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Chapter 16: Zoro Has a Fire Burning Inside Him
1,230 Words
At that same moment.
The two ranking officers of the Buggy Pirates were nearly scared out of their wits by the sight.
One second, their companions were full of vigor. The next, they were turned into ice sculptures right before their eyes.
What had happened?
Could it be that Admiral Aokiji himself had arrived?
"It's… it's the 'Frost Arrow,' that woman with the pirate hunter. It must have been her!"
In the end, it was Cabaji, the chief of staff, who reacted first.
His gaze swept the area and locked onto a figure shrouded in cold mist.
The distance was too great and the frost too thick. They could only vaguely make out an attractive female silhouette. The person held a bow, aimed directly at them from afar.
Judging by her figure, she was definitely a rare beauty. It was just a pity she was a bit short, which didn't quite fit his criteria for a partner.
No! This wasn't the time to think about that!
Cabaji slapped himself hard, staring intently at the figure with a serious expression.
"Roronoa! Do you intend to win by using your numbers?"
"You didn't say that when dozens of your men were attacking me just now."
Zoro scoffed, glancing at the frozen pirates around him. A hint of shock flashed in his own eyes.
This woman's strength. Every time she made a move, she shattered his understanding of her abilities.
Since that's the case, I can't let her show me up.
"Don't worry," Zoro said, "she won't interfere with the fight between you and me."
He lowered his eyes slightly, a smile that could scare a child to tears appearing on his lips.
As he spoke, he tightened his grip on the hilt of the sword in his mouth, crossing the blades in his hands before his chest. The cold steel pointed directly at Cabaji.
Cabaji shuddered. A chilling killing intent, even more biting than the surrounding frost, washed over him.
This is…
"Three-Sword Style: Demon Slash!"
Whoosh!
The blades flashed, lightning-quick, and were gone.
By the time Cabaji processed what had happened, three lines of blood erupted across his chest.
"So… fast…"
He stared blankly, managing only those two words before collapsing in despair.
He hadn't even used his full strength; many of his bizarre circus-acrobat techniques remained unleashed.
However, Zoro, provoked by a certain woman, had just used what was arguably his strongest finishing move at this stage.
Zoro sheathed his swords, glanced at Luffy still fighting the lion, and smirked. He silently turned and sped away.
He was going to find Buggy the Clown, who had yet to show himself.
"Oh no! We can't let Zoro get there first!"
Seeing this, Luffy grew anxious.
Whoever defeated Buggy first would become the captain. That was the agreement he'd made with Zoro.
Ganyu was the witness to their contest.
He had to win Zoro's approval, and he couldn't betray Ganyu's trust.
"Alright, I'm getting serious now!"
Luffy slammed his fists together, his eyes becoming more focused than ever.
"Huh?"
Richie tilted his head, revealing a human-like confusion.
Looking at the human swinging his arms, the lion inexplicably trembled.
"Richie, what's wrong?"
Mohji, the beast tamer sitting atop him, noticed something was wrong and was about to check on his pet.
Just then, a whistling sound that seemed to tear the air suddenly approached.
"Gomu Gomu no… Pistol!"
A long arm stretched out like a snake and struck the lion's cheek hard.
AWOOO!
Richie's face distorted from the impact, and his massive body gradually rose off the ground.
"What…!"
As Mohji watched the ground recede further and further, his expression turned to terror.
It was useless.
A few seconds later, he and his pet lion transformed into a twinkling star in the sky, disappearing over the horizon.
"Zoro! Wait for me!"
Luffy retracted his fist, ignoring the shooting star, and turned to rush in the direction Zoro had gone.
Seeing that the two had left, Ganyu looked at Nami and said, "Let's go. We'll follow them."
"Huh? Where to?" Nami was still in shock and didn't react.
Ganyu's eyes curved into crescent moons, and she rubbed her hands together excitedly. "To raid the Buggy Pirates' treasure vault, of course!"
Upon hearing this, Nami's eyes lit up instantly.
This was trouble. It was an invitation she couldn't possibly refuse.
...
Inside a spacious tent.
A man with a red nose, dressed like a circus clown, sat listlessly in a chair, twirling a small knife between his fingers.
He was none other than Buggy the Clown, captain of the Buggy Pirates.
Just ten minutes earlier, a thief hiding on his ship had stolen his treasured sea charts.
Since arriving in the East Blue, Buggy had never suffered such a loss. Enraged, he dispatched nearly all of his elite subordinates, determined to capture the audacious thief.
Strangely, as time passed, not only did the thief disappear, but none of his men returned either.
"Damn it! Where did those bastards go slacking off?!"
Buggy's face darkened. He slammed the hand that had been playing with the knife heavily onto the table.
"Hiss…" Buggy's expression changed as pain shot through his palm, and he almost cried out in front of his remaining men.
It took a moment to recover.
He beckoned to the few men left.
"Go! Bring Cabaji and Mohji back to me, you bastards!"
"Yes, sir!"
The subordinates rushed out of the tent.
However, as soon as they stepped out, they were sent flying back in at an even faster speed. Each bore a knife wound as they fell awkwardly onto the carpet.
Buggy narrowed his eyes, reached for a small knife on the table, and said, "Which blind fool dares to trespass on my territory?"
Ta-da.
The sound of steady footsteps grew louder. A long sword lifted the curtain, and a green-haired man carrying three swords came into Buggy's view.
Upon seeing him, the green-haired man revealed a sinister smile, as if spotting prey.
"I'm here to defeat you, Buggy the Clown."
Buggy flew into a rage. "What?! You're saying my nose is red?!"
"Huh? When did I say anything like that?" Zoro was taken aback, but then he was actually drawn to look at Buggy's nose.
"But your nose is indeed red. And quite large."
Upon hearing this, the air inside the tent suddenly froze.
"It's over… it's all over! He actually dared to talk about Lord Buggy's nose…"
Several of Buggy's men cast pitying glances at Zoro, as if they had already foreseen his fate.
As everyone knew, Buggy's biggest pet peeve was people talking about his nose.
"You… you dare say my nose is big and red…"
Buggy was trembling with rage, trying to curse Zoro incoherently.
But at this time.
With a sizzle, Zoro drew his sword as if no one else was around.
"Enough with the nonsense. Prepare to eat dirt."
He could already hear footsteps approaching outside; Luffy was coming.
He had to take care of this red-nosed guy before Luffy got here.
To be honest, he wasn't actually that obsessed with vying for the captain's position.
The reason he insisted on challenging Luffy was because he harbored a burning desire for revenge.
And this fire was inextricably linked to a certain woman.