"Teacher Z!"
Ain watched the elderly figure fighting on despite his obvious strain. Her face went pale, urgency filling her eyes as she tried to rush to Zephyr's aid.
But the moment she moved, someone blocked her path. She had no choice but to stop, dust swirling around them.
"Hey, you think you can just leave? Not happening!"
His sea-blue wavy hair had come loose and looked rather disheveled.
Ain's gaze darkened. Her anxiety turned to anger, and killing intent gathered within her.
"Get out of my way!"
Zoro drew two swords and said seriously, "Until we reach an agreement, you can't leave. If negotiations have failed, then let your sword do the talking."
Ain was desperately worried about Zephyr. With this man still standing in her way, she could no longer contain her anger.
Her killing intent erupted. Power gathered in her sword, and she flashed forward, slashing fiercely at Zoro.
Bang!
A terrifying shock wave spread outward. Sword energy carved the ground into countless fragments, sending dust billowing up and hiding everyone from view.
"Zoro!" Luffy shouted in alarm.
When the dust cleared, they could finally see what had happened. Zoro was unharmed. He hadn't even swung his swords.
The sight surprised Luffy. Someone else had blocked Ain's attack: Wuli.
"Wuli, are you going to stop me too?"
Wuli put away his sword and looked at Ain. "I know you're worried about Teacher Z, but you're rushing. Your concern is clouding your judgment. An Admiral has entered the fight in person. The Vice Admirals haven't appeared yet, but they must be here too. Making more enemies now would be a terrible choice."
"Think about my proposal. There's no need for you to fight the Straw Hat Pirates. This can be avoided."
Ain was still frantic, but her killing