LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 9: A Dragon among men
You guessed it. Tonight, I had planned to face Zoro in the Colosseum.
This time, though, I was more nervous than I'd ever been before. Not because I thought the fight was impossible—no, strength was something I could handle. What shook me to my core was something else entirely: his willpower.
It wasn't the sheer force of his strikes or the precision of his blade that frightened me, but the unwavering determination in his eyes. It was the kind of willpower I had only admired from a distance in my old world, the kind that makes legends. And now, I was about to face it head-on.
The arena was alive with deafening cheers as I stood in the center, gripping my massive black sword tightly. Across from me stood the Colosseum version of Roronoa Zoro. Even though I knew this wasn't truly him, it didn't make the experience any less intimidating.
Zoro didn't waste time. As soon as the bell rang, he charged at me with an Oni Giri, his signature three-bladed slash. But I wasn't caught off guard. Having seen countless battles in One Piece, I already knew the precise arc of the attack. I positioned my sword and blocked, the force of his strike reverberating through my arms.
Using the weight of my black sword, I deflected the blow and pushed him back, creating space between us. Then, with a powerful kick, I launched myself into the air, using the momentum to execute an attack of my own design.
This was my move—an attack I'd named Heaven's Descent.
The force of my jump and the weight of my sword combined into a devastating Overhead spinning slash, creating enough velocity to shred through nearly anything in its path. The sheer speed and power of the attack left Zoro with no choice but to block.
He raised his three swords to meet the blow. The clash was deafening. Sparks flew, and in an instant, two of his blades shattered under the immense force, leaving only the legendary Wado Ichimonji intact.
That wasn't a surprise. I'd expected those weaker blades to break.
Now, Zoro was down to one sword—a much more manageable opponent. But even then, I couldn't afford to be careless. His one-sword style wasn't to be underestimated. Zoro's strength and technique pushed me harder than anyone ever had. His attacks came relentlessly, keeping me on my toes.
We exchanged blow after blow, each strike carving into our bodies. Blood poured from our wounds, staining the sand beneath us. My breath grew ragged as I realized something profound: for the first time, I understood what it felt like to fight against Roronoa Zoro.
He was a man who refused to fall.
Every time I landed a hit, he got back up. Every slash, every cut, he endured with sheer force of will. Fighting him wasn't like fighting any ordinary opponent—it was like fighting against the very concept of giving up. Every strike I landed felt useless, as if it had no effect on him.
For a moment, doubt crept into my mind. How could I defeat someone who seemed impossible to break? But I reminded myself: I, too, aspired to be that unyielding, to become the kind of person who wouldn't falter, no matter how heavy the blows or how dire the situation.
And so, I didn't stop.
In the end, after what felt like an eternity, Zoro lay on the ground before me. I had won.
But victory didn't bring the satisfaction I thought it would.
As I stood there, blood dripping from my blade and my wounds screaming in pain, I felt hollow. There was something unsettling about fighting someone I had spoken to, laughed with, and shared drinks with just hours ago. The camaraderie we'd shared in the tavern now felt like a distant memory, overshadowed by the brutality of the arena.
As I walked out of the Colosseum, I couldn't shake the thought: could I continue to fight people I considered friends? Would I ever have to face the rest of the Straw Hat crew in this arena?
I didn't think I could handle it.
I might be a killer, but I wasn't a monster. Not yet, anyway.
What the future holds, I don't know. Perhaps one day, I'll lose the part of me that hesitates, that feels the weight of these choices. But for now, I knew one thing: I was still human. And for better or worse, that humanity was something I wasn't ready to let go of. Not yet.
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