Mr. 1 didn't understand Zoro's strange behavior.
But it didn't matter.
He had already decided to end this fight in one swift, decisive blow.
"Arrogant fool... You want to die? I'll gladly oblige."
Mr. 1 knew nothing of mercy—especially not during a mission.
"Grasping Slash!"
His hands gleamed, turning to blades coated in black Faint Armament Haki as he lunged at Zoro, who kept his eyes closed, relying only on instinct and intuition to dodge.
"Directly ahead, simultaneous slashes from the left and right!"
Zoro's two swords crossed and slashed in unison, meeting Mr. 1's attack perfectly, as though he had foreseen it all.
Mr. 1 sneered as he locked down Zoro's blades in his grasp.
"You blocked it? Impressive. But can you block everything?"
With Zoro's swords locked, Mr. 1 went on the offensive. His entire body transformed into weapons as he unleashed a barrage of deadly strikes.
"Three-Sword Style? Hmph. Let me show you Myriad-Sword Style!"
His left leg morphed into a gleaming blade and slashed horizontally toward Zoro's waist.
"Next, a horizontal slash to the waist?"
But to Mr. 1's shock, the Wado Ichimonji, gripped tightly between Zoro's teeth, blocked the attack with eerie precision.
"What!?"
Mr. 1 stared in disbelief at Zoro, still blindfolded.
"He actually blocked it? Has he awakened Observation Haki?"
Zoro calmly replied, "Even without fully mastering Observation Haki, I can still read your next two moves."
With a quick twist, Zoro broke free and leapt back, just outside of Mr. 1's attack range.
"Your attack pattern is too simple, Mr. 1.
After facing Shirogai's unpredictable swordplay, your rigid moves are child's play."
Seeing his attacks fail, Mr. 1's face turned grim.
"My pattern... is too simple?"
He scowled.
"To be looked down on by a swordsman like this… Fine. Then I'll stop holding back!"
Zoro crossed his swords over his chest, his blindfolded face lit with anticipation.
"Come! Let me feel the strength of your blades, Mr. 1!"
From above, Shirogai watched with interest as Mr. 1's aura sharpened like a freshly whetted blade.
He muttered to himself, "Zoro seems to be in control, but that's only because Mr. 1 was going easy on him.
Now he's fighting seriously… and Zoro's chances of surviving the next attack..."
Shirogai closed his eyes briefly, mentally simulating the outcome.
Then he opened them, smiling faintly.
"Twenty percent. As expected of Zoro. When he has no backup, he always chooses the most dangerous route to grow stronger."
Zoro's habit of throwing himself into life-threatening battles had always led to brutal fights—and scarred victories.
But they were necessary. His experience in life-and-death struggles gave him the edge.
Later, thanks to those experiences, his fights became calm, precise, and dominant.
"Extreme Speed Slash!"
Pfft!
Pfft!
Two bloody gashes tore into Zoro's shoulders. Mr. 1 flicked the blood off his blades and smirked.
"Sharp reaction. You dodged what was aimed for your throat."
Zoro was bleeding profusely, his body battered and covered in wounds. Still, he stood tall, gripping Yubashiri and Sandai Kitetsu, the Wado Ichimonji clenched tightly in his mouth.
He focused on the silence.
"It's quiet… even Mr. 1's presence is fading.
I can only hear my own breathing... as if I've merged with everything."
Suddenly, a wave of bloodlust rushed toward him.
Zoro instinctively took a step back.
"Too slow..."
Slash!
A deep wound opened on Zoro's chest, and the force sent him crashing into a stone pillar, which crumbled and buried him in debris.
"Ugh…"
Mr. 1 landed, sneering.
"Rest in peace."
He jumped again, his hands glowing with black energy.
"Fine Dust Slash!"
…
"Now's the moment..."
From above, Shirogai unfurled his wings and flew away.
"Between life and death lies terror…
Those who forget fear and embrace death live.
Those who cling to life, perish.
Zoro… it's your choice now."
He smiled as he left, confident in what would happen next.
…
In the rubble, Zoro remembered Shirogai's words aboard the Going Merry during their sparring session.
"Sufficient calm is the first step to unlocking Observation Haki."
"After that, trust your intuition."
Zoro opened his eyes beneath the rubble, his fingers finding the Wado Ichimonji.
"There it is… the killing intent is right above me."
He stood slowly, calm despite the blood on his lips.
"Three steps forward… and I'll avoid it."
With a slash, he cleared the stones around him and began walking.
One step… two… three.
He stopped.
Shing!
Mr. 1's blade swept behind him—missing entirely.
The rubble exploded into fine powder, sliced to dust.
"You DODGED it!?"
Mr. 1 turned, stunned.
"You were buried—how could you have dodged that?!"
There was only one explanation.
"Did you… awaken Observation Haki!?"
Zoro, still pale and covered in blood, smiled cruelly.
"Thanks to you, I did. At the edge of death… I finally grasped it."
Mr. 1's eyes narrowed.
A monster… this swordsman actually awakened Observation Haki mid-battle.
"Don't get cocky!"
He clenched his fists, coating his arms and torso in hardened Armament Haki.
(Mr.1 doesn't have Haki in canon.....but the original author added it so that Zoro can gain Enlightenment....)
"So what if you've awakened it? You still can't break through my defense!"
Zoro raised the Wado Ichimonji slowly. A black mist began to creep along the blade, coating it in hardening Haki.
Clang!
The sound of steel turned deeper.
For the first time, Zoro's blade had transformed—a black blade.
"Are you talking about this?"
Mr. 1 was shocked.
"You've awakened Armament Haki?!"
This was absurd.
Both Haki types in one fight?
"Hmph…!"
He gathered himself, blade-arms gleaming with dark energy.
"Even so, you've just awakened it! You can't break through my defense!"
"Then let's test that theory."
Zoro's eyes narrowed as he re-sheathed the Wado Ichimonji.
"Let's see whose Armament Haki is stronger."
Mr. 1 crouched low, his feet transforming into blades.
He shot forward like a bullet, arms slashing rapidly.
"Fine Dust Speed Blade!"
Zoro closed his eyes.
He was in the black world now, sensing the incoming danger as a crimson presence.
The Wado Ichimonji began to draw, its scabbard coated in Haki.
"One-Sword Style…"
His voice was calm, yet filled with death.
"Black Blade: Lion's Song!"
The world stilled.
And the black blade sang.
---
Read ahead of WN on patreon.com/Zphyr_