Right in the heart of the battlefield, Buggy leered at the green-haired teenager. His eyes locked onto the two swords the kid held, plus the one clenched firmly between his teeth. A truly twisted smile spread across Buggy's face.
"Well, kid, what's the name?"
Zoro's face was a mask of determination. "Roronoa Zoro!"
Buggy feigned surprise. "So, you're that Pirate Hunter making a name for himself. Come to collect my head, have you?"
"Your head? Doesn't interest me one bit." Zoro gestured behind him with a nod of his head. "But I owe a favor to that Marine over there. I reckon your head will just about cover it. Got a problem? Take it up with the Grim Reaper!"
"Gyahahaha, so arrogant!" Buggy roared with laughter, pulling out a short, gleaming sword and running his tongue along the blade. "I've got a real interest in you, kid. Killing you while you're still on the rise? That'll make me even more famous!"
"Save your breath, clown. A small fry like you couldn't take me down." Zoro's gaze was like ice.
He had to become the world 's greatest swordsman. He couldn't lose to anyone before he beat that man. Besides, this pirate didn't even feel strong. There was no way he could lose to such a third-rate nobody.
"If that's what you think, let me show you my power!" Buggy announced. "Open those eyes wide, kid; this will be over in a flash!"
Zoro crossed his arms, his left and right hands gripping the two swords, holding them vertically in front of him. He bit down hard on the Wado Ichimonji, the white hilt sticking out between his lips.
"Three-Sword Style!"
"Gyahahaha! I'll kill you!"
The next moment, Zoro unleashed his strongest attack!
"Demon Slash!"
A blinding flash of sword light, and the two warriors flew past each other!
Zoro spread his arms wide, holding the pose from his deadly slash.
Behind him, Buggy, who had been so loud just moments before, was now silent. Several gashes marked his body. His waist and abdomen were completely sliced open, splitting him in two.
Thump!
The two halves of Buggy's body hit the dirt.
"Tch, what a waste of space." Zoro sheathed his swords, his face showing nothing but disdain.
He'd expected a pirate with a 15 million bounty to be a real challenge. Instead, Buggy was all show, no substance. A total disappointment.
Compared to that …
Zoro turned his head toward Isca, who was battling Cabaji.
That woman's swordsmanship isn't bad at all.
Just then, the Marine Ensign's voice cut through the air. "Zoro, the fight isn't over yet."
"What?" Zoro was stunned.
He 'd clearly killed the clown. Why would the Marine say that the fight wasn't over? There was no way Buggy could have survived being cut in two.
Wait … Before they got here, the Ensign had mentioned that Buggy was a Devil Fruit user.
Zoro's eyes widened with sudden understanding.
Come to think of it, when he sliced Buggy apart, no blood had flowed. And he hadn't heard any screams.
Could it be?!
Poof!
An unbearable pain shot through Zoro's body.
His pupils dilated as blood trickled from his lips. An overwhelming feeling of weakness washed over him, and his knees buckled. He crashed to the ground.
"Damn it! What is this?!"
He saw a blade sticking out of his waist and abdomen. A strange hand, detached from any body, was holding the sword. Zoro gritted his teeth and, ignoring the pain, swatted the hand away.
The short sword slid out, dragging a stream of blood with it.
And the hand that had stabbed him was floating in mid-air.
"Gyahahaha!"
Buggy, who should have been dead, floated into the air. His fragmented body automatically came back together, not a single wound visible.
"I ate the Chop-Chop Fruit!" Buggy bragged. "I'm a Chop-Chop Man! You can cut me all you want, but you can't kill me! Your power can't defeat me!"
"Damn it, I let my guard down!" Zoro groaned, clutching his bleeding lower back.
If Buggy really was a Chop-Chop Man, he didn't stand a chance. No, at this point, just escaping would be a victory.
"Gyahahaha! Time to send you on your way, Roronoa Zoro!" Buggy shrieked.
He pointed the tip of his sword at Zoro, activated his power, and his wrist snapped apart. The hand holding the sword flew forward!
"Chop-Chop… Clown Knife!"
"Damn it!!!"
Zoro stared at the flying knives, his eyes bloodshot. He tried to jump away, dodge the attack, but his legs wouldn't respond. He could only watch helplessly as death rushed toward him.
His dream … It couldn't end here!
Clang!
The tip of the knife stopped inches from his face.
A man had grabbed Buggy's hand, stopping the flying knife in its tracks.
Zoro's pupils contracted. The word "Justice" filled his vision.
It was the Marine Ensign, his Justice Cloak billowing behind him!
"Leave this to me, Zoro." Roya turned his back to Zoro, a smile playing on his lips. "Thank you for testing out Buggy's Devil Fruit ability. If that had been me, I would have been caught completely off guard."
"Heh, you never know," Zoro chuckled softly, a wave of relief washing over him.
Roya wasn't trying to comfort him. He was stating a simple truth. He knew about Buggy's ability, but there was a difference between knowing and experiencing it firsthand.
The speed of the body parts splitting apart, the flying speed of those parts, their strength, Buggy's fighting style - all of that was important information.
"Oh, right!" Roya tilted his head slightly. "It hasn't even been a minute! You didn't last long at all."
"…"
Zoro's face darkened.
"Hahahaha." Roya laughed and strode toward Buggy. "Big Nose, I'll be your opponent."
"Who are you calling Big Nose?!" Buggy screeched. His hatred instantly switched to Roya. He hated people making fun of his nose more than anything in the world.
"Eager to meet your maker?"
"Try it if you can, Marine."
Roya stared at Buggy, gripping the hilt of his sword. He wasn't underestimating the pirate. The Chop-Chop Fruit wasn't easy to deal with.
Besides, Buggy had once been a member of Roger's crew.
First!
Clang!
Roya drew his sword, deflecting a flying knife that had ambushed him from behind!
"Did you even see that?" Buggy sneered, his hand flying back to his side.
His ability was out in the open, so it was no surprise that the Marines were on guard. But he had relied on more than just his Devil Fruit to survive in the East Blue all these years.
Buggy stamped his feet, and sharp blades popped out from the soles of his shoes. Then, his body twisted. His lower half spun like a top and flew toward Roya.
"Chop-Chop… Pancake!"
His lower body rotated at high speed, flying close to the ground like a flattened pancake. Its sharp edges could easily tear apart an enemy.
"Fast, indeed!" Roya's gaze grew serious.
He'd noticed that when Buggy split his body, the flying speed was incredible. The smaller the separated part, the faster it moved.
The main body, however, didn't seem to have any outstanding qualities.
"Here it comes!"
In the blink of an eye, Buggy's spinning lower half crossed the distance, arriving in front of Roya. It looked ready to slice off his legs.
Not only that, but Buggy's arms, each armed with four flying knives, flew in from the left and right, boxing Roya in. If he showed an opening, they would definitely take advantage.
This is really interesting!" Roya's smile widened. Facing a Devil Fruit user for the first time, he felt the strangeness and raw power of the ability.
Swordsmanship was useless. Unpredictable ambushes had to be guarded against. One moment of carelessness could lead to the same fate as Zoro.
And getting close to the main body was proving difficult!
Even using Silent Step, it was hard to avoid the flying knives. Silent Step was fast, but it could only move him a few meters at a time - basically a weaker version of "Shave."
He couldn't use it continuously, either.
Clang!
Roya thrust his sword into the ground.
Abandoning his long blade, he reached into his Justice Cloak, pulled out a jet-black Wolf Fang Club, and grinned at Buggy's spinning lower half.
Fortunately, I'm a cut above!
"Wolf Fang Club?!!!" Buggy cried out in terror, his face turning pale.