The twin explosions slammed into the square with a force that cracked the earth itself.
A shockwave rippled outward. Debris lifted into the air. Dust clouds swallowed shattered beams and crumbled stone. The burning scent of scorched iron and gunpowder mixed with ash and blood. Lanterns guttered, one snapping loose and crashing to the ground, its flame flickering out beneath rubble.
And then—
Footsteps.
Slow, deliberate.
Zoro emerged from the settling smoke. His left sleeve was shredded. Blood ran freely down his forearm. One of his swords was blackened with soot. His chest rose and fell harder now—but his stance remained unchanged. Three swords. Solid feet. Unblinking eyes.
Mr. 5 clicked his tongue. "How are you still moving?"
Miss Valentine drifted lazily overhead, crossing her ankles as she hung from her umbrella. "He's not moving. He's surviving. There's a difference."
Zoro rotated his wrist, adjusting his grip.
"I don't care what you call it," he said. "Just shut up and come down."
From above, Nami crouched low on the rooftop, one hand trembling against the tiles.
She'd seen Zoro fight tooth and nail before. She'd watched him bleed, stumble, fall, and still rise. But not like this. Not against something so relentless.
He looked like a soldier on his last leg—yet he still stood as though he had just drawn his blades for the first time.
She swallowed hard.
He was carrying this alone again.
And she hated it.
Inside the inn, time moved like syrup.
The candle on the small bedside table flickered violently. Shadows danced along the walls. Outside, the distant roar of combat grew louder, closer, like a storm clawing at the door.
Luffy lay motionless, lips parted slightly, breath shallow but even.
Then—
His fingers twitched.
He shifted beneath the blanket.
His eyes opened.
Slowly.
Zoro spun forward, slicing through a fresh projectile hurled by Mr. 5. The orb exploded again, but Zoro had already launched himself sideways, sliding along the shattered stone and using the ruined edge of a bench to brace himself. Dust erupted. Miss Valentine descended—her umbrella closed tight as she spun like a drill.
"Fifteen thousand kilograms!" she shouted gleefully.
Zoro timed his pivot perfectly.
Her crater landed inches to his right.
Stone split open like cracked skin. Splinters flew into his arm. Blood splattered against the fountain wall. But Zoro didn't yield.
He darted forward mid-recovery and slashed low, cutting the edge of her dress as she floated back up in a squeal.
"She's slower mid-drop," he thought. "But unpredictable on ascent. And that idiot's coating his fists in pure destruction."
Mr. 5 hurled another orb.
Zoro dropped to one knee and raised his blades like a shield.
The orb detonated mid-air.
The shockwave sent him skidding across the square, dust flying in his wake.
From the side of the square, behind the broken fruit stand, Vivi stood in the open.
Her cloak no longer concealed her trembling hands.
Her lips parted. No sound came out.
Every blast brought back the voice she feared most.
Crocodile.
"You fail once, you vanish."
She could hear it—hear him—over the roar of fire and the ringing of destruction.
She glanced toward Mr. 9. He was slumped against a barrel, eyes half-lidded.
"Why didn't you tell me…" he whispered.
"I couldn't…" she mouthed.
But even now… someone she barely knew was bleeding for her.
Zoro had no idea who she truly was.
Yet he fought without question.
And something inside her cracked.
Another orb hit the ground to Zoro's left. He braced himself again, coughing against the smoke, body aching.
Mr. 5 lowered his sunglasses slightly. "You know what the boss does to traitors."
He wasn't looking at Zoro anymore.
He was looking at her.
Vivi.
Her blood ran cold.
Zoro followed his gaze.
He saw her.
Really saw her.
Her pale face.
Her eyes wide with guilt.
Mr. 5 raised another orb.
Zoro stepped to the side.
No hesitation.
No question.
He placed himself directly between them.
His blades spread wide.
Inside the inn, the air was dense.
Luffy sat up slowly, hat already in his hand.
His head tilted slightly.
He sniffed once.
Burnt stone. Powder. Heat.
Then came the sound—muffled but unmistakable.
Combat.
He stood.
The Shadow System flickered silently across his vision.
[STATUS: BATTLEFIELD ENGAGED]
[ALLY: RORONOA ZORO – INJURED, ACTIVE]
[TARGET: OFFICER CLASS – MR. 5 / MISS VALENTINE]
[PROTECT PRIORITY: ENHANCED]
Luffy reached for the door.
Usopp murmured something behind him.
Sanji shifted in his sheets.
But only Luffy moved.
Then the system pulsed again.
[NEW PRIORITY SIGNAL – IDENTITY MATCH FOUND]
["MISS WEDNESDAY" = NEFERTARI VIVI – ALABASTA LINEAGE CONFIRMED]
[DANGER CLASS: A]
Luffy's hand tightened on the door.
[End of Chapter 107]
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