Chapter 482 - 321

Chapter 322: Advanced Armament Haki! Zoro's Second RoundThe triple killing move compressed the air until it exploded with a thunderous roar.Countless gasps echoed from the stands, and Bartolomeo's scream was heart-wrenching.Rebecca even forgot the danger behind her, her pupils reflecting the black-robed figure submerged in violent energy.Zoro stood there, seemingly with nowhere to hide.But the hand holding his sword was as steady as a rock.Under the mask, deep within his pupils, a spark of crimson-gold fire suddenly ignited."The warm-up... should be over."The whisper was drowned out by the roar of the attack.The next instant—BOOM!!!!A crimson-gold light burst forth from within Zoro's body!Then it was forcibly wrapped around the blade.Crimson-gold lightning scrambled to entwine the blade of wado ichimonji, plating the snow-bright edge in a layer of flowing, destructive crimson-gold!"One Sword Style..."Zoro's voice came through the mask with a metallic vibrato."Advanced Armament Haki: Great Dragon Shock..."The trajectory of the swing was so clear it seemed to be in slow motion.But the effect was faster than anyone could react to!The crimson-gold blade light left the edge, slicing through the air and leaving a lingering scorch mark, and then—It collided with King's flaming wing slash.Sizzle—!The violent flames were instantly annihilated upon contact with the crimson-gold blade light!It collided with Katakuri's Mochi Sphere.Katakuri's Observation Haki screamed a frantic warning!A tenth of a second before the blade light reached him, he had already foreseen that irresistible sharpness!He tried to disperse the Mochi Sphere, make it flow, and deflect the force, pushing his Armament Haki to the limit!But it was useless!The moment the crimson-gold blade light touched the mochi, the structure of the incredibly tough and plastic mochi seemed to be smashed from within by an invisible heavy hammer!Then it was brutally torn apart by the power of the Advanced Armament Haki!After slashing through the triple attack, the residual power of the crimson-gold blade light did not dissipate; instead, it condensed into a refined crescent-shaped shockwave, spreading toward King and Katakuri!"!!!"King's pupils shrank to pinpoints, and the flames on his back instinctively surged to the limit, forming a flame shield, while his wing bones, covered in top-tier Armament Haki, crossed in front of him!Katakuri exerted his full power to use 'Flowing Mochi,' forming layers of high-speed rotating mochi shield walls in front of him, while Earth Dragonwas also held horizontally across his chest!Bang! Bang!Two dull thuds.King's flame shield was instantly pierced, a terrifying force and a bone-deep 'vibration' transmitted through his wing bones; he was blown back dozens of meters, his feet plowing two deep grooves into the sand.Katakuri's mochi shield walls were torn open layer by layer, Earth Dragon vibrated incessantly, and he was likewise pushed back. A bone-fracturing pain shot through his arm; looking down, a gash had been sliced into the outside of his left arm, dripping with blood.The two of them looked up simultaneously, their eyes filled with unprecedented shock and gravity as they stared at Zoro.Conquerors Haki Coating!And such refined, such dominant Conquerors Haki Coating!This swordsman's mastery of Haki had already reached the threshold of 'that realm'!Zoro, having released such a strike, did not pursue. He maintained his post-swing posture, breathing slightly.Just then—"Crack... crack... Bang!"Enduring the dual pressure of the previous energy impact and the current Haoshoku shockwave, the ordinary Hannya Demon Mask on his face finally reached its absolute limit.Cracks spread from the brow across the entire mask, then it suddenly exploded, fragments flying in all directions.Short green hair fluttered in the air current, the scar over his closed left eye, the three teardrop-shaped earrings on his right ear swaying, and those golden pupils that looked like unsheathed blades, still burning with crimson-gold embers... all were exposed without concealment to the hundred thousand spectators and all the participants.Dead silence.It was as if even the wind had stopped flowing.Then came a wave of sound like a volcanic eruption!"Roronoa Zoro!!!!""The Vice Captain of the Straw Hat crew! 'pirate hunter' Zoro!!""How could he be here?! And competing in disguise?!""That crimson-gold light just now... was Haoshoku?! He also has the qualities of a king?!""In one strike... he pushed back both King and Katakuri at the same time?! And even injured them?!"Exclamations, screams, and shouts of disbelief almost blew the roof off the colosseum.Ordinary spectators fell into a frenzy or fear, pirates turned pale, and Diamante's sinister smile froze completely on his face, replaced by deep wariness and a hint of panic.King and Katakuri exchanged a glance, both seeing the same resolution in each other's eyes:This Roronoa Zoro must be classified as the highest priority threat! His existence has seriously impacted the landscape of the fruit competition!Amidst this boiling wave of sound, Zoro slowly sheathed his sword, letting out a crisp 'clink'.He cracked his neck, his gaze sweeping over the uncertain King and Katakuri, his lips curling into a wild arc."Recognize me now?"His voice wasn't loud, but it spread clearly,"Well then, can the second round begin? Bird-man, Mochi-ball."...At the highest point of the colosseum, inside the VIP room, the air seemed to have frozen into solid ice.The luxurious carpet, the expensive wine cabinet, and the soft sofa could not dispel the bone-chilling killing intent that filled the room, almost becoming tangible.The source of the killing intent was the white figure sitting upright on the sofa.A pure white suit, spotless, a white cape draped behind him, and a white mask covering his face, expressionless, revealing only the outlines of his eyes and mouth.The mask was smooth and cold, reflecting no light, much like his heart at this moment.The moment Zoro's mask shattered and his true face was revealed, Lucci's hands, crossed over his knees, let out a faint 'crackling' sound from the knuckles.His aura suddenly shifted from cold silence to that of an impending volcanic eruption—hot, violent, and full of destructiveness.Under the mask, his pupils had shrunk into the most dangerous pinpoints.Three months ago, Water Seven.The speed and power of that strike were beyond description.A defense covered in Iron Body was like paper; the sharp pain of a blade piercing his body, accompanied by the sound of shattering bones, and... the humiliation of his dignity as the strongest genius in CP9 history and the most outstanding in 800 years being completely crushed.Before darkness swallowed his consciousness, the last thing he saw were those golden pupils, sharp as a hawk's and devoid of any emotion.Shortly after, Enies Lobby.That curly-eyebrowed cook and his right leg burning with demonic flames."Diable Jambe..."A playful yet cold voice.His face was brutally ground into the dirt, his nostrils filled with the smell of blood and earth.Failure—these two words were like a red-hot branding iron, seared deep into his soul.These images played on a loop in his dreams, day and night without rest.Every time he woke up with a start, it was accompanied by cold sweat and an even more blazing hatred. This hatred did not make him sink; instead, it became the ladder for him to climb to even greater heights.During CP0's brutal 'Awakening Contract' ceremony, while others were swallowed by pain and despair, he relied on this deep-seated hatred for the entire Straw Hat crew to perfectly synchronize with the power of the Zoan-type Cat-Cat Fruit, Model: Leopard, and in one fell swoop, he broke through to the rare Awakened state.Hatred was his fuel, his source of power, and also the inner demon that gnawed at his heart day and night."Oh my, oh my~ what a familiar back."