Manda is famous in the shinobi world because he is Orochimaru's summon and his size is massive. People say that he is the biggest summoned creature and now Zoro can see that they aren't exaggerating.
Manda is surely much bigger than even the Tailed Beasts. Zoro has seen Shukaku and Kurama in their full forms, but Manda is bigger than them. Also, as a snake, Manda has a really long body, increasing his overall size.
"How dare you call me, Orochimaru. You better prepare 100 sacrifices or I'll eat you instead." Manda is very displeased that Orochimaru summons him.
"Forget 100, I'll even give you a thousand if you can help me defeat him."
"What?! You call me just to deal with this puny human? He doesn't even look that strong."
"Don't underestimate him. He could defeat the 1 Tail on his own."
"Hmph! It's nothing great. Whatever, just make sure you prepare what you promised. A thousand sacrifices or I'll eat you instead." Manda doesn't take Zoro seriously even though Orochimaru says that Zoro has defeated Shukaku alone.
Well, Manda simply doesn't believe that Zoro has defeated Shukaku alone. Even if it's true, Manda is still not afraid. After all, Manda believes that he can also do the same if he has the chance to fight a Tailed Beast, that's how much he believes in his power.
Zoro is also not afraid of Manda even though the giant snake's size is intimidating. But he knows that Manda's size is nothing compared to the 10 Tails, so it is not that impressive.
He wants to test Manda's abilities, so he sends a simple horizontal slash attack. To Zoro's surprise, Manda actually slaps the slash attack with his tail and slams it to the ground.
Zoro isn't surprised that his attack is deflected because it's a weak attack, but he is surprised by Manda's speed. Manda can move very fast despite having such a massive size. The distance between them isn't big, yet Manda can slap the slash attack very quickly.
"Interesting. Massive size, high power, high speed, and tough scales. That's a deadly combo, and it would be scarier if you are also a venomous snake."
While Zoro comments on Manda's power, the giant snake suddenly slaps Zoro with his tail from above. The slap is really strong, creating a deep and long dent on the ground.
Zoro doesn't dodge it, so he is now buried in the ground, making Manda scoffs at how easy it is. He believes he has killed Zoro with that attack, so what happens next isn't something he expected.
"Hmm, the power is not bad. I still can take it, but the ground can't. Attacks from the sides will surely send me flying because I won't have any ground to help me counter the attack force. Seems like dodging is the only choice. Deflecting will still plant me into the ground because his body is heavy and the attack is very strong."
Manda widens his eyes when he sees Zoro come out of the ground while blabbering something. It's obviously surprising to see someone uninjured after receiving that kind of attack. Furthermore, Manda is very proud of his strength, so it's like an insult for him.
Angered, Manda lunges toward Zoro head first from above as strong as he can. But now Zoro doesn't want to take the attack and jumps away, making Manda hit the ground. But unlike what Zoro thought, Manda actually enters into the ground as if he is diving into water.
Then he comes out from another place while his long body is still entering the ground. He lunges into Zoro again and enters the ground again when Zoro dodges. He does it a few times, but Zoro keeps dodging easily.
Using his Observation Haki, Zoro can predict Manda's movements and dodges. He is also fast enough to dodge even while carrying all his training weights. So Manda is actually not that much of a threat.
Seeing his attack doesn't work, Manda changes his tactic. He chooses to coil around Zoro to crush the little human that has angered him. But obviously, because his body is really big, he can't grab Zoro with his coiling body because there will always be a gap big enough for a human inside the coil.
Besides, coiling around Zoro is a very foolish move. After all, it only gives Zoro much more surface to attack. Now, his attack will hit Manda wherever he aims.
"Idiot. You only make yourself a much easier target for me." Zoro grins before swinging 2 swords while spinning his body.
"2 Sword Style: Juvenile Dragon Twister!"
Zoro uses Dragon Twister with only 2 swords instead of 3. It is weaker, but it's enough to release Manda's coil and even send the giant snake fly quite high, which again, shocks Manda greatly.
But Zoro is also surprised that his attack only manages to cut Manda's scales a little. Sure, that wasn't his best attack, but it was at the level of the attack that cut Shukaku's body. So Manda's scales are really tougher than Shukaku's body.
Well, maybe it was because he fought Shukaku whose body was just a replica made out of sand. So maybe it also won't work if Shukaku is in his real body. Even so, it still proves that Manda's scales are really tough, so the snake has the right to be arrogant about it.
Receiving wounds has angered Manda even more. But now he has admitted that Zoro is really strong and surely isn't an easy opponent. He thinks that killing and eating Zoro will really be worth all his effort today.
Manda doesn't seem too worried about his wounded body because then, under Zoro's astonished gaze, Manda sheds his skin very quickly and he shows up with an uninjured body, just like what Orochimaru did before.
Then suddenly, Manda opens his mouth and sprays a very thick green mist from his mouth. It is his venom and his venom attack covers a very large area to make sure Zoro won't be able to get away.
Zoro quickly holds his breath while closing his eyes and ears to make sure the venom won't enter his body. He even coats his body with Armament Haki to avoid getting the venom seeping into his body from his skin pores.
This is not because he is very smart, but because of his experience. He once fought a missing nin that was extremely skillful with poisons and that missing nin used a venomous Salamander that could spray venom mist, just like Hanzo's Salamander.
When fighting that missing nin, Zoro has held his mouth closed while covering his eyes and ear holes too. But he was still poisoned and after going to a doctor after the battle, Zoro found out that the Salamander's venom has seeped from hus pores.
That's why he covers his whole body, to avoid being poisoned from even the smallest hole. After all, Manda's venom must be much stronger than that of Salamander's. So Zoro's chance to survive that venom is small.
Thankfully, Zoro can use Observation Haki to find Manda and predict the giant snake's attack. So he can still fight even if he can't see and hear. Closing his eyes actually makes him much more focused, so he can find out what Manda will do much easier now.
However, Manda's venom mist is actually very corrosive. It destroys everything that it touches rapidly. Zoro can even feel the prickling sensation of the venom's corrosive power that tries to destroy his Armament Haki, and it feels hot in his skin too.
While his Armament Haki can defend against the mist's corrosion, Zoro himself can't hold his breath for too long, so Zoro needs to quickly disperse the venom mist. He uses his Wind Chakra and creates a wind tornado that removes the venom mist.
His Wind Tornado also pushes back Manda that tries to eat Zoro whose vision is blocked by the mist. Now Zoro can breathe again after the venom mist disappears, and Manda looks very displeased, obviously.
"Your skills aren't really good, aren't they? My cat can fight better than you."
Zoro's provocation angers Manda even more. He feels very insulted to be compared with a cat. But he doesn't know that Torao isn't a normal cat. Well, the only ones he thought of as his rivals are those from the other Sage Regions, like the giant toads.
Manda screams angrily before moving to attack Zoro again. But Zoro is already prepared to attack too. His right foot in the front, his left foot behind, all his swords are sheathed, his left hand holds Enma's scabbard while his right hand holds the sword hilt.
He concentrates while waiting for Manda to arrive in front of him. Zoro controls his breathing while coating Enma with his Advanced Haki. Then when Manda arrives in front of him with a wide open mouth, Zoro makes his move.
"Ittoryu: Yakkodori!" (One Sword Style: Disaster Harbor Bird!)
But before Zoro can swing his sword, Manda's mouth catches him first.
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Chapter: 179. Planetary Devastation
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