Chapter 57: Alabasta – Zoro vs. Mr. 1 & Nami vs. Miss Doublefinger
"Where the hell did that idiot navigator run off to?! Getting lost at a time like this—I told her to just find somewhere to hide!" Zoro charged recklessly through the maze-like alleys, completely unaware that on the street just one wall away, Nami was sprinting for her life with tears streaming down her face, Mr. 1 and Miss Doublefinger calmly pursuing her like cats toying with prey.
"Hm? The voice sounds like it's coming from the other side…" Zoro tilted his head to listen for a moment, then took a turn and ran off in the completely opposite direction.
"Help meeee!!!" Nami's scream pierced the sky. "Where the hell is that idiot swordsman Zoro?! I never knew his sense of direction was THIS bad!" Nami pumped her long legs desperately, feeling like her lungs were about to explode.
Not far behind, Mr. 1 and Miss Doublefinger followed at a leisurely pace, like cats playing with a mouse. "Rule number one of assassination," Mr. 1's cold voice rang out, "eliminate the weakest first."
"Hehe, let her experience the elegance of a professional killer." Miss Doublefinger smiled lightly while stroking her sharp nails.
After running for what felt like forever, Nami finally ran out of stamina. She leaned against a stone pillar, gasping violently: "Ha… ha… no more…" She suddenly turned around—only to see two dark shadows right in front of her. Adrenaline surged. "You bastards—!"
Mr. 1 looked somewhat impatient. "This is taking too long." He leaped upward in one motion, appearing directly above Nami. She heard the movement, turned her head, lost her balance, and fell backward. The steel-like five fingers were aimed straight at her throat.
At the critical moment—
Clang!
A clear, resonant sword cry cut through the air. Zoro appeared out of nowhere, his Wado Ichimonji firmly blocking the lethal strike. Nami collapsed to the ground, watching in shock as the stone pillar slowly tilted. "Zoro!" She was first overjoyed—then cried out in alarm: "The pillar split vertically?!"
"It didn't split," Zoro corrected her wording. "It was clearly cut clean through!"
Mr. 1 licked his finger. "You're really in the way, brat."
Clang!
Zoro swung backhandedly, only to produce the sound of metal clashing against metal. He narrowed his eyes: "As expected… there's something wrong with your body. You cut that pillar with your hand just now, didn't you?"
Mr. 1 assumed a stance; his palms and arms transformed into blade edges. "Correct. I ate the Supa Supa no Mi—I'm a Blade Human. The Whiskey Peak hundred-man slayer swordsman—that's you, right?"
Miss Doublefinger added: "And the guy who cut down our envoy Mr. 7 in the East Blue a few years ago—that was you too, wasn't it?"
"Ah, now I remember." Zoro showed a nostalgic expression. "Blame him for not accepting my conditions. I said if I was going to join, I'd only do it as the boss." He shrugged. "The guy didn't just refuse—he tried to kill me. So I had no choice but to take him out."
Miss Doublefinger covered her mouth and giggled: "Hehe, you're an interesting man~"
"What, you two want to recruit me now too? Too bad—that position looks way too stupid. I'll pass." Zoro mocked them. The next moment Mr. 1 charged forward and clashed with Zoro.
"You really know how to talk big for someone who's just a swordsman in some no-name pirate crew," Mr. 1 said with a dark face.
"And you lot aren't any better—just puppets on Crocodile's strings," Zoro countered while parrying Mr. 1's attacks.
"Miss Doublefinger." Mr. 1 suddenly called back.
"Got it Leave this pretty boy to you." She blew a smoke ring and turned around. "I'll go play with that cute little girl"
"Damn it! Nami…" Zoro's heart tightened. He immediately looked behind him—only to find the street empty. His mouth twitched unconsciously: "…She ran pretty fast."
Hiding in a nearby alley, Nami panted while looking at the Clima-Tact in her hand, encouraging herself: "Come on, Nami. If it's just that one woman, I can definitely handle it."
Pshht!
In an instant, a thorn pierced through Nami's right shoulder. She fell to the ground with a cry: "Aaaah!"
Nami clutched her bleeding shoulder and looked back at the wall she had been leaning against. A small hole had appeared in it. Then came a series of sharp sounds—followed by the wall being casually pushed open. Miss Doublefinger stepped out from inside.
"Useless, little girl. No matter where you run…" She slowly raised her right hand; her fingertips suddenly elongated into sharp thorns. "You can't escape the palm of my hand~"
"So she's a Devil Fruit user too… and she has some kind of weapon?" Nami gripped the Clima-Tact warily.
"Oh, looks like you figured it out." Miss Doublefinger's right hand suddenly sprouted sharp spines like a sea urchin. "That's right—I ate the Spike-Spike Fruit. I can grow spikes from any part of my body." (PS: The Thorn-Thorn Fruit eater is Smokerz Saint; the Spike-Spike Fruit is a different fruit.)
Nami endured the searing pain in her shoulder, gritted her teeth, and stood up. Cold sweat slid down her cheeks. In her mind she quickly calculated: "No… I absolutely cannot let her catch me, or I'll die for sure…"
She gripped the Clima-Tact tightly and assumed a fighting stance. Though her arm was still shaking, her eyes were resolute.
Miss Doublefinger saw this and couldn't help covering her mouth with a light laugh: "Aww You really want to fight me? How cute"
"That's right! I'm not going down without a fight!" Nami quickly assembled the Clima-Tact, thinking to herself: "Usopp… this time my life depends on your invention…"
She took a deep breath, struck a dramatically confident pose, and declared loudly: "The miraculous staff that can summon clouds, summon wind, summon rain—at will combining to cause all kinds of heavenly phenomena!"
Her tone was exaggerated, almost theatrical, successfully making Miss Doublefinger freeze for a second.
"Nani?!"
"First up—Clear Weather!" Nami pressed the button confidently, arranging the Clima-Tact into a triangle shape.
However—coo coo coo! Several white pigeons suddenly burst out of the staff, circled in the air, and one even landed on Nami's head.
"Wow! Pigeons actually flew out?!" Nami's eyes widened; her expression froze instantly. "What the hell is this?!!"
"Are you messing with me?!" She furiously slammed the Clima-Tact to the ground, then forced herself to calm down and self-soothe: "Wait… this must be Usopp's strategy! Make the enemy lower their guard first… yes, that has to be it!"
She took another deep breath, picked up the Clima-Tact, and quickly glanced at the instruction manual. "I see… so if I assemble it like this…" She swiftly connected the three sections into an L-shape and assumed a rifle stance. "Now it's rifle mode!"
"This time I'll definitely finish you!" Nami aimed at Miss Doublefinger and pressed the button hard.
"Cloudy Weather!"
Bang! The muzzle instantly sprayed out a huge bouquet of flowers. Petals scattered everywhere, even with ribbons floating down.
"Wow! What a beautiful bouquet!" Nami froze for a second, then roared in fury: "Win my ass!! That bastard Usopp!!" She grabbed one of the pigeons that had flown out, choked its neck, and shook it wildly: "You're all in on this, aren't you?! Speak! Are you messing with me?!"
Miss Doublefinger watched the entire scene, her mouth twitching: "I don't know what just happened…" She looked at the hysterical Nami with a hint of pity in her tone. "But this child… looks really pitiful."
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