Because Victor possessed advanced Observation Haki, he spotted Roronoa Zoro and Ghost Princess Perona in advance.
At this moment, Zoro was locked in battle with the Baboon King.
Victor watched from the shadows. The more he observed, the more he realized how strained Zoro's performance was.
Clearly, Zoro's current strength still had room to grow.
He was far from the level needed to slash through the sky, the earth, and even girls—something he would achieve two years later.
Of course, Zoro's opponent was incredibly formidable.
Though only a baboon, this particular one had modeled its fighting style after the world's greatest swordsman, Hawkeye Mihawk.
Its swordsmanship was undoubtedly top-tier. Even if it hadn't reached the level of a great swordsman, it was close enough to make a difference.
So it wasn't surprising that Zoro couldn't defeat the Baboon King yet.
Sure enough, Zoro fell shortly afterward. The Baboon King celebrated loudly, almost mockingly.
Victor roughly guessed that defeating this baboon was probably one of the first training exercises Mihawk had set for Zoro.
Already injured, Zoro didn't rush to attack again. He simply stared at the Baboon King with deadly intent.
The Baboon King was much stronger than ordinary baboons—but so what? Zoro's determination to grow stronger burned bright. Soon, he would have the strength to defeat even this King!
Just as Zoro was about to pick up his swords, a young man suddenly emerged from the forest.
Zoro immediately went on high alert. He hadn't even noticed the man approaching.
But besides the baboon, shouldn't only he, Mihawk, and Perona be on this island?
Who was this man? Zoro felt he looked familiar, though he couldn't recall where he'd seen him before.
Perona also frowned, puzzled by the young man's appearance. She too felt a sense of recognition. Who was he?
"Roronoa Zoro! Mihawk, you let this baboon practice swordplay with you? This baboon doesn't look that strong!" Victor spoke, trying to grab attention.
Whether he succeeded or not in poaching talent was uncertain, but he took the matter seriously.
"What?! Stop talking nonsense! This baboon is strong, okay?! Who are you? Where did you come from? You idiot! You're more annoying than the idiot chef!" Zoro's voice rang with frustration.
Despite his injuries, he could still speak sharply. The Baboon King was undeniably strong.
The Baboon King seemed to understand Victor's words. Swinging the large knife in his hands—modeled after the Black Knife·Yoru—he pointed it fiercely at Victor.
"You don't believe me? That's easy. I'll show you what true Three Sword Style is! But first, I need to borrow your sword." Victor's lips curled into a sneer.
In the blink of an eye, he disappeared from sight and reappeared with the Wado Ichimonji in hand—the sword Zoro cherished most.
The theft happened so quickly that Zoro couldn't react. His sword at his waist had vanished.
"This guy…"
Veins bulging on his forehead, Zoro's expression turned serious. His hands gripped his remaining two swords tightly.
Over the years, Zoro had faced countless strong opponents—Navy Admiral Kizaru at Sabaody Archipelago, Tyrant Bear, and even Enel on Sky Island—each of whom tested his limits.
This new opponent's speed was outrageous. Zoro even felt it rivaled Enel's.
"Roronoa Zoro! Don't blink for even a moment!"
Victor held Wado Ichimonji in his left hand, Thunderstorm in his right, and the Second Generation Kitetsu in his mouth.
Having mastered the Three-Sword Style at the Great Swordsman level, he wielded it effortlessly.
"Three Sword Style?!" Zoro's eyes widened.
This man was performing the Three-Sword Style stance. Could he also be a practitioner of this technique?
Meanwhile, the Baboon King raised the Pseudo-Black Knife, preparing to strike. Its eyes burned with fury, ready to make this arrogant human pay in blood.
"Roronoa Zoro, watch closely. This is the move you should be practicing: the Three Paths Flow Sword Technique!"
Victor sneered. Thunder coursed through his body and surged into all three swords.
Thunder × Three-Sword Style Secret Technique: Three Thousand Thunders!
Swish! Swish!
Sizzle!
Victor and the Baboon King clashed, their strikes like bolts of lightning tearing through the air.
In recent days, Victor had continuously honed his abilities.
His Three-Sword Style and Thunder Fruit powers had fused perfectly. With the thunder enhancement, each slash doubled in power.
When the storm subsided, Victor tossed Wado Ichimonji back to Zoro. The Baboon King collapsed, unconscious.
"This…" Zoro stared in disbelief.
He had guessed Victor was strong, but not this terrifying. Even just his Three-Sword Style alone outmatched Zoro's.
After all, the Baboon King who could suppress him was defeated in a single blow.
Who was this man? He looked so familiar…
"Hey! You! You can't be…!?" Perona, floating nearby,
was no longer calm. The thunder had reminded her—she had seen this man in a newspaper days ago. While his deeds weren't detailed, she remembered correctly:
The newspapers declared that this man had a bounty of 2.1 billion!
"You are Thunder God Victor!!!"
"Keep a low profile. Honestly, I don't like this code name much," Victor said, waving at the Perona. The girl in her lolita dress had a very troublesome ability.
"Thunder God Victor? Who's that!?" Zoro still couldn't recall. He'd only glanced at the newspaper, focusing mostly on Luffy.
"Oh! You directionally challenged idiot! Thunder God Victor—the man who, along with your Straw Hat Captain, wreaked havoc at Marineford. The man with a bounty of 2.1 billion!!"
Perona glared at Zoro in frustration.
"…2.1 billion?!" Zoro felt as if he'd been hit by ten thousand critical strikes.
Though close in age, the bounty gap was massive. He only had 120 million…
Forget it, he thought. At least I'm taller than the idiot chef.
[Ding, select trigger.]
[Option 1: Order Princess Mononoke Perona to go back and ask Mihawk to come here. Reward: Passive Immunity! (Skill!)]
[Option 2: Wait with Roronoa Zoro and Perona for Mihawk to arrive. Reward: Fasting! (Skill)]
Victor's commotion ensured that Mihawk, the world's greatest swordsman, would notice.
He chose Option 1—better to restrain Perona temporarily than to risk fasting. After all, the pirate world had too many delicious foods to miss.
"Hey! Miss Ghost, go call Mihawk. This is an order! This is an order!"