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Chapter 1139: When Did You Learn Dracule Mihawk's Swordsmanship!
Chapter 1139: When Did You Learn Dracule Mihawk's Swordsmanship!
Boom!
A visible crimson air current erupted from Kuro's body like a storm as he gripped the hilt, surging outward in all directions.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
This Killing Intent felt nearly tangible, making the surface of the sea tremble with its pressure.
The figures on the small boat froze in shock. The tallest among them—a man wearing sunglasses, with silver-gray hair and a Red Dragon tattoo on his right neck—instinctively crossed his arms to block the blood-colored air current, his expression darkening.
Killing Intent!
Extremely heavy Killing Intent!
Ben Beckman swallowed hard, muttering in disbelief, "Hey, this is getting ridiculous. Even during his last fight against Dracule Mihawk, his Killing Intent wasn’t this oppressive!"
Red-Haired Shanks replied gravely, "He’s serious this time."
After raging for a while, the crimson air current suddenly vanished—no, it had condensed back into Kuro’s body.
Kuro tightened his grip on the hilt, smirking faintly, "The stage for our duel is ready. Now—"
Swoosh!
With a light flick, he unsheathed the golden wrapping around the blade, revealing a crystal-clear white sword edge.
"Unleash your might, Yokai Blade!"
The long blade gleamed, reflecting the sky and earth itself. As the blade fully emerged, everyone seemed to hear ghostly howls—like the vengeful cries of the dead, sending shivers down their spines.
Witnessing this, Red-Haired Shanks’ voice deepened, "Here it comes."
Whoosh!
No sooner had he spoken than Kuro vanished from the sky, leaving wisps of afterimages. As he flickered through the air, he extended his left hand, clenching five fingers: "Lion’s Might – Sea Whirl Hell!"
Whoosh!
The seawater around Red-Haired Shanks surged into a tsunami, the waves beneath the boat twisting into a massive vortex that threatened to swallow everything.
Ben Beckman snorted, gripping his rifle like a club, and swung downward with tremendous force.
A powerful Conqueror’s Haki erupted with the motion, smashing the vortex flat and calming the sea’s surface.
Meanwhile, the Red Hair Pirates’ officers sprang into action. They unleashed their strongest attacks toward the tsunami’s direction, creating a shockwave that punched a massive hole through the rising water. Helpless as a deflated balloon, the seawater rained back into the Grand Line.
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
Black specks reappeared in the sky, accompanied by falling raindrops—hundreds of weapons descending.
"Hmph!" Rakkyu bit into a bone-laden chunk of meat, tearing flesh from bone with his teeth. Instead of drawing his pistol, he clenched his fat fist and swung upward.
Boom!
The punch released a massive shockwave laced with Haki, forming a half-circle barrier. The shockwave rocketed skyward, shattering the incoming weapons into fragments that scattered like confetti across the Grand Line.
Throughout it all, Red-Haired Shanks hadn’t moved. Fixated on the battlefield, he suddenly raised Griffin, his blade crackling with crimson lightning infused with Conqueror’s Haki. With a single powerful slash, he struck.
The Yokai Blade’s icy edge appeared to intercept the rapier’s path, crashing together head-on.
Clang!!
The metallic resonance sent shockwaves rippling through the sea. The sky darkened by eight shades, stained with crimson, blending into a twilight-like dusk.
This moment felt like the setting sun, the horizon painted in crimson.
Kuro grinned malevolently at Red-Haired Shanks: "Not bad."
"You too. This terrifying Killing Intent—it’s grown stronger than even during the Top War", Red-Haired Shanks replied with a smile.
"Is that so? But you don’t seem to have improved. Hit a bottleneck?" Kuro taunted.
Clang!
As he finished speaking, Kuro shoved the rapier aside, sheathing the Yokai Blade in one fluid motion. His left hand hovered near the hilt, mimicking the scabbard’s opening.
Red-Haired Shanks’ pupils contracted. For a moment, he froze, unsure how to strike.
His Observation Haki sensed no trajectory—no way to predict Kuro’s next move!
From every angle—front, side, or above—Kuro’s blade felt imminent. With nothing but a tiny boat beneath him, there was no room to dodge.
Kuro’s lips curled. Watching Red-Haired Shanks’ brief hesitation, he unsheathed the Yokai Blade in an instant, slashing horizontally toward the pirate’s neck.
Red-Haired Shanks reacted sharply, yanking Griffin sideways to block the blade.
But the Yokai Blade hesitated mid-swing. As Red-Haired Shanks’ rapier moved to intercept, Kuro abruptly changed direction, cleaving downward at Shanks’ head.
"This technique…"
Red-Haired Shanks’ eyes widened in shock. The clear blade flash neared his forehead.
Bang!
Clang!
A spinning bullet struck the Yokai Blade, sending sparks flying and delaying its speed by a hair’s breadth. In that split second, Red-Haired Shanks retaliated—his rapier clashing against the blade, deflecting it before counterattacking Kuro.
Kuro launched backward, distancing himself from Red-Haired Shanks as he hovered above the sea. With another slash, he sent a black-gold Haki slash roaring forward: "Slash Wave!"
Whoosh!
As the slash flew, his figure flickered again, launching another slash from a different angle.
Whoosh!
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Slash after slash erupted from his afterimages, attacking Red-Haired Shanks from all directions.
"Now, this is trouble", Ben Beckman raised his rifle, aiming at an incoming slash. "Leave this to us, Captain!"
Bang!
His Haki-infused bullet shattered the Hakislash midair, sending shockwaves rippling outward.
The other officers followed suit—firing guns, throwing punches, swinging blades—each attack colliding with the Hakislashes. The sea churned violently, erupting into droplets that mingled with the summoned rain.
Kuro paused midair, glancing at Beckman. "Hmph. Not bad reflexes."
"Don’t get careless, Red-Haired Shanks", Ben Beckman warned, lifting his rifle. "This one’s no pushover."
"Ah, I know", Red-Haired Shanks acknowledged, looking up at Kuro. "Just surprised, that’s all. That attack pattern… That oppressive pressure… Kuro, when did you learn Dracule Mihawk’s swordsmanship?"
That aura of impending attack, the deliberate hesitation before striking—those were unmistakably Dracule Mihawk’s techniques!
He’d dueled alongside Mihawk for years, back when his arm was still intact. He knew that swordsmanship intimately.
No mistake. That oppressive pressure could belong to no one else.
"Heh. Who knows? Maybe it’s innate?" Kuro smirked smugly.
Dracule Mihawk’s "Kaiman-To (Cutlass Style)"—Kuro had mastered it during their last swordsmanship clash.
Kaiman-To focused on reading an enemy’s reaction, relying on that unbearable pressure of an attack that never came. Grasping this principle took only a single battle.
Not a difficult style to learn, but the pressure required immense Killing Intent—something Kuro possessed in abundance.
Yet it carried risks. Weaker swordsmen using Kaiman-To often got overwhelmed and killed instantly.
(End of Chapter)
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