The nemesis of swordsmen, Devil Fruit Ability, an incredibly bizarre scene.
Zoro suddenly understood the words Hiroto had spoken, and he counterattacked, refusing to believe in such nonsense.
Two Sword Style: Bull Needles!
It was impossible to dodge at close range. Buggy's body broke into even smaller pieces, yet not a single drop of blood flowed. Instead, his incredibly agile hands, gripping daggers, added several more bloody gashes to Zoro.
"It's useless. I ate the Chop-Chop Fruit. Even the World's Strongest Swordsman can't hurt me one bit." Buggy mockingly taunted 'Hiroto' with absolute confidence.
This is...
Mohji's anxious voice rang out. "Captain Buggy, that person isn't Hiroto, it's the Pirate Hunter Zoro. The black-haired man next to him is Hiroto. He's tricking you, Captain."
To avenge Richie, he couldn't wait to see that bastard get sliced to death by Buggy.
"Hmm?"
Buggy was stunned, then turned to Hiroto in a rage. "You actually dare to trick me!"
"See that? This is the so-called nemesis of swordsmen."
Hiroto ignored him and gripped Wado Ichimonji tightly. He felt the enhancement this great grade sword gave him.
His sharp gaze fell on Buggy as he said, "But as long as one's thinking is flexible, this kind of counter can be dealt with."
"Dealt with?"
Buggy glanced at the long sword in his hand and sneered, standing still in the air, "I'll give you that chance."
While speaking, his feet, which were still on the ground, were already prepared.
As soon as the mechanism in his soles moved, the released Buggy Ball would blow this idiot swordsman to smithereens.
Insidious, cunning, and lacking any sense of fair play—exactly the true nature of a pirate as he understood it.
"Come on, let me see what you, a swordsman, are going to—"
Before he could finish, the mechanism on the shoes on the ground opened, and the Buggy Ball shot out like a bullet. In just a short second, the terrifying explosion would tear this stupid swordsman apart.
A whistling gale suddenly surged, and Wado Ichimonji blurred, transforming into a flash that swept upward from below.
One Sword Style: God Slaying Spear!
Buggy's field of vision was filled with an ever-expanding light.
The Buggy Ball that had been shot out was shredded, and the loaded explosives detonated into a massive wave of fire, only to be swept back in the blink of an eye by that terrifying slash.
Boom!
A loud bang was accompanied by billowing dust and smoke, and the rolling heatwave swallowed Mohji and the others.
Zoro dodged the moment he saw Hiroto draw his sword. Just as he regained his footing, he heard a continuous strange sound.
He subconsciously looked up and saw a straight scar on the Marine building, nearly splitting the entire front of the building open.
'Although it's not a true flying slash, this kind of power...'
Zoro was certain he couldn't achieve this level.
At this moment...
"Ah, hot, hot, hot!"
Cabaji, covered in blood, rushed out of the fire wave screaming and rolled on the ground to extinguish the flames.
Because Mohji and the remaining pirates were standing close together, they faced the slash and fire wave head-on and were simply buried in the sea of fire. He only managed to narrowly escape thanks to his agility and by standing far away from Mohji.
"It's on fire! So hot! So hot!"
Then came Buggy, split into many pieces, flying and scurrying around with his body on fire.
He clearly hadn't expected that the Buggy Ball, which was supposed to explode upon release, could actually be swept back.
And this power...
What the hell do you mean 'prototype' of a flying slash?
This is clearly a true flying slash.
Why is a swordmaster like you hanging around the East Blue instead of going to the Grand Line?
But fortunately, he was a Chop-Chop Man, a mere swordmaster couldn't kill him.
However, compared to him, his subordinates were miserable. Only Cabaji survived.
"You damn bastard, how dare you kill my subordinates! I'll kill you!"
Buggy dove down in a rage, his body splitting into more than twenty pieces. Blades popped out from his reattached toes, and then his lower body began to spin and shot out. Then his left and right hands, each gripping three daggers, shot out at speeds comparable to cannonballs under the cover of his body fragments.
"Since you can be immune to slashes by splitting apart, can you be immune to blunt force?"
Hiroto's figure vanished along with his voice, and a gale whipped up a tornado from the flat ground. The incoming fragments were scattered in disarray, as if something had knocked them aside.
In the next second, the hilt of Wado Ichimonji smashed into Buggy's face, denting even his red nose.
Buggy cried out in pain and tried to recall his split body, but a large hand clamped onto his face and suddenly exerted force.
Whoosh—
Buggy's head, like a ball, flew straight toward the town.
A violent gale swept out from the gates of the Marine Base 153, chasing after the 'ball' that had just hit the ground.
"Wait!"
Buggy winced in pain as Hiroto's figure appeared in his vision, along with his belated body fragments.
He tried to say something in a panic, but was met with a powerful kick.
Bang!
The 'ball' flew up again.
Hiroto kept dashing in and out, chasing the ball and repeatedly performing aerial volleys.
Inside the Marine base, Cabaji watched this scene dumbfounded. He knew the swordsman named Hiroto must have hidden his strength.
But as a swordsman, to so thoroughly crush Buggy, whose bounty was as high as 15 million berries...
Just how strong was he?
Whoosh...
The residual gusts of the gale picked up several yellowed bounty posters, which happened to fly toward Cabaji.
Were those... the bounty posters that flew out of the building during the explosion earlier?
Cabaji subconsciously caught one, only to suddenly realize that the person on this poster was the same as on the others.
It was the Beheader Swordsman Hiroto, who had been their enemy just moments ago.
Except... unlike his impression, the title printed on the bounty poster was different.
"Head-Chopping Swordsman?"
Cabaji looked down, and his eyes nearly popped out. "Thirty... thirty-seven million berries!?"
What was going on?
They had clearly updated the bounty posters just a week ago.
At that time, Hiroto only had a 7 million bounty. In less than a week, it had actually soared to such an exaggerated level as 37 million berries.
Not far away, the bearded Lieutenant, having witnessed everything, pulled his gaze back from the base entrance with a shocked expression.
The crisis facing Marine Branch 153 had been resolved by that man just like that.
It's truly... wonderful.
The civilians of this town wouldn't be destroyed by pirates and fall into a sea of fire like those in his hometown.
"Hey, what are you standing there for?" Zoro's voice suddenly rang out as he raised his sword toward Cabaji.
"The battle isn't over yet, is it?"
"..."
Cabaji looked at Zoro in silence, he had heard of this Pirate Hunter. As a fellow swordsman, he was confident he wouldn't be weaker than this person.
But recalling what he had just seen and heard, especially that terrifying man...
Thud!
Cabaji's legs gave way, and he said with a mournful face, "I surrender."
Zoro: "???"