Chapter 192

"Clang!"

The sound of metal clashing echoed as Zoro eyed the man with the ridiculous mustache. His grip tightened on his swords as he asked, "Who the hell are you?"

"I'm Vice Admiral of the Marines!" the man declared. "In the name of justice, I won't let you take another step forward!"

"Oh yeah? That's a problem. Ace is Luffy's brother—we're not leaving without him!"

With that, Zoro bent his knees slightly and leaped back.

"Demon Aura… Nine-Sword Style!"

He unleashed his ultimate technique. Though he had only clashed with this Marine for a short time, Zoro knew the guy wasn't weak. If he let his guard down, he might not be able to recover from it.

Vice Admiral suddenly felt the pressure shift. The pirate before him no longer looked human—Zoro's form twisted into a monstrous figure with three heads and six arms. His breath hitched. What…?!

He blinked hard, shaking his head to clear his vision, but the eerie image remained. His grip on his blade instinctively tightened as he muttered, "So his killing intent manifests as an illusion… This guy has terrifying potential."

Mole's gaze sharpened. I can't hold back.

If this swordsman had been a Marine recruit, he would've gladly taken him under his wing. But Zoro was a pirate—one who would only grow stronger. That made him an undeniable threat.

Both figures charged at each other at the same time—

Meanwhile…

Sanji was locked in combat with a man in a white suit. His opponent was someone he had crossed paths with before.

"Black Leg Sanji," the man sneered. "I'm honestly surprised. Last time, in Water 7, I wiped the floor with you. And now you have the nerve to come at me again?"

The CP0 agent, known as Black Snake, adjusted his gloves with a smirk.

"I may just be a small cog in CP0, but someone like you is way out of your depth."

Sanji exhaled a slow puff of smoke, his eyes calm. "Last time was last time. Haven't you heard the saying—after three days, you should look at a man with fresh eyes?"

"Uh… no?" Black Snake looked genuinely confused.

Sanji: ...

Damn it. He forgot—that was something only their crew said. He still wasn't sure where Kai got all these weird phrases from, but damn, they were useful. Especially those so-called "national treasures" of wisdom he kept spouting. It was like the guy had access to another world of knowledge.

Sanji shook his head and let it go. He moved his legs slightly, and in an instant—he vanished.

"What—?!"

Black Snake's pupils shrank. A sense of danger surged through him, and he barely had time to raise his arms in defense before—

"BANG!"

Sanji's kick sent him flying. His body crashed across the frozen battlefield, skidding across the ice.

Black Snake coughed up blood, struggling to rise. His face twisted in disbelief. "H-How?! Where the hell did this strength come from?! Were you just faking it before?!"

Sanji exhaled another puff of smoke and walked toward him, his voice casual. "Like I said—three days. That's all it takes for someone to level up. Not normal for you?"

Black Snake: "...Are you even speaking a human language right now?!"

Sanji was dead serious. To him, this was just the way of things. On their ship, they could wake up one morning and suddenly be five times stronger than the day before. It was unpredictable and completely out of control.

Sanji stopped right in front of the agent. "So… still think I shouldn't have come for a rematch?"

Elsewhere…

"Sixty Million Volts: Thunder Dragon!"

A massive dragon of lightning surged across the battlefield, crackling with electricity. Wherever it passed, Marines were caught in its devastating charge. Bodies convulsed, smoke rising from their uniforms as they collapsed.

"Haa… haaa…"

Nami panted heavily. "There's no end to these guys! We take down one batch, and another shows up right after!"

"Yeah, I can feel my stamina dropping!" Usopp gasped.

"But at least we're being smart about it," Chopper pointed out. "We've been targeting the weaker ones. Imagine if we went after the big shots—"

"Yohohoho! Chopper-kun, you have a point!" Brook chimed in cheerfully.

The four of them had stuck together from the start. They knew their limits, and rather than throwing themselves into a reckless brawl, they'd played it safe—picking fights with Marines whose ranks were obviously lower.

After all, rank usually reflected strength. That was common sense!

…Of course, if they ran into an anomaly—a low-ranked Marine with monstrous power—well… they'd just have to pray they get lucky.

For now, though, they had managed to avoid any serious injuries, and after a brief rest, they were ready to jump back into the fray.

"BOOM!"

A figure crashed down from the sky, slamming into the ice with a deafening impact.

A moment later, another figure followed—this time, attacking.

Luffy barely had time to react. He pushed himself up just as a fist came hurtling toward his face.

"Whoa—!!"

He rolled aside just in time. The punch shattered the frozen ground where he had been moments before, sending shards of ice flying in all directions.

Luffy glanced at the wreckage, then at the man who had thrown the punch—Vice Admiral Purple Rat.

His body ached all over, the pain screaming at him. It was clear—he wasn't winning this fight. Not like this.

The battle had been completely one-sided. He had barely been able to land a hit.

But that didn't mean he was giving up.

"Gomu Gomu no…"

Steam began rising from Luffy's body as his skin turned a deep red. Second Gear.

He still had plenty of fight left in him.

Luffy launched himself at Purple Rat—just as a voice called out from behind him.

"Mr. Luffy, STOP! DON'T DO IT!!!"