Breath

"I want you to come with me to find the pirate Buggy. It's just that..."

Zero watched Nami tie Luffy up with a rope and could not help sighing inwardly. So they had still reached this part of the story. The next moment, he saw Nami pick up the rope and walk over, a faintly mischievous smile on her face.

He hurriedly waved his hands, declining Nami's "kind invitation." He said someone needed to keep watch from the shadows. After considering it, Nami agreed that it was necessary and reluctantly tossed the rope aside.

Then Nami "led" Luffy out of the house by his rope, while Zero leaped onto the roof and followed them toward Buggy's headquarters.

The reason he had not stopped Nami was that, with Armament Haki, Zero could still hurt the clown even if he had the Chop-Chop ability. Coupled with his other skills, Zero was fairly confident he could protect himself!

As for whether he could defeat Buggy the Clown, Zero was not so sure. His attributes were what they were, and he did not dare make such a bold claim.

But then again, Luffy was no slouch in a fight. With Zero's foreknowledge of the story, they could stop any danger before it happened!

"Ah, looks like we're here!"

Seeing that Nami and Luffy had reached Buggy's location, Zero stopped daydreaming and hid somewhere not too far from them. He watched the situation unfold while keeping an eye out for any new side quests.

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!

Nami watched the Buggy Ball unleash its terrifying power, reducing every house ahead to rubble. She was clearly frightened, cold sweat beading on her forehead and streaming down her cheeks.

Buggy the Clown laughed wildly. After demonstrating the Buggy Ball's power to everyone, he suddenly ordered Nami to aim it at Luffy, who was trapped in a cage!

Nami hesitated. One of the grunts simply stepped forward and snatched away the match, intending to light it himself. In the end, Nami drew her weapon and knocked the grunt unconscious.

But what she had not expected was that the Buggy Ball's fuse had somehow already been lit!

In her panic, Nami dodged several pirates' attacks and ran straight for the Buggy Ball's cannon barrel without hesitation. Just as she steeled herself to grab the fuse directly and put out the flame by force, a figure appeared at the front of the barrel.

Right in the Buggy Ball's path!

What was he doing?

That question had barely crossed Nami's mind when she realized that, while she had been frozen in shock, the flame on the fuse was about to burn out!

"You, get out of the way!"

"Zero, get away from there!"

Nami and Luffy shouted at Zero at the same time. In the next instant, a blinding flash filled their vision, followed by an earth-shaking blast!

Boom!

"Zero!"

Luffy's eyes widened as he tried to see what lay ahead, his body struggling to break free of the cage.

Behind the cannon barrel, Nami stood stunned. The sight seemed to remind her of that person dying before her eyes when she was little.

Then the thick smoke cleared. Everyone craned their necks toward the site of the explosion, and a figure that was not especially imposing yet seemed extraordinarily powerful caught their attention.

"Cough, cough. Not bad power. Just a bit too much smoke!"

Luffy and Nami were both overjoyed.

The pirates' eyes widened as if they had seen something terrifying. Buggy, who knew the Buggy Ball's power better than anyone, was even more shocked!

"Congratulations on completing the side quest: Intercept the Buggy Ball aimed at Luffy head-on! Obtained 150 experience points and 20,000 Beli!"

"Congratulations, level increased to LV.3!"

Hearing the system's notification that the quest was complete, Zero let out a breath. He had finally stopped it.

In truth, when he had accepted this side quest, he had not been very confident he could complete it. But when he saw the Buggy Ball aimed at Luffy and Nami rush forward without regard for her own safety, he had still leaped out without hesitation.

His Observation Haki locked onto the cannonball, while Armament Haki covered his fist and extended to his wrist!

To be safe, he had also used his LV.4 martial arts to imitate Iron Body from the Six Powers, reinforcing himself. In the end, he had managed to intercept the Buggy Ball!

"Still, my physical condition is too weak. Looks like I need to level up properly!"

Zero shook his slightly numb hands, then turned and teased Luffy. "Captain, how did you even get yourself captured?"

Luffy laughed heartily without answering him directly.

"Zero, you're amazing! Hahaha! You actually blocked that weird cannonball. Just what I'd expect from one of my crew!"

Just then, Roronoa Zoro arrived as well.

After hearing the earlier commotion from the Buggy Ball's launch, he had rushed over without stopping. He happened to see Zero block the Buggy Ball. While he was astonished by Zero's strength and wanted to ask what was going on, Zero held out a hand toward him.

"Zoro, lend me a sword."

"Hm? What for?"

Though he did not know what Zero intended to do, Zoro handed him one of his swords without hesitation. Of course, Wado Ichimonji remained at his side.

"Watch!"

Zero took the sword and signaled for Zoro to pay attention to what he was about to do.

He walked up to Luffy's iron cage, took a deep breath, gripped the hilt tightly, and pointed the blade forward.

"Luffy, crouch down!"

Having already guessed what Zero intended to do, Zoro stared without blinking. Then a faint blue flash of sword light burst before his eyes. Accompanied by a piercing hum, the iron cage imprisoning Luffy shattered in an instant!

"This is...!"

Zoro had always believed he was the only swordsman in the crew. He had never expected Zero to be one too, and his swordsmanship was even more formidable than Zoro had imagined!

"Breath. As long as you master the Breath of All Things, you can do what I did and cut through steel!"

Zero's words drifted into Zoro's ears, bringing back memories of his master explaining breath to him as a child. At the same time, a tiny seed began to sprout within his heart...

"I'm out!"

Having finally escaped the cage, Luffy stretched lazily, then nodded to Zero in thanks.

Although he also wondered how Zero possessed such powerful swordsmanship, he knew this was not the time to ask. After all, they were in Buggy the pirate's headquarters!

"Hey, Buggy! I'm out of the cage now, so fight me!"

Luffy shouted at Buggy, snapping him and his pirate crew out of their shock. In the next moment, his rubber arm stretched out and seized Buggy, launching Luffy forward like a cannonball!

Boom!

Another explosion rang out!

At that moment, a swordsman riding a unicycle emerged from the pirates and directly confronted Zoro, while Zero found himself facing off against a pirate riding a lion.