Crushing and the Space-Time Gate

"Void Pirates?" Zoro picked at his ear, looking thoroughly impatient. "Never heard of you. Small fry shouldn't bother announcing their names. I won't remember them."

Those words, like the cruelest mockery, instantly ignited the fury of every pirate.

"Bastard! Our captain is the user of the Paramecia-type Space-Time Door Fruit!" one lackey shouted, putting on a brave front. "We were defeated by the alliance of Kaido the Beast and Big Mom! No, we were ambushed by that damn brat Kid! As long as we take your head, we can use your bounty to make a comeback!"

"Oh, so you're defeated soldiers." Zoro's tone grew even more contemptuous. "Since you're in such a hurry to die, I'll grant your wish."

He slowly drew Wado Ichimonji from his waist. Its snow-white sheath and hilt gleamed with a sacred light beneath the moon, yet they sent a chill from the depths of their souls through the pirates facing him.

"Kill him!"

At the captain's command, more than a dozen pirates roared and charged from every direction. Their coordination was flawless, their flashing blades weaving a net of death. They were clearly seasoned fighters.

Yet before absolute strength, every technique was futile.

Zoro moved.

His figure became a streak of green lightning, vanishing from where he stood. The next instant, he was behind a pirate. He did not even use the blade, merely bringing the heavy sheath down precisely on the back of the man's neck. The pirate did not even have time to scream before his eyes rolled back and he collapsed unconscious.

"Too slow."

Like an elegant dancer, he strolled leisurely through the gaps between flashing blades. Every sidestep narrowly evaded a lethal strike; every step placed him where his enemies least expected. His Observation Haki had already predicted every movement with perfect clarity.

"Clang!"

A pirate's sword came down heavily upon his shoulder, yet it rang like metal striking metal, scattering sparks everywhere. The pirate stared in terror as his blade curled, while not even a white mark had been left on his opponent's shoulder. Armament Haki had long since become Zoro's strongest armor.

"Not strong enough either."

Zoro swung the hilt back and smashed it viciously into the man's face, taking down another one.

The whole affair was less a battle than a one-sided beating. Zoro did not even draw his second sword. With only the most basic footwork and blocks, he sent the so-called Void Pirates sprawling in every direction.

In less than a minute, only the captain with the Devil Fruit ability remained standing in the clearing. Cold sweat covered his forehead, and his body trembled violently with fear. The subordinates he had been so proud of now lay scattered across the ground, their condition unknown.

"M-Monster..." he mumbled incoherently.

"It's over." Zoro slowly sheathed Wado Ichimonji and walked toward the last enemy, his eyes utterly calm. "You ruined my mood for finding sake. Pay with your life."

The shadow of death instantly descended upon the captain. Under overwhelming terror, his sanity gave way to madness.

"You forced me to do this, Roronoa!" he let out a shrill roar, slamming his hands together as an eerie, deep purple light suddenly erupted from his palms!

The captain laughed madly, his voice filled with despair and the thrill of revenge. "This is the ultimate power of the Space-Time Door Fruit! I may not be able to kill you, but I can banish you into the endless turbulence between dimensions! There, your body and soul will both be torn to pieces! Farewell, future world's greatest swordsman!"