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Alabasta North District
"I am a Blade Human who ate the Dice-Dice Fruit, how can you defeat me?" Mr. 1 felt puzzled.
"That's truly pitiful! I've been waiting for such a predicament, and I also want to improve and become even stronger! When I can defeat you, it means I can become a man who can cut steel!" Zoro drew two swords, crossed them in front of him, and said with a confident expression.
"Defeat me? Don't blame me for being a wet blanket, ever since I got this Dice-Dice Fruit, no swordsman has ever harmed me in the slightest. Swordsmen cannot defeat me." Mr. 1 said indifferently.
"That's because you haven't met me!"
"Your words are truly sharp!" Mr. 1's hands transformed into blades and he charged towards Zoro!
Zoro met him with both swords. Instantly, a clang of metal echoed throughout the street! The two fought back and forth.
Suddenly, Zoro kicked Mr. 1 away, then drew wado ichimonji and held it in his mouth, taking an offensive stance!
"Oni Giri!" Zoro and Mr. 1 crossed paths, slashing him. As his body tilted, Zoro jumped up, wielding his sword down, "Extreme Tiger Hunt!"
A cloud of smoke rose, and Zoro's expression hardened, 'No way!' He saw Mr. 1's figure emerge from the dust, completely unharmed!
"I told you." Mr. 1 spread his hands.
"To not even leave a mark is truly a blow! I didn't expect to suffer such a tricky injury... yet you can still stand up!" Zoro's expression was grave, "This is my first time encountering this!"
"Yes! After all, I've never met you before!"
Mr. 1 attacked again, his right leg transforming into a blade and slashing vertically. Zoro resisted with difficulty, falling into a disadvantage!
"Right, this guy is different from other swordsmen; there's no distinction between the blade and the blunt side!" Zoro suddenly realized.
"I was never a swordsman, I'm a killer!" Mr. 1 remained cold, spreading his hands, his palms coming together, "Sparkling Daisy!" He blasted towards Zoro's crossed swords, and the wall behind Zoro was neatly cut through!
Afterward, Mr. 1 increased his strength, blasting Zoro into the ruins!
"I train harder than anyone, and I've stood up from near-death predicaments! What is it that I lack?" Zoro couldn't help but sigh, his thoughts drifting back to Shimotsuki Village!
"Teacher, teacher! I heard there are guys out there who can cut steel and other materials! Is that true?" Little Zoro couldn't help but ask eagerly.
"Hmm, it's true!" Zoro's master, Koshiro, held a sword in his right hand and a piece of paper in his left, "Listen carefully, Zoro, and watch this paper!" Then he flicked the paper out and swung his sword. Strangely, the famous sword, which could cut iron like mud, couldn't cut the small piece of paper!
"Listen carefully, Zoro! In this world, there are swordsmen who can't cut anything, but those swordsmen can cut steel and everything else!" Koshiro sheathed his sword and returned to the wooden house, "The strongest sword is one that protects what you want to protect! And cuts what you want to cut! A sword that hurts everything it touches, in my opinion, isn't a sword! Zoro, do you understand?"
...In reality, Zoro stood up. He lifted a house many times his size.
"Come on, try to cut me!" Mr. 1 folded his arms, "Constantly being cut won't allow you to cut my body!"
"I'm sorry! I'm afraid you won't have the chance to see me cut steel!" Zoro's voice was trembling yet firm, "Because when I cut steel, that's when you're dead!" With that, he threw the house, and a massive shadow enveloped Mr. 1!
"Boring trick, Micro-Dismantle!" Lines like steel wires horizontally crossed the entire house, shattering it!
"I completely don't understand what you mean. Constantly pushing forward is the essence of a swordsman!" Saying this, Zoro charged at Mr. 1 again in his Three Sword Style stance.
The two clashed at extreme speed. At this moment, Zoro seemed to be using all his strength, every slash accurately hitting Mr. 1's body, but his steel-like body left him unharmed!
"Let me warn you, don't take me for a swordsman. I have as many weapons to destroy you as you want!" Countless curved blades appeared on Mr. 1's hands, then rapidly rotated, "Spiral Hollow!" Mr. 1's hands seemed to transform into two sharp drills, attacking Zoro!
Zoro confronted him with his swords, and sparks immediately flew from the blades. Zoro desperately suppressed his weapons from flying out of his hands! But in just a moment, the two swords in Zoro's hands were flung away, and Mr. 1 forcefully slammed the "drills" into Zoro's chest. Instantly, blood splattered, and Zoro was flung away, landing on his chest, while Mr. 1 walked towards him step by step, intending to deliver the final blow!
In an instant, Zoro seemed to see his lifelong goal - Hawkeye.
'Don't turn your back on the enemy!' Zoro struggled to get up, leaning against a stone pillar, as if facing death directly!
"What do you intend to do with your bare hands?" Mr. 1 felt bewildered; as a killer, he could never understand!
And Zoro wouldn't explain anything to someone who wasn't even a swordsman.
Soon, Mr. 1's five fingers formed claws, transforming into blades, and he swung a claw! It cut Zoro, and also cut the stone pillar behind him! Blocks of shattered rock buried Zoro, and everything seemed to be over!
Mr. 1 walked away step by step!
..."You must send Vivi home unharmed!"
"Let's meet at the Alabasta Palace!"
...'Those guys... everyone, are they alright!' Zoro was covered in blood, and he stood up again! And Mr. 1 stopped in his tracks!
He looked back, his eyes wide, as if he had seen something extremely terrifying, "Why? Why can you still stand up! You were cut like that, did all the falling rocks avoid you!"
'I dodged... these stones!' Zoro looked around, there were no stones only around himself, 'No, that's not right, I knew it long ago... there wouldn't be falling rocks! The sword... is under the stones! I understand!'
Zoro pushed aside the giant rock beside him, revealing the great sword beneath - wado ichimonji.
He took the sword in his hand and closed his eyes. 'I've had this feeling before, everything around me is very quiet! But only my own heartbeat is exceptionally clear, is this the so-called near-death predicament? From the falling rocks, I felt a biological-like presence, no, not a presence, but... breathing! It's the breathing of the stones, trees have the breathing of trees, land has the breathing of land! Is that what it's all about?'
'Feeling the breath is the power to cut steel!'
'I can feel that guy's steel-like breath! I can feel the will of the sword!'
Zoro lightly sliced a leaf, and the leaf was unharmed; he lightly sliced a stone, and the stone instantly broke into two halves!
"So, do I possess the power to cut steel!" Zoro pointed his sword at Mr. 1.
"You wouldn't think you can block my moves with just one sword, would you?" Mr. 1 regained his composure.
"It's alright, I won't fall for it again!"
"Have you made up your mind? Then take this!" Mr. 1 rushed towards Zoro!
Zoro sheathed his sword, placed it in front of him, rotated it once, and placed one hand on the hilt, "One Sword Style - Lion's Song!"
"Extreme Micro-Dismantle!"
The two crossed paths, Zoro calmly sheathed his sword, and a wound piercing through his entire body appeared on Mr. 1's chest. Finally, Mr. 1 fell! This is a swordsman, instant kill upon injury!
"Thank you! I can still become stronger." Zoro spoke calmly.
'He actually grew in this battle!' Mr. 1 was shocked, "Next time, are you going to cut diamonds?"
"Wouldn't that be a shame?"
"I lost!" Mr. 1 was completely defeated.
At the same time, Nami also defeated Mr. Doublefinger!
At this moment, Straw Hat achieved a complete victory, and all the Baroque Works executives except Crocodile were annihilated!