"That's pretty weak."
Kuina raised a hand and rubbed her forehead as if brushing away a fly, then let out a quiet sigh.
"About D-rank at most. Not much stronger than an ordinary person."
"Ohhh!"
But Luffy didn't give up.
The moment he realized one punch wasn't enough, he immediately pulled it back and threw a second, a third, and a fourth.
They came down like rain.
Gomu-Gomu no Pistol, Gomu-Gomu no Gatling...
One attack after another landed on Kuina's head, stomach, shoulders, and arms.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
The rapid impacts sounded like a drumroll.
As for Kuina?
She couldn't even be bothered to raise a hand to block.
Aside from covering a few private areas, she ignored every single hit.
At this level, it was nothing more than a scratch.
Forget a few punches, even if Luffy kept punching without stopping for an entire year, he wouldn't be able to harm a single strand of her hair.
"What level are you at now?"
Zoro suddenly asked, his voice a little hoarse.
At that moment, he couldn't describe how he felt.
Seeing that Luffy's punches couldn't even scratch Kuina gave him a slight sense of relief.
He didn't want Kuina to get hurt.
But that relief was immediately swallowed by an even more suffocating sense of unwillingness.
After all, he wasn't much stronger than Luffy.
If this was how Luffy fared against Kuina... how much better could he possibly do?
Which meant that even if he drew Wado Ichimonji right now, used every sword technique he'd ever learned, and attacked her with everything he had, the result would probably be no different from Luffy's dozen punches.
It would be like scratching an itch.
Against a gap this overwhelming, swordsmanship, techniques, and skill all became meaningless.
"Luffy, that's enough."
Zoro suddenly spoke.
His voice wasn't loud, but his tone landed like a stone dropped into water.
Luffy's arm, which had just been about to stretch back again, froze in midair.
He tilted his head and blinked at his crewmate, "Why, Zoro? I haven't knocked her down yet!"
"I said, that's enough."
Zoro slowly sheathed Wado Ichimonji.
His head was lowered, hiding his eyes, but the veins on the back of his hand bulged one by one.
He took a deep breath.
Then he raised his head again.
"Luffy, move aside."
"Huh?"
Luffy froze for a moment, then retracted his arm and obediently stepped aside.
He wasn't quick-witted, but he could tell that Zoro was completely different now.
When one of his crewmates got serious, he wouldn't interfere.
Zoro took a step forward.
The wooden floor creaked beneath his foot.
He didn't look at Sanji.
He didn't look at the purple-haired woman leaning lazily against the table with folded arms either.
From beginning to end, his eyes were fixed on only one person, Kuina.
"Hey."
Zoro rested his hand on the hilt of his sword.
His thumb gently pushed it forward, drawing the blade half an inch and revealing a gleaming edge.
His Adam's apple bobbed once before he spoke through gritted teeth.
"I want to fight you."
"..."
The entire restaurant fell silent.
The diners who had been secretly watching even stopped chewing.
Forks hung in midair as every head turned toward them.
"This isn't about whether I want to or whether I'm qualified," Zoro took another step forward, "I've trained since I was a kid. I've trained all the way until now. I've worked this hard all for this moment."
"I know I'm nowhere near your level."
"I also know I probably can't even hurt you."
His hand gripped the hilt tightly as he spoke each word clearly, "But today, I'm still going to fight you."
"...", Kuina said nothing.
She merely raised her eyes and gave Zoro a calm glance.
It wasn't cold.
It wasn't warm.
It was simply the look of someone saying, 'I understand.'
Nothing more.
She neither nodded nor shook her head.
Nor did she mock him for overestimating himself like before.
At this moment, saying nothing was the clearest answer.
She accepted.
She allowed Zoro to draw his sword.
She allowed him to challenge her.
"Pfft... Hahahaha!"
Instead, laughter rang out from the neighboring table.
Carina picked up her wine glass again, her crimson fingernails lightly tapping against the rim.
She crossed one long leg over the other, the black stockings outlining the fullness of her legs beneath the lights.
Her alluring eyes narrowed as she looked sideways at Zoro, the smile on her lips full of amusement.
"My~ My~ This green-haired kid is pretty interesting."
"Kuina, why aren't you saying anything? He wants to fight you."
She deliberately drew out the words fight you.
"Miss Carina, stop lighting things up."
Sanji rubbed his forehead with a headache.
"Lighting things up? I'm just appreciating the moment."
Carina slowly took a sip of wine before looking back at Zoro, "Kid, did you see how your sword left your waist just now?"
"..."
Zoro remained silent, but his grip on his sword tightened.
"You couldn't even see Sanji move. And Kuina isn't any weaker than Sanji."
Carina casually set her wine glass on the table, "If Kuina really fought you, how long do you think you'd last under her sword? Half a second?"
She glanced sideways at Kuina, the smile in her eyes almost overflowing.
"At your level, challenging Kuina would be slower than having her spit a mouthful of wine and drown you with it."
She didn't hold back at all.
Several diners in the restaurant couldn't help laughing before hurriedly covering their mouths with napkins.
Zoro's face darkened instantly.
But he didn't argue.
Because she was telling the truth.
"That's enough, Carina."
Just then, the woman who had been sitting across from Carina finally spoke.
From beginning to end, she hadn't said a single word or even changed her posture.
She had simply rested her chin on one hand and quietly watched everything unfold.
The moment she spoke, everyone's eyes drifted toward her.
She was completely different from Carina.
She wasn't wearing an elegant dress or elaborate jewelry.
She wore a simple white cropped sports jacket over a fitted orange tank top. The neckline wasn't especially low, but the fullness of her chest stretched the fabric tightly.
She wore a pair of neatly cut dark athletic shorts, showing off her exceptionally long, toned legs, along with a pair of lightweight sneakers.
Sitting there, she gave off an entirely different feeling from Carina's elegant presence.
It was as though she'd originally been on her way to the gym before someone had dragged her into the restaurant for a free meal.
"He's got guts. I think he'll have a bright future."
Resting her chin on her hand, she looked at Zoro and spoke softly.
"Huh?", Carina held her wine glass between her lips and turned toward her irritably.
"Hey, Nojiko. There you go again. You're always like this. Don't you think it's time for a change?"
"It's just the truth."
The woman called Nojiko shrugged and smiled without a care.
"He knows he can't win, but he still stepped forward. That's the kind of person I find interesting."
Her smile was completely natural, as if she truly found him interesting.
She looked at Zoro again, and there was clear appreciation in her eyes.
"Hey, kid," Nojiko crooked a finger at Zoro, "What's your name?"
"Roronoa Zoro."
"Mmm. I'll remember it. Go ahead and show us what you've got."
She smiled, turned back around, picked up her fork again, and acted as though the brief exchange had never happened.
"..."
Standing off to the side, Nami had already clenched both fists so tightly her fingernails were about to dig into her palms.
She glared at Carina, then at Nojiko, looking as though she wanted to burn holes through both of them.
'These two!'
If she weren't trying to hide herself and keep it a secret that she knew them...
She really, really, really wanted to rush over, grab Nojiko by the collar, and yell: ["What are you pretending for?"]
Nami took a deep breath, then slowly let it out.
Without drawing attention, she turned her face to one side, pretending to study the oil painting hanging on the wall.
But beneath the table, her foot had already stomped the floor over and over again.
'So damn annoying!'
"Hoo..."
Zoro ignored everything else.
He closed his eyes and slowly let out a long breath.
Then his right hand slowly wrapped around Wado Ichimonji's hilt while his left rested on the scabbard.
At the same time, he pulled his other two swords from his waist and gripped them in reverse.
Three swords.
One between his teeth.
One in each hand.
He lowered his head and held the blades diagonally before him.
His feet slowly spread apart into a solid stance.
His muscles tightened little by little.
The veins on both sides of his neck gradually stood out.
Even his breathing was deliberately slowed until it became as light and steady as possible.
Zoro's presence was like a bowstring drawn to its limit, building up little by little.
The diners throughout the restaurant swallowed the food in their mouths.
Even the sound of knives and forks touching plates disappeared.
Even Carina put away her playful smile and set down her wine glass, a trace of admiration appearing in her eyes.
Drawing your sword against someone stronger than you was always worthy of respect.
His momentum had reached its peak.
Zoro opened his eyes.
They were so red they looked ready to burst into flames.
He stepped forward.
"Coming through! Make way! Make way! Food's here!"
Clang! Clang! Clang!
A string of overly crisp porcelain clatters mixed with an infuriatingly cheerful shout as it came crashing out from the kitchen.
The waiter Sanji had signaled earlier charged in, carrying a round serving tray nearly as big as he was.
He held it high above his head, practically stumbling as he ran.
The tray was piled high with grilled meat, roast chicken, and grilled seafood, all still sizzling with oil.
The rich aroma of roasted meat was so strong it seemed ready to fill the entire restaurant.
Behind him came two more waiters pushing carts loaded with soup, vegetables, bottles of sauce, and an entire steaming bucket of rice.
The waiters seemed completely oblivious to the atmosphere in the restaurant as they calmly headed toward the table.
"The grilled meat is here... Dear guest, the restaurant's finest grilled meat..."
"Coming through! Coming through..."
Clunk!
The enormous platter of grilled meat was placed firmly, steaming hot, in the very center of the table behind Zoro.
"..."
The entire restaurant fell silent.
The waiter who had carried the tray still wore his sweet professional smile.
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he gave everyone at the table a deep bow.
"Please enjoy your meal!"
Then he ran off like the wind.
"..."
Zoro's right foot, which had already stepped halfway forward and should have carried overwhelming momentum with it, froze in midair.
The sword in his mouth, the two swords held before him, the muscles stretched so tightly they were about to snap, everything... was shattered by that cheerful "Coming through!"
Momentum? What momentum?
The tense atmosphere that had left the whole restaurant too quiet to breathe was blown away completely by the smell of sizzling grilled meat.
Even the bulging veins on his neck relaxed.
"Sigh!"
Carina let out a sigh.
She uncrossed her legs, picked up her wine glass again, and lazily leaned back in her chair.
The eager expression she'd worn while watching the show disappeared, returning to the same lazy elegance as before.
"How boring."
She snorted and drained the rest of her wine in one gulp.
"Yeah," Nojiko sighed too.
She lowered the hand that had been supporting her chin, picked up her fork again, and poked at the steak on her plate.
Her eyes lowered, and the unconcerned expression returned to her pretty face.
"Damn it..."
Zoro slowly removed the sword from his mouth, inch by inch.
Holding all three swords, he stood frozen.
His face went from red to pale, then from pale to green.
He looked at the sizzling platter of grilled meat in front of him.
Then at Kuina, who had already returned to her seat and wasn't even looking at him anymore.
Then at Carina and Nojiko, each calmly eating and drinking at their own table.
Finally... he silently sheathed his swords.
Every movement was painfully slow.
"That's it?"
Nami had been holding her breath, ready to watch a fierce battle.
But this sudden table full of grilled meat had interrupted everyone's momentum.
The atmosphere of the challenge had completely disappeared.
It was as though someone had suddenly added a random brushstroke to a finished painting.
Something clicked in her mind.
That strange sense that something wasn't right surfaced again.
'No. Something is very wrong.'
Just now, the atmosphere had clearly reached the point where swords were about to be drawn.
Even Carina had looked eager to watch, and the entire restaurant had been holding its breath.
So how had everything ended just because a platter of grilled meat was served?
There was no way these people should have had that kind of unspoken understanding.
'Why?'
'And those waiters didn't seem right either.'
'It is almost as if they were being controlled by someone.'
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