On the other side of the island, Mr. 3 was rushing toward the royal palace. His thoughts matched those of Jango. He believed that Usopp could handle the factory alone, while the palace served as Doflamingo's main base. He knew he would surely run into powerful officers there. If he could wipe out those high-ranking enemies, he might finally secure a spot among the top five members of the Straw Hat crew.
"Hey, since I've become an officer for one of the Five Emperors, I have to be ambitious," Mr. 3 muttered to himself as he ran. "Sanji is currently obsessed with women, and while Ricky is strong, he doesn't seem interested in competing for rank. Marie is my close sister, so this is the perfect time to make my move. Doflamingo has three top officers—Spade, Club, and Diamond. If I can take them down, my status will be as high as Cracker from the Big Mom Pirates."
Mr. 3 planned his rise to fame carefully, and his speed increased as he grew more excited.
Meanwhile, Usopp and Nami had changed their clothes to go undercover. After receiving news from the factory, they rushed to find Marie. Although both of them were naturally timid, they knew they would feel safe as long as they were with her. After all, Marie and Ricky were incredibly powerful.
However, the Straw Hats did not realize that Violet had seen every move they made. At that moment, Violet felt very conflicted. She desperately wanted to hide the movements of the Straw Hat crew, but other Donquixote officers were watching her closely. If they caught her lying, her father, King Riku, would be in danger.
Violet was clever. While she didn't tell a direct lie, she chose to focus on the less important details. She vaguely mentioned that Marie and Ricky were heading to the factory, but she put all the emphasis on Jango and Mr. 3 rushing toward the palace. This caused the other officers to focus their attention on the palace instead. As for what Marie and Ricky were planning at the factory, Violet had a strong guess. She decided to bet all her hopes on the Straw Hat Pirates.
Before she could do anything else, she used her powers to check on her father and Rebecca. She was relieved and surprised to find that Rebecca was safe, standing with Franky and Tony Tony Chopper.
"Doflamingo, your end is not far away," Violet whispered, clenching her fists. "Dressrosa will finally be saved!"
Back at the Corrida Colosseum, the battle in the arena grew more intense. Roronoa Zoro continued to cut down the biscuit soldiers one by one, while Shiryu of the Rain attacked Cracker with terrifying speed.
Cracker was not weak, however. Aside from the injury he took at the start of the fight, he was doing his best to deal with Shiryu. He wasn't losing yet, but it was clear that if the fight lasted much longer, the outcome would be uncertain. At that moment, Cracker regretted letting his guard down. He realized he should have stayed back and let Shiryu and Zoro fight each other first. If he had waited for them to exhaust themselves, he could have stepped in and taken the win easily.
It was too late for regrets now. Shiryu was furious and determined to kill him. Cracker had to use all of his strength just to stay alive. As the pressure on Cracker increased, the pressure on Zoro decreased. Eventually, Cracker was so busy defending himself against Shiryu that he could no longer control his biscuit soldiers to bother Zoro.
Seeing this opening, Zoro took a moment to rest. He watched Shiryu's swordplay closely. Zoro knew deep down that he wasn't strong enough to beat Shiryu yet, but he refused to give up. As a swordsman, he would never admit defeat, even if it meant his death.
"Zoro, you can do it!" Luffy shouted from the stands.
"Don't you dare lose, you moss-head!" Sanji yelled, though his voice betrayed his concern.
"Go, Three-Sword Style! Don't let us down!" Nami cheered.
"Yohohoho! Good luck, Zoro-san!" Brook added.
The Straw Hats cheered loudly, but their eyes were full of worry. They knew how strong Zoro was, but Shiryu's power was overwhelming. The only thing they could do was offer their support and hope for a victory.
Zoro chuckled softly. He continued to recover his breath while memorizing Shiryu's movements. On the other side of the ring, Cracker was exhausted. Under Shiryu's heavy attacks, it was only a matter of time before he was cut down. He wanted to give up, but he was terrified of his mother, Big Mom. He knew she would be furious if he retreated.
Suddenly, Katakuri's voice rang out from the sidelines. "Cracker! Jump out of the arena immediately! You are no match for Shiryu!"
Cracker had been waiting for those words. He used a powerful move to force Shiryu back for a second and then jumped toward the edge of the ring without hesitation. However, Shiryu was not about to let him leave unscathed. He swung his blade, sending a scarlet wave of energy flying through the air. The attack struck Cracker right in the back.
Blood sprayed into the water below, making the hungry Fighting Fish even more aggressive. Cracker coughed up blood and collapsed outside the ring. Katakuri and Perospero rushed to his side to protect him. Katakuri narrowed his eyes and glared at Shiryu. His killing intent was so strong it felt like it might explode. Katakuri found Shiryu incredibly annoying. Cracker was already trying to leave the fight, yet Shiryu still tried to finish him off.
Katakuri promised himself he would teach Shiryu a lesson if he got the chance. However, he remained cautious. It wasn't the right time for the Big Mom Pirates to start an all-out war with the Blackbeard Pirates.
"Cracker is out of the bounds!" Gatz, the announcer, shouted into his microphone to get the crowd excited. "Only Shiryu of the Rain and Zoro the Pirate Hunter remain in the ring! The real duel has finally begun! Who will win the block A finals?"
Zoro had rested enough for his physical strength to return. He felt more familiar with Shiryu's style now. He believed he could hold his own in a fight, at least for a while.
Shiryu wore an evil smile. His eyes were bloodthirsty as he looked at Zoro. "Very well. It's time for the final course. Roronoa Zoro, you are clearly a genius swordsman. My favorite thing in the world is to crush geniuses before they can grow. It is both your bad luck and your honor to die by my hand today."
Zoro met his gaze with a cold smile. "Mr. Carl always says that villains die because they talk too much. You're talking a lot right now."
"Hmph! You have a sharp tongue!" Shiryu growled. "After I kill you, I'll go after Carl. That so-called Lightning Swordsman is just a brat. He's nothing to be afraid of!"
Shiryu said the words to boost his own confidence, but he knew the truth. Carl's power was terrifying. Shiryu knew he had almost no chance of winning against Carl in a fair fight, but that didn't stop him from wanting to try.
"Die!" Shiryu roared.
He rushed at Zoro, his sword, Thunderstorm, glowing with a scarlet light. Zoro didn't flinch. He unleashed a Flying Dragon Blaze to meet the attack. The two slashes collided in the middle of the arena and exploded with a loud bang. Before the smoke could even clear, their blades clashed together.
Shiryu used the same aggressive style as before. His moves weren't complicated, but they were designed for one thing: killing. Every swing was a lethal strike. Zoro spent the entire time parrying. Even though he had learned Shiryu's patterns, every block felt like a struggle. Shiryu's attacks were not only fast and fierce, but they were also backed by immense physical strength and a terrifying killing intent.
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