Arrogant?
No...
This was probably just ignorance.
Watching the battle-hungry Zoro, Lucas couldn’t help but recall the scene from the original story where Kizaru effortlessly confronted the Supernovas.
The expressions on those rookies back then were almost identical to what he saw before him now.
"Youth really is the capital of recklessness," Lucas remarked, taking another sip of his liquor.
"This sword was originally nothing more than decoration. But since you want to use me as your sparring partner..."
"I’ll have to get a little serious."
"After all... you’re all worth bounty money."
The moment his words fell, an invisible aura spread outward from Lucas.
Everyone inside the room suddenly felt as though the air had grown unbearably heavy.
Meeting Lucas’s calm, tranquil gaze was like having an invisible hand clutch at one’s heart.
Even Zoro’s expression stiffened.
If the young Marine Admiral had seemed harmless just moments ago...
Now he felt like a bloodthirsty beast locking onto its prey.
Every pore on Zoro’s body stood on end.
A primal sense of danger crawled down his spine.
What’s going on...?
Koby and Helmeppo also sensed the drastic shift in atmosphere. Their nerves instantly tightened.
"Zoro! Luffy! Don’t do anything reckless!"
"Admiral Lucas, please wait! Vice Admiral Garp will be here soon!"
Vice Admiral Garp...
Zoro tightened his grip on his swords.
For an instant, a sliver of hope emerged within him.
But he quickly crushed it.
His instincts told him that this strike had to be made.
Otherwise...
His swordsmanship would forever lose its conviction.
This man would become the greatest obstacle on his path.
"Let’s do this!"
Zoro clenched both hands around his swords.
Breaking through the hesitation in his heart, he stomped forward with explosive force, charging like a hunting tiger.
The dozen-meter gap vanished in the blink of an eye.
"Two-Sword Style: Tiger Hunt!"
ROAR!
His twin blades carved through the air, the shrill whistle sounding like the roar of a tiger.
Sanji and Luffy didn’t immediately join the attack.
Instead, both fixed their eyes on Lucas.
They had absolute confidence in Zoro’s strength.
At the same time, they wanted to see just how powerful this Marine Admiral—who was roughly their age—really was.
Every gaze in the room focused on Lucas.
Facing the incoming attack, Lucas showed no intention of dodging.
His right hand rested lightly on the hilt of the Monohoshizao strapped across his back.
The famed blade—one that had nearly ended up as nothing more than a fishing rod—slid free from its scabbard.
Demon-Slaying Blade.
Hummm—
A sharp sword cry rang through the hall.
The instant Lucas grasped Monohoshizao, Sasaki Kojiro’s lifetime of swordsmanship flooded into his mind.
Every technique...
Every insight...
They felt as though they had been engraved directly onto his soul.
The sword moved with the body.
The body followed the sword.
The long blade swept down like a silver ribbon across the heavens—
Straight toward empty space beside Zoro.
Yes.
Nobody had seen it wrong.
Lucas’s slash wasn’t aimed at Zoro at all.
It looked as though he had simply cut through the air.
Had he misjudged the distance?
Failed to track his target?
Otherwise...
How could he possibly miss someone as large as Zoro?
Was the sword really just for show?
Was a blade over five feet long simply too unwieldy for him?
Countless thoughts flashed through Zoro’s mind.
Then—
Every hair on his body stood straight up.
A terrifying premonition of death engulfed him.
Without time to think, the countless life-and-death battles he had survived took over instinctively.
His body twisted on its own.
Wado Ichimonji and Sandai Kitetsu crossed before him in desperate defense.
Whoosh!
Lucas lowered Monohoshizao until its tip pointed diagonally toward the floor.
At the same instant—
The overwhelming momentum surrounding Zoro collapsed.
His eyes widened in disbelief as he looked down at his chest.
Slash!
A long wound split open from his shoulder to his abdomen.
Scarlet blood burst forth like a crimson firework.
Everyone’s pupils contracted violently.
Their faces were filled with utter disbelief.
Moments ago...
They had clearly seen Lucas’s blade slice through nothing but empty air beside Zoro.
Yet somehow...
A horrific wound had appeared across Zoro’s body.
The bizarre scene caught everyone completely off guard.
Could this be...
A slash that struck without touching?
He cut the air...
Yet the air cut me?
Silence swallowed the entire hall.
Every eye instinctively turned toward Lucas.
They recalled what he had said earlier.
"This sword is just decoration."
If this level of swordsmanship counted as mere decoration...
Then weren’t Zoro’s two swords nothing more than props for a stage performance?
Even Koby and Helmeppo stood frozen.
They had watched Lucas learn swordsmanship from Bogard before.
Most of the time, however, Lucas had focused on hand-to-hand combat.
According to Bogard himself, Lucas’s talent with the sword was merely "ordinary" compared to his physical combat ability.
Yet this single slash...
It was terrifying beyond belief.
If this was considered ordinary...
Then what had everyone else been practicing all these years?
"Zoro, move!"
Sanji roared as he burst forward.
The two were constantly at each other’s throats.
But when it came to real battles...
They trusted one another more than anyone else.
The dozen meters between them disappeared almost instantly.
At the same time, Luffy’s left arm shot forward, stretching across the battlefield before wrapping around Zoro’s waist and yanking him backward.
Chopper, who had already been preparing to retreat, immediately transformed into his Human Form, catching Zoro and pulling him safely into his arms.
The entire sequence sounded complicated.
Yet it had all happened within only a few seconds.
Such seamless coordination was possible only because of the countless life-and-death battles they had fought together.
Meanwhile, waves of scorching steam erupted from Luffy’s body.
He instantly activated Gear Second.
His figure vanished like a phantom.
Using Soru, he appeared behind Lucas in an instant.
Together with Sanji, they formed a perfect pincer attack.
"Diable Jambe: Bien Cuit—Grill Shot!"
"Gum-Gum Red Hawk!"
BOOM!
Flames wrapped around both fist and foot.
Accompanied by explosive shockwaves, the attacks slammed directly into Lucas.
After seeing Zoro defeated in a single move, neither Luffy nor Sanji held anything back.
Their only objective was to suppress this unexpected enemy as quickly as possible—
Buying Nami and the others enough time to treat Zoro’s injuries.
That thought had barely crossed their minds...
Before their flaming attacks landed squarely on the target.
BOOM!!
A thunderous explosion echoed into the sky.
Blazing flames surged outward in every direction, forcing every spectator back more than a dozen meters.
Only after the sea of fire gradually dispersed...
Did everyone’s pupils contract once more.
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus Chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus Chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70+ Chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/Sagamaster789