Not being able to hit your target is an incredibly frustrating thing.
Thorns tore through the air, gouging deep marks in the sand, but every single attack struck empty air or passed through illusory afterimages.
Nami's true form was like a phantom, flitting through the layers of mirages. Miss Doublefinger couldn't determine her precise location at all.
"Hey, is that all you've got?"
After a while, Miss Doublefinger stopped, panting heavily.
She yelled angrily, "What's the use of hiding and scurrying around like a rat?! Even if you can evade me, what can you do? Can you defeat me?!"
All the Namis in the mirages laughed simultaneously, the sound coming from all directions: "You're right. Stalling isn't the goal.
So, do you remember what I told you I was on this ship?"
Who would remember what an insect said?
From the start, Miss Doublefinger hadn't considered Nami a worthy opponent.
"I'm the navigator." "So I'll use a navigator's methods to attack."
"Observing the heavens, predicting danger, and... summoning the storm!"
Before the words faded, Miss Doublefinger suddenly noticed that her surroundings were filled with glistening bubbles.
Electrical bubbles, filled with a mix of hot and cold vapors!
She'd ignored them before. What could such a tiny bit of electricity do?
At the same time...
Directly above her, a patch of the once-clear sky suddenly darkened. Dark clouds gathered at a visible pace, lightning snakes writhing inside, emitting low rumbles of thunder!
"Damn!" Miss Doublefinger finally realized something was wrong and tried to dash out of the bubble-filled area, but it was too late!
Nami's true form appeared from behind a mirage, her Clima-Tact pointing skyward:
"Clima-Tact, Final Version... Thunderbolt Tempo!"
KA-BOOM!
A blinding bolt of lightning, like a silver dragon, descended from the heavens, striking precisely into the dense cluster of electrical bubbles!
"AAAAAHHHH!!!"
The intense electrical light instantly swallowed Miss Doublefinger's figure. A powerful current surged through her body, conducting furiously along the metal-hard thorns covering her. The air filled with the smell of something burning.
She let out a piercing shriek, her entire body convulsing violently.
Smoke rising from her form, she collapsed stiffly onto the sand, unconscious.
The surrounding mirages slowly faded.
Nami leaned on her Clima-Tact, breathing slightly heavily. Looking at the electrocuted opponent, she wiped the sweat from her brow and snorted, "Now, who's the useless one?"
"And call me a tanuki?" Nika couldn't resist going over to stomp on her a few times.
Elsewhere, the duel between swordsmen was just beginning.
The showdown between Zoro and Mr. 1, Daz Bones, was a clash of a different style.
No flashy techniques, only the purest contest of strength versus cutting power.
"Useless."
Mr. 1 watched as Zoro swung his swords again, striking his blade-covered arms and sending a shower of sparks flying. His voice was as cold as grinding steel.
"I am a Blade Human, having eaten the Supa Supa no Mi. My entire body can become steel blades. I, Daz Bones, have never had a single hair of mine cut by anyone calling themselves a swordsman."
His body surface gleamed with a metallic sheen; the man himself was like a moving steel fortress.
Zoro slowly retracted his swords, the three blades held in different stances. His eyes were like those of a hawk locking onto its prey.
"Is that so?"
"Then let today be the day I break that record!"
"Oni Giri!"
Zoro's figure vanished, reappearing the next instant at Mr. 1's side. Three blades struck simultaneously, cutting through the air with sharp whistles as they aimed for the neck, torso, and knee!
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
Three crisp impacts, almost indistinguishable in timing.
Mr. 1 didn't even move, simply tanking the three slashes with his body.
Sparks flew. Zoro's strikes were once again futile, leaving only three shallow white marks on the opponent's skin.
"Really tough," Zoro remarked.
Mr. 1 slowly turned his head, his gaze falling on the relatively newer sword in Zoro's left hand. "Though the sword you spoke of does seem decent."
Zoro held Yubashiri horizontally before him, lightly running a hand along the blade. "This is Yubashiri, one of the 50 Skillful Grade swords."
"A good blade. A pity the user is somewhat lacking."
"Quite the talker."
Zoro stared at Mr. 1, his gaze growing dangerous.
If this man's whole body was steel, then he just needed to cut through steel!
Whoosh!
Zoro vanished again, moving even faster than before.
This time, it wasn't probing strikes, but a continuous assault like a violent storm.
Chop, slash, slice, flick... basic sword techniques transformed into a deadly dance in his hands. Blades of light wove a dense net, enveloping Mr. 1!
"Too slow."
Mr. 1 barked coldly. His speed was astonishingly fast as well.
His arms turned into massive blades, parrying, cleaving, or thrusting, deflecting every one of Zoro's attacks.
Clang! Clang! Clang-clang!
The sound of metal clashing was like rapid drumbeats, unceasing.
The two moved at high speed across the desert, kicking up clouds of yellow sand. Blade lights and shadows flashed; the residual shockwaves of their battle shaved a layer off the nearby dunes.
Though Zoro's onslaught was fierce, he still couldn't breach Mr. 1's diamond-hard steel body. Instead, from the occasional counter-attack, a few shallow cuts appeared on his own body.
"Your swords cannot cut steel."
Mr. 1 deflected a fierce slash from Zoro, his voice still calm. "But my blades can tear you apart with ease."
He could be considered a swordsman too.
Zoro glanced at the cuts on his body and grinned. "This is nothing compared to Luffy's fists."
"What level can your little spars reach? Our fight here decides life and death!"
Mr. 1 roared, "Spider Webs!"
Crossing his arms, he swung them forward violently. Two enormous, criss-crossing slash waves hurtled towards Zoro with a howl, their area of effect too wide to easily dodge!
Zoro's eyes narrowed. The three blades instantly came up to guard!
"Three Sword Style: Bull Hunt!"
He charged forward like a raging bull, the tips of his blades striking precisely at the weakest focal points of the two slash waves.
BOOM!
The slash waves were forcibly deflected, grazing past Zoro's body and flying into the distance, cleanly slicing a distant rock into four pieces.
Mr. 1 followed right after, turning into a blur and striking while Zoro was off-balance.
Zoro clenched Wado Ichimonji in his teeth, gripped Sandai Kitetsu in his left hand and Yubashiri in his right, holding the two swords in a stance as if bearing them on his back.
"Three Sword Style: Tiger Hunt!"
In terms of raw power, he was no weaker than Mr. 1, so he wasn't afraid of a collision.
Clink.
Mr. 1's thrusting hand was blocked beneath Yubashiri's edge. The two locked in a stalemate.
Zoro slid Sandai Kitetsu downward, finding an opening in Mr. 1's guard. Then, Wado Ichimonji and Yubashiri swung towards him.
This strike...
"Two Sword Style: Seventy-Two Pound Cannon!"
Mr. 1 was sent flying, carried by the force of the blade wind.
Zoro breathed heavily, looking at the completely unharmed Mr. 1 ahead, his brow furrowed.
Still... can't cut through?
***
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