An hour passed.
Suddenly, Usopp whistled from above. Immediately, Carl and Zoro emerged from their hiding spot on the riverbank.
Two massive Marine warships were sailing upstream. On the front deck, Akainu stood with his arms crossed, a cigar in his mouth, radiating an overwhelming presence.
Any pirate who saw this scene would have turned and fled without hesitation.
Unfortunately, Carl, Zoro, and Usopp had no such option. Not only could they not run, but they had to stop Akainu right here.
Carl swiftly drew his obsidian-black sword, sending a lightning-infused slash ripping through the water toward the approaching warship. Not to be outdone, Zoro unleashed his own attack.
"One-Hundred and Eight Pound Phoenix!" he roared, sending a powerful flying slash surging across the river.
Akainu let out a cold snort and effortlessly countered both attacks with a single move.
"Great Eruption!"
A massive blast of molten lava erupted from his fist, neutralizing the incoming slashes before they could reach the warship.
Carl, standing on his dark blade, hovered slightly above the ground, glaring at Akainu.
"Akainu! You just won't give up, huh? You've been chasing us all the way from Nanohana! You're like a damn bloodhound!"
Akainu sneered. "All pirates deserve to die. You're no exception!"
Carl crossed his arms and smirked as he looked down at the warship.
"Oh, is that right? Then why don't you take that big talk of yours to the New World? Go after Kaido, Big Mom, or Whitebeard!
Instead, you stay here, picking on the weak. The great Marine Admiral, showing off in the first half of the Grand Line—what a joke!"
Akainu, with his infamous short temper, was instantly enraged by Carl's provocation.
"I will go to the New World and hunt them down!" he roared. "But first, I'll kill you!"
Carl sneered. "Big words. If you're so tough, come fight me! Let's see who calls for backup first!"
With that, Carl landed on the shore, smirking as he gestured for Akainu to come at him.
Akainu had come here specifically to capture Carl, and now that Carl was challenging him directly, he had no reason to refuse.
More importantly, Carl's attitude was infuriating.
"You want to die so badly? Fine, I'll grant your wish!"
Akainu launched himself into the air with Moonwalk, landing heavily on the shore to confront Carl. However, he didn't attack right away.
Instead, he waved his hand toward the warships, signaling them to keep moving forward.
Carl's expression darkened. As expected, Akainu had no trouble keeping track of the Merry's movements. Letting those ships go now would mean giving them a direct path to Luffy and the others.
There was no way he could allow that.
"Three-Sword Style…!"
Zoro tightened his grip on his blades, his eyes filled with determination.
"Three Thousand Worlds!"
With a powerful twist, he lunged forward, launching his strongest attack at the advancing warships.
Zoro suddenly sprang out from behind a large rock, slashing directly at the approaching warship.
However, the Marines weren't without their own strong fighters. A massive blade shot out, intercepting Zoro's attack just in time.
"Pirate Hunter, Roronoa Zoro! So you are here!"
A tall, long-haired man wielding a large sword stood on the deck, his expression stern.
"I am Rear Admiral Uchimura of Marine Headquarters, known as the Slayer of a Thousand Men. Today, I will behead you, you vile pirate!"
Zoro landed back on the shore, his eyes gleaming with excitement as he observed his new opponent.
"Oh? A thousand kills, huh? Sounds like you might actually be worth my time. Don't disappoint me!"
At that moment, Zoro felt certain that staying here with Carl had been the right decision.
After facing Mr. 5, Mr. 3, and Mr. 2, he had been completely underwhelmed by Baroque Works' strength. Even after hearing Carl's assessment of Mr. 1, Zoro had quickly lost interest in fighting him.
But here, against Marine Commodores and a Rear Admiral from Headquarters, he would finally get the challenge he wanted. A one-versus-many battle—now that was exciting.
And this Rear Admiral? A man with the title Slayer of a Thousand Men? He seemed like the perfect opponent to sharpen his skills on.
Uchimura leaped onto the shore, giving a quick command to the warship.
"Continue chasing the Straw Hat crew! Leave Roronoa to me!"
Zoro smirked. "Sorry, but my mission is to keep all of you right here!"
Without hesitation, he lunged at Uchimura, rapidly switching between his One-Sword Style and Two-Sword Style attacks. His relentless strikes forced Uchimura on the defensive, pushing him backward with every clash.
After dozens of exchanges, Uchimura's movements became unsteady. He was starting to struggle.
Zoro could already tell—this guy was stronger than his past self, but now? He wasn't even close to being a threat.
Uchimura's expression darkened as realization hit him.
This guy is a monster!
Not only had Zoro's swordsmanship reached the level of a true swordsman, but he had even awakened Observation Haki! A terrifying rookie indeed.
Sensing the danger, three Marine Commodores leaped down from the warship, landing behind Uchimura.
"Rear Admiral, we're here to assist you!"
"Good! We'll take down Roronoa together!"
Uchimura didn't hesitate to accept their help.
Unfortunately for him, this was exactly what Zoro wanted.
"Perfect. Bring in more officers—put some real pressure on me!"
With more Marines off the warship, Usopp would have an easier time taking care of things from above.
Smirking, Zoro tightened his grip on his swords and continued his assault.
His One-Sword, Two-Sword, and Three-Sword Styles flowed seamlessly together, his attacks relentless. With Observation Haki and his deep understanding of Marine Rokushiki, he met the four officers head-on.
One versus four—blades clashing, sparks flying—yet not a single one of them could gain the upper hand.
This was something the Marines found hard to accept.
Bang! A Marine on the warship was suddenly shot and collapsed to the deck.
Bang! The sail burst into flames.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A relentless barrage of ammunition rained down from the sky, striking sailors with pinpoint accuracy. Panic spread through the ranks as they realized almost no one could escape the precise attacks.
"Look up! It's Usopp, the Tengu Sniper King of the Straw Hats!" someone shouted, pointing toward the sky.
"Quick! Our snipers—shoot him down!"
"No use! He's flying too high—our bullets can't reach him! Damn it, he's using a slingshot! Are we seriously losing to that?!"
"Wait! We have a Captain with a Bird-Bird Fruit ability! He can take him down!"
"The Captain's leg got crushed earlier! He can't fly anymore!"
Chaos erupted on the warship's deck, but nothing stopped Usopp's relentless assault. From his comfortable position high above, he unleashed Firebird Stars, Gunpowder Stars, and even Rotten Egg Stars, creating absolute havoc below.
This… this is amazing!
For the first time, Usopp was experiencing a battle where he truly dominated. One man stopping two Marine warships—an unbelievable feat!
Yet, he knew the real credit belonged to Carl and Zoro. After all, they were the ones holding back an Admiral, a Rear Admiral, and multiple Commodores. Meanwhile, Usopp was just handling a bunch of grunts—hardly something to brag about.
But that didn't matter.
What did matter was the Merry behind him.
As long as their ship was safe, Usopp would do whatever it took to keep it that way!
On the shore, Carl and Akainu remained locked in a tense standoff.
From his position, Akainu could see the situation unfolding on the warships, and his expression darkened.
Three people… stopping two entire warships…
For a Marine Admiral, this was nothing short of humiliating.
"This is your plan?" Akainu demanded, his voice booming. "Stopping my warships here—then what? What is Straw Hat Luffy doing? Why did you even come to this country?!"
Carl let out a sigh and shook his head.
"Do you really not understand, or are you just playing dumb?" he said with a smirk. "If you genuinely don't get it… then your IQ is way behind Smoker's."
------------------------
For Advance chapters visit : patreon.com/Mythic_Muse