"Forbidden?"
Zoro glanced at the Royal Palace behind Lily, smirked, "I see, you must have set some trap here, made me search for so long!"
Lily shook her head, "No traps. I don't know why you've been wandering here for so long. If you really wanted to go to the palace, you should have arrived by now."
After she left the palace, she brought a few followers nearby to rummage while she herself stood on the rooftop, gazing at the distant battle of Sage.
And then she saw in the alleys, where King's Army and Rebel Army were fighting, a Green Algae Head suddenly appeared, running around chaotically.
Lily couldn't even tell where his destination was, because this chaotic movement seemed to draw one circle after another, spiraling until reaching her street...
"I just didn't know the way, okay? Who made these streets so hard to navigate!" Zoro's forehead popped a vein.
Didn't know the way...
Lily twitched her lips, "Lost to such a degree, huh?"
"That's not important!"
Zoro looked towards the Royal Palace behind Lily and said, "Behind you is the Royal Palace, right? I just need to go through here to get there."
"Generally, that's the case."
Lily nodded, "But as I said, it's forbidden."
Zoro drew the two swords from his waist, grinning, "I see now, you're going to stop me? You seem like a good swordsman, but you'd better move aside. I'm not like that love-cook; even if you're a woman, I'll cut you."
Though he didn't quite understand why this woman wouldn't let him into the palace, it didn't matter...
Defeat her and he'll get through!
Snap.
Lily directly grasped the sword handle with her right hand, drawing the shiny blade with a snap.
For such obviously stubborn men, words are useless.
The most effective way to stop someone is not persuasion, but to take them down directly.
The sword at the waist is not meant for decoration.
The rapier blade, only two fingers wide, glinted dazzlingly under the sun, looking like bright lightning in the daylight.
Zoro squinted his eyes slightly, "Rapier? Looks like a good sword..."
Lily held the rapier upright before her, her gaze gradually coldening with the sword's gleam, said calmly, "Sword's name is 'White Thunder,' one of the Fifty Skillful Grade Blades. Besides, women..."
Whoosh!
In the blink of an eye, Lily vanished from her spot, the rapier's gleam resounding through the air like thunder.
The extreme speed surprised Zoro, his pupils tightened, instinctively raising his two swords.
Clang!
The tip of White Thunder struck the exact center of the crossed swords, the impact from the rapid advance forced him to retreat half a step.
He forcefully deflected the rapier, about to slash down with his two swords, when he suddenly heard a 'sizzle,' stunned, as the chilly gleam appeared from the chest area to the waist, bringing forth a splash of blood.
Pained, Zoro clenched his teeth, fiercely slashing down with the two swords.
Whoosh!
The sharp blades cleaved through the air, but the chilling gleam in front had already withdrawn.
Lily stood on the ground, letting White Thunder's blade hang down, allowing the blood on the rapier to drip, continued the unfinished sentence, "Can also be very strong."
Too fast for defense!
Zoro looked down at the blood stain spreading from the midsection, said grimly, "Fast sword?"
"Yes, compared to men, women are weaker in stamina and strength. Under the same training, they ultimately can't surpass, but that doesn't mean there aren't other means. Displaying power isn't always about strength..."
Lily said, "Speed is also a kind of power. Swordsman, this is a duel of real swords, a fight to the death, don't underestimate because she's a woman."
Whoosh!
As soon as she finished speaking, Lily thrust the rapier straight, transforming into a phantom, the chill of the sword gleam pierced forward.
Zoro held Yubashiri in reverse with his right hand, spreading Kitetsu III horizontally with the left, "Dual-Sword Style: Second Slash!"
When it comes to fast swords, he knows it too; this stance of 'Second Slash' is a rapid strike.
Clang!
Yubashiri, held in reverse, parried the incoming rapid lightning, White Thunder's rapier blade stabbing onto Yubashiri's edge, pushing the light back, also catching the sword-wielding figure of Lily behind.
Snap!
In the instant of parrying, Zoro swiftly shifted Yubashiri downwards, the blade scraping the middle of White Thunder, lifting up while the body lowered, Kitetsu III on the left hand slashed horizontally at the opened Lily.
The speed of wielding the sword was no slower than Lily's thrust!
Whoosh!
But this slash ultimately missed, when Kitetsu III drew near, Lily's steps twisted away, her figure turning into a phantom, letting the sharp blade slash thin air.
"I'll catch up to you!"
But just as Lily disappeared, Zoro stomped the ground, carrying tremendous force that shot his body straight ahead, pursuing the retreating figure, slashing horizontally with the two swords.
"Second Slash: Flash!"
"Lightning Waltz."
As the sharp blades were about to hit that figure, it suddenly flickered, its sword gleam leading the body to disappear, presenting a chaotic lightning bolt, dodging the twin sword attack and further driving the bolt toward Zoro's chest.
Zoro instinctively defended, but as the blades were about to approach the bolt, he suddenly sensed something, flipping the blade forward, using the back of the sword to catch the thrusting rapier.
Clank!
The backs of the swords sparked, the chill further drilled through, piercing into his chest, splattering a blood flower.
"Hah!!"
Zoro shouted, swinging his arms forcefully, flicking the rapier blade forward, counter-slashing toward Lily.
Whoosh!
Chilling light rose again, rapidly dotting two blood flowers on Zoro, flashed past the sword strike like thunder, the bolt darting to Zoro's side and halting, revealing Lily's figure.
She flicked off the blood at the sword tip, "Is that all?"
Zoro stood still, glanced down at the bleeding wound on his chest, and then looked at Yubashiri.
It wasn't out of mercy that he used the back of his sword earlier. He sensed danger; using the blade might have...
"Split it."
There was a clear crack on the back of Yubashiri's blade, extending to the junction of the blade and the spine.
"This sword, according to the shop owner in Logue Town, is one of the Fifty Skillful Grade Blades, just like your sword..."
As a famed sword, although each is crafted differently, the hardness and sharpness are not what ordinary steel can compare to. Zoro could easily cut through poorly-made iron blades with time.
But faced with better steel, Zoro couldn't cut it, let alone a sword of this caliber. Clearly, it was split open with one slash, not just a mere cut...
Zoro turned to Lily and asked in a deep voice, "Have you mastered 'Iron Cutting'?"
Was what Koushirou meant by cutting through nothing yet cutting through everything referring to this?
"Quick reaction."
Lily nodded in acknowledgment and said, "If I had used the blade to block, your sword might have been unusable."
Iron Cutting is not Haki.
Sage said it wasn't the perceptive Observation or the power-enhancing Armament. It's akin to Life Return, a realm for those who practice body techniques, belonging to a swordsman's domain.
Sensing the Breath of All Things allows one to find weaknesses and pierce through with a sword.
For women who are not physically strong, becoming stronger sometimes requires a different path.
Besides training, Lily also meditates daily as suggested by Sage, striving to enhance her Breath of All Things, though the results are not yet significant.
Otherwise, she should be able to cut through even a sword of the same grade by striking the spine.
"You're really strong, woman..."
Zoro's eyes burst with a peculiar brilliance. He tore the cloth from his arm and tied it around his head.
He drew the white blade at his waist and said, "This sword is called 'Wado Ichimonji.' The shop owner in Logue Town said it's one of the Twenty-one Great Grade Blades."
Clenching the hilt in his teeth, his gaze under the green bandana turned fierce and fiery, grinning with bared teeth.
"Three swords..."
Lily was slightly taken aback, "You're an unusual swordsman, you seem quite happy. Do you think you've already won?"
Zoro crossed his hands, positioning the two swords vertically at his sides, with Wado Ichimonji horizontally crossing them, forming a cross-shaped stance as he said solemnly:
"I've just discovered a possibility, that's all! You're an incredibly strong swordsman, and I will fight you with all my strength. Don't die on me!"
What Kuina said wasn't entirely true!
There's a formidable opponent before him, showcasing a different path for a swordsman!
As long as he survives this all-out fight!
Then he can tell Kuina after his sailing journey ends. Besides the World's Number One Great Sword Master, there are also other challenging female swordsmen on the seas.
"Seems confident, your aura's impressive."
Lily gripped her sword tightly, "Fine, I'll crush that aura of yours!"
Swoosh!
Like a flash of lightning, Lily's figure blurred and vanished, leaving only a gleam of her blade in space, and instantly advanced towards Zoro.
"Sky-breaking Slash!"
"Three-Sword Style..."
Zoro bent forward slightly, eyes fixed intently on the approaching blade glow. With a sudden motion, his two crossed swords, along with the third held in his mouth, swung forward fiercely.
One stroke to attack, one to block, and one to deter any escape.
Like a demon from hell that can freely seize anyone!
"Demon! Slash!"
Zoro shouted, the intersecting blade glows from his three swords surged towards the lightning, eyes filled with a do-or-die spirit.
He couldn't match the speed, but as a swordsman, matching speed isn't always necessary for countering opponents.
Trade injury for injury, just seize the opponent!
The rapidly advancing Lily noticed the cleverness of the move. With her speed, as long as she didn't get close to those three swords, she could find another opportunity.
But Lily had no intention of doing that!
As a swordsman, how could she lack the courage to face a challenge?
Dodging once might be easy, twice too, but would she dodge every challenge?
Then what's the point of being Sage's Navigator!
Not to mention, the green-haired swordsman's eyes clearly held ridicule.
He dared to charge ahead relentlessly...
Do you?
"Who do you think I am?!"
Lily's pupils narrowed, shouted, "Just a pincer attack, break through it with a piercing strike!"
The surging sword light at that moment brightened considerably, transforming into a roaring thunderbolt, charging straight at the blade glow blockaded by the three swords.
Boom!!
The pitch-black Flowing Fire Haki shockwave clashed with the column entwined with smoke and fire. After a brief stalemate, the entwined column showed a lack of strength, was repelled by the Haki shockwave, causing a loud explosion and scattering dense smoke and flames around.
Smoker and Ace, working together, suddenly dispersed left and right, evading the approaching Haki shockwave, letting it transform into a dark meteor flying skywards.
Did the Haki offensive stop?
Swoosh!
Just as this thought emerged, a massive figure swiftly emerged from the smoke and flames, leaping to the center of the two.
"Hohohohoho!"
On that ferocious body was Sage's face, laughing wildly, hands wide open, aiming to grasp their heads!