"En Garde!"

  As soon as those words were uttered, the goofily dressed man charged directly towards Zoro. Unsuspecting of the man's speed, Zoro had just enough time to avoid his thrust by leaning backward until he was staring at the ceiling.

  Pin Joker's thin blade soared above him, with the man himself flying past him. Zoro quickly regained his stance, turning to glare at the cocky man.

  "You're pretty fast," Zoro commented, seemingly unworried about his opponent's speed. After facing Sham and his technique, Pin Joker wasn't anything special. He was simply taken off guard for a moment.

  "For your sake, I hope you can keep up," Pin Joker replied before sprinting at the man again. This time, Zoro was expecting his speed and easily countered. As Pin Joker went to try and skewer him again, Zoro swung one of his blades and knocked it away, using his second one to slice him in half.

  But Pin Joker used the momentum of Zoro's attack to spin himself around and dodge his attack by ducking under it before launching one of his own, swinging his rapier in an upwards arc.

  Zoro cursed as he moved his head back to avoid the blow. Jumping backwards, Zoro replayed the brief exchange in his mind. The man was good, much better than the last so-called swordsman he faced. His blade was thin, fast and meant for thrusting, and Pin Joker himself was no slouch in the speed department.

  But more than that was his footwork. Safe to safe it was impeccable. The way he moved was elegant and graceful with little to no wasted energy. While his own style certainly held some focus towards maneuvering around his opponent and the battlefield, it wasn't in the same vein as what he was witnessing right now.

  "Interesting…" Zoro mumbled, watching as his opponent took a stance once more. His sword was raised above his head and the tip of the blade was directed right at Zoro. It looked like he intended to skewer him..

  "Heh, bring it on," Zoro challenged, holding up his swords in a defensive stance, ready to intercept and counter whatever Pin Joker threw at him.

  "You may come to regret those words! Pin Lightning!" yelled the clown dressed man, ruching towards the green haired swordsman once again. He was quite a bit faster this time and Zoro had an excited gleam in his eyes.

  This is why he joined Luffy in the first place. To face the best swordsmen the world had to offer and conquer each and every one of them on his climb to the top. And for the first time, he had a proper challenge.

  Pin Joker's blade flashed out, intending to impale the man before him. Time seemed to slow for a second as Zoro brought the sword in his right hand down to parry the attack while turning his whole body, intending to slice into him with his left.

  But once more, Pin Joker used the momentum from the parry to twist his body as well. As Zoro's second blade raced towards him, he deflected the blade, putting in just as much effort as needed to parry the attack, and no more.

  But that wasn't where Pin Joker's attack ended. Rather than send Zoro's sword away with a violent swing, his sword seemingly twisted around Zoro's own like it was a snake as he ducked under it. His rapier rested on the back of Zoro's katana for a brief moment until the Royal Flush pirate almost casually placed his sword against the flesh of Zoro's chest and sliced into it.

  Grunting, Zoro placed his left hand on his chest, frowning at the blood coating his fingers. The wound itself wasn't deep and would do little to hinder him in the long run, but it was aggravating to know that goofy fool drew first blood.

  "Weren't expecting that were you, Roronoa Zoro? My sword style has been developed to counter that man's, which means it will counter yours as well, no matter how many swords you have," Pin Joker informed with a laugh.

  But rather than get upset by the man's words, Zoro only felt more excited. His face lit up in a grin as he turned to face his opponent once more.

  "Sounds good to me. That just means when I beat you, I'll have surpassed the old me," Zoro claimed, clenching the fist coated in his own blood tight. Now it was Pin Joker's turn to frown.

  "You don't seem to grasp the situation you're in. You have no chance of beating me. The only thing you'll surpass is the time it takes you to wind up in the grave."

  "If you think you can put me in the grave then go ahead and try," Zoro said, now charging at Pin Joker. His time on the defensive hadn't panned out as well as Zoro planned, so it was time to take the fight to him. Pin Joker smirked as Zoro's blade came down at him, easily parrying the attack and dancing out of the way.

  But Zoro didn't let up, loosing a furious series of blows against the other man. Pin Joker used his superior footwork to stay just ahead of Zoro, dodging or deflecting each of the attacks.

  Zoro then brought his swords to his sides, with the sword in his right hand pointing behind him on the left side, and the sword in his left pointing behind him on the right.

  "Two Sword Style: Severance!"

  Shouting the attack name, Zoro attempted to slice his opponent in two. But Pin Joker jumped over the attack, thrusting his blade at Zoro's face, who managed to deflect it with the sword in his mouth.

  Pin Joker landed behind him, swinging his blade in an arc at Zoro's neck. Having suspected the man would pull a stunt like that, Zoro ducked under the swing without even looking, turning his body and trying to cut off Pin Joker's legs with all three of his swords.

  Hard to dance around when your legs are nothing but nubs.

  But the crafty pirate did a backflip over the attack before lunging at the three sword user once more. Zoro twisted to the side bringing his sword down but Pin Joker surprised him by using the pommel of his sword to hit the flat of his own, sending it away from him while he ducked under. He swung his sword up and managed to land a small cut on Zoro's forearm.

  Zoro growled and once more launched a furious assault on the smirking man. Pin Joker dodged beneath one of his attacks before aiming a stab at Zoro's shoulder, managing to pierce into him. Zoro brought a sword down with all his strength, with Pin Joker ripping his sword out of Zoro's shoulder and rolling out of the way.

  The blade stopped a foot from the ground, the force of the swing causing the floor to crack.

  "You do have impressive strength, but you lack finesse. Brute force will only get you so far you know," Pin Joker teased, feeling rather confident about the way the fight was going.

  "Keep your advice to yourself," Zoro replied, rushing the man once again. Pin Joker laughed as he sprinted away with Zoro giving chase. It didn't take long for him to catch up, and they began another exchange of blows while they continued to run next to each other.

  "You know, he put on a much better showing than you. I could barely follow the movements of his blade but yours are so easy to read," Pin Joker mocked as he maneuvered around the oncoming steel. Even while sprinting in a straight line he managed to keep up his footwork.

  "Do you ever shut up?" Zoro growled. The two continued to run, before they noticed they were heading straight for the glass cylinder in the middle of the room. But rather than stop, the two continued their fight as they ran straight up it.

  This worked to Zoro's advantage, as the man he was fighting would no longer be able to use his acrobatics to avoid his attacks. Case and point, Zoro aimed a thrust right at his legs, forcing Pin Joker to leap away from the surface.

  But Zoro didn't intend to give him any room to breathe. Leaping right after him, he brought all three of his swords to one side, the aura of a tiger forming around him.

  "Three Sword Style: Tiger Drop!"

  The moment Pin Joker landed on the ground, he was forced to dodge as a raging tiger struck the ground after him. The loud roar of the feline deafened him for a second as dust and debris exploded into the air. He couldn't see the other green haired swordsman, but Pin Joker knew he was in there. He could feel the bloodlust radiating from the smoke.

  "Three Sword Style…"

  Pin Joker's ears twitched as he heard the sound of Zoro's voice. As the cloud of dust thinned, he could see the man standing in a stance, with his arms criss-crossed over his chest and two of his swords pointing straight up.

  "Oni Giri!"

  Shouting the attack name, Zoro rocketed towards Pin Joker faster than he ever has. Pin Joker had no choice but to block the attack. Zoro's blades met his own and he could feel the strength behind the blow. It sent vibrations all through his sword and he struggled to keep hold of the blade.

  Pin Joker was sent flying across the battlefield, hitting the ground and tumbling across the floor before flipping onto his feet and skidding to a stop. He gave his hand, the one holding the sword a brief glance. It was still shaking and even felt a bit numb. Just how strong was he?

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  He looked away from his hand to glare at the other swordsman before his eyes widened in panic, diving to the side as several large chunks of rubble slammed into the spot he just vacated.

  Looking towards his opponent, he saw Zoro kicking several more hunks of debris into the air before using his blades like a baseball bat and sending them towards him. Pin Joker cursed as he started to run perpendicular to Zoro, the incoming rocks hitting the ground behind him.

  Once the volley ended, Pin Joker swiftly turned on his heel and charged towards Zoro. Seeing this, the three sword user sent several more chunks hurling at the man. But Pin Joker easily danced out of the way, deflecting the few rocks that got too close.

  As he neared his opponent once more, Pin Joker raised his sword up. "Pin Lightning!" he shouted, thrusting the sharpened steel in his hand towards Zoro once more, this time aiming straight for his heart.

  He barely had time to notice the smirk on Zoro's face as the shimmering silver in his hand tried to pierce into the man. But before he could, Zoro lifted up his own blades, each of them jabbed into a single massive stone slab.

  "What?" Pin Joker cried as he blade pierced into the rock instead of the soft flesh of Zoro's body. He tried to remove his sword immediately, only to find it was trapped.

  "You've got to be kidding meeee!" he shrieked, as Zoro leapt into the air, taking Pin Joker and the rock with him.

  "What do you think you're doing!?" Pin Joker cried as they reached the apex of their ascent. They had to be at least thirty feet in the air.

  "What's it look like?" Zoro responded, as they began their descent. After all, what goes up, must come down.

  As they fell, Zoro maneuvered his opponent so he was facing the ground as they fell, placing his feet on the floor's wreckage. That's when Pin Joker realized Zoro's plan. He looked back towards the ground racing towards him, panic in his eyes.

  "You bastard!" he yelled. His sword was still stuck in the stone and he couldn't move out of the way due to the force of their fall pressing him against the rock. All he could do was watch as the ground approached him like a freight train.

  Right before Pin Joker slammed into the floor Zoro leapt away from the point of impact, using the stone itself as a springboard. The other man's screams were silenced from the impact, something Zoro's ears appreciated at the very least, and he was covered in the rubble.

  As Zoro landed some distance away, he inspected his swords for damage. He could see small chips in them and parts of the edges were dull. He groaned, knowing that means he either needed new swords soon or a visit to a blacksmith. Maybe he could appropriate some necessary arms from these guys? Not like they'll be needing them anyway.

  He heard a sound coming from the pile of shattered stone and saw Pin Joker slowly rising from the rubble, freed sword in hand. He glared at Zoro with a bit of blood coming down his face.

  "Think you're clever, do you?" Pin Joker asked heatedly before his body was wracked with violent coughs.

  "More than you," Zoro responded easily, resting one of his swords on his shoulder. His response angered Pin Joker as he spit out a wad of blood.

  "Don't think this means you've won. Our duel is far from over. I've been toying with you until now, but I think it's time I get serious," he declared.

  "Be a nice change of pace," Zoro quipped as a massive explosion rocked the tower, something both of them barely acknowledged, too absorbed in their duel to care.

  "You won't think that when I'm done with you. Now prepare yourself for my ultimate attack!" Pin Joker yelled, adopting another thrusting stance. But instead of the sword being held above his head, it was held at his side. Zoro raised a curious eyebrow as the feeling of static electricity filled the air.

  "Interesting. Try not to disappoint me," Zoro said, adopting a stance of his own. As soon as he did, Pin Joker shot at him, like a bullet leaving the chamber. The increased speed did surprise Zoro a bit, but he still wasn't as fast as the cat weirdo.

  "Pin Lighting: 1,000 Needles!"

  Pin Joker thrust his sword out again, but instead of only a single jab, it was an endless barrage. One sword appeared to morph into ten as they all came at Zoro at once. But much to Pin Joker's surprise, Zoro was easily keeping up with his attack. This technique allowed him to attack roughly 10 times a second, so how was he able to keep up?

  Hell, Zoro even had a bored look on his face as he did so. Dancing and maneuvering around his blade with the grace of a leaf in the wind. His blades almost casually flashing out to parry what he couldn't dodge.

  "How!? How are you doing this!?" Pin Joker screeched, even as he tried to increase the speed of his attack. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't wipe the bored look from Zoro's face.

  After about a minute and a half of this, Pin Joker finally ended his attack. His breathing was labored as he tried to suck in as much oxygen as he could. He glared at Zoro, who was nonchalantly waiting for him to recover, as if Pin Joker wasn't even a threat.

  "Tell me… How did you… Avoid my attack…" Pin Joker managed to get out.

  "It's nothing special. Any real swordsman would be able to do the same. All I did was observe the way you moved and incorporated it into my own style," Zoro said, sounding as bored as he looked.

  "What? That's not possible. There's no way you were able to copy my style in 5 minutes," Pin Joker exclaimed, taking a fearful step away from the other swordsman. Zoro raised an eyebrow at him but a smirk made its way onto his face.

  "Oh yeah? How about I show you then?" he said, taking two of his swords and returning them to their scabbards. He then took his remaining sword and adopted the same exact ready stance as Pin Joker.

  It wasn't perfect, but it was damn close.

  "How? What kind of monster are you?" Pin Joker asked.

  "The kind who will become the greatest swordsman in the world. Now are we going to fight, or are you going to give up?" Zoro challenged. Pin Joker let out a scream of rage before he charged at Zoro once more, his anger making up for some of his exhaustion.

  As his blade shot towards Zoro, he blocked the attack, spinning his body 360 degrees and placing his blade on the chest of Pin Joker, right in the exact same spot he cut Zoro earlier.

  "Gah!" Pin Joker shouted, clutching his bleeding wound in pain. He fumbled backwards, sending Zoro a hate filled glare, one he returned with a cocky smirk, giving Pin Joker a "come here" gesture.

  Growling, he did just that, lunging at Zoro and swinging his blade ferociously. But Zoro moved like a mirror, mimicking Pin Joker's every move. If he stepped to the left, Zoro followed. If he tried to cut him, Zoro met him halfway, deflecting the blow with ease.

  This went on for nearly a minute, with the two of them dancing around each other like they were taking part in a ballet. But Pin Joker eventually became overly frustrated by his lack of success, sending out a sloppy thrust.

  Zoro met his blade and twisted his wrist in a circle, sending Pin Joker's sword flying from his hand. The next thing he knew, Zoro held his blade at his throat. While the edge had dulled somewhat, it was still sharp enough to easily slice open his jugular.

  Pin Joker gulped, his fearful eyes meeting Zoro's blank ones. After a few tense seconds where Pin Joker felt sure he was about to die, regardless of the information he held, Zoro took his sword off of his neck.

  Pin Joker let out a sigh of relief, almost collapsing onto the floor. His hand went to his neck, where he could still feel the phantom chill of the cold hard steel. He watched as Zoro walked over to his rapier, bending down to pick it up. He held it for a moment, inspecting it, before he threw it at Pin Joker's feet, confusing the man.

  "Wha-"

  "Pick it up," Zoro interrupted. Pin Joker gave him a disbelieving look, but Zoro returned it with a serious one. Gulping, Pin Joker did as he was ordered, bending down to pick up the blade. Once it was back in his hand, he took his stance, which Zoro mirrored.

  They engaged in another round of exchanges, with Zoro being able to move even more like Pin Joker than the first time. Hell, he looked like he had been training in his style for years. It was utterly maddening and humiliating.

  It wasn't long before Zoro managed to knock his sword from his hand once again. Zoro watched it land with a sigh. Was that it? Was that all he had to offer? And to think, he had been excited for a moment, but Pin Joker turned out to be far less of a challenge than he thought.

  "Damn, and I was just getting warmed up too," he grumbled. He turned his attention towards the other man, levelling him with a glare.

  "Alright, as we agreed. Tell me everything you know about the man with a white sword," he demanded, sheathing his third and final blade, no longer feeling threatened by his opponent.

  Seeing this, Pin Joker felt the adrenaline leave his body, collapsing onto his ass in exhaustion.

  "Fine. He said his name was Aoki. He had dark blue hair and a scar on his chin. Last I heard, he had taken in with a Warlord. Not sure which one though. That's all I know," he said.

  "That's it?" Zoro asked, anger in his tone. That wasn't nearly all that he wanted to know, but it was better than nothing. And judging by the description, it was definitely him. Kuina gave him that scar during one of the duels in class.

  Seeing his defeated opponent give a nod, Zoro let out an irritated sigh, "Tsk, fine. What do you mean by Warlord?" he asked, making Pin Joker give him a look of disbelief.

  "How do you not know who the Seven Warlords are?" he asked. Zoro only gave him another glare, fingering the tsuba of one of his katanas. Pin Joker got the point and began explaining.

  "The Seven Warlords are pirates approved of by the government. So long as they work for the Marines, their past crimes are ignored," Pin Joker said. Hearing this Zoro rubbed his chin in thought.

  "That must mean they're pretty powerful, right?"

  "That's an understatement. The Seven Warlords are some of the most powerful pirates around. Only the Four Emperors are stronger," Pin Joker told him. Hearing this, Zoro got an excited gleam in his eye.

  "Interesting."

  Pin Joker looked at the man like he was crazy. Sure he wanted revenge on the guy for giving him his scar and that was the main reason he joined up with the Bear King in the first place, but the thought of taking them on was still incredibly daunting.

  However, with the Bear King's power, he could come to rival even the likes of the Warlords. And with his soon to be access to the Infinity Clock, there would be no one around who could stop him.

  "Well, that's all I wanted to know. See ya," Zoro said, walking away. Pin Joker looked at him with surprise once more.

  "You're just letting me go?" he asked.

  "You're too weak to bother with," Zoro called back. Hearing that made Pin Joker clench his fists in anger. Too weak? He was too weak to kill, is that it? So weak it wouldn't matter if he left him alive?

  "I'll show him who's weak!" he thought, looking at his sword. He quietly made his way over to it before picking it up. Leveling a hate filled gaze at Zoro, he took his stance once again.

  "Let's see you dodge it this time you condescending bastard! Pin Lightning!"

  With those thoughts, he charged at Zoro for the final time. As he aimed his sword right at the back of Zoro's head, the three sword users ducked.

  "Wrong move. One Sword Style…" Zoro said, grabbing hold of a single blade and turning to face his foolish opponent. Pin Joker gave him a frightened look as he gazed into Zoro's eyes. They promised nothing but pain and suffering.

  "Rising Falcon!"

  The only thing Pin Joker saw was a flash of silver as the attack was too fast for him to see. But the pain in his face was all too noticeable. He screamed as he clutched his face, blood running between his fingers like a flood.

  "You bastard! What did you do!?" he yelled. Zoro calmly re-sheathed his blade, giving the downed man a dispassionate look.

  "I just evened you out," he said. The cut he gave him crossed the one given by Aoki, making an X on the man's face. With that, Zoro once more turned around, leaving his wailing opponent to his agony.

  "Damn you! Damn you to hell, Roronoa Zoro! I'll make you pay for this! I swear it! Do you hear me!?"

  "I'm looking forward to it," Zoro replied without even looking back. With that, he made his way towards the stairs, intent to make sure the others hadn't gotten themselves killed.