Meanwhile, in the lower coastal area, near where the Thousand Sunny was moored.
Slashes crisscrossed the beach, carving deep furrows into the sand. Hard reefs were sliced apart like tofu by the aftermath.
Zoro's fight with Lucci was less a life-and-death struggle than... a one-sided warm-up and diversion.
Zoro certainly had the strength to finish Lucci in short order.
His Three-Sword Style secret techniques, his nascent Conqueror's Coating, and even the more advanced realm of "demonic aura" were all enough to pose a lethal threat to Lucci, who had yet to fully master Conqueror's Haki Coating.
But Zoro's task at the moment was to guard the ship.
Standing watch here alone was rather boring.
Lucci, a capable opponent brimming with killing intent, had delivered himself right to his doorstep.
He was just the thing to help Zoro stretch his muscles and... pass the time.
Thus, Zoro did not go all out.
He used only One Sword Style, occasionally switching to Two-Sword Style, backed by his rock-solid fundamentals.
With superb Observation Haki predictions and precisely measured use of Haki, he kept his strength at around fifty percent as he sparred with Lucci.
Every exchange looked perilous, yet he always evaded or blocked Lucci's lethal attacks by a hair's breadth, while giving his opponent enough pressure and... hope.
Lucci, meanwhile, had fallen into an agitated misapprehension.
Relying on the formidable recovery and combat instincts granted by his Zoan awakening, he minimized the effects of his injuries and wielded his enhanced Six Powers with masterful skill.
He could clearly sense that Zoro's swordplay was not flawless, and every furious assault seemed to push his opponent to the limit.
Yet he was always just that little bit short, unable to truly inflict serious damage.
"Finger Pistol: Yellow Lotus!"
A vicious gleam flashed in Lucci's