Chapter 485 - 324

Chapter 325: Zoro vs. Awakened Lucci"Roronoa Zoro—!!!"The roar mixed with a beast's low growl, almost shattering the air.Lucci's body spun violently in mid-air!On his twin claws, Armament Haki was highly concentrated, the claw tips glowing with a dark, metallic sheen.Combining the terrifying centrifugal force from the spin with his diving speed, he transformed into a black drill that tore through everything!"Rokushiki Secret Technique: Shave Blade: Leopard Fang Thrust!!!"Amidst the ghostly howl, the drill stabbed downward!Wherever it passed, the air was violently pushed aside, forming a visible conical trail of white air waves!This strike had no fancy tricks, only extreme speed, power, and the killing intent to pierce through anything!Countless gasps of shock came from the spectator stands.Many pirates even subconsciously closed their eyes, as if already foreseeing a scene of blood and gore.Zoro looked up, his scarred face expressionless. Only his deep pupils reflected the rapidly approaching black drill.His right hand still rested casually on the hilt of wado ichimonji at his waist.Just as the death drill was less than three feet from his head, the sharp wind pressure already causing his green short hair to whip back wildly and the sandy ground beneath his feet to sink—Clang—!A clear, melodious sword chime overpowered all other noises.The snow-bright blade reflected the firelight, flashing a chilling, cold gleam. Then, the edge, in a trajectory almost invisible to the naked eye, moved upward and forward in a light, upward flick."One Sword Style: Iai: Lion's Song."The movement was concise, elegant, even carrying a certain sense of ritual.The tip of the blade struck with pinpoint accuracy at the rotational center of Lucci's claws.Boom—!!!!!!!!Black and red lightning erupted violently from the point where blade met claw, crazily leaping and spreading outward in a radial pattern!A violent spherical shockwave swept through the surroundings, sending stones, bloodstains, and even the unfortunate remains of pirate corpses flying for dozens of meters!The sand beneath Zoro's feet sank with a crash, forming a bowl-shaped depression several meters in diameter, but his sword-holding figure remained completely unmoved.Lucci, however, felt as if his claws had crashed into an immovable fortress wall.The spinning momentum was forcibly halted. A massive recoil force traveled up his arms, making even his post-awakening, incredibly robust body feel a wave of soreness and numbness."Wha...?!"The thought of shock had just arisen when an even more terrifying force came from the sword tip!"Scram."Zoro uttered a single word.His wrist turned slightly.Bang!Lucci felt a tremendous force erupt, sending him flying uncontrollably backward!He somersaulted three times in mid-air before barely adjusting his posture, his claws deeply embedding into a section of broken stone wall to the side, carving out two grooves several meters long before he finally came to a stop.Crouching on the wall, his crimson beast-eyes stared fixedly at the green-haired swordsman below who was slowly sheathing his sword. Beneath the mask, his face twisted with extreme rage and... a trace of disbelief.How is this possible?!His full-power diving "Leopard Fang Thrust," fused with the strength of his awakened beast body, the peak speed of Rokushiki, and the Haki honed through hellish training... was actually pushed back so effortlessly... with a single sword point?!Moreover, he didn't even use both hands, just a single-handed sword grip!"Three months apart..."Zoro shook his sword-holding right hand slightly, as if he had only done a trivial thing.He looked up at Lucci on the wall, the corner of his mouth curling into a wild grin."You still only know how to pounce around like a rabid dog, CP9."The black flame clouds around Lucci's neck suddenly began spinning frantically, their color seemingly deepening.Extreme humiliation mixed with memories of his past crushing defeat surged into his head like magma, almost burning away his last shreds of reason."Shut up... shut up shut up shut up!!!"A beast-like roar burst from the depths of his throat.The stone wall beneath Lucci's feet exploded, and his figure vanished once more!"Finger Gun Spots: Leopard Rain!!"Hundreds of afterimages of Finger Guns covered in pitch-black Armament Haki stabbed toward Zorofrom all angles like a torrential downpour!Each afterimage carried the power to pierce steel, and their trajectories were cunning, targeting all vital points on his upper body!This was a supreme skill achievable only by mastering "Finger Gun" to its peak, combined with the inhuman speed and dynamic vision granted by his awakening!Simultaneously, Lucci's true body, under the cover of the Finger Gun afterimages, appeared like a ghost to Zoro's left, his Armament Haki-covered right leg sweeping horizontally toward Zoro's waist like a battle-axe!"Tempest Kick: Leopard Tail Slash!"A massive bluish-green vacuum slash tore through the ground first!An all-directional, three-dimensional assault from above, below, left, and right!Zoro stood in place, not even looking at the Sky(sky-filling) Finger Gun afterimages.He merely shifted his body slightly."One Sword Style: Calamity Port Bird."A crimson flying slash split into dozens of crimson birds the moment the sword was drawn, accurately crashing into the most threatening Finger Gun afterimages!Puff puff puff puff—!Finger Gun afterimages and crimson birds collided and annihilated mid-air, exploding into clusters of small air bursts.As for the sweeping Tempest Kick slash and the leg-axe following right behind, Zoro's choice was even simpler.He raised his left arm, the muscles of his forearm instantly covering in pitch-black Armament Haki, hardening like refined steel.Bang! Crack!First, the Tempest Kick slash collided with his forearm, shattering like glass. Immediately after, Lucci's Armament Haki-covered leg-axe slammed into the same spot!A dull impact sound echoed like a drumbeat.The ground beneath Zoro's feet sank a few more inches, sand and stones flying. But he still stood firm; his left arm didn't even tremble.Lucci's pupils contracted again.'So hard! And that level of Haki condensation...'Before he could change tactics, Zoro's right-hand sword moved.The sword tip, like a viper's strike, bypassed Lucci's blocking claws at an incredible angle, stabbing straight for the opening under his right ribs!Fast! Vicious! Accurate!Lucci's beast-like intuition screamed a frantic warning!At the critical moment, he forcibly twisted his torso. Simultaneously, the muscles of his right ribcage, the area under attack, suddenly swelled and hardened, their color turning a dark metallic gray—Tekkai!"Tekkai Empty Wood: Counter-Shock!"Clang—!The sword tip struck the Tekkai-hardened ribs, producing a metallic clang.Lucci grunted, using the force from the sword tip to retreat rapidly backward. At the same time, the Tekkai-hardened area rebounded part of the impact force, attempting to disrupt Zoro's follow-up.But Zoro's sword clung like a bone-devouring maggot, following his shadow."One Sword Style: Flying Dragon Flame: Red Demon!"His wrist turned, and crimson flames suddenly wrapped around the sword blade!The originally upward sword motion abruptly changed to a diagonal slash. A crimson flame slash separated from the blade, transforming into a roaring, clawing crimson fire dragon that pounced toward the rapidly retreating Lucci!Lucci growled, crossing his claws in front of his chest, pushing his Armament Haki to the limit!Boom—!!The fire dragon crashed into his claws, exploding into a sky full of crimson sparks.Lucci was blasted backward, sliding over ten meters, his feet plowing deep furrows in the sand.He looked down at his chest; a clear, charred burn mark was visible, sending a searing pain.No penetration, but... suppressed.In just a few exchanges, the combination of his proud Rokushiki secret techniques and awakened physique was completely suppressed by his opponent using a single sword, even one-handed?Beneath the mask, Lucci's face twisted violently with extreme rage and a trace of... fear he himself was unwilling to admit.The black flame clouds around his neck spun so fast they seemed about to fly off."Why... why use only one sword?!"He snarled, his voice hoarse,"Where are your other two swords?! Looking down on me?! Roronoa Zoro!!!"Zoro rested wado ichimonji on his shoulder, tilting his head as if pondering a boring question."To deal with you,"he said flatly,"one is enough.""Gaaaaaah—!!!"The thread of reason snapped completely.Lucci threw his head back and let out a roar that sounded less than human.The black flame clouds around his neck violently contracted inward. Immediately after, an even more violent (violent) aura erupted from every pore!His muscles further expansion (swelled). Veins bulged like coiling dragons beneath his skin. The canine teeth in his mouth elongated, dripping saliva."Life Return: Limit Release!!! I'll tear you apart! Chew your bones! To avenge my defeat three months ago—!!!"His speed increased explosively once more!He transformed into a black dotted line almost impossible to track with the naked eye, madly refracting and flashing through the space around Zoro!Each flash left behind several indistinguishable afterimages, accompanied by attacks launched from unbelievable angles... claw strikes, Finger Guns, Tempest Kicks, even headbutts and tail sweeps!The attacks were like a violent storm, chaotic, yet astonishingly fast and terrifyingly vicious.This was a fighting style that completely abandoned reason, pushing beastly instinct and killing techniques to their limits!Facing this frenzied onslaught, Zoro finally shed his casual demeanor.His eyes became as sharp as blades.His body sank slightly, lowering his center of gravity.His right hand still held wado ichimonji single-handedly, but his grip changed—more steady, more... dangerous.Oni Aura began to spread.His figure also began to blur.Creating an illusion akin to "Misty Mirror, Flower in Water."Lucci's lightning-fast attacks often only struck a slowly dissipating afterimage when they landed on him, or were parried and deflected by the blade by a hair's breadth.Occasionally, Zoro's counterattacks would strike like the fatal bite of a lurking viper."One Sword Style: Great Shock."A flash of crimson-gold lightning flickered on the sword blade.It wasn't the full Advanced Armament Haki he had used to repel King and Katakuri before, more like a weakened version.But even so, the destructive power it contained was considerable.With a single slash, the "Tekkai: Steel" Lucci had concentrated on his arm through beastly intuition shattered on impact!He was sent flying back as if hit head-on by a battering ram, crashing into the stone wall at the edge of the coliseum with a bang, embedding a human-shaped crater as rubble cascaded down."Cough...!"Lucci fell from the crater, kneeling on one knee, coughing up blood mixed with bits of internal organs.He looked down at his slightly trembling right arm. The madness in his eyes was finally partially replaced by icy horror.Haoshoku... how does this guy have Haoshoku?!Why, using only one sword, can he be this strong?! What the hell did this green-haired bastard go through in these three months?!Zoro did not pursue.He stood in place, sword tip pointing diagonally at the ground, crimson-gold electric sparks slowly coursing along the blade.He breathed slightly heavily; the continuous high-intensity combat and use of Haoshoku were clearly a significant drain even for him.But the look in his eyes as he watched Lucciremained that of someone observing a beast trapped and struggling in vain."Hatred has made you stronger,"Zoro spoke, his voice calm,"but it has also turned you into a fool who only knows how to bite and tear at a single target."...(Due to a volume split error, the update was delayed today. Very sorry.)