Luffy, Usopp, Nami, and Smoker were all trapped inside a cage made of Sea Stone. Each of them was securely locked in, while Crocodile and Robin stood outside, watching them. Both Usopp and Nami still had their weapons, but Crocodile dismissed them, underestimating their capabilities.
"Hahaha, I knew you were a wild dog, Smoker. Now, you've stumbled upon something you weren't meant to discover," Crocodile taunted, his tone dripping with amusement.
Smoker glared at him with intense anger. "I knew pirates like you couldn't be trusted," he responded sharply. Smoker had always been one of the rare Marines who openly opposed the Warlord System. His reputation within the Marines was comparable to Garp's—not because of his strength, but because of his blatant disdain for the World Government.
"Kuhahaha, so what?" Crocodile laughed dismissively, clearly unconcerned. His Warlord status made him immune to any consequences from the World Government, allowing him to plunder legally as long as he complied with their orders when needed.
Meanwhile, Luffy remained as carefree as ever, not fully grasping the seriousness of their situation. He and Usopp were joking around, imitating the other Straw Hat crew members, much to Nami's frustration.
"Why don't you take this more seriously?" Nami yelled at Luffy and Usopp, punching both of their heads in frustration. Crocodile chuckled at the scene, clearly entertained by what he saw as the foolish antics of the captives.
"What a wild-spirited girl you are," Crocodile commented, smirking at Nami, which only intensified the anger in her eyes.
"Sure, enjoy your little peace while it lasts," Nami shot back, "Because the moment Luffy gets out of this cell, he'll kick your ass, right, Luffy?" She turned to Luffy for support and was immediately met with his usual enthusiasm.
"You bet your ass!" Luffy shouted confidently at Crocodile, causing Nami to smile in relief.
Crocodile's smile faltered as he replied coldly, "It seems you have your crew's unwavering trust, Straw Hat Luffy. Kuahahaha, is there anything more useless in this world?"
Nami's anger flared at his words. "What was that?! Did you just treat me like an idiot?" she yelled, her frustration mounting as she aggressively attempted to break the cage. Usopp quickly tried to stop her, realizing that provoking Crocodile further could make things worse.
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While Luffy, Usopp, Nami, and Smoker were trapped in the Sea Stone cage, Vivi was sprinting through the streets of Rainbase. She had been spotted by Baroque Works soldiers and was now being pursued. She was alone—Zoro and Sanji had been separated from her earlier during the mission.
Zoro, having lost track of both Sanji and Vivi, was now drawing most of the enemy's attention. He didn't mind. As a former bounty hunter, Zoro was no stranger to killing. Without hesitation, he began cutting down waves of Baroque Works soldiers that swarmed toward him.
At first, the soldiers were confident in their numbers. But that confidence crumbled. Zoro's swift, brutal attacks left them completely outmatched. With every swing of his swords, heads rolled; with every stroke, lives were lost. Panic quickly spread among their ranks.
"How are we supposed to beat this monster?" one soldier cried to his companion—only to be silenced as both were beheaded in a single, fluid motion from Zoro.
Minutes later, the battlefield was silent. Zoro stood alone, surrounded by corpses.
"Hah. Not one of them could give me a decent fight," he muttered, casually sheathing his swords.
But just as he turned to move, Zoro's instincts flared. He instantly drew two of his blades, blocking a sudden strike. The metallic clang echoed through the street as a figure emerged from the shadows, their hardened arms pressed against Zoro's swords.
That sound… Zoro thought, narrowing his eyes as he jumped back. His grip tightened. This wasn't another disposable grunt.
"It seems you've done a number on our forces. Impressive, Roronoa Zoro," the figure said. If Douglas were here, he would have recognized him instantly—Mr. 1, Daz Bones, the strongest agent in Baroque Works besides Crocodile.
Zoro looked at Mr. 1 with mild confusion, as if trying to recall something. Before he could speak, Mr. 1 leapt forward, transforming his fingers into blades and swinging toward Zoro. Zoro parried the attack and countered, but when his sword struck Mr. 1's body, it simply bounced off.
Zoro's eyes widened. His blade hadn't cut at all.
Taking advantage of Zoro's surprise, Mr. 1 struck again. Zoro narrowly dodged, and in that moment, the memory clicked.
"I remember you now," Zoro said. "You're the one who tried to recruit me into Baroque Works back when I was a bounty hunter in the East Blue."
Mr. 1 paused, casting a lazy glance toward Zoro. "I can't believe someone like you—a proud bounty hunter—rejected our offer only to follow some no-name pirate."
Zoro smirked.
"But I guess regret always comes last," Mr. 1 added before lunging again.
Zoro fought back, but no matter how he attacked, his blades couldn't pierce Mr. 1's steel body. Slash after slash bounced off the man's metallic skin.
One strike to Mr. 1's torso ricocheted off yet again, and Mr. 1 retaliated by slashing Zoro across the chest with his bladed fingers, tearing through flesh and drawing blood. Zoro dropped to one knee, breathing heavily.
Sensing an opening, Mr. 1 drove his shin—now a sharpened steel blade—toward Zoro's head. Zoro's instincts screamed. He ducked at the last second.
The bladed kick sailed past him and sliced through the building behind him. A perfect diagonal line appeared on the wall as the upper half of the structure slowly slid off and crashed down behind Zoro.
Zoro jumped back, staring at the aftermath of Mr. 1's attack with a horrified expression. He knew that if he had been struck by a blow like that, it wouldn't have just ended the fight—it would have ended his life, his dream of defeating Dracule Mihawk, and his path to becoming the world's strongest swordsman.
"Hmph, it's futile. No matter what you try, you can't defeat me," Mr. 1 said coldly. "I ate the Supa Supa no Mi. It lets me turn my body into steel blades. Your swords won't be able to cut me."
As if to demonstrate, Mr. 1 transformed his arms into massive blades and slashed the buildings on either side of him. The structures crumbled, and screams rang out from inside. Among the injured was Tashigi, the Marine swordswoman who had been pursuing Zoro.
Zoro caught a glimpse of Tashigi's face through the smoke and falling debris—and was struck by a memory. Her resemblance to Kuina hit him like a blade to the gut. He flashed back to his childhood in the dojo, training under Kyoushirou, dueling with Kuina day after day.