Chapter 183: Are You Kidding Me?!
Chapter 183: Are You Kidding Me?!
"That guy..."
Crocodile nearby furrowed his brows, feeling Kuro strangely familiar. He looked exactly like the Navy officer who'd sliced him down in Arabasta. But there was a difference—the man from back then wielded a white blade, while this one used Zoro.
And the way he'd drawn his sword earlier... While ordinary people couldn't see it, Crocodile had caught the motion clearly. It was a Black Blade. The other two swords were short, broad swords too—not quite like that man's style.
"When did the Navy pick up another expert?!" Crocodile muttered darkly.
Buggy swallowed hard, staring at Kuro's retreating back. If he hadn't been a Devil Fruit user, that single slash would've taken his life.
"This is... this is..."
Buggy's head bobbed in the air while his body scrambled backward across the ground, tears streaking down his face.
Too terrifying!
"Buggy Captain!"
"Could he be...?"
The pirates watched Buggy with shock, suddenly bursting into admiration. "Even though he's our enemy, he's shedding tears for our fallen comrades! Officer Buggy truly is a man of sentiment and honor!"
"I'll follow Officer Buggy for life!"
"Long live Officer Buggy!"
"Why does everything get twisted like this?!" Mr.3 groaned beside them.
"Li... Little Frank?!" Von Clay stared numbly at Frank's headless corpse. "How could you... Why did you have to die first? We promised to be lifelong friends!"
He'd never been meant to escape Impel Down. But thanks to Frank, he'd survived. That debt of gratitude had weighed heavily on him ever since.
Though he couldn't serve Frank directly, he'd been ready to sacrifice himself here on the battlefield for their friendship—because that was what friends did, regardless of duty.
But now, Frank was gone first!
"You bastard!!!"
Von Clay charged wildly at Kuro, his foot jutting forward like a spear aimed at Kuro's head.
Bang!
Klah appeared suddenly, his arm slamming into Von Clay's throat before hurling him backward.
"He's not someone you can touch", Klah said coolly, withdrawing his arm.
"Enough. Get back. This fight's beyond your reach now."
Kuro glanced over his shoulder, adding.
Klah had no intention of lingering. Navy forces were already pulling back from the plaza, and staying here risked getting turned into Swiss cheese.
The Navy retreated rapidly, regrouping at the plaza while some pirates still chased after them.
Shoo!
Lucius Kro extended a finger, shooting a thin wisp of laser that sent the charging pirates flying.
"Can't let you lot interfere. That'd complicate things", he chuckled.
The Three Admirals had already returned to their seats.
Akainu nodded slightly at the sight of headless corpses on the ice.
Kuzan tilted his head skyward, scratching his head. "Hmm, did things really go that smoothly?"
"Ah, this was the safest strategy. If it hadn't worked, we'd have no other options", Lucius Kro replied.
"Hey, the Navy's all pulling back to the plaza! This is our chance!"
"Charge the plaza! Rescue Ace!"
"There's only one Navy left! Take him down!"
Pirates surged forward in a frenzy.
Bang!
Behind Whitebeard, where the fleeing path had been blocked by warships, Sengoku smashed a pirate aside with his axe, his eyes fixed on Kuro ahead.
"Big Brother Kuro's started his move. I've never actually seen his abilities before, but Gramps always said they were incredible. Well, we can't lose here either! Pacifista, step up the assault and drive the pirates back!"
Dozens of Pacifista units behind him sprang into action, intensifying their attacks on the pirates.
"Floating brat..."
Whitebeard glared at Kuro hiding behind Oz's massive body, his lips curling into a grin. "Trying to take us all on alone? A bit arrogant, aren't you?"
Kuro stood biting his cigar, watching pirates charge toward him, slowly exhaling a stream of smoke.
Drip.
A raindrop splashed onto a pirate below.
The droplet was large, thick as two fingers, striking his body with a heavy thud.
The pirate extended his hand, catching more droplets as they fell, puzzled. "It's raining?"
Another pirate cheered, "Rain's great! The heavens are helping us!"
This was sure to become a downpour. Once the heavy rain came, the Navy's muskets and cannons would become useless.
In close combat alone, their pressure would ease considerably.
The pirates cheered while the unaware Navy officers grew pale. Rain would definitely weaken their combat effectiveness.
"Come to think of it..."
Garp sat on the execution platform, gazing skyward. "Didn't something like this happen last time? I always thought it was a coincidence."
Sengoku watched Kuro and murmured, "This is the Navy's fortune. We won't need to suffer many casualties now."
"Floating brat..."
Whitebeard's eyes narrowed as the rain began falling.
The rain came fast, quickly turning into a torrential downpour.
Among the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Gecko Moria cackled wildly. "Bad luck, meeting such terrible weather!"
Dracule Mihawk narrowed his eyes. "Looks like we're in for a bitter struggle."
Boa Hancock sat atop her serpent mount, glaring disdainfully at the hated figure ahead.
Daring to attack Luffy? Heaven's punishment was well-deserved.
"Hehehehe! So it's raining, huh? Even with his power, how far can he push it?!" Donquixote Doflamingo laughed in surprise.
According to intelligence, he'd defeated Shanks and gained his ability.
But under this weather, how much could that power truly do?
Rain alone couldn't neutralize Devil Fruit powers—only immersion in water could. But some exceptions always existed.
"Damn this rain!"
Crocodile's body dripped with water, his expression darkening. Getting wet forced him into solid form, stripping away his elementalization ability.
"And this rain smells like seawater... Is there an ocean floating above us?!"
Crocodile scowled, tilting his head upward. But the instant he did, his mouth fell open in shock, cold sweat streaming down his face.
"Are you kidding me?!"
The rain had fallen only on the ice—nowhere else. Not a single droplet touched the outside area. Compared to the surrounding dry ground, the bay area was deluged under a sky dark as night.
Rain simply didn't fall like this. Even in the Grand Line, not even the New World had such unnatural patterns.
Unless...
"Hey, can Devil Fruit users even do this?!"
Even the usually composed Donquixote Doflamingo stared skyward, shocked and drenched in cold sweat.
The other Seven Warlords of the Sea either shrank back or stared wide-eyed in disbelief.
Doflamingo had imagined many scenarios—Kuro raining down countless weapons in a bombing barrage, or unleashing cannonball volleys. But nothing prepared him for this scale!
"The sea... Seawater is falling from the sky!!!"
Both pirates and Navy alike gawked upward, shocked beyond words. The sky darkened like an approaching storm, plunging the ice battlefield into near darkness.
A massive Grand Line domain surged overhead, occasionally revealing glimpses of sea beasts swimming within the water.
The sea!
An entire ocean was falling from the heavens!
(End of Chapter)
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