly turned around. "Huh? Trying to play the hero and save the beauty, pretty boy?"

One of the pirates raised his blade and slashed down. "You're dead—"

Bang!

Before he could finish speaking, his entire body flew backward like a cannonball, smashing into the wall and passing out on the spot.

Victor slowly lowered his right leg, that harmless smile still on his face.

"When did he?!" The remaining pirates were horrified.

"Kill him!!"

"One."

Victor counted softly.

By then, his pupils had already turned red, the single tomoe spinning madly.

Facing the blade chopping toward him, he advanced rather than retreated. His body dipped into an unnaturally low crouch, easily dodging the strike.

Then he swept out his leg, sending the man off balance and into the air.

Victor casually caught the sword that had slipped from the man's hand and thrust it backhandedly.

Splat.

The blade pierced through the pirate's chest.

"Two."

Victor pulled out the bloodied sword and casually swung it, blocking a sneak attack from the side with a clang.

But behind him, another pirate was roaring as he charged forward with his blade raised. "Die!!"

"Watch out behind you!!" Nami shouted.

Victor did not even turn around. He merely tilted his head slightly, his scarlet Sharingan meeting the sneak attacker's eyes.

"Genjutsu: Hell Viewing Technique."

The attacker's body instantly froze, his pupils unfocusing as though he had seen something unimaginably terrifying. The sword in his hand clattered to the ground.

Taking the opportunity, Victor viciously kicked upward between the legs of the pirate whose attack he had blocked.

Crack.

A teeth-grinding sound of crushed balls rang out.

"Aaargh—!"

The man clutched his crotch and collapsed in agony, his face turning purple.

Victor casually gave him another slash, ending his suffering.

Then, using the momentum of his turn, he drew an arc with his blade, slicing across the neck of the pirate who stood motionless under the genjutsu.

Slice—thud!

A head rolled to the ground.

"Three, four."

The remaining two pirates behind Victor, one tall and one short, had already been scared senseless.

Looking at the corpses scattered across the ground and the red-eyed youth counting while he killed, their minds completely broke.

"A demon... He's a demon!!"

"You're the devil!!"

The two screamed, threw down their weapons, and ran for the door.

Victor did not chase them. He merely weighed the weapon in his hand.

With a flick of his right hand, the longsword became a spear and instantly pierced through one man's heart from behind.

At the same time, he flicked his left hand. A kunai shot out like black lightning, stabbing into the back of the other man's head.

Pfft! Pfft!

Two dull impacts sounded, and the battle was over.

The entire process had taken less than ten seconds.

Victor dusted off his hands, stepped over the corpses on the ground, and walked toward Nami deeper inside with a smile.

Nami sat slumped atop the pile of gold coins, swallowing hard.

Although this man had just saved her, the coldness and efficiency with which he killed made her tremble from the depths of her soul.

In any case... this man... was terrifyingly strong!

Seeing Victor approach, Nami took a deep breath and forced out a smile as she extended her hand toward him.

"Victor... th-thank you..."

However—

Victor did not even look at her outstretched hand. Still smiling, he walked straight past her.

Nami: "???"

Victor somehow pulled out an enormous sack.

He crouched before the pile of gold coins and began stuffing treasure into it like mad.

"Hmm... this gold goblet is nice, worth a lot. This pearl necklace, I'll keep it. Oh, is this a crown? Good stuff..."

Nami's hand froze in midair, her expression gradually changing from touched to blank, then finally to furious.

"Victor!!!"

Nami roared, "That's my treasure!! And you! Did you even come here to save someone?! Can't you act a little more like a gentleman?!"