https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-1153-The-Man-Who-Grew-Into-a-Feral-Beast/13541464/
Chapter 1154: Opportunity Seizing – We're Professionals
Chapter 1154: Opportunity Seizing – We’re Professionals
Inside the gates lay the interior of Castle Tower’s first-floor hall.
“Everyone, fortify positions! Seal all exits – don’t let a single pirate escape!”
The moment they stepped through the doors, Sazil barked orders, arranging the Navy into a single line around the entrance in a defensive formation.
The hall was littered with bodies, nearly covering the entire floor. Beasts Pirates’ crewmen lay mixed with Wano Country’s samurai – some dead, blood pooling across the ground, others unconscious, sprawled motionless.
Kuro glanced at them and clicked his tongue. “Can’t sense anything now, huh?”
Even his Observation Haki had gone silent. In fact, the closer they got to Castle Tower, the more chaotic the auras became. Conqueror’s Haki and combat auras intertwined, blending into one another, leaving Kuro blind to everything.
“Quite impressive. All these people lying here – they’ll catch a chill, you know. Uncle’s worried,” Moer teased casually.
“Cut the crap, Moer. Focus,” Kuro shot back before turning to Klah.
Hearing his name, Klah stepped forward without hesitation. He crouched down, using his fingers to scoop up some blood from the floor, then flicked his tongue to taste it.
“Hm.”
Closing his eyes, he seemed to recall something. After a pause, he said slowly, “First, there was slaughter. Then Conqueror’s Haki erupted – not sure which floor it came from – but those remaining were knocked unconscious by the shockwave.”
He opened his eyes again. “Kuro, there’s an odd aura mixed into the blood. It must’ve been picked up when someone passed by – but three living people were here. One’s particularly notable: very cold, very strong. Had a distinctly wolf-like presence. Details beyond that are unclear.”
This wasn’t their own blood – just residual traces hidden within the blood. Klah, whose Devil Fruit abilities had been refined to near perfection, detected it with his tongue. Even so, it felt strange.
Kuro had researched the Beasts Pirates thoroughly, especially with former ‘Sword’ member X Drake involved. He knew their intelligence well.
Kaido was a dragon – an Azure Dragon. Under his command were the First Tier: the Triad Calamities.
Years ago, ‘Disaster of Drought’ Jack the Disaster, a mammoth, had been killed by Kuro during the transfer of Donquixote Doflamingo. The others were ‘Plague’ Quinn, a brachiosaur, and ‘Scorching Disaster’ King, a pterosaur.
Then there were the ‘Six Crimson Stars’ – Fuza Fu’s Zoan-type Devil Fruit: Ancient Puma Form. Black Maria’s Zoan-type Devil Fruit: Ancient Gray Wolf Spider Form. Sasaki’s Zoan-type Devil Fruit: Ancient Triceratops Form. The siblings Komei and Perospero’s Zoan-type Devil Fruits were both Ancient breeds – Komei’s Pachycephalosaurus and Perospero’s Spinosaurus.
But everything below that tier wasn’t worth considering. None of the other ‘True Combatants’ had auras as strong as the residual one in this blood. Yet none of them were wolves.
“A wolf, huh?”
Kuro glanced upward. Castle Tower was massive – the height between floors was staggering. But faintly, he could hear movement from above.
He scanned the surroundings. The structure was large but mostly stable. Looking through the exposed gaps, he spotted steel reinforcements. This wasn’t just an ancient building – it wouldn’t be easy to destroy.
That meant anyone here had two choices: smash through the fortified walls and risk a deadly fall from great heights, or find a way out. Given the building’s vast size and maze-like corridors, finding an outer wall would be time-consuming. Most would likely try the main entrance.
“Moer, hold the exit.”
Moer pulled out a delicate stone bullet glowing faintly with white light and handed it to Sazil. “Roadmark. Sprinkle it when you get there.”
“Got it, big brother Moer,” Sazil nodded.
“All Commanders and above, follow me,” Kuro continued.
He had brought three thousand elite troops – every single one at least a Headquarters Ensign, with around fifty Navy Commanders among them. These were no small fry – each was a capable fighter.
With Moer staying behind – whose power rivaled Lida’s and even surpassed it slightly – and his Roadmark Devil Fruit ability to summon reinforcements quickly, the main entrance was more than secure.
The first floor held nothing interesting – just small fry. But climbing upward, Kuro saw something unusual.
“What is this?”
Lida kicked a strange figure on the ground. The creature’s stomach bore a dangling tongue, fused with a monkey’s torso.
Kuro glanced at the body. “Artificial Devil Fruit Recipients – Smile Devil Fruit experiments. But do these things even have combat power? Feels more like a burden.”
These weren’t true Devil Fruits – no proper transformation capabilities. Worse, they feared the Grand Line’s energy and Seastone. Compared to actual Devil Fruit users, they were just failed hybrids of animal genes and human flesh. Useless.
Kuro led his men toward the second floor, climbing long staircases until reaching the entrance. The corridor ahead was a mess.
The walls bore massive holes, charred with residual energy. Several bodies lay on the ground, but two stood out.
One had wounds across his jaw and neck, long purple hair split down the middle – half shaved, the other half combed sideways under a white-and-green horned hat.
The other was a long-legged woman with sky-blue and pink hair, wearing a light pink floral mask. Her ears bore horn decorations, but her body was coated in the same blackened energy.
Klah let out a soft ‘hmm’ and crouched beside them. Confirming their identities, he turned back. “Kuro, it’s ‘Six Crimson Stars’ – Komei and Perospero.”
“Oh? These two – interesting. Let’s see.” Kuro pulled a cigar from his coat, lighting it between his teeth.
Klah nodded, scraping some blood from Perospero’s body. After a moment, he said, “It’s Big Mom’s aura, Kuro.”
Kuro’s eyes immediately shifted to the massive hole in the corridor wall. The hole was deep, twisting forward with an unclear path.
“Continue.” Kuro exhaled smoke.
“There’s a lot of aura traces. One came from a strange creature – dog-like, but not sure what. Very weak. Above, there are three people – one young girl, one adult woman, and a male. Finally… Eustass Kid and Law’s auras.”
Klah paused. “According to our intelligence, Big Mom, Law, and Eustass Kid must’ve clashed here. This one was knocked out by a punch from Big Mom. Sazil – throw a Roadmark so Moer can move them.”
They were here to observe the battlefield, but if the opportunity arose, they’d seize it. With Moer’s Roadmark ability, capturing enemies wouldn’t be difficult. Kuro hadn’t even raised his ship’s sails – it was anchored nearby. For Moer, the distance was manageable. Once the captured pirates were Seastone Handcuffed, bound in iron chains, and escorted back to the ship, it would be simple.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
