Chapter 220: Judge's Failure

After the bond evolution, Zoro's body became reinforced by steel-type energy, making him even more indestructible than Ichiji, the bio-engineered man with an exoskeleton. Additionally, the ghost-type energy imbued in Doublade significantly elevated his swordsmanship, enhancing his abilities far beyond their previous limits.

But more importantly...

Zoro is not just any ordinary trainer. 

He and Doublade form the most perfect union in the world! In their evolved state, many swordsmen struggle to achieve the ideal harmony between man and blade, but for Zoro, it comes naturally and effortlessly.

Post-evolution, Doublade themselves possess the equivalent power of a level 70 weapon. When measured against other weapons, Doublade far surpass even the supreme-grade sword [Yoru] wielded by Dracule Mihawk, the World Greatest Swordsman.

With their combined swordsmanship, Zoro and his Doublade can easily overpower top commanders of the Yonko, like Charlotte Cracker. While this strength might not yet be enough to conquer the New World, it's more than sufficient to take on Germa and their technology!

"I didn't expect you could fly," Zoro remarked, "But..."

His smile widened as he continued, "You're still not that impressive."

Sensing the aura emanating from Zoro, Ichiji couldn't help but acknowledge Zoro's overwhelming strength. Still, his arrogant demeanor persisted, his words laced with mockery, as if trying to undermine his opponent's prowess.

In reality, Ichiji had fully grasped Zoro's power. But as someone devoid of negative emotions, he remained unshaken, even when facing a stronger adversary. His bio-engineered mind followed its programming—focusing solely on winning the battle.

"Flame · Double · Swirl!"

Without hesitation, Ichiji unleashed two spiraling fireballs charged with explosive energy, hurling them directly at Zoro, who was mid-air.

Boom! 

Germa's advanced technology empowered the flames, propelling them with terrifying speed. But Zoro, who had already been thrown into the sea of fire once, remained unfazed. A sharp gleam flashed in his eyes.

"Your flames are nothing compared to that perverted cook," he muttered.

Suddenly, his Doublade emitted a freezing, blood-red energy.

"Two-Sword Style - Shattered Jade!"

Whoosh!

Two razor-sharp, blood-colored slashes cut through the air, exuding an eerie chill. The slashes collided with the fireballs, but instead of exploding, the flames were instantly consumed by the icy sword intent. Without any resistance, the slashes tore through the fire and continued their path toward Ichiji, who hovered above, relying on his battle suit's technology.

"Not good!" 

Iji's instincts screamed danger as he realized the vast difference in power between him and Zoro. Desperately, he activated his jet boots, attempting to dodge the incoming attack.

But it was too late.

The bloody slashes closed in, and Ichiji quickly grabbed the cloak from behind, holding it in front of him, where the large number "1" was emblazoned. This was the iconic Germa 66 cloak, designed with advanced technology to withstand most attacks in the world.

Boom! 

The slash struck the cloak, releasing an enormous shockwave that reverberated through the air like an explosion. The resulting storm distorted the light, making it impossible to see the outcome clearly.

For half a minute, only the sound of the storm could be heard. Then, out of the swirling chaos, Ichiji's arrogant laughter echoed:

"Hahaha! It's useless! No power can stand against Germa's technology!"

Unscathed, Ichiji grinned, confident that his cloak had successfully absorbed Zoro's attack.

However, Zoro simply raised his head with a mysterious smile and said calmly, "Oh? Is that so?"

"You might want to take another look."

"What!?"

Ichiji, sensing something off in Zoro's expression, obediently glanced down at his cloak. To his shock, the once-complete cloak now barely covered his chest. A sharp, clean cut had sliced through the fabric, bisecting the large number "1."

Ichiji quickly turned around, only to spot a piece of the cloak floating in the distance, carried away by the waves.

Zoro chuckled, his hands gripping both swords as he remarked, "I must admit, Germa's tech is impressive. A cloak that can withstand a full-force strike from me? Not bad."

Ichiji was furious. "You—!"

But Zoro was already paying him no mind.

"Hey! Koby!" Zoro suddenly called down to the cargo ship below.

"Huh—!? Y-Yes, Master Zoro?" Koby, who had been awestruck by Zoro's power, snapped back to reality.

"Go fish out that piece of the cloak. Something that strong could fetch a good price!"

Zoro's cold smile returned as he eyed the rest of Ichiji's gear. He looked him up and down, as if appraising the value of everything on the modified soldier's body.

Thanks to the need to engage in interdimensional trading, even Zoro—who used to care little for money—had turned into something of a miser! He may not be as greedy as Nami, but he had certainly learned to spot valuable items and maximize their worth.

"Aye! Right away, Master Zoro!"

With a splash, Koby dove into the water, swimming swiftly toward the discarded piece of cloak. After all the time he'd spent training with Zoro, Koby's skills had vastly improved.

Though he hadn't yet reached the level of strength he'd gain under Garp's tutelage in the original story, it was clear that following Zoro had done wonders for his growth.

In the long run, sticking by Zoro's side would yield more lasting benefits than Garp ever could.

After all, Garp wouldn't train him forever... but Zoro would always be there.

  ...

  ...

Seeing his cloak sliced apart by Zoro's slash, Ichiji's face showed a momentary expression of disbelief.

But then, he burst out laughing!

His laughter was wild, one might even call it maniacal!

"Hahaha! What terrifying power! Is this the essence of life that Father has been searching for!?"

"With this power, Germa 66 will surely unify the North Blue once again!"

Clearly, Ichiji attributed Zoro's sudden increase in strength to the essence of life that Judge had dreamed of obtaining.

Now, he was starting to fantasize about how strong they would become once Germa 66 gained control of this power.

Due to Judge's experiments, the brothers have developed a deeply twisted loyalty to the Kingdom of Germa 66.

In their minds, Germa 66 is the greatest force in existence, one that can never fail!

Because of this distorted loyalty, they remain undaunted even when facing someone as formidable as Charlotte Linlin, one of the Four Emperors.

"But..."

Ichiji glanced at the half of his cloak that remained, his expression growing both grim and arrogant.

"How dare you disgrace my royal family so disgracefully? You will pay for this!"

Flames erupted around Ichiji once more, as he appeared determined to go all out with his next attack.

However...

"Huh???"

Zoro, noticing that Ichiji was still laughing despite nearly being killed by his attack, had a look of doubt flash across his eyes.

Is there something wrong with this guy's head?

Doesn't he realize he's no match for me now?

Or are they all just idiots with curly eyebrows?

Several thoughts flashed through Zoro's mind, but not understanding anything about the blood factor experiments, he could only bury these questions in his heart.

"What a strange guy!" Zoro murmured softly.

"But…"

A cold light flashed in his eyes, sharp as lightning.

"You don't look like the type to admit defeat."

"In that case, I'll cut you down first, then we'll talk about other things!"

He didn't know what force this Ichiji belonged to or why they were looking for him...

But judging from their aggressive behavior from the very start, they were obviously not good people.

In this situation, even if he ended up cutting him in half or killing him by accident, it wouldn't matter!

Hmph!

The Wado Ichimonji, which had been sheathed, was drawn again.

The guy opposite was wearing some strange equipment. Zoro feared that if he only used his two-sword style, his opponent might use some kind of trick, like a smoke bomb or an underwater stealth device, to escape.

Originally, Zoro had thought that Kuina might be resurrected soon, so he was reluctant to let the blade be sullied by the likes of his opponent.

But now, it seemed he could only let Kuina bear it and swing the sword!

Somehow, this thought filled him with a strange excitement...

"Secret Art of the Three-Sword Style—"

This time, to prevent his opponent from escaping, Zoro went all out.

All at once!

A powerful aura surged forth like a tidal wave!

Under the impact of his intense sword intent, the clouds in the sky and the sea beneath his feet seemed to boil, spreading outwards like a ripple of fear.

"Master Zoro has grown stronger again!"

Koby, who had retrieved Germa's cloak, returned to the cargo ship. While wiping his forehead with a towel, he looked up at Zoro with admiration.

At the same time, Ichiji also launched his attack, gathering all his strength into explosive flames. Forming a massive fireball as tall as a person, he hurled it towards Zoro.

"Spark: Big Bang!!!"

But Zoro, who had already gathered his momentum, was not to be outdone.

A fierce light flashed in his eyes, and the next second, his figure suddenly vanished, darting straight towards the blazing flames in front of him.

"Fire Slash: Six Paths Rendering!"

Facing an enemy wielding fire, Zoro once again deployed his fire-extinguishing sword technique to counter the flames!

A green blur shot forward, piercing through the raging fireball.

Seeing this, Ichiji sneered.

"Hmph! That's a special flame from the Kingdom of Germa 66. It will explode with a force powerful enough to destroy a small town. And someone dares to charge straight into the flames? What an idiot!"

Originally wary of Zoro's slashes, Ichiji now let his guard down, convinced that victory was assured.

But...

"Did you say something?"

A calm voice suddenly emerged from the midst of the blazing fireball.

Several razor-sharp slashes suddenly appeared on the enormous fireball, splitting it into multiple sections.

The next moment, a swift figure burst out of the fireball and struck Ichiji directly in the face.

"What!? Impossible!"

For the first time, the usually composed Ichiji showed a look of shock.

But before he could even think of defending himself, Zoro had already taken a peculiar stance, moving swiftly towards him.

"Three-Sword Style: Tiger Hunt!!!"

ROAR!!!

The roar of a tiger, condensed from the sword's intent, swept over Ichiji's face in an instant.

In the next second, three sharp blades slashed through his body.

The speed was so fast, it surpassed the limit of human sight.

However, Ichiji, with his superhuman body, could see the three slashes clearly.

Two from top to bottom, one from right to left...

The three blades cut effortlessly through Germa 66's proud combat uniform, like slicing through butter, and then continued into his body, which was protected by an exoskeleton.

Only then did Ichiji realize that Germa 66's protective gear could be damaged like any ordinary clothing, and his body could be cut like any other person's.

Though it sounds like a lengthy process, it all happened in less than half a second!

Splurt!

Several streams of blood mist filled the air.

Ichijii's body, now uncontrolled by his battle suit, lost the ability to hover in mid-air and plummeted toward the sea.

...

Half an hour later, on Zoro's cargo ship.

"Damn it!!! How dare you treat the royal family of the Germa 66 Kingdom like this! You won't get away with this!!!"

Ichiji was stripped down to nothing but a pair of blue and white striped boxer shorts, chained to the mast, roaring in impotent fury.

If Judge were present at this moment, he would certainly recognize a flaw in his experiment.

When he extracted negative emotions from Ichiji and his brothers, he seemed to have forgotten to remove the emotion of [shame].

So, Ichiji, stripped bare, looked both angry and embarrassingly shy, like a monkey's red butt.

However...

It was a shame for Ichiji that the people surrounding him now were not Germa's scientists, but Zoro and his crew, all sporting wicked grins and malicious intentions.

"Wow, amazing! Just pressing this button makes your clothes disappear into thin air!" Alvida, who loved all things beautiful, expressed her amazement, ignoring the strange expressions of those around her.

"This must be Germa's battle suit, right? I remember reading about something like this in a fairy tale when I was a kid," Koby remarked. "But that book was from the North Blue…"

"Oh?"

Zoro softly muttered, observing Ichiji's fully recovered body with curiosity.

"Are all people from the North Blue this tough? To recover so quickly after such severe injuries?"

Just moments earlier, Zoro had nearly sliced Ichiji in half. After falling into the sea, his wounds had been soaked in the salty water.

Yet...

There was no trace of injury left on Ichiji's body now!

"And..." Zoro continued, puzzled, "Why is this guy, and the force behind him, looking for me?"

Perhaps, seeing Ichiji defeated, the snail ship controlled by Cyborg quickly and sensibly retreated.

Facing the snail ship powered by advanced technology, Zoro had no choice but to let it go.

So, all eyes turned back to Ichiji.

The group gathered around the naked Ichiji, scrutinizing him like a specimen in a study.

It wasn't that they wanted to leave Ichiji unscathed or guess his purpose—they had actually tortured him already.

Yet, even when faced with Alvida's "honey trap," Ichiji had shown no sign of breaking. He truly embraced his identity as a "tough guy" without any hint of surrender.

Of course, stripping off his clothes wasn't considered an insult.

After all, his combat uniform seemed so valuable!

With Ichiji now captured, Zoro and his crew continued their voyage towards Shimotsuki Village, still pondering Ichiji's motives.

However...

What they did not know was that Ichiji's battle suit had an extremely precise tracking system.

At this very moment, thirty massive snail ships were rapidly converging on their location in the East Blue, forming a tight encirclement. 

------

------

[A-N: Hey everyone! I need your support for my new book! If you're on the hunt for something fresh to dive into, check it out—it's an 'APOCALYPSE' theme! Your feedback and love would mean the world!

Title: Dominion of the Virus King!

Ps: You need to search it since its new!]

------

------