https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-1363-Is-There-a-Possibility-This-Is-a-Misunderstanding-/13543119/
Chapter 1362: I'm Not Stupid, Really
Chapter 1362: I'm Not Stupid, Really
The Red-Skinned Elder had no time to dodge. He crossed his arms just in time to block the Wolf Knight’s devastating greatsword slash. The force sent him skidding backward, crashing through the gates of Pangu Palace in a shower of splinters. As the shattered doors collapsed, the two figures vanished into the darkness inside, disappearing from Kuro’s sight.
Kuro blinked rapidly, staring at the wreckage of the gate on the ground. He blinked again, then rubbed his eyes with both hands.
A gust of wind lifted the tips of his hair, smoothing his expression into eerie calm.
Almost stunned.
“Kuro, are you okay?”
Lida appeared out of nowhere, tilting their head at Kuro’s dazed state.
Kuro stood silent for a moment before suddenly pointing toward the icy, green-tinged battlefield. “Did you see that?”
“See what? Kuzan and Tatsumaki fighting?” Lida nodded.
“Right… why are they fighting?”
“I don’t know.”
“Exactly. Even I don’t know. How would you?”
Kuro inhaled deeply, picking up a shard of the broken gate. He squeezed it, muttering, “This thing’s so fragile. It’s supposed to be the World Government’s capital gate, right? Can’t be this weak. Right, Lida? Tell me—am I dreaming? Maybe I’m still back at Headquarters, fighting so hard I passed out.”
“Huh?” Lida tilted their head. “Are you tired, Kuro?”
Before Kuro could answer, Klah appeared behind him, calling softly, “Kuro, sir…”
Whoosh!
Without turning, Kuro flung the shard like a dagger. It sliced through Klah’s body, leaving a shallow wound that bled.
“Does it hurt?” Kuro asked.
Klah shook his head violently. “No, not at all!”
“See? Not a scratch! He said it doesn’t hurt, Lida!”
Kuro shouted, “Only dreams are painless! I’m dreaming, obviously! Just close my eyes and wake up!”
He shut his eyes tight, then opened them again.
Hmm. Maybe the posture was wrong.
He floated into the air, lying horizontally as if just waking up, even yawning for effect.
Still…
His ability wasn’t enough.
Waking from a dream required momentum, like holding in a bowel movement—build up pressure, then…
Kuro opened his eyes again, staring at the clear sky over Mariejois.
He floated down, landing with a deep breath.
“Kuro, who was that guy with David?” Lida asked.
“What David? No David here! You’re seeing things! That red-skinned guy isn’t one of the Five Elders either! The Grand Line’s full of red-skinned old men in armor swinging greatswords! This is all a dream! I’ll just close my eyes and go back! Ugh, why are you idiots in my dreams too!”
Kuro grumbled, squeezing his eyes shut again.
But as he did, footsteps echoed—many of them.
“Kuro, a bunch of Navy are rushing in!”
“Shut up! I’m not listening! Hallucinations! Navy? Those are clouds! All hallucinations! I’m dreaming!” Kuro kept his eyes shut, even turning away.
“This is real! It’s not a dream!!”
A thunderclap of a voice shattered Kuro’s resolve. He jolted upright, eyes snapping open. His mouth twisted, teeth clenched, bloodshot eyes widening as his face fell into a grotesque grimace.
There, amidst the Navy flooding Pangu Palace, stood Kas and Wilbur, staring directly at him.
“This is real, Kuro, sir!” Kas’s face flushed with excitement, fists clenched. “Your long-cherished wish is on the verge of coming true! Don’t worry—it’s not a dream! This is our effort!”
Kuro’s expression froze. He inhaled sharply, voice trembling with disbelief. “What effort?!”
He wasn’t stupid. Not at all.
No enemies in Mariejois—just David. The Navy didn’t hunt enemies; they stormed Pangu Palace in perfect unison. Too smoothly. Unnervingly.
Could it be… David wanted something different?
But different or not, what did Kas mean by “my long-cherished wish”?
What wish?
To retire peacefully?
Before Kuro could ask, Wilbur beamed. “The ultimate dream of world peace, Kuro, sir! Your lifelong wish—wasn’t it—”
Whoosh!
Kuro vanished in a flash, sprinting into Pangu Palace with the Navy tide, disappearing into the chaos.
“Kuro, sir!”
Wilbur turned, but Kuro was gone. Confused, he muttered, “Was he too excited?”
“Affirmative!” Kas nodded furiously. “Kuro, sir, said he was dreaming! Even he couldn’t believe it! What does that mean? It means we’ve finally helped him!!”
Tears streamed down his face. “Finally! Finally, we’ve helped Kuro, sir! All these years, I thought I’d never catch up to him, but now he thinks he’s dreaming! Our operation’s finally worked!”
“Is that true?!” Wilbur’s eyes widened. “Then we’re not holding him back anymore! We’re finally helping him!”
“Exactly, Wilbur! We’ll work harder from now on!”
“Oh!! Kas, this is incredible!”
Ignoring their electric excitement, Klah grimaced, a black line forming on his forehead.
This wasn’t right. Kuro’s expression had been… off.
Even now, with their goal achieved, Kuro looked worse—no joy, no relief.
Klah knew his superior well. Only one possibility remained:
They’d guessed wrong.
Kuro’s goal wasn’t this.
But looking at the Navy surging forward, Klah swallowed hard.
He might not survive telling Kuro the truth. But right now, speaking up would get him trampled into a corpse by these men, their bodies used as stepping stones.
No turning back.
The old man won’t listen!
The old man won’t listen!!
The old man won’t listen!!!
Inside Pangu Palace, Kuro sprinted wildly, limbs flailing, eyes bulging with bloodshot panic. His mouth hung open, spittle flying as he ran—a picture of pure, unfiltered terror.
He didn’t want to hear it. Those words.
Why did everything end up on his shoulders?!
“Kuro!”
A sudden gust—then a wispslash materialized, slicing toward him.
Kuro leaned back, dodging as the slash cleaved through a pillar behind him. With a crash, a bald elderly man in glasses wielding a gleaming blade appeared before him.
Around him, familiar faces gathered:
A curly-haired elder.
A tall, bearded elder.
An elder with a map on his head.
And the red-skinned, scarred elder.
The World Government’s highest rulers—the Five Elders—stood before him.
(End of Chapter)
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