Chapter 138: Elderly Pool Calculation Group
Chapter 138: Elderly Pool Calculation Group
Zanpakuto?
What an unusual name.
Lida had never heard of it before, but if Kuro said it existed, then it must be real.
To possess a 'Zanpakuto' meant possessing a woman?
Lida grew wary.
She silently committed the name to memory. If she ever encountered anything called 'Zanpakuto' in the future, she'd send it straight to the bottom of the sea where Kuro would never see it.
And that blade too!
Lida stared at Autumn Water hanging at Kuro's waist. This Black Blade was dangerous too. Who knew if it might also be a 'Zanpakuto'? Better keep a close watch on that one.
...
Klah had barely activated Shave, transforming into a wisp afterimage as he pursued his target, when Silvers Rayleigh drew his Longsword and casually slashed sideways.
Klah felt his hairs stand on end. Twisting his body sideways, he crossed his Cat's Claws in front of him to block.
Bang!
His body rocketed backward, sliding across the ground for some distance before finally stopping.
"Tch."
Klah glared darkly at Silvers Rayleigh. "Even a Legend among pirates stoops to bullying juniors?"
"There are already enough pursuers. I can't let you interfere too."
Silvers Rayleigh glanced over, then added, "Besides, pirates naturally value freedom. And judging by that look in your eyes, weren't you once a pirate yourself?"
Kuro expressed surprise. "You could actually tell that? No wonder they call you an old pirate."
At this moment, Silvers Rayleigh noticed Kuro and Lida standing behind.
One glance was enough to make Silvers Rayleigh's face darken as a cold sweat dripped from his temple.
"This time, I might really have to risk my life."
Just as Kuro had instantly recognized Silvers Rayleigh as an old Monster.
Silvers Rayleigh had also detected that this young man concealed an extremely profound power.
A genuine Monster-level threat!
Before meeting this person, Silvers Rayleigh had believed Luffy, Eustass Kid, and Law represented the cream of the new generation.
Of these, he had placed his highest hopes on Luffy.
But now, after seeing Kuro, his opinions had changed.
He had felt quietly pleased when spotting those three in the slave trader's shop, thinking the new generation of pirates had finally surpassed the Navy in natural talent.
But this young man stood in an entirely different realm—a crushing dominance that utterly overwhelmed the so-called 'Worst Generation'.
Though Luffy possessed excellent talent, he still had a long way to go before catching up.
Where in the Grand Line had such a Monster emerged!
"Oh~ Can't let them escape either."
At that moment, Lucius Kro clapped his hands together, summoning a glowing light. "Yata Mirror."
The glowing orb emitted a wisp of light that reflected off a nearby tree before shooting straight toward Luffy.
Lucius Kro's body transformed into yellow light, following the refracted beam to move toward his target.
Pfft!
Suddenly, Silvers Rayleigh swung his sword, dispersing the light Lucius Kro had manifested and forcing him to reveal his true position.
Lucius Kro staggered, stopping in place with surprise. "That was close. Haki."
A thin cut now marked his cheek.
"It's been a while since I last used a sword. Seems I've gotten a bit rusty." Silvers Rayleigh gripped his sword with both hands, his body tensing.
"Don't make me laugh. Totsuka Sword."
Lucius Kro brushed his hand across his cheek, wiping away the tiny blood trail. Then with his right hand clenched into a fist, he pulled a Light Sword from his left arm and swung it at Silvers Rayleigh.
Bang!
The Light Sword collided with the Longsword.
The two aging powerhouses exchanged blow after blow, clearly enjoying their deadly duel.
As straightforward as this seemed, Kuro understood there was more to it.
An old pirate who had long since retired wanted to capture him? That would require thorough preparation and acceptance of potential casualties.
If they really fought seriously, the Shabondy Archipelago would certainly be destroyed.
And against such Monsters, besides Kaido - that one-minded brute who charged headfirst into everything - who could easily be caught?
Even if two Admirals showed up, couldn't this Monster just run away if outmatched?
Once such a Monster escaped, getting a little revenge on the Navy wouldn't be difficult.
Especially at this critical moment, no one wanted to provoke trouble.
Even during his time at Headquarters, Kuro occasionally heard rumors about 'Pluton' Silvers Rayleigh's antics on the Shabondy Islands.
The upper echelons definitely knew about him long ago. They simply chose not to act because it wasn't worth the effort. After all, he wasn't causing trouble anymore, and Roger had been dead for over twenty years - no one even knew where his ashes were scattered.
Silvers Rayleigh's thoughts ran along similar lines. As someone who had withdrawn from the world, he had no intention of provoking Marine Headquarters. But he couldn't allow Lucius Kro to harm Luffy either.
Since neither side wanted to escalate, they might as well just stay here solving problems together.
"Lida, let me test you with a question."
Kuro smacked his lips, grabbing Lida's backpack and pulling out a bag of potato chips before sitting down.
"Hey, those are my snacks!"
Lida snatched back her little backpack, hugging it protectively like a mother hen while glaring suspiciously at Kuro.
"You're not eating my snacks! Not even if you offered me a wife in exchange!"
"What nonsense are you spouting?"
Kuro rolled his eyes. "Listen carefully. There's an empty swimming pool. Filling it completely with a water pipe takes fifteen hours, but draining it takes twenty hours. Now here's the question:"
"The swimming pool administrator, bored after simultaneously filling and draining the pool for seven hours, throws in another iron pipe that can fill the pool in thirteen hours. But he threw it too hard, creating a hole in the pool that would drain all the water in forty hours. Now the swimming pool administrator gets curious - how long will it take to fill the swimming pool?"
"?"
A large question mark floated above Lida's head. "Are you speaking human language?"
"How is it not human language? It's just a question about how to drain water from a swimming pool!"
Kuro gestured toward the two elderly swordsmen still dueling, referring to them as swimming pool administrators.
Lida actually tried thinking through the problem, but the more she pondered, the more confused she became.
Eventually, her mind spinning from the complexity, she weakly asked, "I can't figure it out, it's too complicated. Kuro, what's the answer?"
"The answer?"
Kuro revealed a malicious smile. "The answer is to drown the swimming pool administrator in the pool itself. Why even think about it?"
Violence may not solve problems, but it can certainly solve the person posing the problem.
Though as for these two elderly swimming pool administrators before him, there probably wasn't anyone who could drown them anymore.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
Lucius Kro and Silvers Rayleigh continued their sword clashes. Every time they exchanged blows, Silvers Rayleigh would steal a glance toward Kuro.
Kuro found this rather perplexing.
"What's this old man looking at me for?"
He glanced down at himself - practically penniless, not even decent clothes. His hooded cloak served as an outer layer, making him look like Smoker.
"What? Does he want to invite me to join their Elderly Pool Calculation Group?"
Sorry, but I already have my own swimming pool.
As these two continued solving their problem, a new situation developed on the other side. Sengoku and PX-1 had caught up with Luffy's group, forming a tight encirclement.
Defeating one Pacifista was manageable for Luffy's crew.
But adding another unit on top of that, plus Sengoku himself, was clearly beyond their capabilities.
And just to make matters worse, another Pacifista now appeared behind them.
"Hey Kuro, that Pacifista is different. He's holding a book in his hand."
Lida tugged at Kuro's sleeve, pointing at the newly appeared Pacifista. "Do even cyborgs rely on decorations to tell them apart?"
Kuro glanced in that direction, dumping the last of the potato chip crumbs into his mouth as he chewed. "That's the real deal. A genuine Bartolomeo Bear."
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