Months ago, Zoro made a choice. The three-sword style swordsman walked resolutely toward Hawkeye's castle.
"To challenge me?" Hawkeye looked at the moss-head with surprise. He had expected Zoro to keep a respectful distance until reaching his peak for a true final duel. He never imagined Zoro would dare challenge him just after learning the basics of Haki.
But Zoro's mind was made up. He looked at Hawkeye with iron-clad resolve. "There's no more time to waste. Luffy has fully mastered Haki, while I'm still standing in place..."
Gripping his blades until his knuckles turned white, Zoro fell into his Three-Sword Style stance! Hawkeye still didn't fully understand the urgency, but the determination radiating from Zoro was unmistakable.
Putting down his tea and picking up the black blade Yoru, Hawkeye spoke: "I understand. But I will not show mercy."
"...I wouldn't have it any other way."
"Don't die."
A streak of dark green tore through the air, and Zoro's hellish training officially began.
Back to the present.
Zoro drew his blades, coating them in pitch-black Armament Haki. A terrifying aura, akin to a purgatory demon, erupted from him, crushing down on the Treasure Hunter. The world changed color, turning a blood-red. The sea of stomach acid behind them seemed to transform into a sea of blood, from which countless vengeful spirits crawled out to drag Mad Treasure into the abyss!
"One-Sword Style: Purgatory Oni Giri!"
The blood-red blade passed through Mad Treasure's body without resistance. The hunter's life had already ceased before the blade even finished its arc.
Sheathing his sword, Zoro reverted to his usual stoic self. With a powerful leap, he landed steadily on the newly reinforced Thousand Sunny.
Ren, witnessing the display, let out an intrigued chuckle. "Starting the 'Hell Series' already? Careful, or you'll turn into a literal sword-rack for Enma later."
"Krillin! Hit the fish's belly! Get it to spit us out!"
"OK!"
Krillin unleashed a brilliant slash that slammed into the interior wall. A second later, the world began to shake violently. The seawater beneath them surged backward, and the ship's speed accelerated.
Outside.
The gargantuan fish felt a sharp pang in its gut. Even with its simple brain, it knew it had eaten something it shouldn't have. Without hesitation, it surged toward the surface, opened its massive maw, and vomited a torrent of bitter fluid.
Tossed out along with the three ships was half an island.
SPLASH!!!
The moment the ships hit the water, everyone used their respective abilities to bolt. To hesitate for a single second was to be crushed by the falling landmass. Franky triggered a Coup de Vent, propelling the Sunny like an arrow.
Ren fired a Cero, using the explosive recoil to shove his ship away, narrowly avoiding being flattened by the island. Once he landed, he looked back at the thousand-meter tsunami triggered by the impact and cursed, "Why the hell did it spit out the whole island too?!"
He sliced his palm, mixing blood with Reiatsu. A spine-chilling energy began to gather.
"Gran Rey Cero!"
A blinding white beam shot out, vaporizing the seawater and leaving a deep trough in the ocean. The massive wave was shattered, scattering to the sides.
"Move! The next wave is coming!" Hina shouted from the upper deck.
The sea surface beneath them was rising rapidly again, pushing them toward the sky. It was clear that regular sailing wasn't going to get them out in time. Seeing the despair on his crew's faces, especially with Bonney and Olga hiding in emergency survival barrels, Ren sighed.
"Sigh, sit tight. We're taking off."
"Taking off?"
The two girls peeked out as Ren transformed into his Asura form. Crimson flame-clouds (Homuragumo) manifested around him, quickly multiplying until they wrapped around the entire ship. Ren then manipulated the clouds, lifting the vessel into the air!
As they climbed higher, the full scale of the giant Bonbori fish became visible. The crew crowded the railing, staring down at the creature larger than an island.
"It's massive!"
Amidst the awe, Ren drew a blade and aimed at the glowing organ—the lantern—on the fish's head. He swung. A pure white arc of sword-light crossed the distance and sliced through the fragile stalk without resistance.
The crew was horrified. "What are you doing?!"
"Why would you cut the lantern off Lord Bonbori?!"
"Oh no! It's going into a frenzy! Run!"
Deprived of its precious light, the giant fish went into a mad trance. Its fins and tail thrashed, creating localized tsunamis that swallowed everything. Even the remains of the island were pulverized by its tail. Ren quickly drove the flame-clouds, carrying the ship away from the disaster zone.
Originally, he had intended to kill the fish, but he had spotted a shadow flickering in the sky—a dark silhouette that made him instantly wary. Was that the Ancient Weapon Uranus? The thought flashed through his mind.
As they distanced themselves from the fish, everyone breathed a sigh of relief—until the sea erupted again. Two Sea Kings, even more gargantuan than the Bonbori, burst from the waves and let out a world-shaking roar at Ren's ship!
ROAR!!!
"Accelerate!"
Ren used a soul-technique to boost their speed, and the ship vanished into the horizon. No matter how the behemoths roared, they couldn't touch them.
"DAMMIT! That brat makes me so mad! He cut off Bon-bon's favorite light! Doesn't he know that's the only streetlight we have down here?!"
"If I ever catch that kid, he's dead meat!"
The disgruntled voices of the Sea Kings reached Ren's ears, making his mouth twitch. Their intelligence really is high...
After flying for leagues and ensuring they weren't being followed, Ren lowered the ship back to the water. Everyone exhaled a collective breath of relief.
Ren laughed. "That was close! I thought we were going to have a war with the Sea Kings~"
The moment he spoke, several sharp, murderous gazes landed on him. The atmosphere on the deck turned icy.
"DIE! HEART BREAK!"
"Awooo~!"
"BITCH BONNEY, DON'T BITE MY BUTT!"
For a moment, the deck was filled with the sounds of a very "happy" family reunion.
Ren: I... censored...