Two Young Swordsmen Reach the Realm of Cutting Steel

Just as Zoro's blade was about to touch his skin, Big Bear King's thick arm changed color. Flesh turned dull steel-gray, and a dark red glow spread across its surface like a block of iron fresh from the furnace.

Clang!

The deafening crash of metal on metal made Zoro's eardrums ache. His sword felt as though it had struck a mountain, not flesh.

A terrifying shock raced up the blade and into his arm. The web of his hand split open, and blood instantly stained the hilt red.

He was hurled backward. He flipped twice in the air before barely managing to land, then staggered several steps before finding his footing.

"So hard..."

Zoro shook out his numb arm and looked at his sword. Fine cracks had appeared in the layer of Armament Haki coating its edge. He had only just awakened Armament Haki; it was not yet strong enough to cut steel.

Kuina did not attack head-on like Zoro. She moved as lightly as a cat, her footsteps almost soundless against the ground.

While Big Bear King's attention remained on Zoro, she slipped around to his side and thrust Wado Ichimonji beneath his ribs at a precise angle.

"Too naive, little girl."

Big Bear King's entire side turned to steel in an instant. Metallic patterns and a faint heat shimmer appeared across his skin.

Kuina's sword tip struck his steel skin with a shrill scrape. It did not leave so much as a scratch.

She immediately pulled back. Almost the moment she retreated, Big Bear King's arm swept across where she had stood.

His fist drove a wave of scorching air past Kuina's cheek, leaving a real burning sensation. A few severed strands of hair drifted to the ground.

The four officers closed in as well.

Joker fired dozens