Trap Deep in the Forest

Just then, an unprecedented aroma of wine slipped into his nostrils without warning.

The scent was domineering and intense, like a hundred-year-aged vintage suddenly awakened. Unlike ordinary liquor, which possessed only a mellow fragrance, it carried a wild, flame-like heat, as if a single sip could set one's very soul ablaze.

"Hmm?" Zoro's one eye suddenly lit up.

This smell... That was it! This was what he had been searching for all along!

He immediately cast the presence of those small fry from his mind, his spirits lifting as he strode toward that deadly temptation. Before long, a clearing appeared in the woods. At its center stood a massive oak barrel, its lid slightly ajar, continuously releasing that intoxicating fragrance.

Zoro's Adam's apple bobbed as he quickly approached. It was not as though he had no guard against traps, but before such supreme temptation, he chose to believe that his strength was enough to handle anything.

Just as his hand was about to touch the barrel, a sudden change erupted!

The ground beneath his feet abruptly split apart, and four massive nets woven from Seastone shot up from underground like lightning, closing in on him from all four directions! At the same time, dense whistles tore through the air from the surrounding treetops. Dozens of arrows tipped with Miniature Exploding Dials rained down like a deadly storm, sealing off every possible retreat!

This was a meticulously arranged, lethal trap!

Yet Zoro's expression did not change in the slightest before this sudden killing formation. He did not even think of drawing his swords.

"Bzz—" "Bzz—"

An invisible shockwave suddenly spread out from him! Haki! Pure Conqueror's Aura!

The incoming arrows seemed to strike an invisible wall a meter away from his body. They instantly froze, then were blasted apart by an even greater force, veering from their original paths and shooting into the surrounding soil and tree trunks, setting off a series of dull explosions.

As for the four Seastone nets capable of restraining Devil Fruit users, the instant they touched his body, Zoro merely flexed both arms, his muscles bulging.

"Hah!"

His hands, wrapped in jet-black Armament Haki, were like the sharpest blades as they easily seized the mesh. With a piercing rip, the incomparably tough Seastone nets were torn to pieces by his bare hands!

When the smoke and dust cleared, Zoro was still standing where he had been. He brushed nonexistent dust from his shoulder and swept the darkness around him with an icy gaze.

"You sneaky rats," his cold voice echoed through the forest, "do you think these boring tricks are supposed to scratch an itch for me?"

As soon as he finished speaking, more than a dozen vicious-looking pirates armed with swords slowly emerged from the shadows among the trees. Their leader was a tall, thin man with sinister eyes. His hands remained in an odd posture, as if he were maintaining some sort of ability, causing the space around him to appear unreal and distorted.

As he looked at the completely unharmed Zoro, a flash of shock crossed his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by greed.

"Just as expected of 'Pirate Hunter' Roronoa Zoro... The remnants of our Void Pirates are here to seek your guidance!"