"Oni Giri!"
Zoro struck first. He sprang forward like a Tiger charging down a mountain and landed before Menard, his three swords whipping up a dazzling blur of blades.
Steel flashed, stinging Menard's eyes. At first, he thought nothing of it. How strong could a little brat be? But the moment Zoro attacked, a blue blade of energy surged toward him like a Mountain-Splitting Sea-Overturning Palm, with a thunderous roar. By the time Menard realized the danger, it was too late to dodge.
A crack like thunder rang out as Oni Giri struck Menard squarely. He spat blood and flew backward.
"Captain Menard!" the marines aboard the warship cried in shock.
They stared, dumbfounded. Zoro looked about fifteen, still little more than a kid.
If Ye Chen had sent Menard flying with one slash, they could have understood it. But Zoro was a nobody.
"Swish, swish, swish..."
That brief lapse in attention was enough for Kuina to press Shu into a desperate defense, leaving him in a sorry state.
Menard refused to accept it. "Zoro, I'll show you what I can do!"
He pulled a great axe from behind his back. A chilling gleam ran along its sharp edge as he leaped up and brought it down toward Zoro's head with crushing force. As an elite colonel of Marine Headquarters, Menard was no pushover.
But even at full strength, he could only fight Zoro to a standstill. Nearby, Kuina drifted forward like a butterfly in the wind and thrust at Shu with lightning speed. Her blade stopped just short of his throat. "Zoro, you're taking too long."
"Damn it! I'm not losing to you!"
Zoro flew into a rage, attacking like a little Tiger gone wild. The tide turned at once, and Menard found himself locked in a grueling fight.