Holy Land Mary Geoise.
On the outskirts of the city.
Shortly after crashing their pirate ships into the city using the massive waves, the Straw Hat Pirates, Kid Pirates, and Fire Tank Pirates encountered powerful enemies almost at the same time.
Every attacker wore a metallic collar around their neck, bomb collars controlled by the Celestial Dragons. They were death slaves.
The enemies facing the Straw Hat Pirates looked especially bizarre.
One of them was short, with the appearance of a child, yet carried the wrinkled face of an elderly woman.
The other was a tall and skinny old man, thin like a dried branch.
The old woman carried a giant slab-like axe on her back, the weapon almost larger than her entire body.
The lanky old man wielded a long and narrow sword that looked like an oversized toothpick.
"Enemies! Huh? They look weird!"
Luffy stared at the two strange figures in confusion. He pointed at the short old woman standing on the ship and burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! Everyone look! That kid looks so old! And that moving bamboo stick is holding a toothpick!"
"Kid? Bamboo stick?"
Sanji kept the cigarette hanging from his mouth while casually shoving his hands into his pockets. He glanced at the enemies whose faces had already darkened from anger.
"Idiot Luffy, those are old people. More importantly, they're enemies here to stop us."
"Oh! So that's it!"
Luffy clapped his hands in realization before stretching his arm out toward the skinny old man with a grin.
"Hey, old man who looks like a bamboo stick, sorry! I thought you were moving bamboo!"
Chopper whispered from the side.
"Idiot, bamboo can't move! Luffy is so dumb!"
"Moving bamboo?"
Brook adjusted his hat thoughtfully.
"Yohohoho! Chopper-san, bamboo that ate a Devil Fruit could probably move!"
Usopp crouched nearby with a serious expression.
"Maybe I really could invent moving bamboo someday."
The old woman and old man fell silent.
Was that really the point here?
"Hmph..."
The skinny old man swept a cold gaze across the Straw Hat Pirates. Seeing that nobody was taking them seriously, his face instantly darkened.
"Aba! Aba! Aba aba aba!"
"..."
The Straw Hats froze.
This guy could not speak?
Luffy grinned at him kindly.
"Hey old man, you can't talk? Anyway, you guys aren't Celestial Dragons, right? We're only here for the Celestial Dragons. You should run while you still can."
Jinbe stared at the collars around their necks and frowned.
"They can't leave, Luffy. Those are slave bomb collars used by the Celestial Dragons. Once they move beyond a designated range, or if the owner activates it manually, the bomb explodes instantly."
The short old woman grabbed the giant axe from her back and slammed it heavily onto the deck.
Bang!
Her narrowed eyes swept over the Straw Hat Pirates.
"Old Stalk says all of you will die here. Any sinner who dares attack the Holy Land and insult the Celestial Dragons must pay with their lives."
"Aba!"
The skinny old man nodded repeatedly while glaring at Luffy with murderous intent.
"Aba baba aba ba!!"
"Cackle cackle..."
The old woman let out a shrill laugh while staring at Luffy's neck.
"Especially you, Straw Hat Luffy. Your head is worth a fortune. If we take it back, our masters will reward us greatly."
"Huh???"
Luffy tilted his head in confusion.
"My head? Sorry, I can't give you that. I still need it to become the Pirate King!"
"Idiot."
Nami rubbed her forehead helplessly.
"They want to kill you, and you're actually discussing ownership of your head with them..."
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Zoro slowly stepped forward while gripping the hilt of Wado Ichimonji.
His sharp gaze locked onto the two enemies as powerful killing intent erupted from his body. Armament Haki instantly coated his swords and arms.
"So the Celestial Dragons sent you here to stop us from entering Mary Geoise."
His eyes drifted toward the collars around their necks.
"You slaves of the Celestial Dragons?"
The old woman and skinny old man stiffened immediately.
Their expressions changed.
If Zoro had not stepped forward, they never would have noticed how terrifying the green-haired swordsman truly was.
The sheer killing intent pouring from him felt suffocating.
This was not something an ordinary swordsman could possess.
Such killing intent could only be forged through endless slaughter.
The two old slaves exchanged glances.
Both saw the same vigilance and unease in each other's eyes.
They understood killing intent better than most.
Ever since childhood, they had been dragged into Mary Geoise as slaves and forced into brutal killing arenas controlled by the Celestial Dragons.
Fish-Men, Giants, Mink Tribe members, Longarm Tribe warriors, children from countless races had all been thrown into the slaughter pits together.
Only the survivors lived.
Sometimes ten remained.
Sometimes even fewer.
The blood on their hands had long become impossible to count.
Thousands.
Perhaps tens of thousands.
Killing intent was different from Haki.
Haki could be trained.
But killing intent only grew through taking lives.
And the killing intent radiating from Zoro completely surpassed anything they had ever encountered.
How many people had this swordsman killed?
The skinny old man's expression twisted violently.
His thin sword trembled as Armament Haki coated the blade, producing a sharp buzzing sound.
"Aba... aba ba..."
The old woman swung her massive axe as Armament Haki spread across its surface.
The polished black coating reflected light strangely into the air.
"Cackle cackle..."
She sneered coldly.
"Old Stalk is right. Killing intent means nothing without strength."
"Enough talking."
Zoro's eyes sharpened.
Two swords were already in his hands.
"Don't interfere. I'll handle them myself."
"Aba aba!"
"Cackle cackle! Arrogant brat! Today we'll show pirates from the lower seas the true power of the Celestial Dragons!"
Whoosh!
The two figures vanished instantly.
Clang!
Clang!
Several black afterimages collided violently in midair before separating and clashing again.
Sword sparks exploded everywhere.
Pfft!
A deep slash tore through the air.
Bang!
The three shadows finally separated.
One landed firmly back onto the deck.
The other two were blasted away violently before crashing straight into the sea below.
Splash!
Huge waves erupted.
Zoro stood alone on the deck while gripping his swords tightly.
His expression remained cold and steady.
However, two bloody cuts had appeared across his chest and neck.
They were sword wounds.
His own sword wounds.
Zoro narrowed his eyes slightly while looking at the sea below.
"What a strange ability..."
He glanced at the turbulent water beneath the ship.
"So they could reflect my attacks back at me."
His expression remained indifferent.
"Devil Fruit users?"
After a brief pause, he calmly sheathed one of his swords.
"Doesn't matter anymore. They fell into the sea, it's over."