Raymond was stunned for a moment, then immediately ordered two Marine soldiers who happened to be passing by, "You two, that moss-head is a criminal designated by Captain Morgan. If you let him escape, the Captain will definitely kill you!"
The two Marine soldiers' faces turned pale upon hearing this, and they tremblingly raised their muskets at Zoro. "S-stop right there!"
Zoro sneered, and his sword flashed—
Bang!
Before the triggers could even be pulled, the gun barrels were sliced in two. The soldiers stared blankly at the half-weapons in their hands, and their pants instantly became wet.
However, Zoro's charge did not stop! Like a beast released from its cage, he directly knocked aside the two limp Marines and rushed towards Raymond.
"Don't think you can escape!" Zoro roared, the blade of his Wado Ichimonji tracing a cold arc.
Raymond's gaze sharpened, and he immediately drew his sword to block. The two sharp blades collided, sending out a dazzling shower of sparks!
"Hm?" Zoro was slightly surprised. He had thought this was just a sneaky tail, but he hadn't expected this Marine to actually block his slash!
"Interesting!" A thick fighting spirit overflowed from his eyes, and his three swords hummed in unison. "Again!"
Raymond continuously blocked Zoro's storm-like slashes. The glint of their swords wove a net of death in the narrow corridor, and the walls were constantly being cut with deep gashes by the aftershocks.
He had no intention of getting entangled in a fight, but Zoro was sticking to him like a stubborn plaster.
It wasn't that he was afraid of Zoro. After "conquering" the 153rd Branch, Raymond's physical fitness had once again improved. He felt that he was terrifyingly strong now.
His previous fight with Kuro had been indoors, where Kuro's speed advantage was limited, which was how he had found an opening and easily defeated him.
If it had been outdoors, with Kuro's strength, although he could remain undefeated with his Observation Haki, he would only have a sixty percent chance of defeating him.
But now, all aspects of Raymond's physical fitness had improved even further. Even outdoors, he was ninety percent confident he could crush Kuro in a head-on fight!
"Moss-head, you asked for this!" Raymond was also getting a bit fired up.
A cold glint flashed in his eyes, and he suddenly pushed off with his feet. The floor instantly cracked, and his figure dodged a direct slash like a phantom. The sword in his hand stabbed towards Zoro's throat like a venomous snake!
Zoro's pupils contracted. He crossed his three swords to block, desperately holding back the attack. The clash of blades sent out a dazzling shower of sparks.
"Good reaction!" Raymond sneered, and the sword in his hand stabbed out in a blur of afterimages, attacking three of Zoro's vital points at the same time!
Faced with such a perilous scene, Zoro quickly retreated two steps, his three swords weaving a tight defensive net, barely managing to neutralize the attacks one by one. He breathed a small sigh of relief.
"That was close. This Marine's strength isn't overwhelming, but he can always find the gaps between my moves with precision..." Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and the web between his thumbs and forefingers ached from the high-intensity movements.
Just then, Raymond suddenly changed his move. His blade traced a bizarre arc, cutting in from a blind spot in Zoro's defense!
Zoro immediately dodged to the side, but then he saw Raymond flick his wrist, and the blade's angle changed strangely, aiming straight for the opening at Zoro's right shoulder—
Tch!
Blood splattered. Zoro grunted, and a bloody gash instantly appeared on his right arm.
"...What's with this guy? Is it an illusion... It's like he can predict my movements?"
He gritted his teeth and retreated, his three swords drawing a sharp arc in front of him, forcibly pushing back Raymond's pursuit. He glanced down at the wound on his right arm, a faint sense of unease in his heart.
But in just a moment, the doubt in his heart was overwhelmed by a blazing fighting spirit. A wild grin spread across his lips. "This is fun! Then try this!
Three-Sword Style: Oni Giri!"
Zoro suddenly launched an attack, his three swords crossing into a cross of cold light, slashing towards Raymond at a speed even faster than before. This time, he suddenly changed his move mid-slash, the path of his swords twisting and deforming strangely, trying to disrupt Raymond's predictions.
A sharp glint flashed in Raymond's eyes, and his Observation Haki operated at full power.
In his perception, Zoro's every muscle twitch, every rhythm of his breath was clearly visible.
Just as the blades were about to reach him, he tilted his body slightly, avoiding the fatal blow by a hair's breadth. At the same time, his sword stabbed like a venomous snake towards the opening Zoro had exposed by changing his move—
Clang!
Faced with such a tricky attack, Zoro actually managed to block it with the hilt of his sword. However, before he could even feel relieved, Raymond's whip kick had already lashed out like an iron whip, viciously striking his waist!
"Cough—!" Zoro grunted, his body flying sideways out of control, crashing through a wall before stopping.
In the dust, he knelt on one knee, a trickle of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth, his eyes filled with shock and uncertainty.
"Damn it! He even saw through my impromptu change of move... What kind of fighting style is this?" Zoro's brow furrowed tightly, sweat mixed with blood dripping from his chin.
He had never encountered such a difficult opponent. Every move was seen through, every change of move was intercepted in advance!
How was he supposed to fight this!?
Anyone else might have already thought of retreating, but an even more fervent fighting spirit ignited in Zoro's eyes.
However, to his surprise, when the dust in front of him settled, he didn't see the glint of Raymond's sword, but the back of his opponent turning to leave.
"Hey! We're not done yet!"
Zoro roared and chased after him. He couldn't understand why a swordsman would suddenly turn and leave when he had the upper hand in a fight.
—Is he looking down on me? Does he not deign to fight me anymore!?
Zoro's anger instantly flared up. He stuck close behind Raymond, his three swords carving deep gashes into the staircase walls.
"You bastard! Explain yourself!"
The two of them, one after the other, passed through several corridors. Suddenly, the sound of heavy footsteps came from around the corner.
"Where's that guy in the straw hat? Why haven't you found him yet?" Morgan's booming voice came through.
"R-reporting, Captain! That straw-hatted boy is dragging Helmeppo around, turning over almost every room! They're too fast, we can't catch up at all!"
"Idiots!"
...
The voices of Morgan and his men echoed in the corridor, the sound of their heavy military boots getting closer and closer.
Raymond, who was running in front, suddenly made a sharp turn and ducked into a nearby storage room.
Zoro followed closely behind, his three swords glinting with cold light, but at the corner, he ran head-on into Captain Morgan!
"Roronoa Zoro!?" Morgan's eyes widened, and then he roared in anger, "You dare to escape from prison!?"
"Get out of my way! I don't have time for you right now!"
Zoro was still looking around for Raymond. He directly used a "Three-Sword Style: Oni Giri" to send the crowd in front of him scattering. Morgan, who was at the forefront, was hit by several swords and sent flying!
Just as Morgan was launched into the air, a glint of a sword suddenly flashed from the nearby storage room, precisely piercing Morgan's neck!
Pfft—
Blood drew a tragic arc in the air.
"You..."
Morgan stared in disbelief. Looking back, he only saw the corner of a Marine uniform disappear behind the storage room door. Then he fell heavily to the ground, completely lifeless.
The entire scene fell into a dead silence. Finally, someone screamed:
"C... Captain Morgan is dead! Roronoa Zoro killed him!"
This scream was like a clap of thunder, instantly detonating the entire corridor.
The Marine soldiers were in chaos. Some retreated in fear, some drew their swords in anger, but most just stood there, bewildered.
If Captain Morgan had only been defeated, they might even have cheered for finally being free from his tyranny.
But... Morgan's death was a completely different matter!
Zoro stood there, completely stunned. He looked down at the weapons in his hands.
"No! I didn't cut his neck!"