"Come on! Look here!"
"1, 2, 3… Cheese~!"
*Click!*
With a bright flash and a soft pop, a perfectly composed photo was born!
The background was the flower bed to the right of the Marine base entrance.
Standing in front of it were four young individuals.
Three boys with bright smiles, their eyes brimming with hope for the future, surrounding a girl in the middle whose lifeless, dead-fish-like eyes stood in stark contrast.
It was the perfect representation of the phrase: "Human joys and sorrows are not shared."
"Not bad! Hey Marine guy, you've got a real talent for photography!"
Red looked over the photo carefully, then sincerely praised the Marine who took it.
"Let me see, let me see!"
Luffy couldn't wait. He leaned right over Red's shoulder, pushing himself up to get a look at the photo from above.
"Wow! It really is nice! Just a shame Nami isn't smiling that much."
"Nami, do you just not like smiling?"
Lying on Red's head, Luffy turned his neck to look at the utterly done-with-life Nami, asking with curiosity.
"Smile? Heh..."
Nami's mouth twitched.
Not smiling?! Are you kidding me?!
She was doomed!
These guys had just beaten a Marine captain, robbed a Marine base, and were clearly destined to be wanted criminals!
And now they were even provoking the Marines further, leaving behind the photo evidence!
Her life… was basically over~
She didn't even know if she'd get the chance to gather the 100 million Berries needed to buy back Cocoyasi Village from the Arlong Pirates before the Marines caught her.
Nami weakly looked up, only to see the three guys happily critiquing the photo, faces glowing with satisfaction.
In that moment, she knew...
A thick, tragic barrier had already formed between them.
After a few minutes of fun, Red carefully put the photo away.
Through this little experience, he'd unexpectedly become interested in photography.
He was already planning to get himself a camera to document his daily life and adventures in this world.
"Alright, picture's done. Now it's time to get serious."
Red grabbed Zoro and Luffy, returning to the open training field, and smiled at Zoro:
"Just a heads-up, Zoro."
"This time, I'm letting Luffy go all out, so be careful."
"Hey hey~" Zoro's expression shifted slightly. One hand rested on the hilt of Wado Ichimonji.
Feeling the power in his swords, he grinned with battle intent:
"I'll admit you guys are strong, but Vice-Captain… aren't you underestimating me a little?"
"Haha." Red chuckled lightly. "You'll know soon enough if I'm underestimating you."
With a mysterious smile, he walked over to Luffy and patted him on the shoulder:
"Go test out the crewmate I found for you."
"I think you'll be satisfied!"
"And like I said, go all out."
"Second Gear is overkill for a spar, but use Third Gear to give Zoro a good taste of power."
"Shishishi, I've been waiting for this!"
Luffy spun his arm with excitement written all over his face.
Soon, the two walked to the center of the field.
Meanwhile, Red brought Nami to the wall surrounding the Marine base, leaving Nami completely confused.
"It's just a sparring match. Do we really need to go this far back?"
She looked at the now finger-sized figures of Luffy and Zoro in the distance and asked Red curiously.
But Red just gave her a look like she was ignorant, then sighed:
"Too far?"
"I just hope the aftershocks from the fight don't reach us."
"If anything strange happens, just hide behind me."
"I might not be much of a fighter, but I can at least protect you."
"...Oh." Nami nodded, still confused.
She couldn't understand. Red had defeated Morgan in seconds; how could he say he wasn't good at fighting?
But as they talked, the clash had already begun in the middle of the field.
Zoro tied on his headband, assumed a Three-Sword Style stance, and faced Luffy seriously.
And Luffy, never one to hold back, did what he always did…
Soru to flank + Devil Fruit attack!!!
*Whoosh!*
A blur flashed as Luffy suddenly vanished before Zoro's eyes. The speed was insane, almost too fast to process! But-
"I might not be able to see you clearly, but I'm not dumb enough to just get hit!!!"
With beast-like instinct, Zoro spun around, immediately spotting Luffy winding up a punch!
And then-
*BANG!!!*
*CLANG!!!*
The high-speed punch smashed into the blade formation of Zoro's three swords, producing a clear, ringing clash.
Sparks flew everywhere!
Luffy's force dragged Zoro's feet back along the ground, carving a three-meter trail.
Yet despite this, Zoro grinned through the Wado Ichimonji clenched in his mouth and said:
"Not as hard as I expected."
Seeing that Zoro had blocked his punch and wasn't fazed by Soru, Luffy burst out laughing:
"As expected of the guy Red picked!!"
"But now I'm getting serious!"
"Bring it on!" Zoro's gaze was firm, his swords humming with power and resolve.
In the next second, Luffy vanished again into a blur.
Zoro immediately pivoted.
This time, he struck first!
"Three-Sword Style: Oni Giri (Demon Slash)!"
Unfortunately…
After two and a half years of training under Red's supervision, Luffy's strength had long since surpassed East Blue's standards!
With another burst of speed, he dodged Zoro's slash and drove his fist straight into Zoro's gut.
In an instant.
Zoro flew like a meteor, crashing straight into the Marine base wall.
*BOOM…*
With a thunderous sound, the already fragile wall crumbled, burying Zoro underneath.
Red turned to a stunned Nami and smiled:
"See? I told you it wasn't safe."
"Good thing Zoro flew the other way."
"What the hell?!"
Nami stared in disbelief, then grabbed Red in panic:
"It's just a sparring match! Do they have to go this hard!?"
This was already way beyond Red vs. Morgan!
No wonder he said he wasn't good at fighting.
"Relax, Nami."
Red said calmly, with a smile like a still lake:
"Relax, Nami."
Red smiled calmly. "Don't underestimate Zoro."
"Nobody who joins the Straw Hat crew is weak."
"Including you."
"Me?!"
Nami blinked, unsure why Red brought her into it.
But his words strangely put her at ease.
Sure enough.
From the rubble, a battered but standing Zoro slowly climbed out.
"He can still stand?!"
Luffy looked surprised.
That last punch had been full force!
But…
That just proved Red was right.
Zoro's potential… was amazing!
"This is getting fun!"
Luffy grinned and blurred forward again, chasing after Zoro.
Red quickly shouted:
"Hey! You two, don't go wrecking the neighborhood!!!"
"I'm not that weak!!!"
At Red's shout, Zoro's expression darkened, a terrifying glint flashing in his eyes.
Luffy's increasing speed made him realize…
If he didn't give it everything he had, he might never see Luffy's true strength!
He refused to be the guy who said, 'Sorry, I couldn't give you a good fight, Captain Luffy.'
But this man… was just too strong!
'Was this all because of the trainer's guidance?!'
A thousand thoughts flashed through Zoro's mind… but he threw them aside.
Because those fists were already in front of his eyes.
So this…This is the world of the strong.
"Three Sword Style Secret Technique: Sanzen Sekai (Three Thousand Worlds)!!!!"