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Chapter 199: What the Heck Is That?
Chapter 199: What the Heck Is That?
As Smoker wrestled with whether the Navy could fuse, his gaze snapped to the twisted, towering white monster charging like a swirling white whirlwind toward the Navy soldiers engaged in battle with the pirates. With one sweep of this thing, pirates collapsed in heaps, bloodied and broken.
The sheer speed of the entity relieved pressure on the Navy forces.
On the battlefield, the previously stalemate combat dynamics under that monstrous form began shifting.
"That thing—" Ben Beckman muttered, glancing toward it mid-fight with Lucius Kro, his expression hardening. "We can’t let it run wild."
"Oh? Still keeping an eye on other directions while fighting me, Ben Beckman", Lucius Kro sneered, spotting an opening. His leg blazed with light as he executed a flying kick.
The strike sent Beckman staggering, a muffled grunt escaping him. He swung his rifle’s stock like a club toward Lucius Kro, but the moment the weapon grazed his opponent’s side, Lucius Kro dissolved into radiant light, vanishing behind Beckman.
Bang!
In that instant, Beckman twisted the rifle, aiming its barrel at Lucius Kro’s still-forming silhouette and firing. A bullet hurtled toward him.
The luminous figure disintegrated under the impact, staggering as it retook shape—now with a faint scratch across Lucius Kro’s cheek.
"Close call", Beckman remarked, exhaling smoke.
"Scary indeed", Lucius Kro laughed, crossing his arms as he reappeared mid-air. "Yata Mirror Beads!"
A barrage of laser beams rained down from above, bombarding the battlefield’s rear where the pirates were stationed.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions erupted in the pirates’ midst, sending bodies flying.
"You won’t get off that easily!" Beckman barked, unloading another round. The bullets forced Lucius Kro to twist his body mid-air.
"Think that’s enough, Beckman?" Lucius Kro taunted, resuming his assault.
Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!
Beckman fired four measured shots. "The battlefield isn’t built around just one or two people."
Whoosh!
A blond swordsman suddenly lunged behind Lucius Kro, gripping his hilt and swinging downward. Lucius Kro flinched—only to realize his escape routes had been sealed by Beckman’s previous three shots. The final bullet aimed squarely at his elementalization’s weak point. There was no dodging.
"Reckless move, Lucius Kro", Beckman remarked calmly.
"Oh? Scary indeed", Lucius Kro pouted, though his smirk betrayed no fear.
As the blond swordsman’s katana descended, another figure materialized behind him. His eyes narrowed; he reversed his blade’s arc, cleaving backward. Through the motion, he glimpsed a flash of black energy slicing toward him.
Clang!
Black blade met black blade, the force driving both combatants earthward with a thunderous crash, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Meanwhile, Lucius Kro let the bullet pierce his skull, only to regenerate with a grin. "True. Battles aren’t won by one or two people."
"That man is—"
Beckman exhaled smoke. "Trouble."
The navy officer was no joke.
As smoke and dust cleared, the blond swordsman’s blade clashed with Kuro’s Black Blade—the latter returned from his dash. Kuro spat smoke, gripping Autumn Water tightly. "Slash Wave!"
Golden slashes erupted from the Black Blade, colliding with the swordsman’s attack.
The blond swordsman leapt back, sidestepping the strike. He sheathed his longsword in one fluid motion, then drew it in a flash. "Another Iaijutsu?"
Kuro flinched, retreating as the blade flash grazed his cheek, severing strands of hair. The swordsman’s blade hovered above him before cleaving downward.
"Poison Snake!" Kuro thrust his hand backward, triggering a surge from the ground. Stone waves erupted, pinning the longsword while jagged spears lunged forward.
Bang!
The swordsman cleaved through the rock, shattering the spears with a whirlwind slash.
"You’re not bad!" he grinned at Kuro.
"Again with the damn Iaijutsu…" Kuro muttered, sizing up the swordsman. The man’s tied-back hair and scarred face hinted at Wano Country’s samurai, a top-ranking officer of the Red Hair Pirate Crew.
That sword…
"A greatsword Iaijutsu? First time seeing that", Kuro noted. The weapon’s length didn’t slow its speed.
"Keep him busy. The tide will shift", Beckman advised.
"I know."
The swordsman gripped his greatsword, eyes blazing with battle-lust.
Ben Beckman… Among the Four Emperors, few could match the status of ‘Emperor’s Vice’—the second-in-command, second only to the Emperor. Whitebeard’s Marco epitomized this role. Kaido’s subordinate, Kuro, and Big Mom’s second son Katakuri also fit. But Shanks’ crew was different.
The Red Hair Pirate Crew thrived on balance—each officer a world-famous pirate with a sky-high bounty. Ben Beckman, the silver-haired tactician, stood as both ‘Emperor’s Vice’ and ‘Vice Emperor.’ His strength rivaled Emperors, his intellect evident.
He hadn’t fired first. He’d waited, letting the swordsman’s movements seal Lucius Kro’s escape routes before targeting his elementalization. If Kuro hadn’t arrived, Gramps would’ve faced choosing between blade and bullet.
Now that’s strategic genius!
Compare him to that idiot Klah…
Where’s his famed equal intelligence? Couldn’t even devise an escape plan during the Summit War, yet forced Kuro to level up.
Boom!
Cannons roared around Kuro. Surveying the chaotic battlefield, he grimaced. The tide had shifted—Whitebeard Pirates and Red Hair Pirate Crew now clashed with the Navy in a stalemate.
But stalemate meant heavy Navy losses.
Kuro’s fingers traced his blade. "Mind stepping aside?"
"Not a chance", the swordsman grinned. "I’d love to test your swordsmanship."
"You pirates seeking balance? Think you’re Ionian swordsmen?" Kuro scoffed, channeling golden lightning. The Black Blade shimmered, enveloped in radiant energy.
The skies darkened, muffled thunder rumbling.
The swordsman stiffened, instinctively glancing upward.
"Don’t let him charge!" Beckman barked, aiming at Kuro. A laser beam forced him to deflect. He scowled at Lucius Kro. "Focus, old man!"
"Oh? Sour face", Lucius Kro chuckled, wagging a finger. "Shinmeiryu Style!"
Kuro whispered, channeling energy to his blade’s tip. The Black Blade flared gold.
"Final Mystic Art!"
A sudden heat surged beside him. In a flash, a broad white figure engulfed the swordsman mid-strike, swallowing him whole. In seconds, multiple wounds bloomed—gunshots and blade cuts.
The swordsman knelt, bloodied. Before he could retaliate, the white figure vanished, retreating swiftly.
Kuro seized the opening, unleashing Haki as he cleaved Autumn Water from shoulder to waist. The swordsman collapsed, blood spraying.
Kuro turned, eyeing the white figure mowing through pirates. "What the heck is that?"
"Hey everyone! I’m the Qianyu summoned by you all—time for Qianyu’s drinking act!"
"Listen to the sound of me drinking:
Gulugulu-gulu-gulu-gulu-gulu-gulu!"
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
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