The sky was quite bright, but this room was completely sealed, not letting a single ray of outside light in, making it dark and damp.
"Hey, where is that Six Eyes swordsman?"
In such a room, Zoro pointed his sword at a very strange 'person'. The reason for calling him strange was that this person's body was twisted at an extremely bizarre angle, his neck twisted almost a full circle, and his waist was similarly bent.
Yet, in this state, he was still alive.
Such a peculiar vitality, yet he was still alive.
But naturally so, because he wasn't human at all!
He was…
A demon!
A man-eating demon, a demon that could only survive in darkness!
"I… I don't know." The demon said with some pain. "I'm just Lower Rank Five. I have no idea where the important Upper Rank figures are…"
Before he could finish speaking, a huge gash suddenly split open on his neck, and blood spurted out. His life rapidly ebbed away. Even though he hadn't died when he was twisted like a pretzel, at this moment, he quickly entered death.
"Tch, it's like this again."
Zoro said somewhat uninterestingly. This wasn't the first time this had happened. Every time he found these demons and tried to get information from them, they would die.
Demons were a group that had appeared in the East Blue over the past decade. It was said that the leader of the demons was a devil, or perhaps a half-devil. But the subsequent demon swarm generated by him was affecting a considerable area of the sea.
Both the Marines and pirates had a tacit understanding when dealing with these devils. After all, no matter what…
They were still human.
After sensing the appearance of devils in the East Blue, Zoro began investigating and eventually discovered that among these demons was an extremely powerful swordsman. This made him even happier.
He had promised his teacher and Kuina that he would become the strongest swordsman in the world!
So, on this path, he had to challenge powerful swordsmen, and that powerful demon swordsman was his current target.
It was a shame he hadn't found him yet…
Zoro looked at the dead Lower Rank Five and was about to turn away.
After all, he was just Lower Rank Five. The swordsman he was looking for was the strongest, Upper Rank One.
Well, the twelve most powerful demons were called the Twelve Demon Moons. The Twelve Demon Moons were divided into Upper Ranks and Lower Ranks, with six in each. The Lower Ranks were weaker than the Upper Ranks, and within the same rank, the smaller the number, the stronger they were.
Just as he was about to turn, an icy voice sounded from behind him.
"Are you… looking for me?"
?!
Zoro's eyes narrowed in surprise, and he instantly turned around. Then, he saw a man, or rather, a male demon.
He had six huge eyes. The sclera in his eyes were red, and the irises were golden yellow. In the middle pair of eyes, words were carved: 'Upper Rank' and 'One'.
He was about ten centimeters taller than Zoro, which made Zoro look up and see those three pairs of strange eyes, thus feeling an absolute sense of pressure.
There was no particularly ferocious aura. Instead, he was like a pool of dead water. However, within this calmness, there was an arrogance that disregarded everything.
"The main culprit has finally appeared."
Yet, in the face of this terrifying sight, Zoro showed no fear at all. A smile spread across his lips, and his hands were already gripping the hilts of the two swords at his waist.
He carried three swords, but the outside world called him 'Two-Sword Style Zoro'. Facing this powerful Upper Rank One, he would use two swords as well, as if the third sword was just for show.
The Upper Rank One demon looked indifferently at the wary Zoro. "My name is… Kokushibo. Pirate Hunter Zoro, why have you come to this place?"
He paused for a long time when he spoke. An impatient person probably couldn't listen, but as a swordsman, patience was a basic quality one should possess. Zoro had already drawn his two swords. "Of course, it's to defeat you, to first become the strongest swordsman in the East Blue, then the Grand Line, and after that, to become the strongest swordsman in the world!"
"The strongest swordsman?" Kokushibo's six eyes all turned, fixing on Zoro's two swords.
"A tiny ant actually has such a grand ambition…"
He slowly extended his hand. "If you want to become stronger, become a demon. A demon like me. You can gain eternal life, and then use limitless time to become stronger."
"Huh?" Zoro said in surprise. "Do you think I came here to be your apprentice?"
"I am…"
He gripped his two swords and said in a low voice, "Here to kill you!"
Two-Sword Style Technique: Second Slash – Sand Ripple!
A slanting upward Kasagari slash, Zoro instantly swung both blades. But Kokushibo didn't even draw his sword. He simply vanished from his spot in an instant. After Zoro completed his slash, he somehow appeared behind Zoro.
"Facing an enemy you want to kill, you won't even go all out?" Kokushibo's words seemed mocking. Zoro's pupils contracted, and then his scalp tingled. He hurriedly dodged, and then saw a crescent-shaped sword energy slash. This room was instantly cut in half by that crescent. Sunlight shone in, but it stopped in front of Kokushibo.
"I'll give you time to consider. If a talented person like you becomes a demon, won't you become even more outstanding? That person will also be satisfied." Kokushibo said indifferently, looking at Zoro, who had beads of sweat on his forehead. "Next time we meet, you won't have the chance to stand in the sunlight like you do now."
After saying that, he turned and walked towards the darkness deeper in the room.
"Hey! Our battle isn't over yet!" As Zoro was about to chase him, Kokushibo's voice came again. "If you don't have the resolve to draw your third sword, you will achieve nothing. Become a demon, and then abandon those unnecessary emotions in your heart. Only then will you become a powerful swordsman."
After speaking, his figure was completely swallowed by the darkness. Even though it was a sealed room, he disappeared without a trace in the darkness.
"Tch, the third sword…" Zoro frowned slightly, looking at his third sword, which he hadn't drawn. It was an unadorned sword. Although it was still in its sheath, Zoro knew that whether this sword was drawn or not made no difference.
"This is… quite troublesome."
His teacher only stayed in Shimotsuki Village for three years. He had left seven years ago, taking Kuina with him. Before leaving, Zoro and they had promised to become the world's strongest swordsman. Seven years had passed, and he was still fooling around in the remote East Blue.
The reason he stayed here was because of Kokushibo. Because Kokushibo was the strongest swordsman in the East Blue, he would absolutely not leave the East Blue until he defeated Kokushibo!
"Just as you said, let's settle it next time we meet."
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