Chapter 28 Arrival at the Sea Restaurant
"Not enough! Not enough! Still not enough!"
"A strike of this caliber isn't even worthy of Hawkeye's serious wielding!"
"Do you want to be humiliated by Hawkeye with a knife!?"
"Has your ambition come to an end?!"
Clang! Clang! Clang! ...
The endless clanging of metal echoed like a raging symphony at the stern of the Merry.
"asshole!!!"
Zoro's eyes were bloodshot.
Even though he knew V was deliberately provoking him, his blood still boiled involuntarily after hearing those words.
"It's not over yet!!!"
"Three-Sword Style: Eagle Strike!"
Zoro stomped his feet on the ground, and instantly flew into the air.
The sharp blade, like a bird's wing, expands the range of its strikes.
The pure white wado characters form a sharp bird's beak, charging forward without hesitation.
Zoro is now able to precisely control his strength and technique, without damaging the deck, while unleashing the incredible speed of the Silent Step.
However, under V's prosthetic eye, his every move seemed to be slowed down and played frame by frame in his mind.
"Too slow!"
V's prosthetic eye flashed with blue light, predicting the trajectory of Zoro's every strike.
The mantis arm clashed violently with the three blades, producing a piercing metallic clang.
Despite lacking swordsmanship skills, the strength of the Cyber World's top-tier alloy is enough for him to withstand Zoro's fierce attacks.
At least until he reaches the Iron-Cutting Realm, Zoro cannot cause him any real harm.
Pfft—
Another mantis arm suddenly swept across!
The blade precisely sliced between Zoro's shoulder blade and ribs, tearing open a deep, scarlet wound that revealed the bone.
"Ugh!"
Zoro groaned, lost his balance and fell backward, blood splattering onto the deck, quickly spreading into a blinding red.
"It collapsed again."
Outside the battlefield.
Luffy, Nami, and Usopp each held an ice pop in their hands.
Seeing Zoro fall to the ground severely injured again, the three of them licked their lips together.
Yet, it was as if he were seeing something completely ordinary, and his emotions remained completely unaffected.
After all, they had seen similar scenes dozens of times.
At first, they were shocked and worried when they saw Zoro spitting blood.
But after a while, you get used to it.
Anyway, Zoro will be back to normal in about ten minutes.
"This algae-headed guy is definitely no ordinary person, able to get V to perform dozens of surgeries in a row!"
Recalling the chilling atmosphere of the control room, Nami shivered violently.
Usopp nodded repeatedly.
The thought of V dismembering dozens of pirates in that control room filled him with dread.
V did not conceal the system's ability from his partners.
He simply attributed all of this to the power of a special Devil Fruit, making it easier for the locals to accept.
Among the audience, only Luffy looked on with envy.
"That's great, Zoro."
As someone who is also sensitive to battle, Luffy could clearly see just how rapidly Zoro had improved in that one day!
Although he has not yet mastered the so-called "Iron-Cutting Realm", his physical abilities have increased several times over.
Even without any insights into swordsmanship, his current combat power is comparable to that of pirates with bounties in the Grand Line.
His immense strength, capable of launching bricks, was enough to allow him to defeat the vast majority of his enemies.
All of this is thanks not only to V's sparring partner and the "Effort Will Lead to Success" prosthetic body, but also to the Tier 2 highly concentrated nutrient solution that V purchased from the prosthetic body shop.
It is precisely because of these 50 trading points for a bag of nutrient solution that Zoro's prosthetic body can be brought to its fullest potential.
Of course, Zoro's unwavering determination to become stronger is also an indispensable element.
pity.
The Going Merry's space is still too small, giving Luffy no room to maneuver at all.
A moment later, V and Zoro reappeared.
Without further ado, the two began the next round of fighting.
...
...
The Merry sailed quietly on the vast East China Sea.
The sea breeze gently caressed the straw hats and skull flags.
The deep blue prosthetic eye embedded in the left eye gleamed in the sunlight, gazing at the sea ahead as if it were alive.
The sounds of training on deck finally subsided.
It's not because the cultivation has come to an end.
Instead, they were about to arrive at their destination—the floating restaurant, Baratie!
"Nami, how much longer!?"
On the deck, Luffy weakly clutched his stomach.
Ever since he learned from V that the sea restaurant had the finest cuisine in the East China Sea, he hadn't eaten anything for several hours.
He was so hungry he was seeing stars, hoping to enjoy the food to his heart's content in a little while.
"You idiot, is this really necessary?!"
Nami gave Luffy a look as if he were an idiot.
But he immediately answered seriously:
"Don't worry, I've already located the restaurant on the water using a drone."
"We'll be able to sit there in about half an hour."
"Let me make this clear beforehand, this meal is on you, and the cost will be deducted from your allowance!"
Luffy didn't say anything, but slowly raised his hand and made an "OK" gesture.
Of course, he didn't forget that V mentioned there was a very skilled chef at the sea restaurant who would be perfect for joining their pirate crew.
But right now, filling his stomach is Luffy's top priority.
"Wait, wait a minute!"
Just then, Usopp popped out from some corner.
Are we really going to Barati?
"I... I heard that's a restaurant that's particularly popular with the nearby navy, and you often see naval officers dining there!"
He clutched his head, imagining himself surrounded by a group of navy soldiers:
"How about we go to a more ordinary restaurant instead?"
"I have a disease that will kill me if I go to a seaside restaurant!"
"Naval officer?"
Zoro, who had been sitting under the mainmast wiping his sword, suddenly looked up, a sharp, razor-like glint flashing in his single eye.
After days of intense sparring with V, he seemed to be surrounded by a sharp sword aura that had not yet dissipated.
Upon hearing the words "naval officer," his fighting spirit surged forth like dry tinder being ignited.
"A guy who can become a naval officer..." Zoro slowly stood up, gently sheathing Wado Ichimonji, a nearly ferocious smile of excitement spreading across his face, "He must be a strong person with some skill, right?"
To not return home in wealth and honor is like wearing fine clothes at night!
Zoro desperately needs a strong opponent to prove his progress.
"Don't worry, Zoro."
"This time you will definitely be satisfied."
V, reclining on the sun lounger, took a sip of his drink, a playful smile playing on his lips.
He did not tell Zoro and the others that they were about to encounter Hawkeye.
Firstly, I didn't want to put too much pressure on Zoro.
Secondly, he was also very much looking forward to Zoro's expression at that time.
He would definitely prepare in advance to start recording and capture this historic moment in its entirety.
Someday in the future, he might have the chance to play this embarrassing moment at Zoro's wedding.
V has had a really great time these past few days!
You should know...
Zoro isn't the only one who has made progress in the past few days!
As one of the Straw Hat crew's future three main fighters, Zoro, like Coby and Nami, also possesses his own unique destiny.
Those who possess this destiny will receive extraordinary experience rewards when they are treated and modified.
V's experience bar, which currently stands at a staggering 10,000 points, is now nine-tenths full.
He was just one step away from becoming a Tier 3 prosthetic doctor.
Then he will be able to unlock more system permissions.
Most importantly...
"Hopefully, the price of a Tier 3 accessory heart prosthetic won't be too high."
"Otherwise, I'll have no choice but to have Luffy temporarily abandon his Gear Second training and switch to the path of Haki."
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End of this chapter...