Chapter 146: Major Breakthrough in Steel-Cutting

"Just him? A mere defeated foe. Rear Admiral Rolan, I originally had no wish to take lives, but you have forced my hand."

Laffitte stared fixedly at Zoro on the roof, his expression turning increasingly chilling.

What were they playing at? Did they intend to use him as a sparring partner?

If his opponent were Rolan, he might have felt a glimmer of interest. After all, that would provide an opportunity to gauge the extent of Rear Admiral Rolan's true strength and determine whether he posed a future threat to their plans.

However, against this young swordsman, Laffitte felt entirely devoid of interest.

A swordsman who hadn't even attained the level of a master swordsman—aside from possessing three legendary blades, what else was there about him that warranted attention?

Absolutely nothing.

"Whether I am a defeated foe or not, we shall leave that verdict for the very end."

Zoro offered a cold smile of his own, drawing all three swords simultaneously and gripping them tightly in his hands.

"Then go and die!"

Laffitte glanced briefly at Rolan, confirming that the man had no intention of interfering, and plummeted from the sky.

Driven by gravity, Laffitte's descent accelerated rapidly, transforming him into a streak of white brilliance hurtling from the heavens in less than half a second.

His cane-sword pointed straight at Zoro, devoid of any flashy swordsmanship, containing only the most elemental and unadorned strike.

Faced with this onslaught, Zoro's vigilance spiked anew. Every hair on his body stood on end as if he had received advance warning of mortal peril.

He knew that if he failed to evade Laffitte's attack this time, death was certain.

The sheer power of this strike eclipsed anything comparable to that hurried slash from mid-air moments ago.

"Three-Sword Style: Tiger Hunt!"

Yet this time, Zoro refused to yield, for his pride forbade it.

To yield once meant consenting to yield every time.

Having dodged an attack of this caliber once already, he could not bring himself to do so a second time.

Gripping his two swords with a reverse hold behind his back, Zoro kept his eyes locked unwaveringly on the descending Laffitte.

At last, the moment his eyes caught Laffitte's movement, Zoro sprang into action.

Tiger Hunt was unleashed instantly. Explosive power surged from his legs, and in the blink of an eye, he materialized behind Laffitte.

This clash of arms was fleeting.

In the span of a single heartbeat, the two men had traded places.

Yet the next instant, a gruesome gash ripped open across Zoro's back, and blood gushed forth in a torrent, resembling a sudden shower of crimson rain that spattered droplets of blood onto Laffitte as he stood upon the roof.

"My apologies, it seems I—"

Laffitte slotted his cane-sword back into its scabbard and adjusted his top hat, intending to speak, but a searing agony erupting from his chest cut him short.

Looking down, Laffitte stared at the tiger-stripe wound slashed across his chest, his eyes widening in utter disbelief.

"How can this be?"

Laffitte cried out in shock. During that brief encounter, he clearly remembered not being struck by any weapon whatsoever. Why, then, had such a wound appeared on his chest?

"My apologies, but you did not win."

Enduring the agonizing pain, Zoro dropped from the roof, landed opposite Laffitte, and smiled happily.

Faced with an enemy, he had not cowered. He had accomplished that much.

Even better, he had grasped something else of paramount importance—a crucial piece of the puzzle he had sought for months without ever unlocking the secret.

Sheathing all three swords, Zoro gazed quietly at Laffitte.

Though victory was by no means guaranteed, Zoro felt confident that defeat was not inevitable either.

"What a loathsome little trash fish. To think you actually managed to wound me."

Laffitte glared at Zoro through gritted teeth, his heart consumed by fury.

If his initial attitude toward this fellow had been one of utter disdain, it had now transformed into a bone-deep hatred, a desperate urge to kill him swiftly.

The wound on his chest might be trivial, something that would heal within days, but to him, it constituted an insult—a blatant, naked insult.

Being wounded by Rolan was one thing; after all, the man's reputation preceded him, and losing to him brought no disgrace.

Yet to be injured by an obscure, minor major of the Marines—what kind of absurdity was that?

Drawing his previously stowed cane-sword once more, Laffitte's eyes turned bloodshot, blazing as though spitting fire.

Nothing short of Zoro's death could quench the flames of rage burning in his breast; nothing else could restore his composure.

Zoro closed his eyes tightly, offering no reply to Laffitte.

At this moment, he was tuning in to the breath of all things around him.

Up in the air just now, he had sensed that everything possessed a living pulse. That was why he had evaded Laffitte's lethal strike and why he had managed to land a precise, unyielding blow on Laffitte in that split second.

"Heh, is this the power to cut steel that both the master and Rolan spoke of?"

Zoro snapped his eyes open and smiled, entirely unfazed by Laffitte's wrath.

Since he had comprehended this realm of power, it meant today's battle and the injuries he had sustained were far from meaningless.

Wounds could heal.

What one realized, however, would never be forgotten.

"Go to hell, small fry. Letting trash like you continue to live is a waste of my time and energy."

Zoro's calm demeanor only fanned the flames of Laffitte's anger higher.

He was no gentleman to begin with; he was a violent sheriff bearing the moniker of the demon.

Now that Zoro had provoked him, how could he possibly let it go with a smile? Naturally, he required Zoro's life to extinguish his fury.

Flapping his wings violently, Laffitte surged forward and closed the distance to Zoro in an instant.

Wielding his cane-sword, he slashed down fiercely, targeting not Zoro's vital organs, but his left arm.

He had no intention of granting Zoro a swift end; he wanted to hack him to pieces, subjecting him to agonizing torment.

Yet at that exact moment, Zoro moved.

The instant Laffitte made his move, Zoro leaped back several paces, crouched slightly, and assumed a peculiar stance, his right hand gripping the hilt of Wado Ichimonji with absolute firmness.

"One-Sword Style: Lion's Song!"

With a muffled, guttural shout, Zoro channeled every ounce of his strength into his legs, exploding forward in a flash to meet Laffitte.

Faced with what he deemed a suicidal attack from Zoro, Laffitte merely smiled coldly. Wielding his cane-sword, he intended to cut down this swordsman at the very point of his greatest pride.

To Laffitte's utter shock, however, the moment Zoro reached him, he executed a swift Iai draw, vanishing from sight altogether.

When he materialized once more, he was standing directly behind him.

As Zoro slowly slid the Wado Ichimonji back into its scabbard, a faint cracking sound rang out through the air.

The sound of fracturing metal.

If anyone was sensitive to that particular sound, it was undoubtedly Rolan.

Back when facing Vice Admiral Tutchi, Rolan's dark-red short blade had also snapped amid that exact crisp sound.

Staring blankly at the broken cane-sword in his hand, Laffitte's face flushed crimson, instantly boiling over with rage.

Being wounded by this little punk earlier was humiliating enough; now, his own weapon had been destroyed by this man. It was tantamount to someone mounting his head and striking his face.

A terrifying aura erupted in that very instant.

The murderous intent accumulated from years of tyrannical governance manifested almost physically, sweeping outward to engulf the surroundings.

Bearing the brunt of it was Zoro, who was already panting heavily.

The wound on his back, combined with the stamina drain from executing the Lion's Song, had completely depleted his physical reserves.

Faced with Laffitte's intimidation now, he lacked even the strength to resist, and the pressure blew him clean off the rooftop.

"All of you, clear out of here immediately! And head over to the docks to fetch our Navy's ship doctor!"

Ceasing his use of the Moon Walk, Rolan descended from the sky to land before Laffitte, firmly blocking his murderous aura while shouting at the onlookers gathered behind him.

"Ah—yes—!"

The crowd below panicked instantly. They had heard the sounds of the rooftops being destroyed earlier without knowing what was happening, but it was now evident that a brutal battle had been taking place.

They might not care about anything outside of samba dancing, but that didn't mean they were completely oblivious to danger.

With such terrifying monsters active here, remaining any longer was tantamount to asking for death.

Acting on Rolan's command, the nearby residents fled in a panic, scrambling toward the docks Rolan had specified.