Just as Daz Bones had chosen Lafayette as his target, Zoro had chosen Daz Bones.
The reason was simple.
Among everyone in Baroque Works, aside from Crocodile, Daz Bones was the kind of opponent who radiated strength at first glance.
Whenever there was a battle, Zoro naturally preferred fighting the strongest enemy available.
"Then you're really unlucky."
Daz Bones stared expressionlessly at Zoro. His eyes swept across the two swords in Zoro's hands before settling on the third sword hanging at his waist.
"Because I'm the natural enemy of swordsmen."
"The natural enemy of swordsmen?"
Zoro snorted dismissively.
"You're pretty arrogant."
"If that's true, then let me see exactly how you're supposed to counter me."
With his left hand, Zoro drew the final sword from his waist—Wado Ichimonji.
He clenched the white-hilted blade between his teeth.
Three-Sword Style.
Looking straight at Daz Bones, his eyes were filled with open provocation.
Clang!
Boom!!
The instant Zoro finished speaking, both men vanished from where they stood almost simultaneously.
They charged directly toward one another.
Steel collided with steel.
The swords and bladed arms crashed together with explosive force.
That first collision was only the beginning.
Sparks erupted continuously between the two combatants.
The fierce exchange immediately escalated into an intense duel.
While Zoro battled Daz Bones, everyone else naturally found opponents of their own.
Lafayette was no exception.
Although Zoro's intervention had prevented Daz Bones from reaching him, two other Baroque Works officers quickly took his place.
His opponents were Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine.
One possessed the Bomb-Bomb Fruit.
The other wielded the Kilo-Kilo Fruit.
Boom!!
A violent explosion shook the casino.
The floor instantly caved in, leaving behind a massive crater.
It was the work of Mr. 5.
The moment he reached Lafayette, he leaped into the air and threw a powerful punch.
However, facing such an attack, Lafayette simply stepped backward with effortless grace.
His movements were so light that he easily avoided the blow.
As a result, the Bomb-Bomb Fruit's explosion detonated harmlessly on the spot where Lafayette had been standing moments before.
"10,000-Kilo Guillotine!"
Just as Lafayette landed from his evasive jump, another figure descended from directly above.
It was Miss Valentine.
By reducing her weight to one kilogram, she had achieved tremendous jumping height.
Now, in midair, she increased her weight to ten thousand kilograms.
The immense weight transformed her descending kick into a devastating attack aimed straight at Lafayette.
Shing!
Nothing escaped Lafayette's Observation Haki.
The moment he sensed the attack above him, he calmly raised his cane sword.
A swift thrust.
"Ahhh!!"
Miss Valentine screamed.
The sharp flying slash carved a bloody wound across her body.
The injury caused her to lose control of her Devil Fruit ability.
Her enormous body crashed heavily onto the ground beside Lafayette.
Seeing his partner defeated in an instant, Mr. 5's expression changed dramatically.
He immediately rushed forward to support her.
But he had barely taken a single step.
Another flying slash flashed toward him.
"Ahhh!!"
Without even having time to react, Mr. 5 followed in Miss Valentine's footsteps.
The powerful slash sent him flying backward with a cry of pain.
Two Devil Fruit users...
They're valuable assets.
Having seriously injured both opponents with only two sword strikes, Lafayette made no attempt to finish them off.
After confirming that neither of them could continue fighting, he smiled faintly before shifting his attention elsewhere.
A figure suddenly became nothing more than an afterimage.
The next moment—
A powerful flying kick landed squarely against Mr. 3.
His eyes bulged so violently that his glasses nearly shattered.
Without any chance to retaliate, he blasted straight through the casino wall while screaming.
Crash!
Neferpitou landed lightly where Mr. 3 had been standing moments before.
She was currently using the beast form of her Nine-Lives Cat Devil Fruit.
Her graceful body remained perfectly balanced.
Her lifeless eyes briefly glanced toward the massive hole in the wall before shifting to another target.
Standing nearby was Miss Goldenweek.
Marianne.
She had attempted to act alongside Mr. 3.
Everything had happened so quickly that she hadn't even seen Neferpitou move.
One second, Mr. 3 had been standing beside her.
The next—
He had already disappeared through the wall.
As Marianne looked up and met Neferpitou's emotionless eyes, she instinctively swallowed.
Without hesitation, she threw down the drawing board in her hands.
She immediately raised both hands above her head.
"I surrender!"
"Please don't kill me!"
It wasn't that she lacked courage.
She simply understood the situation.
Although her Color Trap techniques were comparable to a Devil Fruit ability, they required someone else to create an opening.
Normally, Mr. 3 restrained enemies while she secretly activated her hypnotic colors.
As for direct combat...
She was no different from an ordinary little girl.
Thud!
Neferpitou's tail suddenly whipped forward.
She paid no attention whatsoever to Marianne's surrender.
The tail struck the side of Marianne's neck with precise force.
The girl immediately lost consciousness.
After confirming that Marianne had been knocked out, Neferpitou looked once more toward the large hole in the wall.
"Meow."
She crouched slightly.
Then exploded forward.
Her body instantly disappeared through the opening, chasing after Mr. 3.
"Spike Stomp!"
Activating the Spike-Spike Fruit, Zala transformed both of her feet into masses of sharp spikes.
She launched a relentless series of kicks toward Robin.
A crimson gleam flashed across Robin's eyes.
Observation Haki.
With calm, graceful movements, Robin shifted her footing.
Left.
Right.
She effortlessly avoided every incoming strike.
"Six Fleur—Clutch!"
Robin calmly crossed her arms before her chest.
The moment she finished dodging Zala's attack, she launched her counterattack.
Flower petals scattered through the air.
In an instant, countless arms bloomed directly from Zala's body.
They seized all four of her limbs simultaneously.
Then twisted.
Crack!
The sudden attack left Zala no opportunity to resist.
Completely unable to match Robin's strength, all four of her limbs were dislocated at once.
"Ahhh!!"
The aggressive woman from moments earlier collapsed to the floor, screaming in agony.
Not particularly strong...
Still, she's a Devil Fruit user.
She's worth keeping alive.
Like Lafayette, Robin stopped attacking after ensuring her opponent could no longer continue fighting.
"ROOM."
A spherical energy field instantly expanded outward.
"Wh-What?!"
"My body's... separated!"
"I'm going to die!"
"Mr. 4, save me!"
"Woof! Woof!"
In the blink of an eye, Mr. 4, Miss Merry Christmas, and their pet gun-dog Lassoo all found themselves neatly divided into multiple pieces.
Their bodies had been cleanly separated into sections.
Yet there wasn't a single drop of blood.
Like scattered building blocks, the pieces lay spread across the floor.
The bizarre sight left the trio twisting about in utter panic.
"Just stay there."
Having effortlessly defeated his opponents, Law casually rested Kikoku across his shoulder while looking calmly at the separated enemies.
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