"How disappointing."
Zoro frowned as he looked at the fallen, demonic version of himself.
"Have you completely fallen into the Asura path because of the enemy's influence? Slaughter is only a means, not the goal. Yet you became obsessed with it, controlled by it, reduced to nothing more than a blade of killing."
The figure before him was none other than Zoro himself.
A fragment of his soul, separated within the dreamscape created by Admiral Verglas.
The Zoro standing here now, the one who had just slain the Sound Devil, was incomplete. Only half of his soul stood here, drawn into Shirogai's dreamscape.
Perhaps no one except Shirogai truly understood how powerful this version of Zoro had become.
With only half his soul, he had cut down a devil that had destroyed countless islands and kingdoms.
"Then I will face you."
Zoro spoke quietly, then turned toward Usopp and Chopper, who were still stunned after witnessing everything.
"You two stay here. Don't move."
His tone was casual, like he was stepping away for something trivial.
"Huh?" Before they could react, Zoro leaped forward, descending like lightning into the dark nightmare below.
"As the future world's greatest swordsman, how could I ever be controlled by slaughter?"
Boom.
He landed heavily within the nightmare world.
"I will remember this humiliation. Imu… I will repay it."
Zoro raised his head, locking eyes with his crazed counterpart standing atop a mountain of corpses.
"It's time to wake you up, idiot."
Even when facing himself, Zoro showed no mercy.
Inside the nightmare world…
"Kill!!!"
"Everyone must die!"
"Only slaughter can save everything!"
The demonic Zoro had long lost himself. His mind was drowned in endless killing intent, his memories and bonds reduced to nothing.
"Kill!!!"
The moment he saw Zoro, he did not hesitate.
He vanished.
A violent, blood-soaked wind rushed forward as a crimson slash tore through the air.
Boom!
The impact echoed across the entire world.
Scarlet fragments scattered like rain, the shattered remnants of the attack.
"Is that all?"
Zoro casually swung Wado Ichimonji, his gaze filled with disdain.
"Trash. Is this all you've become after losing yourself?"
The demonic Zoro roared in fury, his aura exploding outward, painting the world in red.
Another, more violent slash surged forward.
"Three-Sword Style: Demon, Slaughter Slash!"
A monstrous, crimson figure formed in the air, three heads and six arms wielding blood-soaked blades as it charged forward.
"It has form, but no substance."
Zoro shook his head.
"The path of slaughter is only a fragment of the Asura path. Obsession with killing means you've already lost your way."
His thoughts drifted back to the dream Shirogai had created for him.
In that world, he had not been strong.
He had been weak. Frail. Barely able to stand, his body fragile and unreliable.
Yet even then, he chose the sword.
A weak swordsman, overlooked by all, who struggled just to lift his blade.
And still, he rose.
Against all expectations, that version of Zoro became a great swordsman.
A master of a state known as Still Water.
Even when facing enemies far stronger than himself, his mind remained undisturbed, allowing him to see through flaws and strike at the perfect moment.
"To have no desire, no demand… that is the path to victory."
That realization stayed with him.
"In the past, I relied on pain, endurance, and slaughter to touch the Asura path, but it was shallow."
Zoro looked at his distorted self.
"Idiot. A swordsman controlled by his blade is nothing but a joke."
A faint white light flickered.
Zoro moved.
He calmly blocked several incoming strikes, then slowly sheathed Wado Ichimonji.
"One-Sword Style Iai… Still Water… Soul-Crossing Autumn."
In an instant, the blood-red world transformed.
A calm, clear surface replaced the chaos.
A single leaf, half green and half yellow, drifted gently from the sky, landing upon still water.
Ding.
The soft ripple spread outward.
Then everything shattered.
"Aaaaah!"
The demonic Zoro screamed as his body twisted violently.
Blood erupted from countless points across his body.
Pfft. Pfft. Pfft.
Invisible slashes tore through him, slicing him apart in an instant.
His form shattered completely.
===
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