Whenever there was no need to be cautious, Queen would become exceptionally cautious. For instance, after carefully considering who could shatter his Protect barrier, he realized it was not an isolated case but a long list of people.
To avoid losing too much face, Queen chose to phrase it more tactfully. In any case, he did not believe that the green-haired man wielding three swords before him could break through his Protect barrier.
The facts proved that Queen had not misjudged him. The blades were less than a meter from his head, yet that single meter had become an insurmountable chasm for Zoro.
“A barrier?!”
“There’s nothing wrong with understanding it that way. Can you feel the difference in our strength now? How about I show some mercy and let you slash me a few more times?
Let me see what gives weak little insects like you the right to keep talking about becoming Pirate King every single day!”
A contemptuous smile appeared at the corner of Queen’s mouth. Instead of counterattacking, he beckoned at Zoro.
“You b*stard… Three Sword Style • Crossing the Six Paths!”
A four-line slash mark appeared on Queen’s Protect barrier. After leaving the confines of a turn-based game, Protect’s duration had also increased somewhat. Unless it encountered a monster whose strength exceeded its defensive capacity by an overwhelming margin, Protect could persist for a certain amount of time.
And among Onigashima’s officers, Queen, who got beaten up every day, could maintain his barrier for the longest. Although that had little significance during training, it was extremely effective in actual combat.
After so many years, Zoro finally experienced what Kozuki Oden had felt in the original timeline. The barrier looked as if it could be pierced with a single stab, yet it was indestructible. No matter how he swung his swords, he could not achieve any results.
The greatest difference was that Kurozumi Orochi was useless. Even after eating a Mythical Zoan, all he could do was stand there and take a beating. Queen, meanwhile, was genuinely formidable. It was only because he always faced monsters on his own level or stronger that he seemed so miserable.
Having finally obtained a rare opportunity to bully someone weaker than himself, Queen could barely contain his delight. Zoro also made a new choice. A dark aura began radiating from his body, and even the weapons in his hands seemed to distort under its influence.
“Demon Aura… Nine Sword Style…”
“Three heads and six arms? A Devil Fruit user? Doesn’t really look like one, though. What a bizarre technique.
But I suppose it makes sense. It’s only because I’m so strong that he looks weak. Anyone who’s made it to the New World has to possess at least some ability.”
Queen, with his tenacious spirit, could boast about himself through self-commentary even without anyone playing along.
Queen also retained absolute confidence in his defenses. Zoro’s latest offensive looked extraordinarily sinister, yet Queen continued watching with the attitude of a spectator.
“Asura: Piercing Drill!”
Crack.
A hairline fracture appeared on Queen’s Protect barrier. The next moment, it shattered into countless motes of light. However, there was no surprise on Queen’s face.
“Single-eyed brat, since you’ve worked so hard, I’ll deal with you another way. Even if I let you keep slashing until nightfall, you still wouldn’t break through my defenses.”
After witnessing the power of Zoro’s technique, Queen deactivated his Protect barrier ahead of time. He then pulled out a pair of swords from who knew where and coated them in tremendously powerful Haki in a single instant.
“QUEEN’s Gorgeous Fury Cutter!”
Although they were clearly swords, Queen swung them with the force of heavy hammers. Every slash produced an explosive boom, and the surrounding ground soon became riddled with craters.
“You b*stard… You’re not a swordsman at all!”
After parrying several of Queen’s attacks, Zoro had already seen through his true nature. The so-called Gorgeous Fury Cutter was nothing more than a completely unstructured flurry of wild swings. Unfortunately, Queen’s strength and Haki were both above Zoro’s level.
Even though Queen was swinging randomly, Zoro still had to focus with every ounce of concentration he possessed.
“A swordsman? Swords are the same as guns—they’re all weapons used to kill. As long as they achieve the objective, does it matter how they’re swung?”
Not a single member of the Beasts Pirates’ upper echelon was an orthodox swordsman. In their hands, blades were merely weapons—tools used to help them cut down their opponents.
“But now you should understand the difference between us, right? The thing you specialize in is something I’m not even good at, yet you’re still no match for me!”
Boom!
Queen brought one sword crashing down upon the ground. The resulting dust cloud and shockwave obscured the view, but that did not prevent the spectators from following the battle.
“Boss Queen seems to be having a lot of fun. Boss King will definitely be happy when he sees this.”
Electricity flickered in Delia’s eyes as she used her X-ray vision to observe the changes in the battle.
“Why would Mr. King be happy?”
“Boss King said, ‘Whenever that Queen gets carried away with himself, he’ll suffer some kind of misfortune within three days, but he never learns his lesson.’ I think that was what he meant. Either way, it was something along those lines.
Speaking of which, those people seem to be heading this way. Are we just going to stand here and watch?”
A pair of eyes equipped with both X-ray and thermal vision was extremely convenient. The Stealth Black Judge had developed could render the body invisible, but it could not conceal heat. At this moment, Delia could see an exaggerated heat source racing toward her and Robin.
“I suppose that wouldn’t be a problem. After all, Sir Queen has already taken full responsibility for everything. Even if someone escapes, he’ll be the one who suffers for it.”
“That sounds pretty good. If we take a picture, Boss King might be interested.”
Queen was currently immersed in his own enjoyment and had not noticed what his “teammates” behind him were saying. Otherwise, he would have demonstrated in an instant exactly what it meant to be the Emperor of Roaring.
“People have all kinds of peculiar interests, and there are many ways to defeat an enemy. Since you’ve been trying so hard, I’ve decided to let you witness my latest creation.”
Competing with a caveman in technology or with an old man in strength were both ways to achieve victory. However, Queen currently had no intention of defeating his enemy in the area he was proudest of, nor did he intend to defeat him with something he looked down upon the most.
Clunk.
A test tube sprang upward from Queen’s mechanical arm. Numerous bubbles formed in the pink liquid as the vial shook.
“Try my latest masterpiece, Plague Bullets: Medusa!”
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