"Damn it..."
Zoro had just driven back several marines when more swarmed in behind him. Ace was covering him from the side, but the moment Ace's attention slipped, Zoro charged off on his own.
Zoro had no intention of hiding behind anyone. The marines surrounded and attacked him again and again, leaving him with several more wounds.
He was battered and bloodied, as if he had just climbed out of a pool of blood. The smell of it hung thick around him. Suddenly, wind whistled at his back. A long-legged colonel flew in with a kick that struck him square between the shoulders, sending him hurtling away like a cannonball.
With a crash, he smashed through a house beside the Lu and fell inside.
"Hah! Damn brat. I can't believe you've held out this long."
The long-legged colonel, Batra, gave a disdainful sneer and followed him into what turned out to be a weapons shop.
"Where am I?"
Zoro landed flat on his back. Looking down, he saw why his backside hurt so much: he had fallen onto a rack of weapons. Dozens of swords lay scattered across the floor, and his eyes lit up. "This is... Where's the owner? Anyone here?"
Zoro did not pick out a weapon. The first thing he did was look for the shopkeeper. He really was one of a kind. Sell One Knife was hiding beneath a table, shaking like a leaf and drenched in sweat. Hearing Zoro call out made him furious. Why are you yelling? If you see one you like, just take it!
"There you are."
Batra chuckled, kicked the shop door to pieces, and strode inside.
He was so tall and broad that the shop seemed cramped the moment he entered. He even blocked the light coming through the doorway.