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Chapter 58: Turning the Tide
At this critical moment, Zoro was forced to draw his third sword, Wado Ichimonji, and put it in his mouth. At the same time, he swung all three swords to meet Smoker's attacking weapon, the jitte.
Bang!
The hasty block was clearly no match for Smoker's attack, which was launched using his special ability. His body plummeted, and his back slammed heavily onto the ground, coughing up a mouthful of blood.
But almost at the instant he landed, Zoro endured the sharp pain in his back, swallowed the blood, and rolled over to stand up.
"Three-Sword Style: Dragon Twister!"
The three swords rotated along his body, the pressure from the blades forming an airflow, which condensed into an upward-rising tornado.
The tornado shot straight up, rolling up a cloud of white smoke that had appeared out of nowhere, like a winding snake!
However.
The smoke, which had been shattered by the wind blades, instantly re-condensed and compressed, turning into dozens of slender, resilient white ropes, like a spider's web, entangling Zoro and binding him completely.
"What the hell is this?!"
Zoro's pupils suddenly dilated. He naturally wouldn't just sit and wait. He violently exerted all his strength, his muscles bulging, trying to break free from the restraints.
Even as he strained with all his might, his face turning purple and his veins bulging, he couldn't break free from the white ropes binding his body at all. Instead, the ropes tightened.
Boom!
It was at this moment...
A wisp of white smoke silently appeared a meter away from Zoro, condensed into half of Smoker's face, and then quickly revealed his entire body.
"Roronoa, it ends here!"
His eyes were cold, and his tall figure was like a mountain, completely enveloping Zoro in his shadow.
The jitte was slowly raised, and he swung it down at Zoro, who was bound by the white ropes!
He showed no mercy in this attack, which would surely heavily injure the "Pirate Hunter," who had nowhere to dodge, and might even kill him on the spot.
He would not show any hesitation or mercy when facing pirates.
However, the situation suddenly changed.
Suddenly, the surrounding environment changed. The temperature plummeted, a layer of frost formed on the ground, and fine snowflakes began to fall.
Smoker's navy-blue coat, his gray-white hair, and even the jitte he had raised, were all simultaneously covered in frost.
He felt his body gradually stiffen, his movements becoming sluggish, and even his breath condensed into white mist in the air.
At this moment.
A slender, beautiful, fair-skinned arm silently reached out, blocking the path of Smoker's full-force attack!
"Who are you...?"
Smoker's eyes involuntarily narrowed, staring in disbelief at the blue-haired girl who had suddenly appeared in front of him.
His face was filled with surprise, tinged with disbelief.
This ability... how could this ability be so similar to his?
And how had she gotten so close to him without him noticing?
A series of questions flashed through his mind, but he had no time to think about them.
With a "crack," the frost began to spread from the jitte, instantly enveloping Smoker's entire body, turning him into an ice sculpture.
The blue-haired girl gave him a meaningful look.
Then, he turned and shattered the white smoke ropes binding Zoro with a single palm strike. A burst of cold air erupted, and the floating smoke instantly solidified into ice rods.
Bang!
Taking this opportunity, Zoro suddenly exerted his full strength, shattering them all. The fragments scattered on the ground with a crackling sound.
He stretched his arms, which were sore and numb from being tied for so long, then looked at the blue-haired girl in front of him and asked naturally:
"Why are you here?"
Ganyu glanced at him and pointed at the sky, "The weather is about to change. We need to set sail quickly."
Hearing this, Zoro looked up at the sky and saw, sure enough, that the increasingly distinct dark clouds covered almost half the sky.
It was a sign of an impending storm.
Then, he looked at the Marine Captain who had been turned into an ice sculpture not far away, and roughly sorted out his thoughts.
As expected, the Straw Hat Pirates had become the target of the local Marines.
If they didn't leave Loguetown before the storm hit, with the giant waves, strong winds, and heavy rain, it would be very difficult for their Merry to leave the island due to the Marines' interference.
"How long can you keep this guy frozen?"
Thinking of this, Zoro's expression turned serious. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and said in a heavy tone, "This guy is a monster among the Marines."
In their brief exchange, Smoker had demonstrated the strength and Devil Fruit ability of the strongest Marine Zoro had encountered since setting out to sea.
He was far stronger than Captain Morgan of Shells Town.
Fortunately, no matter how strong he was, he was still no match for the female monster in front of him.
Ganyu thought for a moment and said softly, "It won't last long. Sanji is waiting for us on the ship. Let's find Luffy and the others first, then hurry back to the ship."
"Okay." Zoro nodded, then turned and walked in one direction. "Follow me!"
"Wait, you're going the wrong way!"
Ganyu was speechless. If she wasn't mistaken, this guy was running in the complete opposite direction of the port.
That was also where the Loguetown Marine base was.
"What? Isn't Luffy at the execution platform? Isn't it in this direction?" Zoro stopped, crossed his arms, and looked at her with a puzzled expression.
"Who told you the direction of the execution platform?"
"Intuition."
"..."
A long silence followed.
Ganyu sighed, "I see. Now I understand why you always get lost."
This person relied entirely on intuition to navigate, and was abnormally confident. He had never been to the execution platform, yet he was convinced it was in that direction.
No wonder they get lost.
"Never mind." Ganyu rubbed her forehead and pointed in a certain direction. "The execution platform is over there. Follow me and don't run off. And, never trust your intuition again!"
"Tch, you're not necessarily right either." Zoro sneered, but his body language betrayed him as he walked behind Ganyu.
Ganyu turned around uneasily and gave him a dark look. "If you dare to ditch me, I'll dump all the wine in the ship's cellar."
"What! What nonsense are you spouting again, woman?!" Zoro's expression changed drastically. He couldn't imagine how difficult the coming days would be if the wine was really dumped.
Moreover, this woman was actually capable of doing such a thing!
Watching the blue-haired girl walk away without looking back, Zoro quickened his pace, afraid of losing her.
Just like that.
The two walked further and further away, gradually disappearing down the street.
Not long after they left.
The ice sculpture then made a slight cracking sound. A small crack appeared on the ice, which continued to expand, and after a few seconds, it burst open.
Smoker broke out of the ice, his entire body covered in frost.
"Haa..."
He was breathing heavily, white smoke coming from his mouth and nose, which was bone-chilling.
His expression flickered between bright and dark. After a moment of contemplation, his lower body turned into a wisp of white smoke, preparing to fly into the sky.
But just then, a large hand pressed him down hard from mid-air.
"Who are you...?"
Smoker whipped his head around, his pupils contracting in shock, cold sweat beading on his forehead, his eyes filled with an unspeakable fear.