CHAPTER 78

BANG!

Sanji slammed into the ground, blood gushing from his chest, pooling beneath him in a widening red stain.

The stabbing pain twisted his body uncontrollably, spasms jolting through him.

As Luo Yu walked past him without even sparing a glance, Sanji felt—perhaps for the first time—what it meant to be truly powerless.

All the bravado from the raid on Enies Lobby just days ago… vanished like smoke.

"Zoro! Don't move! Your wounds just got bandaged!"

Chopper grabbed at Zoro's sleeve.

But Zoro shrugged him off.

He glanced down at the bleeding gash on his torso, then stooped to pick up his two blades—Wado Ichimonji and Sandai Kitetsu.

And a third one—an unfamiliar large sword lying nearby.

Was it fate?

"Chopper, carry Nami and Robin and get out of here. I'll bring Luffy and Sanji to regroup with you," Zoro said, Wado Ichimonji clenched between his teeth, testing the weight of the oversized blade.

"I couldn't even last ten blows against Mihawk, the world's greatest swordsman. But against you…"

He paused, eyes narrowing.

"I couldn't even take one."

"But just now, I saw it—the secret of your invisible slash."

"This time, I'll last a full minute."

"Invisible slash?" Luo Yu adjusted his golden-rimmed glasses with a chuckle. "You really are like a cockroach—hard to kill."

"But unfortunately… I'm in a bit of a hurry."

"In a hurry?" Zoro's brows furrowed. He clenched his blade tighter.

"I don't care. I've already seen through your technique… and I'll stake my life to hold you for one minute!"

"Chopper, GO!!"

"Demon Aura—Nine Sword Style: Asura—Ichibugin!"

Voom—

The air trembled as Zoro's form transformed into a phantom of three heads and six arms, the manifestation of his indomitable will.

Silver mist whirled around him, and the sheer pressure from his killing intent pierced the air.

Then—he vanished into the fog.

A silver flash burst forward, cutting through the mist like a lightning bolt.

In a heartbeat, Zoro appeared right in front of Luo Yu.

Luo Yu had been watching calmly, his Observation Haki locking onto Zoro's movements from the start.

He gripped the Oboken, the long, cursed sword once mistaken for a fishing rod.

"Flashy… flashier than me, even," he said lightly. "But sorry—what I've hidden isn't one slash."

"It's two."

Vmm—

The Oboken came down with a gleaming arc.

For the first time, a direct slash!

Zoro's spine went cold. Every hair on his body stood on end.

Just as he was preparing to block—

He saw it.

Another slash, hidden within the void behind the first.

A second, invisible blade.

"How can there be a second one—!"

SPLURCH!

A deep crimson gash tore across his chest, blood spraying into the air.

All the battle spirit he had just rekindled—gone in an instant.

He collapsed, dazed.

One minute?

He hadn't even lasted one full breath.

"Don't just stand there—run! I'll buy you time!!"

"Flamethrower!!"

Franky suddenly leapt into the fray beside Nami and the others.

He opened his mouth wide, a blast of fire spewing directly at Luo Yu.

At the same time, a steel chain shot from his cybernetic arm, latching onto Zoro's body and yanking him backward.

Luffy and Sanji, still down, were being pulled away by others in the chaos.

Seeing them all injured, clearly having abandoned further resistance, Franky poured everything into getting them clear.

Luo Yu glanced toward the oncoming flames, once again adjusting his glasses with that same unbothered air.

"Sigh. I said I'm in a hurry. Why can't you all just cooperate? Looks like I'll have to force obedience."

BOOM!

The flames evaporated—blasted away by a sudden shockwave.

Zoro was thrown clear by the backlash.

And behind Luo Yu, a six-meter-tall Asura form unfurled—fierce eyes blazing, arms crossed and fists clenched.

Its sheer presence sent chills down Franky's spine.

He had just caught Zoro in time.

But staring up at the massive figure, Franky's face turned white.

Could they even escape from this?

"Break."

Luo Yu spoke a single word.

And then—

The Asura behind him erupted into motion.

Thousands of fists rained down, a divine punishment cloaked in golden light.

At the same time, Luo Yu's Conqueror's Haki detonated like a volcano.

He no longer held back—he was going to end this.

In an instant, everyone was overwhelmed by blinding gold and relentless impact.

No time to block. No time to dodge.

It was like being caught in a tsunami with nothing but a rowboat.

BOOOOM!!!

The resulting shockwave flattened everything within several kilometers.

Figures were hurled into the air like rag dolls.

The remains of the harbor shattered as people were smashed through debris, stone, and steel.

Nami coughed up blood, her body still flying backward with no way to stop.

She had believed—with their victory at Enies Lobby—they had proven they'd grown.

That even a newly appointed Admiral could be challenged.

But this man…

This young Admiral was a monster in every sense.

As the scenery rushed past, Nami was struck by an overwhelming sense of despair.

BAM!

A large, calloused hand landed on her back, instantly dispersing the shockwave's force.

Nami collapsed, dazed and gasping, then spat out a mouthful of blood as she stared upward.

A rugged old man stood before her, scratching his nose.

"You alright, little girl?" he said. "I just dozed off for a minute and… looks like you guys trashed the place."

The abandoned dock behind them had become a complete wasteland.

"…You're… Garp? The Hero of the Marines?!"

Nami suddenly snapped to awareness.

She ignored his unkempt posture and the hand that had just touched her and shouted urgently:

"You're Luffy's grandfather, right?! Please! You have to save him!"

"Your new Admiral—he's trying to kill them all!"

"If you don't stop him… they're going to die!!"

She didn't care anymore that he was a Marine.

He was the only one who could stop this slaughter.

"New Admiral's chasing Luffy?" Garp blinked, confused.

He pulled out a silver pocket watch and checked the time.

Then, he burst into hearty laughter.

"Hahaha! That brat…"

"He never misses a chance to milk the system."

"But don't worry."

He closed the watch with a snap.

"It's five o'clock sharp. He won't kill anyone after five."

"…Five o'clock?"

"He stops killing… at five?"

Nami stared, stunned, at the time on the watch.

She was completely bewildered.