Starting as a Roger Pirates Apprentice

Chapter 570: Chapter 570: Zoro’s Life-Risking Strike?

As combat power levels continued to rise, clashes on top-tier battlefields had long since stopped relying on simple eyesight to lock onto opponents.

For example, when fighting an opponent like Kizaru, it was impossible for the eyes to keep up with movement at the speed of light; one could only rely on Observation Haki to sense presence and position.

And within everyone’s Observation Haki, the man currently confronting that terrifying monster was no longer the Supernova Roronoa Zoro.

Instead, it was a black-clad man standing proudly.

Within the ghostly black mist swirling with demonic aura, long black hair seemed to drift in the air, while crimson eyes stared forward.

"That kind of Haki... is it Orin?!!!"

For the first time witnessing such a phenomenon, Kaido’s dragon pupils trembled slightly as he stared solemnly at Zoro’s figure.

"No... it also carries a bit of Oden’s presence..."

To Kaido, this was unheard of — a single person possessing two different powers at once.

"Is it that sword?"

Beside him, Linlin noticed that the source of the Haki seemed to come from the black blade Zoro held in his hand and clenched in his mouth.

"I had only heard rumors before. I didn’t expect something like this to truly exist."

Linlin looked toward Yami Karasu, said to be Orin’s weapon from his youth, a weapon tempered and soaked in Orin’s Armament Haki and Conqueror’s Haki.

"It’s said that when a true master wields a sufficiently powerful weapon, the weapon itself retains a portion of its former owner’s Haki. That manifested shadow must be Orin in his younger days~"

At this moment, Zoro — now functioning like a dual blade stand — experienced a massive surge in presence.

His own awakened Conqueror’s Haki, Kozuki Oden’s Conqueror’s Haki, and the Conqueror’s Haki of [Young Orin] converged into one body.

Even for someone like Zoro, who had trained relentlessly and survived countless life-and-death trials, the burden and pressure on his body were absurdly overwhelming.

The young black-clad phantom assumed an attacking stance.

Facing such blatant "cheating," even Dante — who was usually expressionless — slightly narrowed his eyes, revealing a hint of interest.

It wasn’t fear like the others felt toward the [Young Orin] phantom, but rather a strange excitement.

Wasn’t an overly invincible life also a form of boring suffering?

Being able to indirectly clash with his father in his youth was something worth celebrating for Dante.

For the first time before everyone, he used a Haki-based attack method.

The pink-haired figure slowly extended his fist and gently clenched it.

Vast Haki poured from his body like an endless ocean, surging and flowing before instantly compressing and condensing, wrapping tightly around his fist.

"Try surviving this punch, green-haired swordsman~"

"If you can do that, you might finally deserve to be called an overlord of the seas."

Hearing this, Law’s expression turned ugly.

What domineering and arrogant words!!!

Simply surviving this single punch was considered an honor???

But...

Feeling that terrifying aura and the confidence that seemed utterly natural, Law found himself unable to utter any rebuttal.

Tch...

A monster combining Orin’s traits with Big Mom’s monstrous nature—

Did defeating such a creature even have the slightest possibility?!!!

But Zoro, already locked onto his opponent, could no longer think about any of that.

"I’m not dying here!!!"

"Demonic Aura — Nine Sword Style —!!!"

As the phantom shifted, arms and heads manifested from his body, transforming him into a demon emerging from hell itself.

Blood poured from Zoro’s eyes, mouth, nose, and ears as he bore the crushing power and charged toward Dante.

Facing this terrifying strike, Dante responded with nothing but a punch — he didn’t even use the More-More Fruit.

Because the power carried by that blade was merely Young Orin’s Haki, lacking both spatial power and the Azure Dragon’s strength.

A world-shaking scene unfolded.

"BOOM—!!!!"

The collision of Conqueror’s Haki exploded across the rooftop of Onigashima, forcibly slicing off the last remaining skull horn.

Heaven and earth changed color as the shockwave erupted beneath the dome. Even Seagull King had to activate his ability just to stabilize himself.

Meanwhile, the Den Den Mushi on Seagull King’s body revealed a satisfied smile.

"How exaggerated..."

Two existences that had reached king-level combat power were engaging in the most primitive form of collision and slaughter.

With [Nine Sword Style · Asura King] activated, Zoro’s eyes were completely dyed crimson. His head rang violently, and his body felt as if it were about to fall apart.

What is this monstrous strength...?!!!

He even felt like he was fighting Zunesha itself.

"Not bad..."

Although Dante hadn’t used his Devil Fruit ability, facing triple-stacked Conqueror’s Haki still required him to become serious.

After all, that was the power of that monster father of his.

Even with the Linlin’s body talent neutralizing most slashing force and Armament Haki, the thick Conqueror’s Haki infusion still broke through his defenses.

Though recovery was rapid, several drops of blood still splattered outward.

"Reaching this level... is already enough."

Dante rarely felt pain and had even sustained a minor injury.

Looking at the swordsman opposite him — now like a demon, already at his limit — a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

He walked directly toward Zoro’s ultimate attack.

Zoro maintained the Nine Sword Style stance, blood flowing like streams, still refusing to fall.

"[Demonic Aura · Nine Sword Style——]"

He rushed toward Dante with the resolve to die.

"[Asura King · Sword Draw——]"

Dante slightly clenched his fist. Empowered by overwhelming Haki, it shone with extreme black-and-red brilliance.

Like a cross-shaped blazing sun, it radiated atop his fist.

At that moment, Dante looked like a god descending upon the world as he spoke calmly:

"Serious Punch"

The Asura King from hell and the punch symbolizing absolute invincibility collided.

For an instant, blinding light erupted, brilliant enough to scorch the eyes.

Even heavyweights like Kaido and Big Mom were blasted backward by the aftershock, forced to use their abilities just to stabilize themselves.

Law, who had just relocated the weakened Luffy, gritted his teeth and stared toward the center of the explosion.

"Zoro-ya!!!"

Facing such a monster... no matter how you looked at it, it was far too reckless...

Bullet trembled with excitement from head to toe, clearly sensing the vast gap between himself and these inhuman monsters.

All eyes turned toward the center of the battlefield.

So then...

Who won???