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"Are you kidding me? This guy turns into an absolute monster after being hypnotized!" A pirate trembled as he watched Lucas cutting through their crew with terrifying efficiency.
"Agh!"
Before the pirate could react, Lucas blade slashed across his throat. Under the effects of hypnosis, Lucas was nothing like his usual self—every strike was lethal, every movement precise.
Blood splattered across Lucas' body, yet instead of his usual timid demeanor, his face twisted into an unsettling grin. He raised the Kusanagi sword, inhaling the metallic scent of blood before his tongue—unnaturally long, almost serpentine—flicked out, licking the crimson droplets from the blade.
"This guy… this guy's a demon!" Jango muttered, his own confidence wavering. He had expected Lucas to become stronger under hypnosis, but this was beyond anything he'd imagined.
"No… I need to undo the hypnosis before this gets worse." Jango clenched his teeth, watching as Lucas carved through the remaining pirates with terrifying ease.
Meanwhile, Zoro continued fending off the attacks of the cat-man brothers. Even enhanced by hypnosis, their strength was nothing he couldn't handle. Now that he had no distractions, he could focus entirely on dismantling them.
"Tch, they got stronger, but not strong enough."
Using their momentum against them, Zoro pushed off, creating distance before settling into his stance.
"Time to end this."
Crossing his three blades, Zoro began spinning them rapidly. The cat-man brothers froze, sweat beading on their foreheads as an oppressive aura washed over them. Instinctively, they took a step back.
"Three-Sword Style… Three Thousand Worlds!"
In a flash, Zoro was upon them. The rotating blades became a whirlwind of steel, and before they could react—
"Shick!"
Blood sprayed as Zoro appeared behind them, three deep gashes now marking their bodies.
"Thud! Thud!"
Their bodies crumpled to the ground, unable to withstand the damage.
"Pathetic." Zoro sheathed Wado Ichimonji with a click, then glanced down at Lucas ongoing rampage.
"Damn… He's ruthless under hypnosis." Zoro mused.
The Straw Hats fought often, but they rarely killed. Most opponents were simply knocked out. Lucas, however, showed no such restraint, nearly every pirate he faced ended up dead.
Zoro wasn't bothered by it, he'd killed plenty himself, but Usopp watching from the sidelines felt his stomach churn.
'This… This is what real pirates are like.'
The sheer brutality of Lucas assault shook him. Life was being snuffed out like it meant nothing.
By now, only a handful of pirates remained standing. The rest were either unconscious or dead.
Jango wiped sweat from his brow, his hands shaking as he pulled out his hypnotic ring. The situation was dire—his strongest fighters, the cat-man brothers, had been taken down by Zoro, and Lucas was slaughtering the rest.
"Kid! Over here!" Jango shouted.
Despite being lost in his bloodlust, Lucas head snapped toward the sound. His piercing gaze locked onto Jango, who nearly flinched under the intensity.
Swallowing hard, Jango forced himself to stay calm.
"Listen to my 'Twelve Praises', your hypnosis will be undone!"
Lucas didn't understand the words, but he recognized Jango as a target. His speed surged, the Kusanagi sword aimed straight for Jango's heart.
Just as the blade was about to pierce him—
""One, Two, Jango"
The spinning ring completed its cycle.
Lucas' movements halted instantly. The tip of his sword hovered just a centimeter from Jango's chest.
Gasping in relief, Jango stumbled back.
"This guy… What kind of power is this? I underestimated him."
With the hypnosis broken, Lucas body finally gave out.
"Thud."
He collapsed face-first onto the ground.
Jango scanned the battlefield, his crew was decimated. Only a few remained, and Zoro was still advancing toward him.
'I didn't believe it before… but now I do. No wonder Captain Kuro lost to them.'
Slowly, Jango raised his hands in surrender.
"Since when did East Blue have monsters like these?!"
Usopp, emboldened by their victory, puffed out his chest.
"Hahaha! Now you see the might of Captain Usopp! My subordinates crushed you before I even had to lift a finger!"
Zoro shot him a sidelong glance but didn't bother correcting him. What mattered now was checking on Lucas.
"Dehydration exhaustion. He'll live."
Hoisting Lucas onto his back, Zoro turned toward the island's interior. The pirates were no longer a threat now, they needed to regroup with Luffy.
Seeing Zoro leave, Usopp paled and scrambled after him.
"H-Hey! Wait for me! I'm the captain, I should lead!"
Meanwhile…
"Damn it! Who the hell is this kid?!" Kuro panted, glaring at the straw-hatted boy before him.
No matter how fast he moved, Luffy kept adapting. Worse, his stamina seemed endless.
Luffy tilted his head. "Tired already? Your 'Nuki Ashi' has too many wasted movements."
Kuro's eye twitched in fury.
"Don't get cocky! That was just a warm-up!"
Luffy didn't react.
Gritting his teeth, Kuro vanished again.
"Nuki Ashi!"
But this time, Luffy was ready.
"There!"
His rubbery arms stretched out, swaying like vines—until one suddenly snapped forward, seizing Kuro's ankle.
"Got you."
Before Kuro could react, Luffy's other arm coiled around him, binding him tightly.
"Damn it! Let go!" Kuro thrashed, but Luffy's grip was unrelenting.
"Your three-year plan ends here."
Luffy's neck stretched back unnervingly, then...
"Gomu Gomu no… BELL!"
"CRACK!"
His forehead smashed into Kuro's face with devastating force.
Kuro's eyes rolled back as he collapsed, unconscious.
Upstairs, Nami and Kaya exhaled in relief.
Luffy adjusted his hat, looking down at the defeated Kuro.
"A pirate who abandons his name and runs from the sea? No way I'd lose to someone like that."
....