As he spoke.
Zoro tightened his grip on his sword, the flames in his eyes burning even fiercer. Then Gawain's teasing voice suddenly reached his ears.
"You're still a long way off!"
The next instant, a palm pressed against Zoro's chest.
With a light push.
Already at the edge of the deck, Zoro immediately lost his balance. Flailing his two swords, he fell into the sea.
Splash!
A spray of water rose from the surface.
"Ha ha ha ha~"
Nami could not help letting out a string of silvery laughter as she nimbly tossed a life preserver down from the deck.
"Bastard!"
Zoro clung tightly to the life preserver, soaked from head to toe. Looking at Gawain's smiling face on the deck, he ground his teeth in fury.
"Just you wait!"
"One day, I'll throw you into the sea!"
Gawain's expression did not change as he said blandly,
"If you say so, then I'd better get my kicks in early. Otherwise, I'd be letting my future self down."
"Though I've never thought you could beat me in the first place."
Get his kicks in early?
Zoro froze, a sense of foreboding suddenly rising in his heart.
A few minutes later.
Zoro struggled back aboard the ship and eagerly headed toward Gawain, intending to continue their fight. But his legs suddenly gave out beneath him.
Only when he looked down did he realize that the wound across his chest and abdomen had somehow split open again. Blood had soaked through the bandages, and the seawater stung so badly that he bared his teeth.
"If you're injured, don't force yourself. Heal up first."
Gawain's voice came from the deck.
"It'll take another ten days or so to reach my base. With your physique, you'll recover completely in three days at most.