"You're dead, you stupid pirate!"
The Celestial Dragon guards shouted arrogantly, looking down on Law with mocking sneers, unlike before when they did not even dare meet his eyes.
Law ignored the worthless provocations completely.
His attention remained fixed on the man sitting atop the rooftop ahead of him. Shirtless, draped in a Marine coat, the man looked down at him with a playful smile.
"To think you'd arrive this quickly..."
Law held Kikoku in front of himself, his expression turning serious.
"I didn't expect the one sent after me to be you, the newly promoted Marine Admiral, Cero."
"Who else could it be? Among all the Admirals, I'm obviously the fastest."
Cero casually swung his legs while sitting on the edge of the roof, staring down at Law with amused eyes.
"And you're Trafalgar Law, the 'Surgeon of Death.' The man who ate the Ope Ope no Mi worth five billion Berries, only to become a pirate with a bounty of five hundred million. Sounds like a terrible investment."
"You talk too much."
Law frowned slightly, clearly irritated by the teasing.
"I heard you once fought Kaido to a draw. Let me see whether those rumors are true."
"Haha, we can discuss that later."
Cero waved dismissively.
He casually tossed the severed head of the Celestial Dragon into the air before catching it again. The man's mouth opened and closed frantically, unable to produce a sound.
"Pirate worth negative 4.5 billion Berries, don't you want to put this idiot back together first? Otherwise, things get troublesome for me."
Law glanced at the head in Cero's hand and remained silent for a moment.
"It's not impossible, but I have one condition."
Swish!
A silver flash exploded through the air.
Before Law could react, his body shot into the sky like a cannonball. A violent pain erupted through his abdomen a second later.
"Kid, you've got a lot of nerve."
Cero now stood where Law had been moments earlier, casually rolling his neck while sharp cracking sounds echoed out.
"You actually think you can negotiate with a Marine Admiral?"
"Pant... pant..."
Law gritted his teeth midair, cold sweat running down his face.
"So fast... I couldn't even see him move. Good thing I activated ROOM beforehand."
Before he could fly outside the ROOM's range, Law pointed Kikoku toward one of the guards below.
"ROOM, Shambles!"
Snap!
A stunned Celestial Dragon guard instantly swapped places with Law.
"Aaaaah!"
The guard screamed as he was launched high into the sky, plummeting toward the distant sea.
Meanwhile, Law crashed onto the ground where the guard had previously stood.
"Anesthesia."
A faint electrical current surged through Law's abdomen as he suppressed the pain. The moment the guards hesitated in confusion, Law suddenly turned.
"So what if you're an Admiral? Since I accepted that man's invitation, there's no reason for me to fear Marines anymore!"
A cold gleam flashed through his eyes as he swung Kikoku in a wide arc.
"Amputate!"
Swish!
A massive slash infused with Haki erupted through the ROOM, cutting across everything in its path like a wave of light.
The guards froze.
Before they could react, the slash passed directly through their bodies.
Clang!
However, the instant it reached Cero, a metallic sound rang out sharply.
Creak.
Cero lowered his left arm, now coated in Armament Haki. The mocking look in his eyes faded slightly, replaced by interest.
"Oh? Not bad."
The corners of his mouth lifted into a grin.
"To think you can produce a slash like that."
"W....what happened?"
The guards touched their bodies in confusion.
"There's no blood..."
"That slash went through us!"
"Hmph! Stupid pirate, how dare you challenge Admiral Cero!"
"You really think you can defeat an Admiral? Keep dreaming!"
"As expected... it got blocked."
Law's expression remained calm.
Without hesitation, he sheathed Kikoku.
Click.
The instant the blade entered its scabbard, a brilliant light spread throughout the entire ROOM.
Crack!
The world tilted.
Buildings split apart cleanly. Trees collapsed in half. Even the screaming Celestial Dragon guards were sliced apart at the waist, their upper and lower halves separating before crashing onto the ground.
At that same moment, Law swapped positions with a pebble directly in front of Cero.
"Scalpel!"
Appearing instantly before the Admiral, Law spun and slashed toward Cero's neck with Kikoku.
"No matter how strong you are, your heart is still a weakness."
His eyes sharpened dangerously as both palms thrust toward Cero's chest.
"Counter Shock!"
===
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