Why?
How did he find out?
Where did I slip up?
Franky's thoughts raced, his body trembling slightly, his nostrils flaring as his breathing quickened.
He recalled the day of the disaster, the nightmare that had haunted him for countless days and nights. When he arrived at the scene after hearing the news, all he found was Iceberg's cold corpse in the office.
They hadn't exchanged a single word, but Franky could tell that Iceberg had died with a sense of relief.
It meant he hadn't revealed to anyone what he was safeguarding. As long as he died, Franky would be the only one left who knew, and he could pass away in peace.
But because of this incident, Franky, who was the first to arrive at the scene, became a target for the government agents of CP0. They believed he had a special connection with Iceberg and began hunting him down.
He was certain he hadn't told anyone about this, not even the Straw Hat crew.
"Why? Why do you know about this?"
Franky shouted in anger, desperate to understand before it was too late.
However, as soon as he spoke, Fujitora's expression shifted rapidly—from calm to surprised, and then to resolute.
"So it's true? As expected, everything is within Admiral Soryu (Azure Dragon)'s predictions!"
"What?! Damn it, I've been tricked!" Franky clutched his face in horror.
But Fujitora wouldn't give him a chance to explain. He held his cane sword at his chest, gripping the hilt tightly.
"In that case, I have another reason to take you away, Cutty Flam!!"
Clang!
Cutty Flam— Franky's former name. Hearing this, Franky immediately erupted, his right fist aimed at Fujitora. At that moment, the cane sword revealed a sliver of its white blade.
"Strong… Right Fist!"
As a Cyborg, Franky's body, aside from a few organic parts, had been transformed into machinery.
This was one of his signature moves—launching his Iron Fist through an ejection mechanism, with enough power to smash an ordinary battleship.
"Muda Muda!"
As the attack came, Fujitora roared, drawing his cane sword and creating a flurry of blade lights in front of him. Then, with a step, he charged forward.
Gravito - Gravity Blade…!
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The motion of leaning forward made it seem like Fujitora had merely avoided being hit by the fist. However, the series of metallic cutting sounds that followed proved it wasn't just a simple dodge.
The flying Iron Fist seemed to pause mid-air, as if someone had hit the pause button. When the cutting sounds rang out, the steel fist suddenly revealed dense black cracks before exploding into a shower of iron fragments.
"So fast! Much faster than that green seaweed head swordsman. Is this… the strength of a Shichibukai?"
Staring in shock at his proud Iron Fist being shattered, Franky turned his gaze to Fujitora, who had appeared beside him in a half-crouched stance. His eyes were filled with indescribable horror.
"The difference in level… is too great!"
Squelch…
The metal armor on Franky's chest split open, revealing the damaged cola engine inside. Suffering such a heavy blow, Franky spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed limply.
However, the attack wasn't over yet.
Fujitora held his cane sword with both hands, slowly sheathing it. "Don't worry, I've studied Cyborgs to some extent. Aside from the head, there are no vital points."
"So… my apologies!"
Gravito - Gravity Blade· Hell Travel!
Bang!!!
As the sword was sheathed, a purple light wave enveloped Franky, pulling his falling body back and slamming it face-first into the ground.
"Ugh!"
Franky, whose weight wasn't excessive, created a spiderweb-like crater in the deck. He spat out another mouthful of blood, his eyes rolling back as he completely lost consciousness.
Everything happened too quickly. By the time Sanji and Robin regained their senses, Franky was already down, unable to get up.
"Franky!"
"Pervert!!"
Not far away, hearing their shouts, Law turned his head slightly.
"Oh? As expected, he is quite reliable. Though he seems easygoing and like anyone could push him around, he doesn't hesitate or waver when it comes to what he needs to do."
"But you're different!"
Suddenly, Law turned back to the green seaweed head swordsman, who had climbed out of the debris.
"You, because Fujitora showed up, didn't actually plan to fight seriously, did you?"
"Knowing you couldn't take on both of us, you were focused on escaping… no, creating an opportunity for your comrades to escape."
Zoro's face darkened. He held Wado Ichimonji in his left hand and Sandai Kitetsu in his right, his chest heaving as he tried to recover his stamina.
"But the result is no different. When you can't face this battle head-on, your sword hesitates… Admiral Soryu (Azure Dragon) once said that everyone dies eventually, whether it's yourself or your comrades."
"But it's by betting on this resolve, this cruel and bloody reality, that we muster the courage to fight again and again, to move forward toward our dreams."
"I don't care what your comrades' safety means to you, but that moment of hesitation, that split second of doubt, is the difference between heaven and earth for you and me!"
"Santoryu…"
Zoro chose to stop listening to Law's nonsense. He crossed his swords in front of him, baring his teeth.
"108 Pound Phoenix!"
"Did you forget you only have two swords now, green seaweed head idiot?"
Law roared, facing the blue sword wave cyclone without fear. He raised Kikoku straight, his right foot stomping the ground.
Because Zoro only had two swords, the sword wave cyclone had a glaring weakness— a clear air channel at the edge of the cyclone, leading straight to its source!
Law didn't miss this opportunity. Using the Rokushiki·Soru technique Rowen had taught him, he transformed into a black streak, darting through the cyclone.
Swoosh…!!!
Blades clashed, and blood splattered across the sky.
The two passed each other, standing back-to-back about ten meters apart.
"Hah… hah… hah…"
Zoro gasped heavily, then suddenly grinned. "Who said you can't use Santoryu without a sword?"
As he spoke, a blood flower bloomed on Law's shoulder. A shard of a blade, about the size of a palm, was embedded deep in his muscle.
It was a tiny fragment from the sword Zoro had shattered earlier to block Law's thrust!
Law expressionlessly reached up and pulled the shard out of his shoulder.
"I see. That air channel was a trap you set up deliberately. You chose this move because you knew I wouldn't hesitate or avoid it."
"Haha, exactly! But…"
Thud!
Before he could finish, Zoro's legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground.
Sss…!
Blood poured uncontrollably from the scars on his chest. The scar that had gone from "丨" to "十" and then to "*" now had another line added by Law's Kikoku, turning it into "米."
"But… the difference is too great, Roronoa Zoro!"
Law finished Zoro's unspoken words for him: "Because I hate trouble, I chose to take your Santoryu head-on… I'm a doctor, after all. Minimizing damage in battle is half my job."
Sss… crack!
Slowly sheathing Kikoku, Law let out a long breath.
"Indeed! Cutting him once makes the whole world feel different, as refreshing as putting on new underwear on New Year's morning!"
With that, Law turned back, his face looking drained.
"Now that we've done what we came to do, I'll leave the rest to you, Issho-san."
"You're too kind, Law-kun!"
Fujitora smiled modestly, hoisting Franky over his shoulder. Using his cane sword as a walking stick, he tapped the ground, causing the deck to crack and a floating platform of broken wood to rise, carrying the two of them upward.
On the deck, Sanji, struggling under the gravity wave, lifted his head with great difficulty. He glanced at Robin, who was also pinned to the ground and gritted his teeth in frustration.
"Franky!!!"
(End of Chapter)
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