Clang! Clang! Clang!
By the coast, two master swordsmen clashed fiercely. The ground split apart, the sky churned with swirling clouds, and every strike carried their will and Haki. To the spectators, it felt like towering waves crashing or the wrathful gaze of a demon god. Without a doubt, both Zoro and Smoothie wielded swords with their own "souls," capable of cutting through anything, tangible or intangible.
"Diamond Strength: Immovable!"
Smoothie swung her longsword, and the tiny liquid droplets infused with Haki surrounded her like a misty rain. Ripples spread outward in perfect circles, appearing soft and gentle, yet—
"Three-Sword Style: Extreme Tiger Hunt!"
Shusui, Wado Ichimonji, and Sandai Kitetsu slashed forward, slicing through the liquid veil, sending up shimmering, transparent water curtains. But the moment the blades touched, they twisted and blurred, as if they were mere reflections on the water's surface. Just a bit more, and they could cut through the thin water barrier—yet that small gap felt as distant as the horizon.
"Blending Haki with water… that's impressive."
Hearing Zoro's praise, Smoothie raised an eyebrow.
"Never heard the saying that women are made of water? But my water… is deadly. Take this—"
"Diamond Strength: Invasion!"
In the next instant, Smoothie swung her longsword in a sweeping arc, and a powerful gust erupted. The swirling mist around them surged forward, carried by the storm-like wind, sweeping everything in its path. Within the raging winds was the full force of Smoothie's swordsman-level Armament Haki!
Unlike water, the wind never hesitates, never retreats—it charges forward endlessly, tearing apart anything in its way, free to roam the vast world without restraint.
Slash! The sword strike covered dozens of meters in an instant. The ground beneath them churned like a stormy sea, and countless stones were sent flying, only to be shredded into dust by the invisible but ferocious sword winds.
Whoosh!
The sword energy expanded like a crescent moon, stretching from tens of meters to hundreds, then from hundreds to over a thousand! It seemed as if it would cleave the entire Whole Cake Island in half. Anything in its path—whether it was cake-like buildings or the Homies trees—was instantly bisected. The devastating sword light continued slicing through half the island before finally disappearing into the vast ocean.
That strike… had the power of Mihawk's casual swings at Marineford.
Though Zoro was sent flying by the attack, a deep wound across his chest bleeding profusely, Roman showed no concern—because in Zoro's right eye was a bright, eager, confident, and domineering light.
"Good!"
"Now take one from me—"
"Form without form, emptiness without emptiness. See the stillness, see the void. With one's nature, shape three thousand worlds!"
Zoro, are you seriously chanting a verse in the middle of battle…?
"One-Sword Style: Iai—Black Blade—Death—Lion's Elegy!"
Despite the poetic tone of his words, Zoro's sword was merciless! His figure instantly appeared behind Smoothie, a flash of blade slicing through the air. Even space itself seemed to be torn apart by the attack.
Along the path of Wado Ichimonji's swing, a fusion of killing intent, ghostly aura, and Haki merged into a single devastating slash. It was so overwhelming that it felt like it could split the very world in two, as if slashing through a painted scroll.
Crack—
The raging winds vanished in an instant. The water mist lingering in the air froze in place. Even the drifting clouds seemed to be cut in half. Around Charlotte Smoothie, everything had fallen into eerie stillness.
Splurt.
A burst of blood followed. Smoothie's towering figure lurched forward. Though she managed to stabilize herself with her longsword at the last moment, she was now half-kneeling—clearly out of strength to continue fighting.
"You win," she said from behind Zoro.
Zoro slowly sheathed Wado Ichimonji, shaking his head.
"If you had used your Devil Fruit ability when you wounded me earlier, you might have won."
Smoothie's "Shibo Shibo no Mi" required physical contact to extract liquid. But earlier, when Zoro was struck by her "Mist Blade," his blood had sprayed into the air. If Smoothie had used her ability then, she could have drained a large amount of his blood without even touching him. The battle's outcome might have been different.
"Heh… I'm a swordsman first and foremost."
With her back to Zoro, Smoothie knelt on one knee and slowly closed her left eye.
"If you're not as skilled, you should admit it! Saying things like 'if only this or that' is just an excuse for cowards."
"Is that so? What a shame."
Zoro, his chest covered in blood, walked toward Roman. Even though Roman was only a second-rate doctor, he was more than capable of treating external injuries.
"If you weren't my enemy, I would've liked to have a drink with you."
---
Zoro vs. Charlotte Smoothie:
Zoro wins!
---
"Huff... huff... huff..."
Compared to Zoro's intense and decisive sword fight, Luffy's battle against Charlotte Katakuri seemed repetitive and exhausting. Yet, it was a true test of a man's determination and unbreakable spirit.
"I don't understand why you keep standing up."
Katakuri, also breathing heavily, stared at the battered Luffy in front of him.
"The gap in our strength is obvious. I can see everything—your moves, your abilities, even your words."
Despite saying this, Katakuri wasn't as calm as he seemed. He had noticed that Luffy sometimes dodged attacks in a strange, almost meaningless way—signs that he was starting to see glimpses of the future, just like him.
"Shut up! I haven't lost yet!"
Watching Luffy struggle to his feet, Katakuri let out a sigh.
"Our fight is pointless. 'Mama' is having one of her hunger fits, and she needs your cook and Pudding to help her. Because of that, I won't go too far with you. Even your crew's strategist wouldn't allow things to go beyond this point."
"Look at you. You're already a mess. If you keep going, you'll only embarrass your captain. Just stop now—"
"No!"
Wiping the blood from his mouth, Luffy, covered in wounds, lifted his head.
"I'm the captain! That's exactly why I can't lose!"
"You're strong! And if someone as powerful as you is still under 'Big Mom,' that means she's even stronger..."
Taking a deep breath, Luffy got back into his fighting stance. His face was swollen and bruised, but his eyes never wavered.
"If I can't defeat you, I'll never become the Pirate King. I won't even have the right to talk about protecting my crew!"
"I don't plan things! I don't use a sword! I don't navigate! I don't steer a ship! I don't fire cannons! I don't cook! I don't heal people! I can't read ancient texts! I don't fix ships! And I can't even sing on key...!"
"So if I can't even beat you, what right do I have to be a captain?!"
So that's your way of being a captain… Katakuri stopped talking. The man in front of him had made his will clear.
He stretched out one hand and pressed it lightly against the ground.
"Awakening!"
In an instant, the ground beneath them shifted and writhed. Everything within a few hundred meters turned into mochi, transforming the battlefield into Katakuri's domain.
Then, the mochi began to rise from the ground.
"Peerless Doughnut!"
The mochi took the shape of massive doughnuts, and from within them, countless arms covered in Armament Haki shot out.
"It's not over—"
One, two, three... dozens!
"Awakening: Mochi Barrage!"
Behind Katakuri, countless fists coated in Armament Haki spread out like a peacock's tail. Each one radiated a fierce aura, with a metallic gleam and a faint crimson glow, resembling Netero's Hundred-Type Guanyin from the Hunter Association.
"Then, I'll use this move—?!"
Facing Katakuri, Luffy slowly closed his eyes.
'Even though it's the same Observation Haki, everyone perceives it differently, Luffy.'
'For example, my Observation Haki is more like x-ray vision for scouting, Usopp's is long-range sight for sniping, and Robin's enhances her awareness of surprise attacks...'
'But yours is about sensing people. Even before you had Observation Haki, you could tell at a glance whether someone was compatible with you. So…'
Recalling what Roman had once said, Luffy remained completely calm in the face of Katakuri's full-force attack.
'Luffy, if you focus, you'll be able to see the future!'
'I believe you can do it!'
That was the absolute trust of a comrade. Roman *knew* that Luffy would awaken the ability to foresee the future, but to Luffy, it was absurd.
"Roman, then I'll show you—!"
With his eyes shut, Luffy "saw" the fists behind Katakuri tracing their paths toward him. And then—
In the blink of an eye, before anyone could react, a thousand roaring fists tore through the battlefield, creating a storm of shadows. The deafening blasts merged into a continuous roar!
Luffy was instantly engulfed in a raging torrent of Haki-covered fists, attacking from every direction—above, below, all around him! The Haki coating them surged like an unstoppable tide, leaving no escape.
But—
He could see them! He could see the trajectory of every single fist—
Suddenly, Luffy's figure blurred, splitting into countless afterimages! Katakuri's fists punched through illusion after illusion, but the real Luffy had seemingly vanished from existence.
"So… you've seen the same future as me?"
A loud *clang* echoed across Whole Cake Island as their fists collided, sending black lightning crackling in all directions! The impact tore through the ground, carving deep trenches that spread outward.
*Boom!*
In a flash, Katakuri reacted, raising his mochi-coated arms to block the attack. But—Luffy's fist slipped through a gap and landed squarely on Katakuri's face!
"...I take back what I said."
Katakuri, his face now covered in Armament Haki, glanced at the man whose arm was still extended. He didn't know how Luffy's Observation Haki had suddenly evolved to the level of foresight during the fight, but—
"I apologize for underestimating you. And at the same time—"
"I accept your challenge."
"I won't fall here, because someone believes I can defeat you."
As Luffy retracted his fist, his expression was serious.
"I already answered you."
*Swish—*
*Swish—*
The two figures lunged at each other once more, fists colliding. The battle raged on!
(End of Chapter)
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