News came later that the moss head, after cutting down dozens of pirates, was severely wounded by Krieg and his whereabouts were now unknown.
Well, I'll be damned, isn't that Roronoa Zoro?
How did Zoro end up fighting Krieg?
Could this also be a butterfly effect caused by my transmigration?
Just as Ivan was pondering this, a marine's urgent cry suddenly came from the deck: "Major Ivan, there's someone in the sea!"
He immediately strode out of the cabin and to the edge of the deck.
In the distance, three people were clinging tightly to a broken piece of wood, paddling with all their might toward the warship.
Two of them were waving their arms desperately, shouting at the top of their lungs, "Help, Mr. Marine, help!"
Ivan's gaze involuntarily fell on the only one of the three who wasn't calling for help.
That iconic moss-green hair, that resolute expression even in such a desperate situation.
Speak of the devil.
A moment later, on the deck, the three men, now changed into clean marine uniforms, stood before Ivan.
Johnny, wearing sunglasses, and Yosaku, in a green coat, immediately bowed at a ninety-degree angle, their voices filled with gratitude.
"Thank you so much, Major Ivan! If you hadn't saved us, we would have definitely died at sea today!"
Ivan gave a faint smile and waved his hand. "Don't mention it. Saving lives is the duty of the marines. As for you, young man, you've been staring at me. Is there something you need?"
Ever since boarding the ship and seeing Ivan, Roronoa Zoro's gaze had not left him. His eyes were filled with an eagerness to fight.
Only then did Johnny and Yosaku notice their boss's strange behavior, and their faces changed drastically.
They hurriedly rushed forward to dissuade him, their voices on the verge of tears, "Boss Zoro, don't!"
But Roronoa Zoro clearly had no intention of listening to them.
He took a step forward, staring intently at the longsword at Ivan's waist, and said excitedly, "I can feel it. You're a powerful swordsman. Are you free? Let's have a match!"
The worst-case scenario had finally happened. Johnny and Yosaku's faces were crestfallen.
"It's over, it's over! Boss Zoro is at it again. This time he's actually daring to provoke a Marine Major. That's Blood Slaughter White Dove! He's not going to get angry and throw the three of us into the sea to feed the fish, is he?"
Ivan overheard the two's whispers, and several dark lines immediately appeared on his forehead.
Although he killed and pillaged, slaughtered pirates, and was known to the world as Blood Slaughter White Dove, he was really a good person.
How could a good person just kill people willy-nilly?
Suppressing the exasperated helplessness he felt, Ivan ignored the two trembling underlings.
He walked slowly up to Roronoa Zoro, a playful tone in his voice.
"A match? You pitiful weakling. If you were truly a first-rate swordsman, you would be able to see the gap in our strength even without clashing. To dare draw your sword against me, should I call you courageous, or just ignorant?"
Faced with Ivan's mockery, Roronoa Zoro wasn't the least bit angry. He gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with excitement.
"It's because of my ambition, and because of a promise I made to a dear friend!"
Noticing the tense scene, the surrounding marines were not nervous at all.
In their hearts, Boss Ivan could definitely handle the so-called pirate hunter, Roronoa Zoro, with ease!
Among them, Tashigi's gaze was locked onto the sword in Roronoa Zoro's hand, her face beaming with extreme excitement.
"That sword... could it be the Wado Ichimonji? Oh my god, that's one of the Twenty-One Great Grade Swords! A swordsman who possesses this blade must be a master. What kind of sparks will fly when the pirate hunter Roronoa Zoro fights Major Ivan?"
Tashigi was filled with anticipation.
Realizing that Ivan and his men were different from other marines—good-tempered and with no intention of throwing them into the sea to feed the fish—Johnny and Yosaku gradually returned to their usual selves.
Johnny cheered for Roronoa Zoro, "Go, Boss! No one is a match for you!"
Yosaku shouted, "That's right, the Boss is the strongest!"
However, the marines were not pleased to hear their words, and the two sides began to argue.
"Shut up! Major Ivan is the strongest!"
"Ha! What did you say? Boss Zoro is the strongest!"
Ivan, long accustomed to the hot-blooded nature of people in the world of pirates, ignored the two who were at each other's throats. He simply turned to Nami and held out his hand. "In that case, Nami, let me borrow your fruit knife."
Sorry, Hawk-Eyes.
I'm about to steal your classic scene.
The thought of Hawk-Eyes saying the exact same words to Roronoa Zoro in the future made Ivan look forward to Zoro's reaction.
Although Nami was full of questions, not understanding what he wanted a fruit knife for, she still did as he asked and handed it over.
Roronoa Zoro took it all in, a little angry. "Hey, what's the meaning of this?"
Ivan gripped the small fruit knife and said matter-of-factly, "I am not like some foolish beast that goes all-out to hunt a rabbit. Even though you're a somewhat famous swordsman, you still don't have the right to fight me..."
Ivan tilted his head up slightly, revealing a punchable smile. "So, unfortunately, this is the smallest blade I have!"
Roronoa Zoro was thoroughly enraged. He bit down on the Wado Ichimonji and roared, "There's a limit to looking down on people! Don't regret it when you're dead!"
He pushed off with his feet, tightened his grip on his two swords, and charged rapidly at Ivan!
Ivan maintained his leisurely posture. With a slight exertion of force, the fruit knife was covered in an azure light. "You frog in a well, come and see how big the world truly is!"
At that moment, Roronoa Zoro finally arrived in front of Ivan. He bellowed, "Three Sword Style: Oni Giri!"
Three swords swung toward Ivan from different directions and at tricky angles.
With a clang of metal on metal, the three swords suddenly stopped all at once!
Ivan had extended his arm, placing the tip of his fruit knife precisely at the intersection of the three blades.
This single point had blocked the attack of all three swords. No matter how hard Roronoa Zoro pushed, the blades would not budge an inch.
"What?!" Everyone watched this scene in shock. Johnny and Yosaku, in particular, were filled with disbelief. "Impossible! Boss Zoro's Oni Giri was stopped? That's his ultimate move that's guaranteed to send any enemy flying!"
Forget the two underlings; even Roronoa Zoro himself couldn't believe it.
He roared in his heart, How is this possible? Is the gap between me and this guy really that big? No, how can such a huge gap exist in this world!
Next, he swung his three swords with all his might, attacking Ivan, but every single attack was easily blocked.
Soon, Roronoa Zoro had exhausted all his strength. With no energy left to swing his swords, his body collapsed heavily to the ground, gasping for air.
Ivan knew it was time for this farce to end. He praised, "A commendable will. But for the vast majority of people, will alone cannot bring strength. This farce should be over!"
With that, Ivan turned and walked away.