"Don't think this means you can defeat me!!!"
Even though he had lost his supreme swordsmanship, Saint Shamrock still refused to admit defeat. Relying on the sheer strength of his body, he raised the sharp blade in his hand and slashed down hard at Zoro.
Clang!!!
Zoro's pitch-black blade held the strike firmly in place, releasing a crisp sword cry that rang through heaven and earth.
"Heh~"
Holding Sandai Kitetsu, Zoro curled his lips into a faint grin and sneered at Saint Shamrock before him:
"After losing your swordsmanship, your strength seems to have dropped pretty badly, huh?"
"Damn you!!!"
Saint Shamrock's eyes burned with furious rage as he roared in anger:
"Brat! Don't think you've already won!!!"
"The Celestial Dragons have ruled the world for eight hundred years. The methods at our disposal are beyond anything you can imagine!"
"So you'd better not... ever... make us truly angry!!!"
"Oh?" Zoro chuckled, still utterly unconcerned. "If you really had some other trump card, wouldn't you have used it already?"
"Why wait until now?"
"Don't tell me... you're just like those other idiot Celestial Dragons, incapable of accepting the fact that you've lost!?"
"First you were easily beaten by Luffy, and now I've cut away your peerless swordsmanship..."
"Let me think. What do you even have left now? Looks like all that remains is that laughable so-called pride of yours as a Celestial Dragon."
"Pangaea Castle has fallen. The Room of Flowers has been wrecked. Your forces couldn't stop us. And part of your soul has been permanently devoured by darkness..."
"Tsk tsk tsk. So this is the Commander of the God's Knights?"
"If the World Government's upper ranks are all fools like you, then our job's going to be a whole lot easier!"
"If I were you, I'd go buy a sturdy strip of kelp and strangle myself with it already!"
"Staying alive would only disgrace the glorious race of Celestial Dragons!"
"You...!"
Saint Shamrock's eyes widened suddenly under Zoro's counterattack. He opened his mouth, clearly wanting to say something, yet not a single word came out.
What a joke.
Did he really think that just because Zoro trained in swordsmanship every day, all he had left was the pure heart of a swordsman?
Thanks to Red's deliberate provocation, the "bond" between Zoro and Sanji was several times deeper than in the original story.
It could be said that the two of them had a minor argument every three days and a major one every five.
When it came to sarcasm and verbal jabs, Zoro and Sanji had already left everyone else far behind.
A Celestial Dragon who had spent his life at the top, surrounded by flattery, was simply not on the same level.
"Heh~ Idiot."
Seeing that Saint Shamrock had been struck so deeply by his words that he couldn't even speak, Zoro shot him a contemptuous glance.
There wasn't the slightest ripple in his eyes.
Only pure disdain.
Even though this guy's physical strength was still far above both Zoro and Sanji, Zoro knew one thing...
From this moment onward, the arrogance in Saint Shamrock's heart had already been almost completely crushed.
The outcome was decided!!!
"Ifrit Jambe · Medium-Rare Burst Kick!!!"
At that moment, Sanji's explosive shout suddenly rang out from above them both.
The Sanji who had been hidden at the edge of the battlefield using the invisibility granted by his Lineage Factor suddenly appeared with the power of the Speed-Speed Fruit.
And on his right leg burned a radiance as dazzling as a blazing sun.
Fierce flames danced madly, turning more than half the battlefield crimson.
As if the two shared a mutual understanding, Zoro had already anticipated it. Following the force of Saint Shamrock's attack, his figure suddenly flew backward.
In the very next instant...
A swift and overwhelming blast of flame tore through the fragile void, crashing down with unmatched momentum straight onto Saint Shamrock's head and smashing into that face identical to Shanks's.
Watching from the distance, Red couldn't help but smack his lips.
"Tsk tsk tsk. If only someone had filmed that and let Morgans publish it in the paper, I wonder just how explosive the reaction would be!"
Unfortunately, that little twisted wish of Red's was unlikely to be fulfilled.
After all, Shanks was Luffy's benefactor.
If they really exposed Saint Shamrock's identity, it would definitely affect Shanks's reputation too.
Though caring about public reputation as a pirate sounded pretty absurd in the first place.
Boom!!!
A small mushroom cloud rose out of nowhere inside the Room of Flowers.
After the deafening blast, a huge hole suddenly appeared in the thick floor of the chamber.
Saint Shamrock's body punched straight through the structure of Pangaea Castle and fell down through who knew how many layers of rooms below.
Without Saint Shamrock's darkness protecting it, even the walls of the Room of Flowers couldn't withstand a battle of this level.
"Red, we're leaving this place to you!"
At that moment, Zoro and Sanji waved at the same time and shouted to Red.
Red answered immediately:
"Don't worry~ With this here, nothing'll go wrong!"
Red smiled slightly and gestured to the Pokémon bracelet on his wrist.
Since the rest of the Straw Hat crew still couldn't participate in a battle of this level, under Red's instructions they had already left the area with Robin's Teleport and gone to other parts of Pangaea Castle to continue exploring and gathering whatever they could.
At this point, all of Pangaea Castle's top combat power was gathered right here.
It could be said that aside from Imu, there was no danger left anywhere else.
So rather than waste time, the right decision was to use this opportunity to loot as much as possible.
As for Imu, the one hiding in the rear and never showing himself...
Red didn't believe for a second that he was unaware of what was happening here or of the current situation.
Yet even now, that guy still didn't dare show his face.
That alone proved his cowardice had reached a downright unbelievable level.
No wonder he had been terrified of a dead man for eight hundred years.
Normally he sat high above all others, the one and only king of the world, but the moment anything related to Joy Boy appeared, he reacted like a cat with its fur standing on end, screeching and flailing without the slightest trace of royal bearing.
Perhaps...
He had truly been frightened by Luffy in his Nika form.
"Just what exactly did Joy Boy do to Imu eight hundred years ago to leave him this traumatized even now~?"
Watching Zoro and Sanji leap into the gaping hole to continue their pursuit of Saint Shamrock, then glancing over at Luffy, who was toying with the four Five Elders as if they were mere playthings...
This invasion of Mary Geoise seemed to be going unbelievably smoothly.
It could only be said that the brave get to enjoy the world early.
Of course, even if Imu really appeared, Red and the others had nothing to worry about.
From beginning to end, he had kept the one and only Mega Evolution in reserve, never daring to use it.
All so he could save Luffy's ultimate form for the final boss, Imu.
What was more, even Sabo had managed to escape safely from the hands of Imu and the Five Elders with his own strength alone...
Red guessed that Imu's ability was probably more geared toward infinite regeneration and super-speed healing, rather than being especially suited for combat.
Thinking about it, that made sense...
A guy who had lain around for eight hundred years without training—even if he was strong, how strong could he really be?
Right now, the only real question was whether the members of the Straw Hat Grand Fleet outside could all withdraw safely from Mary Geoise.
...
...
Meanwhile, in the lower levels of Pangaea Castle.
Sanji's flames lit up the surroundings, becoming the only source of light and illuminating the environment around them.
The room they were in now appeared to be some sort of recreational shooting range.
Perhaps it was a place used by World Government personnel to relax or practice marksmanship.
Aside from several targets in the distance and a few partition walls dividing the space, the entire room was empty.
All in all, it was quite a spacious battlefield, well suited for combat.
"Damn insects!"
At that moment, Saint Shamrock slowly climbed out from a pile of rubble, muttering with hatred in his voice.
Although he had just suffered the combined barrage of attacks from Zoro and Sanji, his body showed no especially obvious injuries thanks to his overwhelming physical durability.
So far, the most serious wound he had taken was still only Zoro's Dark Extinction · God-Slaying, the slash that devoured the soul.
Still, his bearing and expression were now a little disheveled, utterly different from the lofty and divine arrogance he had displayed at the start.
"As expected of the twin brother of one of the Four Emperors, Red-Haired Shanks. He really isn't easy to put down."
Noticing how steady Saint Shamrock's breathing had already become again, Zoro raised a brow, unable to stop himself from marveling at the other man's toughness.
After all, he knew better than anyone just how terrifying one of Sanji's kicks was.
If he himself had taken a hit from that curly-browed cook, there was no way he would still look as stable as Saint Shamrock did now.
"Hey, Zoro, can you use that move from before again!?"
Equally astonished by Saint Shamrock's monstrous physical strength, Sanji immediately turned and asked Zoro.
With his own super-fast recovery ability, he understood all too well just how troublesome opponents like this were.
Unless they could unleash an attack far beyond the enemy's level, there was no way the battle would be decided in a short time.
"You mean God-Slaying, huh~"
A trace of seriousness flashed through Zoro's eyes as he explained to Sanji:
"I'm still not very skilled with that move yet. And now that he's deliberately on guard and won't clash with me mentally anymore..."
"It'll probably be pretty hard to use it again."
"But..."
A sharp gleam flashed in his eyes.
Sanji immediately pressed, "But what!?"
The corners of Zoro's mouth lifted.
"But if you can hold him off for a while and give me a little time to refine my sword intent, I can still pull it off again..."
"And now that I've gained some insight into that move, the next time I use it, it'll definitely be even stronger!!!"
Sword intent wasn't like stamina or energy, which could be restored with Super Potions and PP medicine whenever needed.
On top of that, the move had been something Zoro created on a whim, a sudden burst of inspiration, so it still wasn't smooth for him to use and naturally came with all sorts of limitations.
But with his talent and genius, given enough time, he would absolutely be able to turn the God-Slaying sword path into something he could use as casually as any ordinary slash.
"I see..."
After hearing Zoro's explanation, Sanji's tone sank into something steady and serious before he said directly:
"Alright! Then I'll be the one to stall this guy for a while."
"During that time, you focus on refining your sword intent."
"If we want to kill him as quickly as possible, your power is still the key."
"Oh ho~"
Zoro's voice rose with a laugh.
"To hear something like that come out of your mouth... now that's rare."
"Idiot!" Sanji shouted angrily, clenching his fist. "Don't think a temporary lead means you can get all smug!"
"Just wait. I'll develop my own signature move soon enough!!!"
"Heh heh~ Why does that sound so familiar?" Zoro chuckled softly, but he still silently retreated with sword in hand, eyes locked tightly onto Saint Shamrock as he restrained his aura and began nurturing a new God-Slaying sword intent.
As for why the words sounded so familiar, that was naturally because he had said almost the exact same thing to Sanji countless times himself.
The two of them were like two trains running side by side on parallel tracks, constantly chasing one another, yet never once had either gained an absolute lead.
Step!
After finishing their discussion, Sanji stepped forward directly.
The flaming armor formed by his Pokémon-ization had not diminished in the slightest from beginning to end.
Even though every attack was launched with wholehearted, one-hundred-percent explosive force, his state remained at its peak without the slightest sign of exhaustion thanks to his supreme technological body.
If Zoro was the blade in the Straw Hat Pirates that could cut through anything, then Sanji was the shield that would never tremble no matter how many attacks and torments it endured!
"Come on! From here on out, this fight is between the two of us!!!"
Sanji stepped forward and stood directly in front of Saint Shamrock, rolling his shoulders and laughing boldly.
But faced with Sanji's imposing stance, Saint Shamrock looked as though he had been subjected to the greatest humiliation imaginable, and his fury exploded.
"You bastards!!! You lowly, filthy inferior creatures!!!"
He began by bellowing abuse at the top of his lungs.
And why was he so furious?
Because when Sanji and Zoro had just been discussing tactics, they hadn't treated him seriously at all. They had openly laid out their plan right in front of his face.
To him, that was the greatest humiliation imaginable!!!
"I'm going to tear you all to pieces!!!"
Whoosh~!
Surging black mist erupted from Saint Shamrock's body once more, instantly condensing into a gigantic black hand that swept past Sanji and lunged toward Zoro behind him.
How could he possibly allow his opponent to continue preparing such a terrifying move!?
Without the support of swordsmanship, his power had already been greatly reduced.
If he took another hit like that, he might not even remain qualified to continue serving as Commander of the God's Knights!
And yet, in the face of Saint Shamrock's dark attack, Zoro neither dodged nor retreated. Instead, he slowly closed his eyes and continued to refine his sword intent.
But at the exact instant the attack was about to strike him, a dazzling figure suddenly appeared in front of him and blocked the darkness completely.
It was Sanji, of course—having used the Speed-Speed Fruit to rush over at a speed almost like teleportation.
"Hey! Don't you think you're looking down on people a little too much!!!"
Boom!!!
Flames fiercer than the darkness itself erupted in an instant. Like a giant of fire, Sanji lashed out in midair and perfectly blocked Saint Shamrock's attack.
Beneath the firelight, the endless darkness was rapidly dispersed.
In the blink of an eye, all of that dark energy was swallowed and completely wrapped up by the flames, brought under control instead.
Fwoosh!!!
From within the raging fire, Sanji stepped forward and smiled as he said:
"I told you, from here on out, this is a fight between the two of us. That means the two of us!"
"So don't expect to pull any little tricks while I'm still faster than you!"
(End of Chapter)