Under the scorching noon sun, the plaza at Whiskey Peak lay in complete disarray.
After Giyu sent Mr. 5 flying into the ruins, the entire scene fell into an eerie silence.
Ms. Valentine, floating in the air, had long lost her sweet smile, replaced by an expression of stunned disbelief.
She instinctively rose higher, as if putting more distance between herself and the ground would grant her some sense of security.
In that moment of her distraction, Zoro sprang into action on the other side.
"Hah."
He let out a derisive snort, charging into the terrified Baroque Million Elders like a tiger locking onto its prey.
A whirlwind of blade flashes lit up the area, accompanied by dull thuds and startled cries as enemies fell in waves before him.
"I'm only using the back of my blades, you know. If any of you don't want a beating, just lie down and play dead," Zoro declared, raising his sword. Even with another blade clenched between his teeth, he still managed to issue this warning to the remaining Baroque Million Elders standing their ground.
"Where is she?! Stop hiding! Ms. All Sunday! Show yourself!"
Ms. Valentine shrieked from above, her voice trembling with a fear she didn't even recognize in herself. But only the moans of the wounded and the sounds of clashing steel answered her from the plaza below.
Where was that damn woman... Hadn't she arrived already? Why wasn't she showing herself? That one-armed swordsman was practically a monster!
Her gaze shifted from Giyu to Zoro below. This green-haired guy dealing with the Million Elders seemed like he'd be easier to handle than the swordsman who'd taken out Mr. 5 in one move!
"Ten Thousand Kilo Press!"
She screamed, plummeting from high above at incredible speed, aiming straight for the green-haired head below her, intending to crush Zoro into paste using her Weight-Weight Fruit's ability to increase her mass.
Zoro didn't even bother to look up.
Just as Ms. Valentine was about to land, he simply sidestepped casually to the side.
BOOM!!!
The ground cratered deeply, cracks radiating in all directions. Ms. Valentine sat in the pit, covered in dust and debris. Zoro stood several meters away from her impact point, having already taken down two more Million Elders with swift sword strokes.
"Speaking of which,"
Zoro said as if just remembering something, his tone dripping with sarcasm, "Your organization tried to recruit me a long time ago. In a way, you should be calling me senior."
With that, he charged back into the crowd of enemies, completely disregarding the attack that had just occurred.
Nearby, Nami, who had been pretending to be drunk, watched the situation through half-lidded eyes. Her large eyes darting around as she quickly assessed that Giyu and Zoro had completely taken control of the situation.
She had seen Giyu vanish from before her eyes in an instant, rushing toward the tall Baroque Works agent called Mr. 5, then taking him out with just one move.
She knew that this round was securely in the bag.
The clever Nami quickly trotted over to Giyu, who had just sheathed his sword and was standing calmly. She put on her brightest, most ingratiating smile:
"Giyu! I knew you were strong before, but I had no idea you were this powerful! Hehe!"
Giyu glanced sideways at her, responding with just a quiet "Hn."
His gaze remained calm as he quickly locked onto another squad of Millionaires still putting up a desperate resistance. Gripping his Nichirin Blade with his left hand, he strode forward.
"Aahhh... Stay away! I was wrong..."
An old man who had just been performing for the crowd about how the town welcomed the Straw Hat Pirates now wore a panicked expression as Giyu approached him. One hand trembled as he raised it, while the other reached toward his waist.
"Hehe, just kidding! You fool!"
Before the words finished, a vicious grin spread across his face as he drew a revolver from his waist and immediately pulled the trigger. A bullet shot straight toward Giyu.
Clang!
Sparks flew as the bullet was deflected. The projectile was completely ineffective against Giyu, who needed only a slight flick of his Nichirin Blade to alter its trajectory.
The old man's sneer froze on his face.
His gun-wielding right hand suddenly felt unusually light. Looking down, he saw the barrel had been cleanly sliced into two diagonal sections.
"I was wrong! Sir! Hero! Warrior! I'm really sorry this time!!"
Seeing the old man still feigning pitifulness, Giyu showed a rare expression of impatience. With a swift elbow strike, he knocked the man unconscious on the ground. Then his figure immediately shot forward to rejoin Zoro in their ongoing "competition."
Facing the gathering wave of Millionaires, he lowered his stance and slipped into the enemy ranks like flowing water.
"Water Breathing: Third Form - Flowing Dance!"
His body and sword sheath merged into one, transforming into a rushing torrent. With seamless slashes and movements, enemies fell one after another wherever he passed.
One lucky Millionaire who retreated to the edge of the battle circle trembled as he spoke: "How is this possible... What is this?!"
Another barely standing enemy paled and stepped back, silently marveling: "Is this a monster!? With only one arm, and without even drawing his blade, he's taking us all down..."
Amid the cries of agony, the number of Millionaires still standing grew fewer and fewer.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield, a trembling, charred hand suddenly grabbed Nami's ankle.
Nami nearly jumped in fright. Looking down, she saw it was Igaram, barely clinging to life.
"Please... I beg you..." Igaram spoke with what seemed like his last ounce of strength, his voice weak but utterly sincere, "Escort Princess Vivi back to her country... to Alabasta... You're the only ones who can do it..."
Though his body was too damaged to move, he had witnessed everything before him. The senior agent duo of Baroque Works - Mr. 5 and Ms. Valentine - had been defeated by these pirates with single moves.
He knew this was the chance for him and Princess Vivi.
Nami paused for a moment, her eyes instantly transforming into Belly symbols. Immediately she made an outrageous demand: "Oh~ Escorting a princess back to her country? How about 1 billion Belly?"
Zoro, who was cutting down enemies nearby, developed a vein on his forehead and couldn't help muttering under his breath: "This woman really is a demon..."
"One billion????"
Even in his severely injured state, Igaram was nearly shocked into unconsciousness by this astronomical figure. "That's far too much! This isn't something a mere soldier like me can agree to!"
Nami immediately crouched down, adopting a shrewd negotiating posture, and poked Igaram's trumpet-like hair with her finger: "But~ Your Princess Vivi probably won't make it back so easily without our protection, right? The opponents are all these Baroque Works agents, aren't they? Right~ Captain of the Guard~"
Igaram struggled to move his eyeballs, glancing at Zoro and Giyu who were cutting down agents like slicing melons, then at the helpless Millions elders in the crowd.
Steeling his heart, he shouted: "Fine! Fine! If you can escort the princess back to Alabasta! Find the king! His Majesty will definitely reward you handsomely!"
"Oh~ So we have to reach the king first to get paid?" Nami deliberately drew out her tone, teasing him.
Igaram was nearly in tears, struggling to pull out a thin money pouch from his waist and stuffing it into Nami's hand:
"I... I only have this much on me... as an advance! Once the princess returns safely, the king will surely give you a heavy reward!"
Nami weighed the pouch in her hand. Though not particularly full, she quickly tucked it into her bosom, her face instantly brightening with a happy smile: "That's more like it~"
She stood up and immediately switched expressions, waving her fists toward the battlefield and shouting: "Go! Go! Zoro! Go! Go! Giyu! For our 1 billion Belly!"
"I never agreed to that!" Zoro roared back angrily while swinging his swords.
"Hmph!" Nami put her hands on her hips. "You still owe me interest for those two swords you bought in Loguetown!"
"Demon! Are you a demon?!" Zoro's curses were drowned out by the enemies' screams.
Amid all the clamor, Zoro and Giyu efficiently took down the last standing Millions elder with astonishing speed.
Across the entire plaza, the only Baroque Works members still capable of fighting were Ms. Valentine floating in the air with cold sweat pouring down her face, and a dark-skinned, muscular female agent codenamed Ms. Monday who had already surrendered with both hands raised.
"Cough... cough..."
From the rubble, Mr. 5 emerged limping while clutching his still excruciatingly painful abdomen. His trench coat was covered in dust, one lens of his sunglasses was shattered, and he looked utterly disheveled, yet he still tried to put up a brave front: "I... I was careless just now... Damn it..."
"Are you serious?!" Ms. Valentine looked at his condition, then at the two demons below, her voice trembling with tears. "What should we do now!"
Just then, a groggy voice broke the strange standoff.
"Hmm...? Meat..."
Luffy, who had been lying face down on a pile of meat on the dining table, rubbed his eyes and sat up. He shook his still-dizzy head, looking at the devastated plaza littered with "corpses" everywhere, his face full of confusion.
"Why is everyone knocked out???"
"Ah, Luffy, you're finally awake! Looks like that sleeping pill wasn't very effective. Let me tell you what happened, these guys are..."
Seeing Luffy suddenly wake up, Zoro untied his bandana and walked over with a smile, ready to explain how this battle situation had come about.