Chapter 27: Zoro's Fight.
"That's not our concern," Mr. 8 muttered, wiping the cold sweat from his brow as he slipped the bounty posters back into his coat. "It's fortunate we got advance warning about this pirate crew. Their strength is beyond what we expected—they're not the type we can confront head-on."
He glanced toward the darkened rooftops of Whiskey Peak.
"I've already instructed the witches to seduce that monster. Get him drunk on our strongest liquor, and when he's completely vulnerable, they'll strike with their blades—right in his vital points. If all goes according to plan, we should hear from them soon."
As if in response, a bright red firework exploded over Cactus Rock, forming the shape of a pair of fiery red lips.
"The witches succeeded!"
Mr. 8 turned, a cold smirk spreading across his face.
"No matter how high a bounty—over a hundred million Berries or not—a pirate is still human. He bleeds like everyone else."
Shirogai San... dead?
Vivi stiffened but quickly regained her composure.
No. Shirogai wasn't the type to fall for women and wine. There had to be more to this. Something hidden.
"Thanks to your strategy, Mr. 8," Miss Monday said, breathing a sigh of relief, "we may have survived this ordeal."
She rose, brushing herself off, and pointed toward the building behind them.
"What about the others? His companions—should we take them out too?"
"We can't kill them," Mr. 8 said flatly. "The bounty drops by thirty percent if they're dead. The World Government wants a public execution. Capture them alive, while they're still asleep."
Suddenly, a calm voice echoed from above:
"Sorry to interrupt... but who exactly are you calling a monster? And could you keep your voices down? My crewmates are resting."
"Who's there?!"
The four agents spun around, startled.
Perched on the rooftop beneath the crescent moon, they saw a lone figure holding a sword, gazing down with a cold smirk.
It was none other than the Pirate Hunter—Zoro.
"This is bad!" one bounty hunter shouted, bursting out of the house in a panic. "Mr. 8, Miss Monday! That swordsman—he escaped!"
Vivi turned her gaze to the rooftop. "He's right there."
Zoro hadn't just escaped—he'd done it without alerting a single soul. That level of stealth... even in a nest full of bounty hunters.
If this is the strength of one Straw Hat, maybe... just maybe, with their help, I can defeat Crocodile.
Unknown to Mr. 8, Vivi had already allied herself with the Straw Hat Pirates.
"You should be drunk, asleep," Mr. 8 hissed, glaring up at the swordsman.
Zoro shrugged. "I was bluffing. A real swordsman doesn't go down that easy."
He stood tall, eyes narrowed, pointing his blade toward the crowd gathering below.
"Just a hundred bounty hunters? Should be enough for a warm-up."
"You fool!" Mr. 8 barked. "You'll die here! No one crosses Baroque Works and survives!"
"A criminal organization that targets rookie pirates just as they reach the Grand Line," Zoro said, cracking his neck. "Yeah, I know who you are. I know all your secrets. And now that I've broken your so-called rules—come at me with everything you've got."
The bounty hunters below gasped.
How does he know?
Mr. 8's expression twisted in panic. "You... how do you know the name of our company!?"
Zoro laughed, his swords gleaming in the moonlight.
"Let's skip the boring questions. You've got a hundred people. Let's see if you can even lay a scratch on me."
Mr. 8 clenched his fists.
"Another fool ready to be buried on Cactus Rock..."
Each spike on the towering cactus-like formations that surrounded Whiskey Peak was a tombstone—memorials for the countless pirates who had fallen to Baroque Works.
By day, this town welcomed pirates with open arms.
By night, it buried them.
Zoro stared at the crowd, his smirk widening.
So this is what it feels like—to be the hunted. Hmph. Let's see how strong you really are. Time to test what I've learned from Shirogai.
Sparring with Shirogai made it nearly impossible to tell if he'd improved.
That man was like a bottomless sea—no matter how hard Zoro fought, it never made a dent.
"Let's see how far I've come."
He readied his blades.
"Kill him!"
Mr. 8 shouted, giving the order.
Gunfire rang out.
But the next moment, panic surged through the ranks.
"He's gone!"
The rooftop was empty.
Zoro had vanished.
"Where is he?!"
A voice from the crowd shouted, "He's in the middle of us!"
Zoro, using the early stages of [Soru], appeared within the mob, blades drawn.
"Heh. Let's dance."
They fired in a panic.
Zoro closed his eyes, feeling the flow of air, the rhythm of breathing, the hum of bullets slicing through the air.
Is this what Shirogai meant—'feeling the aura of all things'?
But unlike Shirogai, Zoro hadn't fully grasped [Observation Haki]. He couldn't yet predict the bullets' paths with complete clarity.
Even so, he slipped through them with shocking speed.
Bullets hit bounty hunters instead of their target.
Screams echoed as they fell under friendly fire.
"You fools!" Mr. 8 roared. "You're hitting your own! Find that swordsman!"
---
High above, drifting lazily on the night breeze, a wisp of black smoke floated through the clouds.
In the shape of a man.
Shirogai Yamikuro, in his [Smoke Form], hovered with hands behind his head, watching the chaos below with mild amusement.
"Zoro's enjoying himself."
His gaze shifted toward the port.
Two figures approached slowly, their outlines clear under the moonlight.
A [System Notification] appeared:
[Host observed: User of the Bomb-Bomb Fruit. Ability acquired: Detonate any part of the body at will.]
[Host observed: User of the Kilo-Kilo Fruit. Ability acquired: Control body weight between 1kg and 10,000kg.]
Shirogai raised a brow.
"Huh. More pests."
But his tone was calm.
Unbothered.
After all—this was just the beginning.
---
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