On the main battlefield.
"Hmph, Roronoa Zoro. I'll take your head and make a name for myself across the four seas!" Cabaji rode his unicycle, spinning his long blade through the air until it flashed with a cold light.
He charged at Zoro with a look of manic arrogance. "Become the stepping stone for my climb to the peak!"
"A unicycle! So cool!" Standing behind them, Luffy's eyes instantly turned into stars, completely missing the point of the life-and-death struggle.
Zoro only let out a cold laugh. He slowly drew his three blades, settling into his classic Three-Sword Style stance.
"Luffy! Viktor! Stay out of a swordsman's duel!" Zoro barked, the Wado Ichimonji clamped firmly between his teeth. His voice was muffled but brimming with confidence. "I'll handle this circus freak in no time."
"Okay!" Luffy nodded obediently. Then, as if remembering something, he looked left and right. "Huh? Where's Viktor? He was right here a second ago."
"Arrogant Pirate Hunter!"
In the center of the battlefield, Cabaji saw Zoro's dismissal and laughed in fury. He pedaled his unicycle with a burst of strength, launching himself into the air and slicing down toward Zoro's face. "Acrobatics: Steam Murder Case!"
Despite the name, there was no steam—just a desperate downward strike.
CLANG!
Zoro didn't even shift his feet. He blocked the strike effortlessly with a single blade. If this were the original timeline where Buggy had stabbed him in the side, he might have struggled. But now? He was at full health and peak condition.
"This is the skill you're using to make a name for yourself?" Zoro mocked.
Cabaji clicked his tongue, shocked by the sheer physical power of his opponent. He hopped back on his wheel, eyes turning cold. "Don't be in such a hurry! The real show is coming! Acrobatics: Fire-Breathing Father!"
Cabaji inhaled deeply and spat a massive plume of fire at Zoro. WHOOSH!
Zoro stared at the flames, but all he could think about was Viktor's massive fireball from earlier. "Tch." He let out a disdainful snort and swung his blade casually. The sheer wind pressure from the slash split the flames apart. "Compared to Viktor's fire, this is just a pathetic little matchstick flame!"
"What?!" Cabaji's brow furrowed.
"If that's the case... try this! Heatwave Murder Case!" He swung his blade wildly, kicking up a massive cloud of dust from the ground, creating a thick fog that obscured all vision.
"Is this even an acrobatics trick? You're just throwing sand in my eyes," Zoro grumbled. He closed his eyes, focusing his hearing to pinpoint the enemy's location.
Just as Cabaji lunged through the dust with a cruel grin, aiming for Zoro's heart—
SHINK!
Zoro didn't even open his eyes. He performed a reverse-grip slash, precisely carving a line across Cabaji's abdomen.
"AH!" Cabaji recoiled in horror, clutching his bleeding stomach, his face pale with disbelief.
Zoro slowly flicked the blood from his blade, his gaze as terrifying as a demon's. "What's wrong, circus monkey? Can't finish the act?"
"Go for it, Zoro!!" Luffy cheered from the back.
"Curse you..." Cold sweat dripped down Cabaji's face from the pain.
At that moment, Buggy couldn't sit still any longer. "Cabaji! I'll hold him, you use your strongest technique to kill him!!" Buggy roared. His hands detached from his body and flew low across the ground, aiming to lock onto Zoro's limbs.
However.
STOMP!
Just before the hands reached Zoro, a straw sandal slammed down, pinning Buggy's hands firmly into the dirt.
"OW OW OW!!!" Buggy shrieked in pain.
Luffy looked down at Buggy's hands, his face expressionless. "Don't interfere with Zoro's fight, you guy."
Zoro glanced back and smirked. "Thanks, Luffy."
Meanwhile, deep within the ruins of the Buggy Pirates' base.
Nami had exerted every ounce of her strength to pry away a collapsed wall, finally revealing the treasure vault. She looked at the wooden door secured by a massive iron lock and flashed a devious, little-demon smile.
"While those idiots are busy fighting, I'll take the treasure and the sea charts and vanish!" Nami picked up a thick wooden beam and slammed it against the weakened lock.
CRACK!
The lock, already damaged by the earlier explosions, snapped. Nami dropped the beam and pushed the door open, creeping inside. She lit an oil lamp on the wall, and the sight before her made her heart stop.
Gold coins, gems, pearls... piled like mountains! The treasures shimmered enticingly under the dim light.
"Whoa...!!" Nami's eyes literally turned into Berry symbols. She dove into the pile of gold, rolling around in pure bliss. "There's so much! I'm rich! This is all mine!"
"Hey! Woman, what are you doing!!" A coarse voice shattered Nami's dream.
"Hehe, a little mouse crawled into the warehouse!" "Hah? A thief? Trying to steal Captain Buggy's treasure?"
Nami froze. She turned her head mechanically to see six leering pirates blocking the entrance. They held glistening blades, their eyes greedy as they stared at her.
"Crap... I got careless!" Nami's heart pounded. She gripped her wooden staff, cold sweat sliding down her forehead. Six people... I can't take them all...
"Heh, she's a pretty little thing. Why don't you stay and keep us company?" the lead pirate sneered, licking his lips.
Just as Nami prepared for a desperate struggle—
"Yo. Seems lively in here." A clear, amused voice rang out from the doorway.
Nami looked up, a spark of joy exploding in her eyes. "Viktor!!"
Viktor was leaning against the doorframe, hands behind his back. His dark eyes looked exceptionally deep in the lamplight.
The six pirates spun around. "What? Trying to be a hero, pretty boy?" One pirate raised his blade to strike. "Die—"
BOOM!
Before he could finish, he was sent flying like a cannonball, slamming into the wall and losing consciousness instantly. Viktor slowly retracted his right leg, that same harmless smile still on his face.
"When did he?!" The remaining pirates were horrified.
"KILL HIM!!"
"One," Viktor whispered the count.
His eyes bled into a deep crimson, the single tomoe spinning wildly. Facing the incoming blades, he didn't retreat.
He ducked low with an almost disjointed grace, avoiding the swings. He followed up with a sweeping leg kick, sending a pirate airborne. Mid-motion, Viktor caught the man's falling blade and thrust it backward.
Puchi. The blade pierced through a pirate's chest.
"Two."
Viktor pulled the blood-stained blade out and parried a side-swipe with a casual flick. From behind him, another pirate roared, charging with a raised sword. "GO TO HELL!!"
"Behind you!!" Nami screamed.
Viktor didn't even turn around. He simply tilted his head slightly, and his scarlet Sharingan locked onto the attacker's gaze.
"Genjutsu: Hell Viewing Technique."
The attacker froze instantly, his pupils dilating as he witnessed something unimaginably horrific. His sword clattered to the floor. Viktor took the opportunity to deliver a savage kick to the groin of the pirate he was currently parrying.
Crr-ack. A sickening sound of shattering "eggs."
"AUGH—!" The man collapsed, clutching his crotch, his face turning purple. Viktor followed up with a quick thrust to end his misery. Then, using the momentum of his turn, his blade traced a perfect arc across the throat of the pirate caught in the Genjutsu.
Squelch—Thud. A head hit the floor.
"Three, four."
The remaining two pirates—one tall and one short—were paralyzed with fear. They looked at the bodies, then at the red-eyed youth who was counting as he killed. Their spirits broke.
"Demon... he's a demon!!" "You're a monster!!"
The two screamed, dropped their weapons, and bolted for the exit. Viktor didn't chase. He weighed the captured blade in his hand and threw it like a javelin, piercing one man through the back. Simultaneously, his left hand flicked a kunai like a black bolt of lightning, burying it in the back of the other's head.
Thud! Thud!
The battle was over in less than ten seconds.
Viktor brushed the dust off his hands, stepped over the corpses, and walked toward Nami with a smile. Nami sat paralyzed on the gold coins, swallowing hard.
Although he had just saved her, the cold efficiency with which he killed made her soul tremble. This man... is terrifyingly strong!
As Viktor approached, Nami took a deep breath and forced a smile, reaching out her hand. "Viktor... th-thank you..."
However.
Viktor didn't even glance at her hand. He smiled and walked right past her.
Nami: "???"
Viktor produced a massive burlap sack from seemingly nowhere. He knelt in front of the gold and began frantically shoveling treasure inside.
"Hmm... this gold chalice looks good. Valuable. This pearl necklace? I'll take it. Oh, is this a crown? Nice..."
Nami's hand hung frozen in mid-air. Her expression shifted from touched, to blank, to pure fury.
"VIKTOR!!!" Nami roared. "That's my treasure!! And also! Are you here to save me or not?! Can't you be a little more of a gentleman?!"
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