"Huh?"
Nami's eyes widened, her mind struggling to process what Sanji had just said.
"Captain Mike... is the man Mihawk acknowledged? The one with a sword style even the World's Greatest couldn't see through?!" Her voice was thick with shock.
"Yeah," Sanji nodded, his voice low, tinged with a mixture of resignation and awe.
"Against an opponent like this, that moss-head is going to have to go all out. And even if he stakes his life on it... I have no idea what his chances are."
"Oh my god," Nami breathed, her gaze snapping back to the center of the battlefield.
She took in the extraordinary presence of the Marine Captain, his calm demeanor a stark contrast to the tension in the air.
Her eyes traveled upward—to a face so handsome it seemed almost unfair.
Her heartbeat suddenly fluttered.
"Uh... I didn't get a good look at him before..." A faint blush appeared on her cheeks.
"Are... are all the Captains at Marine Headquarters this handsome?"
"!!!"
Sanji's eyes widened, and he nearly bit his cigarette in half.
He couldn't believe his ears
. His beautiful goddess Nami had just praised that Marine Captain out loud!
What was so great about that guy anyway?
So what if he was a little more handsome, a little taller, and a little stronger than... well, everyone?
'Damn you, Mike!' he seethed internally. 'I'm going to chop you up and serve you as an appetizer!'
Just as Sanji was about to erupt in a jealous rage, a hand suddenly grabbed the back of his collar, yanking him back forcefully.
"Sanji, that's Zoro's fight, isn't it?" Luffy said, his usual goofy grin replaced by a rare, serious expression.
"If this is his choice, then we let him have his duel." He patted Sanji's back lightly, his signature grin returning.
"All we need to do is watch and cheer him on. Zoro's definitely gonna win!" he declared with unshakable confidence.
"I believe in him!"
"After all," Luffy said with a huge grin on his face. "my crewmate can't possibly lose! There are only small wins, medium wins, and big wins!"
"Hmph," Sanji snorted, but he relaxed his posture.
He knew Luffy was right.
The most important thing now was to believe in the damn moss-head.
Because they were nakama.
****
At the center of the battlefield, the atmosphere was so tense it was almost suffocating.
The air itself seemed to press down on the crowd, the marketplace so silent that only the whisper of the wind could be heard.
Zoro's gaze was as sharp as a blade, fixed firmly on Mike.
The overwhelming aura he exuded seemed to freeze the air.
His grip on Wado Ichimonji's hilt tightened as he leaned forward, his muscles coiling like a panther ready to spring.
He had learned so much from his defeat at Mihawk's hands.
The techniques he had witnessed—the Water Surface Slash, the Thunderclap and Flash—had opened his eyes to a new world of possibilities.
Now, he stood before the original wielder of those very techniques.
In a strange way, he felt like he was facing a mentor.
'But no matter who you are', Zoro's eyes narrowed, 'you're just another mountain I have to surpass!'
"Haa—" He inhaled deeply, then exhaled slowly, his entire aura sharpening to an unparalleled degree.
"Iai: Flash!"
In less than a heartbeat, Zoro drew his blade.
The gleam of steel sliced through the air like lightning, the sound of its edge cutting the atmosphere arriving a split second after the blade had already passed.
It was a strike born of pure speed, his attempt to replicate the essence of the Thunderclap he had witnessed.
"Oh?" A flicker of genuine surprise flashed in Mike's eyes, quickly replaced by an eerie, excited smile.
"As expected of Zoro. To grasp some of the essence from Mihawk's flawed imitation... impressive."
Yet, faced with the thunderous assault, Mike didn't move an inch.
"Markings—full release!"
A sharp glint flashed in his eyes as his entire aura condensed.
The surging power within him converged onto the Kusanagi.
As his grip tightened, flame-like crimson markings rapidly spread along his arm, climbing up his neck until they etched themselves onto his face.
A blazing red pattern bloomed on his forehead, shimmering under the sunlight.
The air around him seemed to distort as waves of scorching heat radiated from his body.
"Tssss—" Steam began to billow from Mike's skin, the air warping from the intense temperature.
His heartbeat roared like war drums, each pulse a thunderous explosion of power boiling within him.
"Then," he uttered, his voice low, all traces of his earlier playfulness gone, replaced by a chilling battle intent.
"I'll return the favor."
"Haa—" He inhaled, and the world seemed to dim as energy gathered around him.
"Haa—" He exhaled, and his presence skyrocketed.
"Thunder Breathing!"
Lightning crackled to life around his hand, dazzling arcs of electricity dancing along his blade.
The edge trembled, humming with cataclysmic power.
The next moment, Mike vanished.
He erupted with a speed that defied the senses, his eyes flashing like thunder.
His blade tore through the air, trailing a blinding, golden radiance—as if lightning itself had descended upon the earth.
"Seventh Form: Honoikazuchi no Kami!"
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