Boom!!!
An overwhelming aura surged like a raging tsunami.
At that very instant, three blazing arcs of sword light converged, fusing into a colossal slash that seemed capable of cleaving the heavens themselves, crashing straight down toward Aerodactyl.
Faintly, it was as if the roar of a dragon descended together with the slash.
At this moment, Lance was still affected by Zoro's Conqueror's Haki. Though he sensed that something was terribly wrong, his clouded mind made it impossible for him to issue the correct judgment or commands.
Lance could be considered one of the rare top-tier humans in the Pokémon world—recognized as the only Trainer acknowledged by the Dragon Elder, and also the strongest member of the League.
But no matter what, he was still just a human.
By contrast, Aerodactyl, which had also been struck by Conqueror's Haki, was far less affected.
Yet as it stared at the razor-sharp brilliance of the incoming slash, its mind couldn't help but freeze up as well.
Do something, Trainer!?What am I supposed to do now!?
Accustomed to following Lance's commands, Aerodactyl roared inwardly—but the only response it received was Zoro's confident, victory-assured grin.
Left with no other choice, Aerodactyl steeled itself, pulled in its wings, and positioned them in front of its vulnerable body.
Protect!
A mysterious stream of light flashed across Aerodactyl's body.
The next moment, the terrifying slash slammed into it head-on, blasting it violently backward.
Aerodactyl clenched its teeth, pouring every ounce of Pokémon energy it had into defense.
In games, Protect can completely block a single attack. In reality, while it still retained its near-invincible effect, the amount of Pokémon energy consumed varied depending on the strength of the attack endured.
And just how strong was Zoro's all-out strike in his Pokémon-ized form?
Though he still couldn't quite match top-tier Marine Admirals like Akainu or Aokiji, the fact that he could defeat Shiryu—the former chief jailer of Impel Down—was more than enough proof that Zoro's strength had already reached the level of a top Yonko commander.
The only difference was that Zoro's Pokémon-ization had a time limit, while true top commanders maintained that level of power at all times.
Boom!!!
The blazing slash exploded violently, sending Aerodactyl's body flying.
The shockwave finally snapped Lance out of his daze.
"Aerodactyl!!!"
Watching the gray figure crash toward the wall like a meteor, he shouted anxiously.
But in the very next instant, another rapidly approaching figure with dragon wings flapping wildly reentered his field of vision.
"Not good!"
Lance's thoughts flashed, and he shouted immediately:
"Aerodactyl, use Endure!"
Although the earlier Protect had successfully blocked Zoro's attack without causing injury, it had continuously drained Aerodactyl's Pokémon energy, pushing it toward complete exhaustion.
Endure was far weaker and less sustainable than Protect. It merely allowed a Pokémon to survive a lethal blow with a sliver of HP remaining—preserving its ability to battle, leaving behind a faint chance of survival.
Under normal circumstances, Trainers only resorted to this move when they were truly cornered.
Clearly, Aerodactyl—just sent flying by that slash—was exactly in such a desperate state.
Crackle!
Blazing lightning erupted around Zoro.
His figure instantly caught up to Aerodactyl, and another lightning-charged, ferocious slash came crashing down.
The blade tore through the air with a piercing howl, aimed straight at Aerodactyl's vital point.
Zoro hadn't forgotten Red's lesson…
Electric-type attacks deal double damage to Flying-types!
A sharp arc of light flashed across the sky like winter frost, cutting through Aerodactyl in an instant.
Not only did it deal massive damage, but it also left behind unbridled lightning coursing through Aerodactyl's body.
"RAAAH!!!"
Aerodactyl let out a miserable scream of agony.
Fortunately, it had followed Lance's command and used Endure, preventing it from being outright defeated by that blow.
And just as Zoro drew back his blades, momentarily turning his back—
A spark of inspiration suddenly flashed through Lance's eyes.
"Now—use Take Down!!!"
A Normal-type move: Take Down.
It involved charging the opponent with overwhelming force, dealing damage at the cost of some recoil to the user.
But thanks to Aerodactyl's Battle Armor, Take Down wouldn't cause it any recoil damage at all. On the contrary, the raw physical strength and speed generated by the move would unleash a terrifying offensive burst.
This was Aerodactyl's signature trump card!
At this moment, Lance wasn't expecting Aerodactyl—barely hanging on—to defeat Zoro.
All he needed was to land a surprise hit, to create a better opening for what came next. That alone would be a perfect execution of the plan.
However, what Lance could never have imagined was this—
Aside from Pokémon moves and swordsmanship, Zoro also possessed an ability considered standard in another world—
Observation Haki!
A sneak attack?
Impossible.
As Take Down activated, Aerodactyl transformed into a blazing meteor, charging straight at Zoro.
But the next scene caused both Lance and Aerodactyl's expressions to change instantly.
Clang!!!
A crisp metallic impact echoed through the battlefield, like a heavy hammer slamming brutally into Lance's heart.
Zoro swung the dragon's tail coated in Armament Haki, smashing it squarely into the charging Aerodactyl.
A pale azure glow burst forth from the gaps in the hardened armor.
Dragon-type move · Dragon Tail!
A simple yet brutal attack—striking the enemy with a tail sweep, with a high chance of knocking them away.
With a base power of only 60, Dragon Tail wasn't particularly strong.
But it gave Zoro a reliable countermeasure against rear attacks.
The attempted time-difference ambush with Take Down was effortlessly neutralized.
And while Dragon Tail wasn't powerful, it still dealt damage.
At this point, Aerodactyl's HP bar had already bottomed out.
Boom!!!
Its body was sent crashing into the ground even faster than before, producing a heavy, dull thud.
"Aerodactyl…"
Lance froze, clearly not expecting his second Pokémon to be defeated so easily by Zoro.
For a moment, a complex mix of shock and admiration flickered in his gaze as he looked at Zoro and Red.
"You did very well. It's me—the Trainer—who failed to perform at my best."
Taking a deep breath, Lance recalled Aerodactyl, which had lost the ability to battle, softly reassuring it as the Poké Ball flashed.
Without wasting words, he immediately released his third Pokémon.
A level 64 Gyarados…An Alolan Exeggutor…And Charizard…
Three Pokémon appeared in succession—each stronger than Aerodactyl.
And as the battle progressed, Lance's understanding of Zoro deepened, his commands becoming increasingly targeted.
Aside from Gyarados—also four-times weak to Electric-type attacks—the Alolan Exeggutor and Charizard both caused Zoro significant trouble.
More importantly…
Under the relentless gauntlet of consecutive battles, Zoro's stamina was being rapidly drained.
And his one true weakness in this fight was gradually being exposed.
…
…
"Zoro, can you still go on?!"
Boom!
Charizard collapsed unconscious, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Red stepped forward immediately, looking at Zoro—his body scorched, breathing heavily—and asked with concern.
The previous Alolan Exeggutor, with its Grass/Dragon typing and flexible Psychic-type moves, had already consumed a great deal of Zoro's strength.
And Charizard…
Lance had gone full real-man tactics.
A pure, head-on clash.
Though Zoro ultimately emerged victorious, those two Pokémon had successfully drained much of his stamina.
Next, he would have to face Lance's true trump card in this state—
A pseudo-legendary worthy of the title Strongest Lifeform · Dragon Clan—
Dragonite!
"Hah…"
On the other side, Zoro answered Red without hesitation.
Even before his breathing fully settled, he nodded firmly.
"No problem. I can still hold on."
"And one more thing, Red…"
Zoro suddenly turned his head, glancing behind him with a faint, knowing smirk.
"That perverted cook only entered that state after using Facade, right?"
"Huh?" Red paused, then his eyes lit up as realization struck. He smiled just like Zoro and nodded.
"That's right. Sanji only managed to activate Pokémon-ization after entering Facade state."
"Heh~"
Zoro let out a mischievous grin.
"I knew it. No way that perverted cook could catch up that fast."
"If that's the case, then it makes sense."
"As expected—there's no way he can ever catch up to me!"
As he spoke, Zoro suddenly pulled out a syringe.
While items were forbidden during Pokémon deployment, this syringe—brought in from outside the Pokémon world—was not subject to that rule.
"Gah!"
Without hesitation, Zoro coated the syringe in Armament Haki and stabbed it straight into his heart, protected by dragon scales.
As the medicine was injected, he let out a low, muffled roar. His body began to glow red-hot, as if ignited from within.
Only then did Red remember—
Up until now, Zoro still hadn't revealed his strongest form.
Though Facade was a shortcut that accelerated energy and stamina consumption to produce greater combat power…
There was no denying it—
This seemingly ordinary Pokémon move had elevated many of the Straw Hats.
It was like a special manual, allowing Luffy and the others to glimpse the future ahead of time—and reach it faster.
The toxin specially prepared by Chopper rapidly spread through Zoro's body.
He activated Facade.
In an instant, Zoro's dragon-scaled body swelled dramatically.
A low, hoarse roar escaped his throat—like a beast that had locked onto its prey.
His posture began to hunch.
Seeing this, both Red and Lance—who had just taken out a Poké Ball—were completely drawn in, their gazes locked onto Zoro.
Under their watchful eyes, dark green scales surged across Zoro's body. His face and form grew increasingly inhuman.
In the blink of an eye, Zoro—once only a half-dragon—transformed into a true colossal dragon!
And most critically—
The three famous blades in his hands and mouth suddenly erupted with a white glow reminiscent of evolution light, faintly shimmering.
"This is…?"
Curious, Red immediately activated Aura to scan Zoro.
But what he expected to see didn't appear.
As the evolution-like light faded, Zoro had completely abandoned his human form—now standing as a bipedal Western dragon.
Dark green armored scales.Powerful, muscular legs.Massive dragon wings, more than twice the span of his body.
And from his forearm claws extended two massive swords—whether grown from his body or mounted externally, it was impossible to tell.
At the base of each blade was a semicircular grip, tightly clasped by Zoro's dragon claws.
Though called "giant swords," they were only slightly larger than ordinary blades.
In Zoro's hands, they fit perfectly—no bigger, no smaller.
Just like his usual state.
In his right claw was a blue blade transformed from the Thunder Blade · Narukami, crackling with serpent-like lightning, continuously drawing energy from Zoro, ready to strike.
In his left claw was the Sandai Kitetsu, etched with deep blood-red patterns, exuding dense black-and-crimson killing intent—eerily ominous.
As for the Wado Ichimonji, inherited from his dear friend, it now radiated holy brilliance—jutting out from either side of Zoro's mouth like fangs, forming a slanted "V".
"This is… an Ancient Dragon + WarGreymon + Haxorus fusion form!?"
Red's face lit up with shock and excitement.
Through Aura, he could clearly feel just how powerful Zoro was right now.
And most importantly—
This still wasn't Zoro's final form!
Using Aura, Red sensed that Zoro had only infused Steel-type energy into his three blades, evolving his familiar weapons along with his body—unlike Sanji, who had undergone full dual-attribute evolution.
Which meant—
One day in the future, Zoro could become even stronger on top of this form!
"Well done…"
"Three-Sword Dragon · Zoro!"
(End of Chapter)