The sharp, gleaming blades in Zoro's hands spun like a windmill, dancing at high speed and whipping up fierce pressure waves in the air.
At this moment, Zoro poured his entire body and soul into the three swords. Years of nearly suicidal training were the greatest source of his confidence!
"Let's settle this once and for all!!!"
Stomp!!!
Zoro kicked off the ground, bursting forward at a speed not much slower than Shave, charging straight at Luffy!
Luffy also went all out, stretching both arms as he shouted excitedly,
"Gum-Gum… Rocket!!!"
Whoosh!!!
The two elongated arms snapped back at once, exploding with power far greater than Luffy's normal strength thanks to the elastic nature of rubber.
In Zoro's eyes, those rapidly approaching palms looked like two blazing cannonballs.
Without even thinking, he knew that if he took that hit head-on, this spar would end right there!
Yet in the face of such ferocious power, Zoro didn't slow down in the slightest—instead, he accelerated, charging fearlessly straight at Luffy.
Opportunities existed only in an instant!
The better the swordsman, the more clearly one understood that truth!
If he backed down at this moment, what he'd lose wouldn't just be this fight!
"Don't underestimate me, Luffy!!!"
Stomp!
Zoro stamped heavily, his body suddenly introducing a subtle deviation in his high-speed movement.
A piercing tearing sound filled his ears as the rushing air slashed across his face like blades.
Yet at this very moment, the corners of Zoro's mouth lifted into a handsome grin.
He dodged it!!!
Boom!!!
Luffy's attack skimmed past Zoro's body and slammed into the ruined wall behind him, pounding the already shattered structure as if it were being bombarded by artillery, sending dust and debris billowing into the sky.
Meanwhile, Zoro—now right in front of Luffy—had eyes blazing with ferocity, as if everything else in the world had vanished, leaving only the afterimages of flashing steel in the air!
"I've got you!!!"
Zoro's grin widened, his heart surging with excitement.
Because during that brief moment of crossing past each other, he had clearly felt it—his swordsmanship, which had stagnated for so long, had once again grown stronger.
As expected!
Fighting the strong was the fastest way to improve!
Zoro twisted his body sharply.
In an instant, several chilling flashes of cold light streaked through the air, razor-sharp blades slashing toward Luffy!
Luffy, you're strong.
But this time… I win!
However—
Bang!!!
A thunderous dull explosion resounded across the open ground.
A violent shockwave erupted outward like a hurricane, kicking up clouds of dust along the ground.
Zoro's eyes flew wide open as he stared at the straw sandal that had blocked his blades, shock plastered across his face.
"How is that possible!?" he cried out.
Standing on one leg, Luffy grinned broadly.
"Sorry about that, Zoro."
"But I already 'saw through' your future!"
"What!?" Zoro froze, a growing sense of dread welling up inside him.
The next moment, he saw Luffy pull his arms back smoothly—as if he had already been prepared to miss.
At the same time, the straw sandal pressed against Zoro's blade kicked hard, launching Luffy's body high into the air.
"Watch out, Zoro!"
"Because what comes next—will be my strongest attack!!!"
Zoro looked up, his gaze chasing after Luffy.
Then, to his shock, he saw Luffy bite into his finger and take a massive gulp of air, blowing it straight into his arm!
In an instant, a gigantic, terrifying arm—comparable to a giant's—appeared above Marine Branch 153.
The enormous shadow enveloped the entire open ground.
"Y-you've got to be kidding me!?"
Watching from afar, Nami clapped both hands over her mouth, staring at the scene in disbelief.
Red stepped forward, deliberately positioning himself in front of her.
"Remember—no matter what happens next, don't leave my back."
"…O-okay…"
Seemingly dazed, Nami nodded instinctively, never taking her eyes off the colossal arm in the sky.
Luffy bared his white teeth in a bright, carefree grin.
"Gear Third!"
"Gum-Gum Gigant Pistol!!!"
Rumble—!!!
At that moment, the entire Marine base seemed to usher in the end of the world as the sky darkened.
Even before the fist fell, the crushing wind pressure alone forced Zoro to gasp for breath.
The raging air currents blasted outward in every direction, sweeping countless small stones off the ground and hurling them like bullets.
Seeing this, Nami obediently hid behind Red, wrapping her arms tightly around him to avoid being blown away.
Amid the raging turbulence, Red stood as immovable as a mountain, firmly rooted in place.
Countless stones slammed into his body, yet none left even the faintest mark.
"Zoro… welcome to the real world," Red murmured quietly, a glint flashing in his eyes.
The next second—
The colossal fist descended from the heavens, completely swallowing Zoro's world in darkness!
"How can this be!?"
For the first time, the ever-confident Zoro showed pure panic, cold sweat covering his forehead as he stared in disbelief.
"How can the gap between us… be this huge!?"
"That's impossible!!!"
Faced with an unimaginably overwhelming attack, Zoro let out a hysterical roar. Yet his feet never retreated—not even a step—as he gripped his swords and charged headlong at the massive fist!
"Three Sword Style—Oni Giri!!!"
Clang!!!
The sharp blades pierced the giant fist's flesh, leaving a streak of blood across Luffy's hand.
But compared to the sheer size of the hand, that wound was no more than slightly worse than a pinprick.
Let alone stopping the fist's descent!
BOOOOOOM!!!!!
A world-shaking explosion rang out, causing the ground of the entire Shells Town to quake violently.
Everyone turned in panic toward the Marine base where the thunderous impact had come from.
Inside the Marine Branch 153 building, the soldiers who had been watching through the windows now trembled so badly that none of them could even stand.
Of course—
Even if they could, none of them had the courage to look at the actual battlefield anymore.
Dust filled the sky, completely shrouding the open ground.
Amid the violent shaking, Nami clung tightly to Red, narrowly avoiding being knocked flat.
Long cracks surged across the ground like bolts of lightning, racing past the two of them.
A long while later—
The trembling gradually faded away, until it finally vanished.
"Is… is it over?" Nami slowly opened her eyes, her heart pounding wildly.
Red smiled faintly and gently patted her arm in reassurance. "It's over."
The dust took its time to settle, but within the dusty haze, a short figure slowly emerged.
"Cough, cough… Red! Hurry and help me!!!"
Because of Gear Third's severe side effects, a shrunken Luffy was comically dragging Zoro's body toward Red.
"No need to go through all that trouble."
Red casually lifted his arm, spending 20 minutes' worth of in-game power to exchange for a healing item, tossing it straight to Luffy.
"Spray this on Zoro. That should be enough to wake him up."
The effect of the Potion was to immediately restore 20 HP.
While Red didn't know exactly how much HP Zoro had, considering that even Luffy—the group's absolute tank—had less than 200 HP, 20 HP was definitely a significant amount for Zoro at this stage.
One bottle was more than enough!
This was exactly where the machine's absurdity really shone.
The stat boosts from the game world were clearly not a simple one-plus-one system!
For example, Luffy with 100 HP was absolutely stronger than ten Pokémon with 10 HP combined!
Every single stat point represented a massive leap to a whole new level.
And no matter how terrifying Luffy's total endurance eventually became, a few Potions could still pull him back from the brink of death to full condition in an instant.
This was, without a doubt…
A rule-level healing item!!!
(End of Chapter)