The night passed in a blur of motion with which rider-Medusa and Ash kept talking about the world, and the identity of Medusa ,and how they were going to explain it to crew.
The horizon glowed faintly gold as dawn broke over the open field. The faint rustle of grass swayed with the chill morning breeze. In the silence, two figures faced each other-
Roronoa Zoro, his hand resting on Wado Ichimonji, and Medusa, the mysterious Servant whose hair shimmered violet beneath her blindfold.
Ash snorted as he stood at a distance of few hundred meters away with nami and ussop.
" These guys are reletless- I can understand zoro asking for a fight as it is his personality but I didn't expect Medusa to be so competitive especially when she came to know that zoro is my first mate."
~sigh~
"How troublesome"
Nami scoffed standing nearby.
" I can't blame zoro for starting a fight - but anyways, I didn't expect the grim reaper to have a beauty like her following him ."
Nami raised an eyebrow in what felt like irritation ?
" Well we met during my early days of bounty hunting and we have been in contact with each other since then- it's just that she had some buisness to complete so it took her some time to join us."
Nami scoffed
" yeah, yeah.... whatever you say ...bastard."
Ussop chimmed in with a blush on his cheeks
" S-she is really beautiful. How do you even meet someone like her."
Ash smirked .
" Let's just watch the show for now."
The scent of dew clung to the air; a few distant trees stood as silent witnesses.Zoro drew his swords, the steel gleaming.
"Three-Sword Style…"
he muttered, positioning one blade between his teeth.
"Let's see what you've got."
Medusa's smile was faint, confident. Her chains uncoiled like serpents — Andromeda's reins, divine and deadly, dragging through the grass with a metallic hiss.
When the wind stopped, she moved first.medusa vanished.A blur of violet lightning streaked across the field — her movement so fast the grass was sliced into fine mist.
Zoro barely crossed his blades in time as the chain cracked through the air, throwing sparks against his swords.
The impact threw him back several feet, boots carving grooves through the damp soil. He landed hard, panting, eyes flicking to follow the motion he could barely register.Fast… too fast.
He charged forward with a roar.
"Three-Sword Style… Oni Giri!"
The motion was fluid — one slash, three blades converging. The shockwave tore through the air, splitting the grass like waves, meeting Rider head-on.
But in a flash, her form blurred again; the chains coiled midair to parry, and the clash lit up the field with a silver flare.
The chain tightened around one of Zoro's swords, wrenching it out of line. Medusa yanked — the steel screeched — but Zoro drove his heel into the ground, holding firm.
"You're not taking that!"
Muscles straining, he twisted, pulling Rider closer. The storm of blades met her chained gauntlets in a whirlwind of motion.
Each strike painted the dawn with sparks.But medusa was unrelenting.
With a swift sweep, she tossed the chain upward; it wrapped around a tree branch far behind her. Using it as an anchor, she kicked forward, diving like a spear — heel first.
Nami's eye widened as she saw how Medusa was dominating.Ussop's Jaw was about to hit the ground with shock and disbelief, because none of them believed that Medusa was this fast.
The heel smashed into Zoro's crossed blades, sending a shockwave that flattened the grass for meters around.Zoro skidded back, coughing dust. His chest burned with the sting of impact.
"She's a monster…"
he breathed, grinning nonetheless.
"Guess I'll have to get serious."
He closed his eyes briefly —
"Let's go again!"
He dashed forward with wild precision — his slashes weaving arcs of the air,caused by sheer force and strength of zoro. The technique was raw, unrefined; his swords screamed with force.
Each swing left soft furrows on the earth, sending clods of soil flying. Medusa's chains met each one with monstrous speed — flashes, clangs, afterimages.
Then medusa's voice cut the air, resonant and low.
"Break the earth beneath you — Bloodfort Andromeda."
A crimson sigil pulsed beneath her feet, spreading fast. The grass blackened as mana surged outward, bathing the battlefield in eerie scarlet light.
The air itself thickened, pulsing with energy. Zoro felt his strength waver — like the world itself was pressing down on him.His brow furrowed.
"This… isn't good."
Medusa moved through the haze — her speed now beyond human comprehension. The world blurred — Zoro barely caught the flicker of movement before the next strike came.Instinct took over.
"Three-Sword Style Secret… Sanzen Sekai!"
He spun like a razor wheel — swords slashing at impossible speed, cutting through the crimson mist.
The collision was blinding — the explosion of power swept outward in a rolling wave, toppling trees, sending dust and petals flying skyward.
When the light cleared…Zoro kneeled, one knee buried in dirt, his blades trembling. His shoulders heaved.
A thin line of blood ran across his chest, blood soaking into the clothes. A few meters away, medusa stood equally still — a thin line of blood trailing from her cheek, her blindfold torn slightly.
The silence returned, broken only by the whisper of wind.medusa exhaled, lowering her chains
"....well ?..... Am I worthy enough to be his
sword now ?"
Zoro smirked weakly.
"Hah… yeah you are - 'Medusa blade of Ashborn'."
He looked over the horizon and muttered to himself-
"Guess I'm still not strong enough… not yet."
The morning sun finally rose, painting both fighters in gold.
Ash's playful voice cut through the tension.
" Well.... well....If it isn't the top two members of the crew ? "
He grinned as he closed the distance with a calm confident gait-
" And zoro ? Are we satisfied now ? "
Zoro snorted despite the pain-
" Yeah... yeah you bastard ..she can join ."
Ash smirked.
" Well my friend zoro you look like shit - why don't you visit kaya with ussop so that you can get some treatment."
Zoro snorted.
" These are just scratches."
Sigh~ Ash sighed in defeat .
" Whatever you say idiot- though I'll take you both to doctor first ,only then we will sail."
Nami finally caught upto them and said curiously-
" Where are we heading next ?"
Ash looked into her eyes and said.
"Cocoyashi village"
Nami's breath hitched,eyes widened -
"N-no ! ..no you should not go there-"
Ash's voice cut through air with a finality -
" Cocoyashi village it is nami- you don't think that I would change my course because someone interjected ,did you ?"
Nami tried to explain-
" B-but it is ruled by the Arlong of the fishmen pirates...T-they are strong very strong ! And arlong ...H-he is invincible ! You will die !"
Ash responded with a smile
"Nami - you don't think that I don't know about arlong despite being a bounty hunter do you ?"
Nami's eye widened with realisation.Tears streaked down her eyes as she tried to explain in panic.
" Y- You don't know anything ! A-arlong is invincible! You are strong ! but you can't win against him ! "
This time zoro responded irritated -
" Nami - you are not even an official crew member . You don't get to decide what the captain decides to do or not to do."
Zoro looked into her eyes as he said with a threatening voice-
"Moreover you are disrespecting my captain right now - speak one more time out of line and I'll personally remove your head ."
Medusa remained silent - as she were a newcomer . But in her mind she gave zoro a approval with respect as she heard his words and respect for Ash.
Ussop didn't knew what to say because he wasn't even a member of the crew so he just stood there and listened -
_________to be continued ___________