"Yeah... I can feel the aura of a beast."
Zoro grinned, but his eyes were razor-sharp.
As a swordsman, he could clearly sense it. Kuina's aura was far stronger than the last time they had met.
And Kuina becoming stronger did not make Zoro jealous at all.
Because this was exactly the kind of rival he needed on his path to becoming the world's strongest swordsman.
Slowly drawing his blades, Zoro bit down on Dark Raven, tied his black bandana behind his head, and took his Three-Sword Style stance.
"Hey, Kuina. The mysterious female swordsman mentioned in the promotion is you, right?"
"That's right!"
"Then let me see it!"
Clang!
Pitch-black Armament Haki instantly wrapped around Zoro's arms, then slowly spread across all three blades.
Zoro unleashed his Haki fully and took an attacking stance.
Kuina smiled as well, slowly drawing Wado Ichimonji from her waist. The Armament Haki she had recently begun to develop under Ozz's training wrapped around the blade as well.
The two rushed forward at high speed.
Their black blades collided fiercely.
Boom!
Clang!
Sharp sword techniques filled with killing intent erupted. The shockwave alone forced the weaker fighters away.
As their Armament Haki clashed, faint sparks of lightning appeared where their blades met.
Facing Zoro's fierce assault, Kuina steadily received it. In terms of raw strength, she even faintly suppressed him.
But when it came to Haki and swordsmanship, Kuina was still behind Zoro, who had been trained by two master swordsmen.
"What is that?!"
"Are those two master swordsmen?!"
The two flashed across the arena, their swordplay fully displaying the teachings of Ozz and Mihawk.
They were competing, but also tempering and sharpening each other.
Rebecca, who had entered the arena with the resolve to seize the Float-Float Fruit and overthrow Doflamingo, now stood among the crowd like a nameless extra.
What kind of power was this?
Even a massive gladiator built like a small giant tried to interfere in their sword duel, only for his arm to be cut off by the stray slashes.
She had naively believed that with her own strength, she could endure until the end of the Colosseum battle and obtain the Float-Float Fruit.
But in the eyes of true monsters, she was no different from the rest of the fodder.
"By the way, there's something I'm curious about."
Zoro gritted his teeth and raised his blade, blocking another slash from Kuina as he spoke.
"Why did you become one of Doflamingo's subordinates?"
"The newspapers said you'd be one of the defenders of the Float-Float Fruit!"
Kuina's eyes stayed firm, completely unmoved.
"I never said I was Doflamingo's subordinate."
...
Meanwhile, on Green Bit.
A colossal island-sized fist hung in the air, coated in flowing black Armament Haki and about to smash down.
But at that moment, a figure appeared.
Ozz wore a black robe. He patted off dust that did not exist and looked up at the giant figure in the sky.
"You're really showing off, Sadgeo."
"Hm?"
Sadgeo's eyes turned toward Noah's bow.
There, that familiar figure was seated.
In the next instant, Ozz appeared in front of Doflamingo and the others.
"Mr. Ozz!"
"Saint Ozz?!"
"Father?!"
Ozz paid little attention to their shocked expressions. He simply took out a cigarette.
His long black hair moved without wind. Even while standing inside the field of dark water, he remained completely unaffected.
Seeing this, Sanji hesitated for a moment before stepping forward with a lighter and lighting Ozz's cigarette.
At the same time, he looked at the dark substance beneath their feet, seeming like he wanted to say something.
"Father, this Devil Fruit power..."
He had just heard Doflamingo and the others mention it.
He knew this dark substance could strip Devil Fruit users of their abilities.
That meant Father's miraculous ability had probably also...
Thinking that Ozz's seemingly invincible ability had lost its effect, Sanji felt strangely tense.
How were they supposed to block that island-sized fist now?
Unlike Sanji, Doflamingo and Ryokugyu both let out complete sighs of relief.
The cold sweat on their faces vanished.
As for Ozz, he merely turned sideways, accepting his adopted son lighting his cigarette.
He did not even look at the Giant Island Pistol falling behind him.
After the cigarette was lit, he slowly exhaled smoke.
His other hand casually reached toward the upper right.
In the next instant, pure crimson Haki flowed from Ozz's arm.
That strange Armament Haki extended outward like a weapon, releasing an incomparably massive shockwave.
Perhaps because he had used Observation Haki and Conqueror's Haki too often, the world may have forgotten something.
He was a top-class user of all three types of Haki.
Armament Haki that was in no way inferior to Sadgeo's, whether in quantity or quality, burst outward like a shockwave.
It collided with the descending Giant Island Pistol.
Ozz's flowing Armament Haki spread across a range large enough to cover half the island, steadily catching that island-sized Haki-coated fist.
The two forces ground against each other in midair, unleashing boundless waves across the sea.
But compared to Sadgeo, who was gritting his teeth and pushing with all his might, Ozz merely raised one hand and continued smoking.
Perhaps finding it a little boring, Ozz finally lifted his head and looked at Sadgeo's unwilling expression.
"Do you still want me to keep playing with you, Sadgeo?"
"..."
With those words, Sadgeo, who had been completely composed until now, instantly became solemn.
A few drops of cold sweat appeared on his face without his control.
"...You really are a strict father."
The giant fist slowly deflated, and Sadgeo's figure descended from the air.
He landed on Noah's bow and looked at the father who had created him.
That terrifying man.
"Why are you stopping me? I was only..."
"Trying to kill the people on the World Government's side, along with the traitors colluding with them!"
Oh?
Ozz was a little surprised.
Good kid. Was that tone questioning him?
But when they designed the experiment, he did not remember adding that kind of trait.
Rebellion?
Was it some little trick Vegapunk slipped in, or...
Was this fate working in the dark?
Ambition, strength, and spirit all supported each other.
This world even had something like destiny.
Ozz suspected that Sadgeo was no longer merely his experimental product.
Perhaps he had truly inherited a portion of this world's moving fate.
Thinking of that, Ozz smiled happily.
An unexpected development.
It had been a long time since one appeared.
"A father disciplining his child is perfectly normal, isn't it..."
"Right, Sadgeo?"
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The tides are shifting, and secrets linger in the dark... Step into the shadows early on P@treon, where the next chapter awaits before the world sees it.
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