"My anger ah ♪! ♪! ♪! ♪!"
"Now, let's go beat those villains away ~ ♬!!"
Four swords rested on the ground, trembling as the earth shook violently.
[Wado Ichimonji] [Sandai Kitetsu] [Yubashiri] [Shusui]
In front of them, a towering mountain stretched into the clouds, rising and falling as if something beneath it was forcing it to move. The animals across the mountain trembled in fear, unable to understand why the land itself had begun to heave.
From beneath the severed mountainside, a steady voice echoed upward.
"19902, 19903, 19904…"
A shocking sight unfolded.
A bare-chested man carried the entire mountain range on his back, performing squats one after another, each movement sending thunderous vibrations through the land.
"That is a punishment filled with love ~ ♪ ~"
"… "
Zoro's eyes snapped open.
A sharp glint burst from his gaze. Two streaks of energy shot into the sky like blades, tearing through the clouds.
The overcast sky was instantly split apart, the gloom swept away in a single moment.
"What was that just now…"
Zoro held the massive peak steady with one hand while rubbing his temple with the other.
"My head feels off…"
A wave of dizziness passed through him, as if parts of his memory were slipping.
"Someone's messing with me…"
His expression hardened. In an instant, Armament Haki wrapped around his body, his presence sharpening like a drawn blade.
"Hmph. Cheap tricks."
With a single motion, Zoro hurled the massive peak into the air.
Swish!
He vanished.
Rumble!
The mountain crashed back down onto its base, shaking the entire region as debris scattered in all directions.
At the same time, the four swords on the ground rose into the air.
Sandai Kitetsu hovered near his waist, swaying slightly, ready to be drawn at any moment.
A deep, ominous aura pulsed faintly from its blade, as if warning its master.
Clang!
Wado Ichimonji, Yubashiri, and Shusui were unsheathed in an instant, appearing in Zoro's hands as he stood atop the mountain peak.
The blades gleamed coldly, each one radiating a terrifying edge.
"Enemies… a lot of them."
Zoro narrowed his eyes, scanning the darkness that had swallowed the surroundings once more.
They were not enemies.
They were monsters.
"Roar…" "Wuuah…"
The creatures emerged from the shadows, no longer hiding. Their howls shook the air as they surged toward the lone figure on the peak.
"Even if there are thousands…"
Zoro lowered his stance slightly, gripping his swords.
"I'll cut them all down."
"Three-Sword Style…"
Haki surged around him, sharp and overwhelming.
"World, Grand Intent Slash!"
The moment he moved, the world itself seemed to distort.
His body twisted, pulling everything around him as if into a singular point. The towering mountain, the sky, even space itself felt compressed within the range of his strike.
Zzz, zzz, zzz!
In the next instant, everything returned to normal.
Zoro stood still.
His swords were already sheathed.
"The level of that strike… it's close to Shirogai."
His gaze remained fixed on the distant darkness.
"A true swordsman cuts wherever his will reaches."
He understood now.
"Most swordsmen limit themselves. They think their blade only extends as far as their arm."
His voice was steady.
"But that's just self-imposed weakness."
"Where the will reaches, the blade follows. Everything under heaven can be cut."
He no longer paid attention to the monsters climbing toward him.
To him, they were already dead.
Click!
A ripple of Haki spread from his body.
A pitch-black slash expanded outward in all directions, centered on him.
Swish!
At first, it was invisible.
Then it manifested as a massive wave of sword energy.
It passed through everything, leaving objects untouched.
But when it met the monsters, it became destruction itself.
Puff! Puff! Puff!
Black liquid burst into the air as the creatures were sliced apart instantly, their forms collapsing into fragments before turning into ash.
Not a single scream escaped them.
In a single moment, the entire tide of darkness was erased.
Light returned.
Warmth followed.
The world began to recover.
"…Impressive."
A figure hidden in the darkness observed everything.
"Not good."
A strange pair of eyes flickered, their voice layered, neither fully male nor female.
"This cannot continue."
"As expected, anyone tied to Shirogai is a threat that must be eliminated."
"They will all be harvested and turned into Mu's servants."
The world shifted again.
The sunlight vanished.
An even heavier darkness spread, suffocating everything.
"Wuuu…" "Ahhh…"
Every living being began to scream.
Their bodies twisted, mutating uncontrollably.
Humans, animals, even plants, all transformed into grotesque creatures.
The entire world became a sea of monsters.
They roared and surged forward, charging once more at Zoro.
At the peak, Zoro stood unmoving, his body resisting the invading force through sheer Haki.
"…Trying to resist the darkness in your heart with a human body is impossible."
The blood-red eyes stared coldly.
"You cannot."
"Rocks could not."
"Even Shirogai cannot."
The voice echoed with absolute certainty.
"Humans were always meant to be ruled by Imu."