The Out-of-Control Rift

"Hahahaha!" Cracks began spreading densely across the ability user captain's body from overusing his power. Threads of purple energy seeped from his eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and wounds, making him look like a porcelain doll on the verge of shattering. Yet he did not care. With the last of his life, he let out a crazed roar:

"Do you feel it, Roronoa?! This is the power of dimensions! So what if your Haki is strong? So what if your swordsmanship is supreme? You can cut steel, you can cut flames, but can you cut through the 'world' itself? My ability isn't mature enough to precisely determine the destination. I can only open a death passage to an unknown, random dimension! This is a forbidden technique that takes us both down with it. I'll die from the backlash of space-time energy, and you—you'll be lost forever in the gaps between time and space, until your body and soul are ground down into the most primitive particles!"

"So that's it... You're trying to take me down with you?"

Zoro's gaze turned completely icy, devoid of even a trace of mockery. He knew the enemy before him was already dead, yet this dead man intended to drag him into the abyss before drawing his last breath.

He held nothing back.

He drew in a deep breath, and the rush of air seemed to ring with the sound of metal. Then he sharply tilted his head and precisely clamped the hilt of the snow-white Wado Ichimonji between his teeth! This motion marked the moment he entered his most serious combat state!

Next, both hands pressed down on the two swords at his waist.

In his left hand was the demonic blade inherited from Oden, capable of devouring its wielder's Haki—Enma!

In his right hand was the cursed blade steeped in misfortune—Sandai Kitetsu!

"Shing—!"

The two peerless vicious blades left their sheaths at the same time!

"Demon Aura: Nine-Sword Style..."

Bzzz—!!!

A terrifying aura greater than anything before erupted from Zoro like an ancient beast awakening! Behind him, the faint phantom of a three-headed, six-armed demon god radiating boundless killing intent flickered into view. All three faces bore the cold, merciless expression of an asura!

Then, an invisible, formless will as heavy as a mountain—enough to make all things submit—swept through the entire forest like a shockwave!

Conqueror's Haki!

The pirates who had merely been unconscious began foaming at the mouth and convulsing violently beneath the pressure of that pure will. Their minds were directly crushed by the Conqueror's Haki!

But it was not over! Black, lightning-like energy appeared from nowhere and coiled around the three swords in his hands, perfectly merging with the Armament Haki already coating their blades. This was a technique only a handful of the sea's strongest could wield—Conqueror's Haki Infusion!

The three swords seemed to come alive. Enma gave a greedy, excited hum as it frantically drained the vast, ocean-like Haki within Zoro; Sandai Kitetsu's demonic aura surged higher than ever, echoing the destructive aura of that gate from afar; only Wado Ichimonji remained pure and steadfast, representing his unwavering swordsman's heart.

Zoro poured all his strength into his legs, anchoring himself like the sturdiest ship's anchor into the collapsing ground as he directly resisted that all-devouring pull!

On one side was the power of laws capable of tearing apart space; on the other was the will of a king capable of twisting reality!

The two ultimate forces collided violently, triggering a catastrophic chain reaction.

The already unstable Space-Time Gate became even more frenzied beneath the savage impact of Zoro's Conqueror's Haki! Purple spatial arcs leaped wildly around the gate's edges, spreading through the surrounding air like out-of-control venomous snakes. Fine black cracks appeared out of nowhere in the void, as if this space had already reached its limit and was about to shatter completely like glass!

"Useless! It's useless!" Half of the ability user captain's body had already turned into particles of light, but he still laughed madly. "The more you resist, the more unstable those cracks become! This entire space is about to be sucked in! Disappear with me!"

Zoro frowned tightly. He could feel his Haki being consumed at a terrifying rate. The ground beneath his feet had completely collapsed, and an irresistible force was dragging him inch by inch toward the gate.