BOOM—!!
A crushing wave of spiritual pressure exploded outward.
Grimmjow deliberately avoided Adrian—
but let the full weight of his killing intent crash directly onto Zoro.
The effect was immediate.
Zoro's eyes snapped open, shock flashing through them.
He couldn't even speak.
The pressure wasn't on his body—
it was on his very soul.
If he hadn't been tied to the execution rack, he would've been forced to his knees on the spot.
One second…
Two seconds…
Three seconds…
Each heartbeat felt like a mountain dropping onto him.
He could feel his consciousness slipping.
And then—
"Grimmjow, calm your anger. I'm not done speaking with him yet."
Adrian's voice cut cleanly through the suffocating pressure.
To him, Grimmjow's reaction was understandable—
even admirable.
No leader disliked a subordinate who fiercely defended his dignity.
So he didn't scold Grimmjow.
"Understood."
Grimmjow immediately withdrew his spiritual pressure.
Zoro gasped violently, as if resurfacing from drowning.
The invisible weight crushing him vanished instantly.
Just one second more—
and he felt he would've passed out.
Adrian stepped closer.
"Zoro, I have a question. Please cooperate."
Zoro raised his head slowly, still catching his breath.
He didn't know who this man was…
But someone who could command that monster so casually—
This one was the real leader.
And his strength… might be even more terrifying.
"What do you want to know?" Zoro asked hoarsely.
"I know your situation. So tell me—how long have you been tied here?"
Zoro stared.
Of all the questions…
He felt his brain hurt.
This absurdly powerful man had approached him—
just to ask how many days he'd been tied up??
He didn't want to answer.
But after several seconds of silence…
"…Fourteen days."
"Fourteen days, hm?"
Adrian's eyes brightened slightly.
"Looks like we're one week away from Luffy's arrival."
He silently calculated the timeline.
Luffy set out in May.
Shortly afterward, he came here.
According to canon, when Luffy found Zoro, the swordsman had already endured nearly twenty days tied to the rack.
Meaning—
Right now, the protagonist of the world was only a week away.
Adrian's smile grew.
This wasn't just any target.
This was Monkey D. Luffy.
Whether he kidnapped him to extort Garp…
or Dragon…
Either way, the evaluation score would be monumentally high.
"Your answer pleases me," Adrian said warmly.
Zoro assumed that meant the questioning was over.
He was wrong.
Very wrong.
Adrian smiled brighter than ever and announced:
"Then allow me to formally deliver some good news, Mr. Roronoa Zoro."
"You've been kidnapped."
Zoro's brain froze.
He had absolutely no idea how to react.
Grimmjow stepped forward at Adrian's command.
"Grimmjow, take him. We're leaving."
"As you command."
Grimmjow reached down and prepared to lift the entire execution rack—
When suddenly—
A sharp voice cut through the air:
"HEY! You two—what do you think you're doing?!"
…
◇ I'll be dropping one bonus chapters for every 10 reviews.
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on P@treon if you're interested:
patreon.com/MugiwaraTL