15

After obtaining 40 million Berries, Ryō was pleasantly surprised to see that his Kakuzu proficiency had increased to 15%, with a 5% rise. As he suspected, for someone like Kakuzu, who was obsessed with wealth, money was the key to improving proficiency. His next goal became clear: gather more wealth.

Suddenly, a loud explosion echoed in the distance.

"Huh? Pirates?" Ryō's eyes lit up as he rushed toward the source of the sound, eager to hunt down more "walking gold coins."

The scene ahead was chaotic—cannon fire filled the air as a pirate ship, flying the skull-and-crossbones flag, unleashed its artillery on a small boat.

"Haha! You worthless pirate hunters! You dare come after me? I'll show you why I've got a 10 million Berry bounty!" laughed a pirate with a scarred face aboard the ship.

"Keep firing! Let's sink that little boat and feed the fish with that hunter!" the pirate, the captain of the Berserk Wolf Pirate Group, ordered his crew.

Amidst the shelling, on the small boat stood a man dressed in a simple white T-shirt, with a green sash around his waist, dark green pants, black boots, and short green hair. Three long swords were strapped to his waist—marking him unmistakably as Roronoa Zoro.

At this time, Zoro was still just a pirate hunter, and his target was none other than the Berserk Wolf Pirate Group.

As the cannonballs rained down on him, Zoro swiftly drew his three swords, holding two in his hands and biting the third in his mouth. With incredible speed and precision, he sliced through the incoming cannonballs.

"Swoosh, swoosh!" The split shells exploded harmlessly in the water, creating huge waves, but Zoro kept advancing toward the pirate ship, closing the gap to less than ten meters.

"Fire again! Don't let him get any closer!" the pirates screamed as they reloaded the cannons, aiming directly at Zoro.

Zoro, with a grim expression, prepared for the barrage.

But before they could fire, the sea roared, and the water behind Zoro surged upward, transforming into a massive water dragon that crashed into the pirate ship with immense force.

"Boom!"

The ship was split apart, and the pirates were thrown into the sea, screaming in terror. Everyone—pirates and Zoro alike—turned in shock to see a figure in a black cloak with red clouds, green eyes glowing behind a mask, calmly walking across the surface of the water as if it were solid ground.

Ryō had arrived, using basic ninja techniques to walk on the water.

"Boss, that man… he's walking on water!" the surviving pirates gasped, their eyes wide with disbelief.

Even Zoro was taken aback. "Who is this guy?" he muttered, his eyes narrowing.

Ryō casually walked toward the pirate captain, who was now panicking. "You... you're the captain of the Berserk Wolf Pirate Group?" Ryō asked coldly.

"Y-Yes! I'm the one with the 10 million Berry bounty, the great sea thief—" The pirate captain, trembling, tried to assert himself, but his fear was obvious.

"A 10 million Berry bounty? That's a bit low, but your head will do." Ryō's hand moved swiftly, his black tendrils—created by his Earth Grudge Fear technique—snaking out and wrapping around the pirate captain's neck.

"Poof!" In an instant, the tendrils contracted, and the pirate's head rolled onto the deck.

The remaining pirates, witnessing their captain's swift demise, lost all courage. "The boss is dead! Run for it!" they shouted, fleeing in every direction.

Zoro, now snapping out of his shock, glared at Ryō. "Hey, that pirate was my prey! Isn't it a bit rude to just steal him like that?"

He held his swords, eyeing Ryō warily. Zoro didn't care much about the bounty itself, but he couldn't ignore the presence of such a powerful individual. His goal was to challenge the strongest fighters, and Ryō was no exception.

"If you're weak, you shouldn't be a bounty hunter," Ryō replied nonchalantly, looking at Zoro with mild surprise. He hadn't expected to run into someone familiar, though Zoro, at this point in his life, was still far too weak to interest him.

"What did you say?!" Zoro growled, enraged. Without hesitation, he charged at Ryō, his swords ready for a devastating attack.

"Three-Sword Style: Oni Giri!" Zoro slashed toward Ryō with all his might.

But Ryō didn't even bother dodging. To him, Zoro's current strength wasn't even worth the effort.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" Zoro's three swords collided with Ryō's arm, the sound of metal clashing reverberating through the air.