https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-188-You-ve-Got-to-Be-Kidding-Me-/13536216/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-190-Autumn-Water-is-Only-Happy-in-My-Hands/13536218/
Chapter 189: Blades, Are They Truly So Inconvenient!
Chapter 189: Blades, Are They Truly So Inconvenient!
This was never supposed to happen. Originally, Kuro had planned to face Izou. Even if his blade got stuck, even if Jozu charged in, Lida would absorb the energy from Kuro's attacks, ensuring Jozu wouldn't be able to land a hit.
In short, Kuro would simply shift from clashing with Crocodile to clashing with Izou—a seamless transition from one layer of blissful slacking to another.
Double the joy should have meant double the happiness.
That was the plan!
Everything had been arranged by me first!
It was that sudden eruption of Conqueror's Haki that shattered everything.
In the mere moment he was stunned, Jozu executed a double takedown. If Kuro hadn't instinctively coated his face with Armament Haki, that devastating punch would have sent him flat on the ground.
His physical constitution was never his strong suit.
Even so, blood still splattered from his nose and mouth, his mind reeling from the blow.
Planting his feet firmly, Kuro's bloodshot eyes signaled his Observation Haki was fully activated.
The Armament Haki coating his face now spread across his body, thickening on his face like war paint. A cross-shaped mark formed between his brows, tear-like streaks darkened the skin beneath his eyes, and his entire form radiated a swirling aura of Armament Haki, forming a shimmering armor.
"Careful, he's angry!" Jozu warned, his tone grave.
Izou nodded solemnly.
Back in Kusnake Town on the New World, they'd witnessed Kuro's strength firsthand—they knew this opponent was no pushover.
"We'll help too."
Suddenly, a voice cut through from Izou's side as three captains closed in.
The 7th Division Captain Laffitte, Ninth Crew Captain Brunehilde, and Thirteenth Crew Captain Atmos now stood beside Izou.
Swinging his mace, Laffitte declared, "Let's finish him quickly!"
"Oh my, you're in trouble now, Kuro."
Kuzan deflected an attack from another captain, then turned to Kuro. "Need a hand?"
"Don't you dare, Kuzan! I'm in a terrible mood right now!" Kuro snarled through clenched teeth.
"Aww..."
Kuzan scratched his head, glanced at the captains and commanders surrounding him, then stepped aside. "Guess I'll leave him to you then."
On his side, there were still seven or eight commanders, plus Eleventh Crew Captain Jingurudo and Fifteenth Crew Captain Fossa. As Kuzan withdrew, their pressure eased dramatically. Unless absolutely necessary, they had no desire to fight an Admiral.
But dealing with Kuro? That was another matter. The captains had seen Kuro's threat level themselves—eliminating him first was a solid strategy. Naturally, the commanders followed their captains in surrounding Kuro.
On the battlefield, aside from these captains and commanders, few others could still stand after that wave of Conqueror's Haki.
But none of the pirates' numbers mattered to Kuro now.
He was furious.
"Captain Buggy, the Transponder Snail seems to be recovering!"
On another side of the battlefield, Buggy and his crew crouched in hiding. They had escaped the sea water aboard Whitebeard's ship, but the moment they set foot on land, Buggy had fled to a corner.
This terrifying battlefield wasn't somewhere he dared to charge into recklessly—it was a death trap.
Yet surrounded by these ruthless pirates, Buggy couldn't truly run either. Truthfully, Whitebeard's favor had inflated his ego a little.
"Perfect! Aim the Transponder Snail toward Whitebeard! Soon the world will witness Officer Buggy claiming Whitebeard's head!"
Several daggers slid between his fingers as he grinned cruelly.
As the Transponder Snail recovered from its sea water-induced sluggishness, it aligned toward Whitebeard and projected the image.
Across the world, blacked-out screens flickered to life, and anxious viewers finally saw the battlefield.
It was carnage—a blood-soaked slaughterhouse.
Focusing on Whitebeard's direction, the image clearly showed several captains and commanders surrounding Kuro.
*
Whoosh!
Laffitte struck first, his grotesque mace—shaped like a screaming face—whistling through the air as he attacked Kuro from the flank.
Kuro barely glanced his way, five fingers twitching upward as if pulling invisible strings. With a crushing grip, he roared, "Five Fingers!"
Boom!
The ground beneath Laffitte erupted, the solid earth transforming into a towering wave that crashed toward him.
"Laffitte!"
Several commanders charged, trying to shatter the stone wave.
Kuro's expression remained cold as he clenched his fist again. More stone waves surged around the commanders, encircling them from all directions.
"Burial—Poison Snake!"
The waves merged, swallowing Laffitte and the commanders. The stone twisted violently, reforming into a colossal pillar. The captured men's heads jutted grotesquely from the surface.
Bang!
Suddenly, a gap exploded open in the pillar. Laffitte burst out, mace spinning, and shattered the stone column with a single swing. The trapped commanders tumbled free.
"Such cheap tricks won't work on us!" Laffitte roared.
"Die!"
A furious shout rang out behind Kuro as Fossa materialized, blade slashing downward.
Kuro didn't even turn his head—his Observation Haki had already sensed it. A slight sidestep evaded the strike, and he retaliated with a spinning kick.
"Calm Step!"
A crescent slash erupted from his foot.
Fossa's eyes widened. He hastily raised his blade to intercept the attack.
In the same instant, Jingurudo appeared at Kuro's side, his iron-armored fist swinging forward.
From the other flank, Laffitte's mace came smashing down.
Brunehilde and Atmos joined the fray, weapons swinging.
After blocking Calm Step, Fossa immediately slashed again at the surrounded Kuro.
Five captains attacking at once—this was no easy onslaught to withstand!
Boom!
Smoke and dust billowed upward. Where Kuro stood, there was now only an empty crater.
Laffitte's head snapped upward. "He's in the air!"
Kuro hovered above them, gazing down coldly.
"That all?"
"Damn, flying complicates things!" Jingurudo muttered, flexing his hands grimly.
"Don't worry—he's weaponless!"
Izou stepped forward, clutching his blade in one hand and Autumn Water in the other. He pointed skyward. "Autumn Water is in my grasp! Without your sword, your strength is crippled!"
"Autumn Water may not agree."
Kuro flicked his fingers. The sword in Izou's grip writhed violently, struggling to escape.
Izou tightened his grip, suppressing the blade's tremors. "Wano Country's National Treasure belongs to Wano—not thieves like you!"
He knew Kuro could manipulate objects he touched, but as long as he held firm, the blade wouldn't abandon him.
Kuro's gaze didn't waver. His fingers moved again, and in the distance, the two short broadswords Sakujū and Kigō—knocked away earlier by Jozu—soared toward him.
Suddenly, Jozu lunged. His massive frame moved with unnatural speed, seizing the two blades mid-air.
"No chance you're wielding them again!" Jozu growled.
The captains exchanged smirks. For a swordsman, being disarmed was no small disadvantage.
"You really think..."
Kuro's eyes swept over them, voice darkening. "That you've made me even angrier?"
He stretched his hands wide. "But assuming I can't fight without a blade..."
Crash!
The ground erupted again, stone waves lifting into the air. The rocks contorted, compressing into a curved greatsword now gripped in Kuro's hand.
Vibrations hummed from the stone blade as Haki surged across its surface.
"Blades—are they truly so inconvenient!"
(End of Chapter)
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