BAM!
Sanji slammed into the ground, blood pouring from his chest and staining the floor.
The searing pain made his body convulse uncontrollably.
As Luoyu walked past him, calm and unhurried, Sanji felt—for the first time—what true helplessness meant.
All the pride from Enies Lobby, all the fire from their victory… gone in an instant.
"Zoro, don't move! Your wounds just got bandaged!"
Chopper clung to his sleeve.
But Zoro shook him off.
He glanced down at the bleeding gash across his abdomen, then picked up Wado Ichimonji and Sandai Kitetsu.
And the third blade—an unfamiliar greatsword lying nearby.
Fate, maybe?
"Chopper, carry Nami and Robin out of here. I'll bring Luffy and Sanji to you."
He bit down on Wado Ichimonji, testing the weight of the oversized blade in his hand.
"I lasted ten moves against Mihawk," he muttered. "Didn't think I'd fall in one against you."
"But I saw it—that invisible strike hidden in your slash."
"This time… I'll hold you off for one full minute."
"An invisible strike?" Luoyu adjusted his glasses, smiling. "You really are a cockroach. Tough little thing."
"But I'm on a schedule."
"A schedule?" Zoro blinked, then gritted his teeth.
"Too bad. I've seen through your technique. I'll block you with my life."
"Chopper—GO!"
"Demon Aura: Nine-Sword Style—Asura: Silver Mist!"
VMMM!
The air trembled.
Zoro's form shifted—three heads, six arms.
His killing intent surged, silver mist swirling around him.
He vanished into the haze.
A piercing blade cry split the sky.
Zoro became a streak of silver light, cutting through the fog.
In a blink, he was in front of Luoyu.
Luoyu had already locked onto him with Observation Haki.
He gripped his blade.
"Flashier than me, huh? Too bad. I wasn't hiding one strike."
"I was hiding two."
VMMM!
Luoyu's blade came down.
Zoro's spine went cold.
His instincts screamed.
He saw it—the second strike, hidden in the void.
Wait… wasn't there only one?
Why is there another?!
SLASH!
Twin gashes bloomed across Zoro's chest.
Blood exploded from the wounds.
His renewed resolve vanished in a heartbeat.
"This… this was supposed to be my minute…"
"I didn't even last a single blow."
"Don't just stand there—GO!"
"Fire Jet!"
Franky burst in, unleashing a torrent of flames at Luoyu.
At the same time, his chain arm shot out, latching onto Zoro and yanking him back.
Others rushed to pull Luffy and Sanji to safety.
Luoyu sighed.
"I said I'm in a hurry. Can't you cooperate?"
"Guess I'll have to make you."
BOOM!
The flames were blown away.
Zoro was flung like a ragdoll.
Behind Luoyu, a massive, wrathful Asura erupted—six meters tall, radiating pure menace.
Franky caught Zoro, but his face went pale.
Could they really escape this?
"Break."
Luoyu spoke a single word.
The Asura exploded into a storm of fists.
Conqueror's Haki surged with it.
He wasn't holding back anymore.
The world turned gold.
Fists and Haki crashed down like a tsunami.
There was no time to dodge, no room to block.
It was like being trapped beneath a collapsing mountain.
BOOM!
The shockwave leveled everything for thousands of meters.
Bodies flew from the ruined dock like leaves in a gale.
Everything in their path shattered.
Nami coughed blood, her body tumbling through the air.
She'd thought they were stronger now.
That they could handle a new Admiral.
But this one wasn't just young—he was a monster.
As the world blurred past her, despair set in.
WHUMP!
A rough hand caught her back, absorbing the impact.
A gust of wind blew past as the force was dispersed.
Nami collapsed, dazed and bleeding.
"You okay, kid?"
"I just dozed off for a bit… and it looks like I missed everything."
Garp stood there, scratching his nose, surveying the wreckage of the dock.
"You're… the Marine Hero Garp?"
Nami blinked, then grabbed his arm.
"You're Luffy's grandfather, right? He's being hunted by the new Admiral—please, you have to help him!"
"If you don't, they'll all die!"
She knew Garp was a Marine.
She knew he wasn't on their side.
But after what Luoyu had just done…
He was their only hope.
"Hunted by the new Admiral?" Garp blinked, pulled out his pocket watch, and checked the time.
Then he burst out laughing.
"Hah! That brat… never misses a chance to squeeze a bonus."
"Don't worry. It's five o'clock sharp."
"He doesn't kill after five."
Five o'clock?
He doesn't kill after five?
Nami stared at the watch.
Completely dumbfounded.