Chapter 195: As Long as I'm Worthless, No One Can Use Me
Chapter 195: As Long as I’m Worthless, No One Can Use Me
Kuro floated in the air, gazing at the corpse of Whitebeard, momentarily silent.
Another legendary figure of the Grand Line had vanished.
"Blackbeard's Laugh is finally dead."
Marshall D. Teach stood before Whitebeard, chuckling dryly with a distant stare, clearly lost in his own thoughts.
Suddenly, his eyes sharpened. Tilting his head upward, he grinned at Whitebeard's lifeless face.
A group of men quickly draped a black cloth over the fallen pirate.
As Marshall D. Teach prepared to step inside, a sudden gust of wind roared from behind.
"Lion·Thousand Cutting Valleys!"
A barrage of slashes rained down, bombarding Blackbeard's direction.
In an instant, Shiryu dashed forward. [Raikō] transformed into Cold Gleam, deflecting the onslaught. The ground erupted in a dense cloud of smoke and dust. When it cleared, the entire crew stood unscathed.
"Blackbeard's Laugh", Shiryu spat, "I knew you'd be trouble."
Marshall D. Teach grinned at Kuro. "But with so many comrades, breaking through won't be easy. Why not just float up there and enjoy the show?"
"If you leave me alone, I’ve got no interest in fighting you." Kuro hovered above, saying, "I’d already cooled off, but since you insist on pushing, I guess I have no choice."
Truthfully, Kuro had zero interest in Marshall D. Teach. Whatever the man schemed, it was all part of the New World’s endless pirate infighting. With the Dark-Dark Devil Fruit’s power, he’d eventually claim the Devil Fruit he desired anyway.
Trying to stop him here would be pointless. If Blackbeard could bide his time for years to obtain the Dark-Dark Fruit, enduring longer to acquire another powerful Devil Fruit was no issue. Even if someone else ate it first, Blackbeard’s abilities made him seem invincible.
Kuro saw this clearly. So, whatever Marshall D. Teach planned, Kuro didn’t care. If his memory served, a certain "Face" Devil Fruit user would arrive soon, and all Kuro needed to do was take it easy until then.
Let them fight amongst themselves. Promotion?
Promotion for what? Killing a few people?
Jozu and the others might’ve been severely wounded, but the captains had remarkable vitality. They wouldn’t die so easily.
As for the crewmen, even with Marco’s healing, most wouldn’t survive. But their deaths would come later, during their escape. Kuro was perfectly safe.
True, Whitebeard had attacked him earlier, but now that the old man was dead, what was the point of holding a grudge? Besides, even alive, Kuro couldn’t have beaten him.
Look at the smart ones—Kuzan and Gramps were lazily fighting pirates on the battlefield, having a great time.
Meanwhile, Sakazuki was probably still digging underground somewhere.
But Kuro? His role as a frontline fighter wasn’t just about personality—it was also a deliberate choice to climb no higher.
Kuro was different. He had no desire to rise. If anything, he wanted to descend.
If the top brass avoided fighting, why should someone like him, a mere pawn, work so hard?
He’d done what was needed. His strength was already known to the higher-ups, so hiding it served no purpose.
But the less effort he showed, the more "worthless" he seemed.
As long as I’m worthless, no one can use me!
His plan was perfect—until someone interrupted him. Naturally, he was furious.
Rainbow Shiryu’s swordsmanship matched Kuro’s, but with Shinmeiryu Style, Shiryu had a slight edge.
Van Augur’s supersonic bullets and Haki made him a nuisance.
That Dire Wolf larger than Oz himself? Just its physical strength alone was terrifying.
Facing three at once would’ve taken time to defeat. Without his abilities, he might’ve suffered.
Was Kuro the kind to let others attack him without retaliation?
"You spent years hiding under Whitebeard to achieve your goal", Kuro called down. "Why not wait a little longer?"
He slashed his palm forward, unleashing a massive golden arc that hurtled downward.
Shiryu prepared to intercept—but the slash didn’t target Marshall D. Teach. Instead, it struck the ground beside Whitebeard’s corpse, carving a deep groove.
Marshall D. Teach laughed. "Blackbeard's Laugh, you missed! Bad aim?"
Kuro raised his palm, "While we’re here bickering, aren’t you supposed to put on a show? Maybe I’ll perform first."
Boom!
A thunderous noise erupted behind him.
Marshall D. Teach’s pupils constricted. Sweat dripped from his brow as he spun around.
Whitebeard’s body soared into the air, the black cloth falling away as his corpse was ripped from the earth.
"You bastard!" Marshall D. Teach stared at Kuro, who smirked from above. Did he know the true power of the Dark-Dark Fruit?!
Suddenly, Lafitte sprouted wings, slicing through the air toward Whitebeard’s rising corpse. His cane-sword flashed, severing the ground beneath Whitebeard. The shattered earth plummeted, carrying the corpse downward.
"Lion's Might·Needle Roll Jizo!"
But in the next moment, Kuro clenched his fist. Stone fragments around Lafitte reassembled into sharp spears, piercing toward the still-recovering Lafitte.
His ability remained in its first stage—but he’d grown. The treasures from his [Treasure Vault], once carved into lion heads to bombard Kaido, now easily formed stone spikes.
If he hadn’t used his last stockpile against Kaido, this wouldn’t be so taxing.
Even the final remnants of sea water had been used for the Encirclement Wall Plan earlier.
Hiss!
The spikes tore through Lafitte, drawing blood. He clutched his chest, flapping his wings to evade the trap.
"Unforgivable!!"
Marshall D. Teach roared, sprinting toward Whitebeard’s falling body. As his hand reached out, Kuro’s five fingers snapped open. The ground beneath Blackbeard split, forming a stone platform that lifted Whitebeard’s corpse skyward.
"Try dealing with the irritation yourself", Kuro chuckled.
"Dark Water!"
Marshall D. Teach’s hand turned to darkness, swallowing the space toward Kuro.
Kuro prepared to encase Blackbeard in stone—but a sudden pull yanked him forward. The Dark-Dark Fruit’s power sucked him toward Teach.
"You’re after Devil Fruit users, huh?" Kuro gripped Autumn Water, smirking. "Before Devil Fruits, I mastered swordsmanship!"
"Shit!"
Shiryu’s eyes widened. He realized Kuro’s intent—but Marshall D. Teach hovered too high to reach.
Bang!
Van Augur fired his rifle, but two short swords blocked the shot. Observation Haki’s full release blazed in Kuro’s eyes—hitting him would take time.
"We won’t let you!"
Lafitte flapped his wings, charging at Kuro—but the stone spikes reformed into a wall, halting him.
Kuro activated Acceleration. His body shot forward like a bolt, slicing through the sky in a straight line. As Lafitte broke through the wall, Kuro reached Marshall D. Teach. In one swift motion, Autumn Water flashed—a black arc erupted.
"Crescent Moon Slash!"
Hiss!!
Blood sprayed from the sky. Marshall D. Teach crashed down, slamming into the ground.
"Dammit, that hurts!"
Clutching his chest, he writhed in pain. As he rolled onto the black cloth, his trembling body vanished beneath it.
Kuro glanced down. "You dodged? I aimed for your neck. Your Haki’s gotten better, Teach."
The cloth stilled. Then Marshall D. Teach tore it open, gasping for breath, sweat drenching his face. His expression twisted with fear.
Another golden slash descended.
Bang!
Shiryu cleaved it apart, exhaling smoke from his cigar. "Did he make it?"
Marshall D. Teach’s eyes burned with hatred at Kuro above.
(End of Chapter)
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