In that instant, he suddenly stopped.
His cold gaze fell upon the rain-soaked street—and the figures of a man and a ghost emerging from the corner.
The Shikigami drifted into an alley clutching something in its hand, leaving behind a green-haired man with three swords at his waist.
"Looks like you've come to me yourself."
Daz Bonez spoke slowly.
"You should say I came looking for you," Zoro replied. "Ren said you were a worthy opponent. Looks like he was right."
Zoro raised his head, taking in his enemy's appearance.
Tall, muscular, his head shaven in a monk's cut, a scar running from his hairline down across his right cheek. Thin, joined brows, thick lips. He wore monk-like garb, snakes embroidered along the chest, and the character 'One' tattooed across his sternum.
Daz Bonez, too, examined his opponent.
Green, moss-like hair. Three swords. A deep green haramaki at his waist.
Despite the downpour, neither of them was affected in the slightest.
After all—they were both strong. And the strong are never swayed by the world around them.
"Opponent? You're naïve. Your captain has no idea what you're really up against."
Daz Bonez raised his hand coldly, and the wide palm instantly sprouted gleaming blades.
"No," Zoro replied calmly, "I remember you—Daz Bonez, the famous bounty hunter from West Blue, right?"
He recalled Ren's pre-battle briefing, those fascinating details flashing through his mind.
"A Devil Fruit user. Specifically, a Paramecia-type—the Dice-Dice Fruit. If I remember correctly, you can turn any part of your body into a blade at will. Your punches cut, your kicks cut—your swordsmanship makes no distinction between edge and spine. Even your insides are like real steel. Blades, bullets, blunt force—none of it affects you. In other words, unless someone can cut or pierce steel, your defense is absolute."
"You know more than I expected." Daz's eyes narrowed slightly. "I don't recall revealing that much about myself."
"Well, my captain knows a lot more than most. He's always been... strange."
"Is that so? Then he shouldn't have sent you. No swordsman has ever been a match for me!"
Daz Bonez's tone was firm, his gaze full of contempt. "Don't take it personally. I just want you to understand before you die—ever since I gained my Dice-Dice powers, no swordsman has been able to hurt me. Which means—I'm the natural enemy of all swordsmen!"
"Yeah, I get it. But save those old boasts for your photo album. I don't care who you've fought before, because until now—you've never fought me."
Zoro untied the bandanna from his arm and tied it firmly around his forehead. Then, with fluid grace, he drew his three swords, blades gleaming in the rain.
"Your confidence comes from never meeting a swordsman who could cut steel. But today, I'll show you—that's only because you hadn't met me."
"Hmph. Seems your words are sharper than your blades."
Daz Bonez, a man of few words, said no more. His gaze turned icy cold.
He would make this arrogant swordsman understand what "natural enemy" truly meant.
Boom!
The stone pavement beneath them shattered. Two figures vanished simultaneously, leaving behind only the roaring curtain of rain.
A metallic screech split the air—and in the next instant, streaks of light and force exploded through the storm, scattering rain in every direction. Each shockwave marked a clash of blades; every collision split open the air itself.
Cold flashes of steel carved through nearby houses. Had the residents not fled beforehand, they would have perished in an instant—mere weaklings caught in the battle of the strong.
The fight intensified.
Two-Sword Style: Rhino Return!
Zoro seized the first opening, gripping his swords like a rhino's horns as he unleashed a dense flurry of slashes.
The blades ripped through the downpour, weaving a lattice of sword marks.Within that deadly net, his foe was undoubtedly struck—dozens of sparks burst from Daz's steel skin.
"Too naïve!"
Daz Bonez took advantage of the moment. Crossing his arms before his chest, he swung downward in an X-shaped arc.
Dust Cutter!
The rain halted for an instant—then thousands of raindrops, along with the houses in the path of his strike, were neatly sliced into countless fragments.
Within the cutting light, the faint silhouette of a horned beast appeared—a raging bull lowering its head, horns gleaming as it tore through the oncoming blades point for point.
But the onslaught didn't end there. Daz charged through the storm, arms transforming into spinning blades that whirled like a tornado.
The shattered debris was ground to dust, a roaring spiral of death crashing toward Zoro.
When the Rhino Return faded, Zoro's figure reappeared—his stance had shifted, both swords reversed in his hands.
From below to above—!
Two-Sword Style: Dual Slash—Climb the Tower!
Cold steel met spinning steel. Zoro's rising strike cleaved apart the spiral, the impact shaking the air and blowing back the rain. Cracks spider-webbed across the ground beneath his feet.
Above, Daz leapt high, his palms and fingers turning to blades. Ten fingers spread wide, wrists aligned, and with a violent thrust—
Sparkling Daisy Slash!
Ten radial blades split the ground first, carving five enormous gouges into the earth as though by a giant's sword. Then the street-side buildings behind Zoro—three-story stone structures—were instantly sliced into five perfect segments.
That was only the aftershock.
The true power was focused at the point where his wrists met.
Zoro, who raised his blades to block in time, was hurled through two entire streets and embedded into the wall of a third.
Expressionless, Daz strode forward—through a shattered house, a tavern full of wide-eyed onlookers—until he reached the third street.
He looked down coldly at the struggling swordsman. "Now do you see the difference between us?This is my blade. No matter how you swing yours, you'll never pierce my steel body."
"Why do you think I can't?" Zoro smirked. "I just wanted to test your so-called unique swordsmanship. See what your Devil Fruit can do. Now I've seen enough—you're indeed interesting. As a reward... I'll let you witness it yourself—what it means to cut steel."
Zoro rose slowly, resheathing his three swords.
Then he crouched low, both hands resting on Yubashiri and Sandai Kitetsu.
Armament Haki coiled from his palms into the scabbards, dyeing the blades in pitch-black iron.
Steam hissed from between his clenched teeth. He was finally fighting at full strength.
In that brief exchange, he had begun to hear it—the Breath of Thunder, the Breath of Rain, and within his opponent—the Breath of Steel itself.
"You think I'll give you the chance?!"
Daz Bonez's pupils contracted—his killer's instincts screamed danger. He didn't know how the enemy could defeat him, his natural predator, but years of experience told him not to wait and find out.
His shoes split apart as blades replaced the soles; like skates, he glided forward at breakneck speed.
He would end this before Zoro could finish his stance.
But at that moment—a low chant rose through the storm, a voice that even the rain couldn't drown.
"In this chaotic world... I shall cleave through the mortal dust—"
In that instant, heaven and earth dimmed.
Twin sword lights tore open the night sky, thundering like divine bolts.
The brilliance filled Daz Bonez's vision—yet, strangely, he heard no sound.
He felt no pain.
As if, in that single moment, everything had already left him.
All he could see were raindrops suspended in midair, a street half-cleared of rain.
Why... can he cut steel...?
That final thought froze in his mind—and then ceased altogether.
Only then did Zoro, now standing behind him, exhale the second half of the technique's name.
"Two-Sword Style: Iaijutsu—Rashomon!"
Thud!
Daz Bonez's bisected body fell apart—first left and right, then the midsection collapsing after.He had been sliced cleanly into three pieces, twin blade marks cutting straight through his eye sockets.
His proud "body of blades" had finally fallen to the swordsman who could cut steel.
"Look up at the world... frog in the well."
Zoro coolly flicked the blood from his swords and sheathed them. He rarely killed opponents; usually, a cut was enough. After all, living pirates often carried higher bounties than dead ones.
But perhaps after spending so long around Ren, he'd caught a trace of that same arrogance—the urge to utterly destroy what he despised.
And truth be told,he didn't dislike it.
Now then... it's your turn.
Zoro slowly turned, his piercing gaze cutting through the rain toward his next target.
Hundreds of meters away, in a tall building, Nico Robin recoiled from the window.Her shapely hips struck the table behind her, followed by the faint sound of glass cracking.
But she had no time to care.From her vantage point, she'd seen everything—not only Mr.1's defeat, but the complete collapse of their plan.
"We have to call Crocodile!"
Robin bit her lip hard, snatching up the Den Den Mushi and dialing the number burned into her memory.
Buru~ buru~
The transponder snail began to ring—but soon, the sound became fragmented and distorted.
Robin's eyes widened in alarm.
"Communication... jammed? When?!"
"Right when I made my move."
A stranger's voice spoke behind her.
Nico Robin's pupils contracted sharply as she spun around—
(End of Chapter)