Chapter 624: Zoro Surpasses!
The moment Koushirou asked that question, Zoro already had his answer.
If there had been even the smallest chance, if there was any hidden truth, any secret that could justify what was happening, Koushirou would have revealed it now.
But he did not explain anything.
He did not defend himself.
He did not even try.
That silence only meant one thing.
Everything Momonosuke had said was true.
"Koushirou sensei… please."
Zoro's voice was low, strained, like he was forcing the words past a blade lodged in his throat.
"Hand it over."
"I will take you to Ryuunosuke and the others. Maybe then we can…"
"If you are the enemy, then we will deal with you."
Koushirou did not answer with words.
He answered with steel.
His long sword lifted and pointed straight at Zoro's chest.
Zoro's eyes narrowed.
So it really was impossible to take that thing without bloodshed.
"Zoro."
Luffy placed a hand on his shoulder.
His voice was quiet, but it carried weight.
"Let's do this."
"No."
Zoro did not turn back.
"This is my business."
"If you step in, that is you helping as a partner."
"But you cannot stop me from swinging my blades."
He drew both swords, then bit down on Wado Ichimonji.
His jaw tightened.
And he charged.
Koushirou moved just as fast.
Zoro had grown frighteningly quickly these past months.
But the roots of that growth were still Koushirou's teachings.
To Koushirou, Zoro's sword path was familiar. Too familiar.
It was like watching a strike he had seen a thousand times, only sharper.
Even before Zoro lifted an arm, Koushirou could already read the attack that was coming.
"Luffy!"
Sanji's voice cracked with urgency.
"That moss head… something's wrong!"
"Us…"
"That's Zoro's fight."
Luffy cut him off without looking back.
Sanji froze at the determination in Luffy's eyes, then clenched his jaw and stayed put.
Compared to Luffy, Sanji understood Zoro's strength more clearly than anyone.
When they had nothing to lose, they had tried to kill each other more than once.
Luffy's gaze swept the battlefield.
"Clear the way for Zoro."
Then his expression sharpened.
"Let's move."
In an instant, he kicked into Gear Second.
Steam burst from him as he shot forward like a cannonball, crashing straight into the Shimotsuki samurai.
Some were Zoro's old classmates.
Some had been hiding in Wano all along.
It did not matter.
Right now, they were all trying to kill Zoro.
So the Straw Hats did what they always did.
They cleaned the battlefield.
The rest was Zoro's.
"Aren't we going to step in?"
Finks frowned, worry in his voice.
"And what they said… a sacrifice?"
"That kind of thing is cursed. Even the captain and the others could be in danger."
Conrad's eyes stayed steady.
"We still cannot contact the captain."
"But his order to us was to guard this place."
"So we watch first."
"Koushirou's goal is still unclear, and the key pieces have not shown themselves yet."
"If we rush in and erase them, we might make things worse."
Behind him, the Mink Tribe warriors nodded.
Even Inuarashi and Nekomamushi forced down the urge to fight.
"Do not worry."
A voice spoke calmly.
"They are not in danger for now."
Everyone turned.
Ryuunosuke stood there.
No, not the real one.
A clone.
That alone was enough to make the air settle.
Ryuunosuke had left this clone outside before entering the passage.
From the beginning, he had suspected Koushirou was hiding something.
But with Kuina there, he could not say it outright.
So they chose to believe.
That way, Kuina would not be crushed before the truth even surfaced.
Now, the truth had surfaced anyway.
Koushirou really did have other intentions.
"Captain."
Conrad looked at the clone.
Even if it was only a clone, it could contact the real Ryuunosuke at any time.
In a situation like this, it was the same as the captain being present.
"What should we do now?"
"We watch first," the clone said.
"Momonosuke has more secrets than he admits."
"As I said, we will pull every secret into the light first."
There was no one here who could threaten him.
And now that the Straw Hats had already moved, they could handle this part.
The Mink Tribe calmed down.
They kept watch.
They waited.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
Luffy plowed through the remaining samurai, each strike shaking the ground.
Against ordinary pirates, these samurai would have been terrifying.
Against an enraged Luffy, they did not last.
Not with the rest of the Straw Hats backing him.
Even Chopper and Jinbe had the strength to clash head on with monsters like Big Mom.
Before long, only one fight remained.
Zoro versus Koushirou.
And slowly, the ease on Koushirou's face vanished.
Bit by bit, he began to fall behind.
His eyes narrowed as he blocked another strike.
"That was not Isshinryu."
His voice stayed calm, but the weight in it was real.
"It seems your growth has already surpassed the realm of Isshinryu."
Zoro's blades did not stop moving.
His breath was steady.
"What you taught me… was to feel the sword with my heart."
"Isshinryu was the beginning."
"But what comes after is what matters. That is where I forge my own path."
Then his eyes sharpened, and something desperate flashed through.
"Koushirou sensei… please give me the item."
"Kuina cannot die."
"And Luffy's older brother cannot die either."
Zoro still wanted the clean outcome.
If Koushirou handed it over now, Zoro could still try to plead for him in front of Ryuunosuke later.
Koushirou's grip tightened.
"Defeat me."
"Then I will naturally give you what you want."
"But do not underestimate me."
His sword lifted.
An icy blue aura spread across the blade, cold enough to sting the eyes.
"One Heart Flow."
"Reincarnation Flow!"
In the next instant, the sword that had been blocking Zoro seemed to dissolve into wind.
It split and swept from every direction at once, slashing like invisible currents.
Zoro's eyes sharpened.
He did not hesitate.
"Three Sword Style: Great Thousand Worlds!"
There was no time for poetry.
No need for grand speeches.
Not in front of Koushirou.
Their attacks collided and formed a closed sword domain, the air screaming with sharp intent.
The pressure pushed outward in waves.
Then the domain shattered.
Silence dropped like a curtain.
Both men stood still.
Zoro slowly removed Wado Ichimonji from his mouth.
He sheathed it, then the other two.
His face was unreadable.
"Teacher."
"You lost."
Koushirou's eyes widened slightly.
Then a bitter smile tugged at his lips.
"As expected of his son."
"It seems I truly made a mistake."
A burst of blood mist sprayed from his chest.
He staggered.
But his gaze stayed fixed on Zoro, heavy with something that could not be called regret.
"However, Zoro…"
"I am sorry."
Zoro's eyes narrowed.
For a moment, he thought Koushirou was finally going to hand it over.
Then a flash of sword light cut through the air.
Zoro did not dodge.
Not because he could not.
But because he did not want to.
.....
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