Chapter 226 - 84

Chapter 84Black smoke rose from his body as he collapsed straight onto the sandy ground, losing consciousness.The surrounding phantoms slowly dissipated.Nami leaned on her clima-tact, panting slightly, and looked at her electrocuted opponent. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and scoffed, "Now, who's the useless one?""Still calling me a raccoon dog?" Nika couldn't help but go over and stomp on him a few times.Elsewhere, the battle between the swordsmen had only just begun.The duel between Zoro and Mr.1, Daz Bones, was a clash of a different style.There were no flashy techniques, only the purest confrontation of strength and slashes."It's useless."Mr.1 watched as Zoro swung his sword at his blade-covered arm again, sending sparks flying. His voice was cold, like grinding steel, as he said, "I ate the Dice-Dice Fruit and am a Blade Human; my entire body can turn into steel blades. I, Daz Bones, have never been scratched by anyone claiming to be a swordsman."The surface of his body shimmered with a metallic luster, making him look like a walking steel fortress.Zoro slowly drew back his blades, holding the three swords in different positions, his eyes like a hawk stalking its prey."Is that so?""Then today, I'll break that record of yours!""Oni Giri!"Zoro's figure vanished instantly, reappearing next to Mr.1 the next moment. All three swords struck out, slicing toward the opponent's neck, waist, and knees with a fierce whistling sound!Clang!Clang!Clang!Three crisp sounds rang out, almost simultaneously.Mr.1 didn't even move, simply taking the three slashes head-on with his body.Sparks flew everywhere, and Zoro's slashes returned without effect, leaving only three shallow white marks on the opponent's skin."So tough," Zoro said.Mr.1 slowly turned his head, his gaze falling on the relatively new sword in Zoro's left hand. "That sword you mentioned actually seems decent."Zoro held yubashiri horizontally in front of him and gently stroked the blade. "This is one of the Fifty Skillful Grade Swords, yubashiri.""It's a good sword, but it's a pity the person using it is lacking.""You sure have a way with words."Zoro stared at Mr.1, his gaze turning dangerous.If this man was made entirely of steel, then he just had to cut through steel!Whoosh!Zoro's figure vanished again, his speed faster than before.This time, it wasn't a probing slash, but a continuous assault like a raging storm.Chopping, slashing, parrying, lifting... various basic sword techniques transformed into a deadly dance in his hands, the blade light weaving a dense net that enveloped Mr.1!"Too slow."Mr.1 let out a cold shout; his speed was also astonishingly fast.His arms transformed into huge blades, parrying, slashing, and thrusting, neutralizing all of Zoro's attacks one by one.Clang! Clang!!The sound of metal clashing was like a rapid drumbeat, continuous and unending.The two moved at high speed across the desert, kicking up clouds of yellow sand. Blade light and shadows flickered, and the aftermath of the battle shaved down the surrounding sand dunes.Although Zoro's offensive was fierce, he still couldn't break through Mr.1's steel body, which was as hard as diamond. Instead, under the opponent's occasional counterattacks, he added a few shallow wounds to his body."Your sword cannot cut through steel."Mr.1 parried a fierce slash from Zoro, his voice still calm as he said, "And my blades can easily tear you to shreds."He could also be considered a swordsman.Zoro looked at the blade marks on his body and laughed, "This level is far from Luffy's fists.""How intense can your sparring sessions be? Our battle right now is not just about victory or defeat, but life or death!"Mr.1 let out a low roar, "Spiral Hollow!"He crossed his arms and swung them forward violently. Two massive, cross-shaped slashing waves whistled toward Zoro, covering a huge range, making them difficult to dodge!Zoro's eyes sharpened, and he immediately braced his three swords in front of him!"Three-Sword Style: Bull Needles!"He charged forward like a wild bull, using the tips of his swords to precisely strike the weakest power nodes of the two slashing waves.Boom!The slashing waves were forcibly deflected, grazing Zoro's body and flying backward, neatly slicing the distant rocks into four pieces.Mr.1 followed closely behind, turning into a blur and striking when Zoro was caught off guard.Zoro bit down on wado ichimonji, holding sandai kitetsu in his left hand and yubashiri in his right, positioning the two swords as if they were carried on his back."Three-Sword Style: Tiger Hunt!"In terms of strength, he was no weaker than Mr.1, so he didn't fear the collision.Ding.Mr.1's hand thrust forward, parried by the blade of yubashiri, and the two locked weapons.Zoro slid sandai kitetsu downward, finding an opening in Mr.1's defense, then slashed at him with wado ichimonji and yubashiri.This strike."Two-Sword Style: 72 Pound Cannon!"Mr.1 was swept away by the sword wind.Zoro panted slightly, looking at the unscathed Mr.1 ahead, his brows furrowed.Still couldn't cut him?Chapter 114: Crocodile, Defeated!"Do you realize the gap now, swordsman?"Mr.1 walked over slowly. "In the face of absolute power, your techniques are meaningless."Meaningless?Zoro stood in place and grinned. Hard work would never let down anyone who had ever pushed themselves.Everything he had strived for would be rewarded. He had already promised Luffy that before he caught up to Hawkeye and became the world's greatest swordsman, he would not lose to anyone again. How could he fall in a place like this?!"Let me show you the power my Captain taught me."The blade of yubashiri was gradually covered in jet-black Haki.Armament Haki!To defeat Mr.1, there was clearly only one way: break through his own limits and cut through steel!The teacher at the dojo where he once trained had said that after a swordsman reaches a certain realm, they can cut anything and nothing, which is the so-called "cutting steel."Zoro's three swords were all famous blades, each with a greater reputation than the last, treasures in the eyes of a swordsman.It is easy for famous blades to cut iron; given time, Zoro could hack it to pieces, but that would just be utilizing the sharpness of the blades to cut inanimate objects. Encountering someone like Mr.1, whose entire body was steel—living steel with a mind of its own—Zoro's previous attacks had only left faint traces on him.There was still a long way to go before he could cut through it.Cutting steel is not Haki; it is not Armament Haki, nor is it Observation Haki.It is a realm that belongs to a swordsman.Perceive the weakness, and kill in one strike.Armament Haki was just an extra power Zoroborrowed, to protect his blade.He closed his eyes, adjusted his breathing, and cast aside all distracting thoughts.The sound of the wind in his ears, the sound of rolling sand, the subtle sound of metal rubbing on his opponent... the world seemed to become clear.He had to listen, to hear the rhythm of the breath of all things, to hear the breath of steel!"You bastard."Mr.1 watched Zoro, who had suddenly become motionless, and instinctively felt a hint of danger, especially since Zoro's swords had turned a jet-black color.He couldn't give him another chance.Mr.1 leaped high into the air, merging his arms into a huge blade, and slashed down fiercely toward the top of Zoro's head like a guillotine."Spiral Hollow!"Just as the massive blade was about to hit him, Zoro snapped his eyes open.In his eyes, there was no longer any confusion, only a clear realization!He saw it!He saw the faint, almost imperceptible line flowing across that steel body!"One-Sword Style: Flying Dragon Blaze!"Accompanied by a low dragon's roar, the wado ichimonji in Zoro's hand suddenly unsheathed.There were no flashy moves, only a straight slash, condensed to the extreme and carrying a scorching aura.This sword strike was as fast as lightning, precisely slicing along the line he had seen!"Pfft—!"A soft sound, different from all the previous metal clashing sounds.Mr.1's powerful, heavy slash came to an abrupt halt. His massive blade-body froze in mid-air, his face filled with extreme astonishment and disbelief.A thin red line spread from his left shoulder all the way to his right waist."No, impossible..." he muttered to himself.The next moment, blood sprayed from that red line like a fountain.Mr.1's body, claimed to be like steel, was completely severed by Zoro's slash, which had attained the realm of cutting steel.He had actually reached this point?"Hey, are you going to cut through diamond next?" Mr.1 knelt on the ground, slowly turning his head back."Wouldn't that be a waste?" Zoro slowly sheathed his sword and took off his headscarf.Just diamond?That would be underestimating his ambition."Is that so... I lost."Mr.1's huge body crashed to the ground, kicking up clouds of sand.With his back to his fallen opponent, Zoro let out a long sigh of relief, a satisfied and confident smile appearing on his face.In this battle, he had officially stepped into the realm of cutting steel!But, so tired!Zoro sat down abruptly, his eyes wide. It was his first time using Armament Haki, and he hadn't expected it to be so draining.The gap compared to him was immediately apparent.That guy Luffy's stamina... is terrifying!But just at that moment, a figure was sent flying over, followed immediately by a huge figure emerging from the dust, both hands covered in jet-black Armament Haki, with white flame clouds burning continuously around him.Crack.