Dressrosa, East Coast. Zoro held three Sabers, leaning against the rail of a small sailboat. The gentle sea breeze blew, making him drowsy, and he couldn't help but close his eyes and start napping. Suddenly! A dazzling flash of a Saber came. Zoro, relying on his honed battle instincts, immediately detected this attack. Since the attack was too swift, it was too late for him to draw his Saber.
So, he immediately raised his right hand, gripped the hilt, and without even drawing the blade, directly blocked the Saber slashing towards his neck. Clang-! After a slightly muffled collision sound, Zoro finally had time to turn his head and look closely.
Immediately, he saw Kuina holding wado ichimonji, slashing at his neck with the back of the blade, and Sephiroth, Garp, and Luffy following behind her. "Zoro, long time no see! It seems your swordsmanship has improved quite a bit!" "Hmph! Calculating the time, the ten-year promise is almost here! You must be here to fulfill the appointment!"
Zoro stood up from the deck, fastened the three Sabers to his waist, his eyes filled with eager battle intent. Ten years! To prepare for this battle, he had trained hard for ten full years! Every time Zoro recalled the scenes of himself being consistently defeated by Kuina in various ways when he was a child, he felt incredibly frustrated... Today, he must wash away that humiliation!
"If you two want to fight, why not go to the Colosseum in Dressrosa! That place will allow you to let loose a bit and spar," Sephiroth said with a smile. Hearing this, the two did not refuse and, under his lead, went directly to the Colosseum specifically used for competitive matches.
Garp and Luffy, those two guys disappeared as they walked, no one knew where they went, but he didn't care much anyway. Those two guys were restless and couldn't be expected to be well-behaved. As long as they didn't cause any major trouble, it was fine.
Soon, under the arrangement of Sephiroth, who belonged to the privileged class, Kuina and Zoro directly replaced the original competitors and stepped onto the Colosseum stage. The architectural outline of the entire Colosseum was extremely similar to the Colosseum of ancient Rome, but at the center was a circular platform built on a pool.
Generally speaking, the gladiators in the Dressrosa arena primarily sparred, and their matches were not life-threatening; at most, they would suffer some injuries. However, if they wanted to engage in a deathmatch, they could apply separately... "Ooh ooh ooh! The competitors suddenly scheduled to appear next are two famous Pirate Sword Masters!
One is a subordinate of Shichibukai Yamato, the former bounty of 90 million Berries Kuina, and the other is the renowned, bounty of 500 million Berries, Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro!" On the commentary platform of the Colosseum, a live broadcaster wearing a spotted helmet used an impassioned tone to provide commentary to the audience seated in the stands, thereby heating up the atmosphere.
"Zoro, if you lose in front of such a large crowd, don't cry!" Kuina drew the wado ichimonji from her waist, pointing the tip at the green-haired young man in front of her, her tone carrying a hint of teasing. "Hmph! Don't look down on me, I will definitely defeat you today!"
Zoro snorted coldly, first tying the green bandana from his arm onto his head, then successively drawing the three Sabers fastened to his waist. Although he said that, he was actually still uncertain whether he could defeat Kuina.
It was precisely because he had now skillfully mastered both Observation Haki that he could understand just how powerful the talent Kuina had displayed back then truly was... Over these ten years, although he had been working hard to become stronger, hadn't Kuina been doing the same?
Sephiroth himself, the World's Greatest Swordsman, had personally trained her. That was an advantage Zoro lacked. But today was the day they'd fulfill their promise, and he wouldn't falter or retreat. No matter what, he'd fight with everything he had. Three Sword Style Secret Technique: Three Thousand Worlds!
Zoro's twin sabers whirled in his hands as he pushed off the ground, poised to charge at Kuina.
In the next instant, before he could leap forward, Kuina's figure blurred. She appeared right in front of him, Wado Ichimonji flashing as she exploited a weakness in his stance. Her blade came down with precision. Clang!
Zoro aborted his technique mid-swing, hastily raising his sabers to block. Clang! Clang! Clang! Steel rang out as sparks flew between their blades.
The crowd roared as their figures danced across the Colosseum floor. Blade flashes lit up the arena, the duel escalating into a heated clash.
Kuina relied on her Observation Haki, which granted her glimpses of the future, and her superior speed. She played to her strengths, avoiding direct contests of strength. Instead, she used her agility to dismantle Zoro's moves, steadily gaining the upper hand and frustrating him.
Without his exceptional swordsmanship and combat experience, which somewhat bridged the gap in Observation Haki, Zoro would have been defeated in moments. He gritted his teeth. Stay steady!
Even if Kuina's sword skills were superior and she was dominating the fight, she was still a woman. Physical stamina was her weakness. Her relentless high-speed attacks would drain her quickly. If he waited for her to tire, he could turn the tide.
Zoro formulated his plan while deflecting Kuina's rapid strikes. Gradually, her speed began to wane. Her attacks grew less aggressive, less precise.
As her pace slowed, flaws in her movements, previously masked by her blinding speed, became apparent. The opportunity had come.
Zoro's eyes sharpened. He swung his twin sabers from different angles, targeting the gaps in Kuina's defense. This was his chance to end it, to erase past defeats. But— Clang!
Just as his blade neared her, Kuina's body moved with astonishing flexibility. She narrowly dodged the attack, then exploded into motion again, faster than before. She sidestepped and deftly redirected Zoro's third saber.
In the next moment, Wado Ichimonji rested lightly against Zoro's neck. Kuina chuckled softly.
"Zoro, your desperation for victory blinded you. If you'd stayed calm and waited just a little longer, I might have lost."
Zoro stood silent for five seconds before pulling off his green bandana. He spoke, voice tinged with frustration.
"I lost."
After the duel, Kuina followed Sephiroth out of the Colosseum and onto the bustling street. Sephiroth glanced at her, concern in his eyes.
"What's wrong? You won, but you don't look happy."
Kuina looked at the distant sky and whispered softly:
"I've reached my peak. My strength has hit its limit—I won't grow much further. But Zoro hasn't... Father was right. For women, becoming the World's Greatest Swordsman is harder, physically."
"You're already the woman of the World's Greatest Swordsman. You could pin him down and have your way with him whenever you want. Isn't that more satisfying than the title?"
Kuina rolled her eyes, irritation flashing across her face. "You're never serious. Besides, you're the one who's always bullying me!"
"Then tonight, I'll lie still and let you ravage me however you like. How about that?"
"Ptooey!"
Sephiroth's teasing eased the frustration lingering in Kuina's heart. After a long silence, she spoke again, her voice steady.
"Sephiroth, turn me into a vampire."
"Are you sure?"
Kuina took his hand, her tone calm but resolute. "Yes. I'm still too weak. The world's in chaos, and you're facing more challenges than ever. If I become stronger, I can help you in the future."
Sephiroth pulled her into his arms, his voice sincere. "Thank you."
"Oh, by the way, do you want to eat a Devil Fruit?"
"Not yet. I don't want to become a landlubber. We can think about that later." Kuina shook her head gently.
After confirming her decision, Sephiroth found a hotel and performed the First Embrace ritual. He transferred one-tenth of his power into primal blood, injecting it into her veins and transforming her into a vampire.
The Marineford War's aftermath had left the World Government in disarray. With its central command shattered and Sephiroth and Kong systematically eliminating dissenters and loyalists to the Celestial Dragons, the government's administrative system crumbled into chaos.
War raged across the seas, its flames spreading far and wide. The Marine fleet, led by Akainu and Kizaru, relentlessly pursued the Blackbeard Pirates' Grand Fleet, inflicting heavy losses.
Desperate, Blackbeard Teach had Pizarro consume the Island-Island Fruit and transfer the surviving crew members from Paradise to the New World. By chance—or perhaps fate—Teach somehow acquired the reborn Tremor-Tremor Fruit ability.
With the Dark-Dark Fruit and the Tremor-Tremor Fruit at his disposal, Blackbeard carved a bloody path through the turbulent New World. He seized a barren island near the West Sea in the Calm Belt, turning it into a base and expanding his influence across the New World and West Sea.
Over time, the pirate landscape reshuffled into a new Four Emperors structure: Red-Haired Shanks, Big Mom Charlotte Linlin, Donquixote Doflamingo, and Blackbeard Teach. With the Calm Belt gone, these emperors extended their territories into the West Sea and North Blue, bringing several countries under their rule.
However, overall, the number of islands occupied by the Four Emperors, even including their territories in the West Sea and North Blue, wasn't significantly greater than before. Much of this was due to the Marine's expanding power in the New World, claiming territory once held by Kaido and Whitebeard.