Chapter 257: Who Do You Think You Are?! (6k words)

Chapter 257: Who Do You Think You Are?! (6k words)



"Retreat upward!"

As the iron ore melted, Lily commanded the Demon Clan to run towards the upper mine. As for herself...

"Moon Step!"

She pushed off the air, continuously creating smoke rings at this height of less than four meters. With a raise of her hand, she unleashed another Flying Bird, striking Kappa, who was half-crouching on the ground.

Bang!

The slashing attack sent out a shockwave that scraped the ground near Kappa, kicking up a cloud of dust.

However, within that cloud of dust, Kappa's sturdy figure slowly stood up. "Oh? You didn't run away in the face of my awakened power. I'm starting to like you more and more. Well, as a show of sincerity, I've decided to defeat you first before I capture those members of the Demon Clan."

He looked up at Lily, who was standing in the air, and said confidently, "You don't think that after awakening, I would just simply melt the iron around me, do you? The reason I'm considered to be on par with Akainu is..."

He abruptly raised his hand, and the molten iron on the ground suddenly converged, forming a stream of crimson liquid that shot upwards.

"...because I can control it!"

Facing the scorching stream of iron shooting towards her, Lily's pupils constricted, and she once again stepped on the air, using Moon Step to dart rapidly to the side, dodging the liquid iron. It crashed into the wall above, instantly turning it into a mess of holes.

This degree of heat couldn't melt the earth, but the iron ore within the wall was incorporated into the molten iron, making the stream even larger.

Just a graze from this stuff would be disastrous!

Lily's expression turned solemn. Haki defense was useless against this; it could defend against damage and impact, but it was absolutely impossible to defend against high temperatures. To a certain extent, it could be considered a natural element.

"Flying Bird!"

Lily brandished her sword, sending another slashing attack towards Kappa.

"A futile struggle."

Kappa didn't even bother to dodge. He let the attack land on him and then, with a slight lift of his hands, he shouted, "Iron Cascade Roll!"

More streams of molten iron rose from the ground, attacking Lily from all directions. No matter how she dodged, there was only so much space at this height, and as the streams increased in number, the space to evade decreased.

Just as Lily stepped out a smoke ring and dodged one of the attacking streams of iron, more of them blocked her path, and she was hit.

That guy...

Lily glanced down subconsciously and saw Kappa wearing a confident smile, with a noticeable strangeness in his eyes.

Although Observation Haki didn't have any obvious manifestations to outsiders, Lily knew... This guy also possessed Haki!

Did he use Observation Haki to sense her path?

"Flying Bird—Forest!"

Seeing that evasion was impossible, Lily shook her slender sword, creating a few sword flowers. The flying bird-shaped Flying Swallow slashing attack was like a flock of birds diving into a forest, slicing through the few attacking streams of iron in front of her. Amidst the splashing red-hot liquid, her body disappeared and instantly reappeared above Kappa.

"Flying Bird—Pounce!"

White lightning mixed with Armament Haki slashed past just below Kappa's shoulder, with the sword tip a hair's breadth away from his crimson body, creating a slashing attack like an eagle's claw. It heavily cut down.

Bang!

This attack caused Kappa to stagger slightly, and his body instantly bent. Lily's attack had landed, and she once again stepped on the air, creating a series of smoke rings as she returned to the high altitude.

"As I thought..."

She looked down at Kappa and revealed a knowing expression.

There was obviously a black mark on Kappa's shoulder.

Armament Haki!

"Amazing! Long-range Flying Swallow slashing attacks can't break through my iron body, but by using close-range swings, you maximize the power of your slashes and can even break through iron."

Kappa straightened his body and laughed, "Smart and calm, knowing what kind of techniques to use to achieve maximum damage. I like you more and more!"

"Who do you think you are?!" Lily retorted coldly, but she continued her Flying Swallow attacks on Kappa without losing her composure due to his words.

If she lost her cool, she would truly fall into his trap.

This guy seemed rough on the surface, but he was very wise in battle; he was a troublesome opponent.

However, Haki had its limits. Saggy was unique; this guy couldn't keep up with her speed. As long as she kept up the pressure and wore him down until his Haki ran out, that would be it!

"Do you think that as long as you wear me down, you can defeat me?"

As soon as this thought appeared in Lily's mind, Kappa slowly shook his head.

"Your speed is indeed very fast. Aside from my awakened techniques, I have no moves that can catch up to you. But you can't stay in the air for long with Moon Step, can you? As long as I land one hit, you'll lose your ability to stay airborne and fall into the molten iron below. Then, even your bones will melt."

"Moreover, your consumption must be greater than mine. With high-speed movement, precise timing for offense, and the need to block my attacks, your mental and physical energy are undoubtedly under tremendous strain. You can't afford to make any mistakes. Just one mistake will be your defeat, but as for me, I can afford to make countless mistakes!"

Kappa revealed a cruel smile. "But now, I don't have time to play cat and mouse with you."

He brought his hands together, and the streams of molten iron rose even higher, beginning to block the open space in front of them. The intervals between each stream of iron were so small that there was no way a person could squeeze through. No matter how fast Lily was, if she had no space to dodge, there was nothing she could do.

Lily gritted her teeth and subconsciously glanced toward the mine. At this distance, perhaps she could cut through and escape.

"Surrender to me, and I'll make you my vice-captain. Whatever your request is, I'll fulfill it after I defeat Saggy. This is your last chance!"

Szz!

Lily, who was jumping in the air, slashed with her sword, sending out a chaotic gust of wind that broke through the rock wall above. She then briefly stepped on the rock wall, spinning her body around.

Instead of breaking through to the mine, she sheathed her sword, White Thunder, and assumed a sword-drawing stance above the rock wall.

"Don't talk to me in that tone. Who do you think you are?!"

Lily's eyes blazed with scarlet, and the Haki on her hand seemed to flow through the sword hilt, continuously gathering within the sword sheath. She took a deep breath, her eyes fixed intently on Kappa.

Calm down. The more critical the situation, the calmer one must be.

No matter how much space she had left to maneuver, as long as there was that one instant, it would be enough.

I will find it.

"...Saggy, how can I accurately strike a Natural-type? I haven't fought one before, but I probably will in the future."

On the Death Harbinger, Lily asked Saggy after meditating on the history monument.

"Just use Haki!"

Saggy punched the history monument and said, "Observation Haki is superior to Natural-types, and Armament Haki is superior, too; then, you can beat them to a pulp!"

"But what if I'm equally matched or slightly inferior?"

"In that case, you shouldn't have any problems. Make use of your All-Encompassing Breath. In my opinion, if you master this technique, it will truly allow you to cut through anything. Don't be constrained by physical objects."

"Willpower is originally subjective; All-Encompassing Breath is also a subjective matter. You think about it, if everything can be cut, then what about intangible things? If something can be cut, then flowing or moving things shouldn't be a problem. If something tangible can be cut, then why not intangible things as well? There's no reason for it. Lily, I have high hopes for you. Master your All-Encompassing Breath, change your way of thinking, and remember, nothing in this world is without flaws. You also possess Conqueror's Haki; one day, you will be able to cut through flames, wind, rain, and lightning with your sword! That is the power of will!"

"...I can't do it."

Lily couldn't help but let out a bitter smile as she cast aside the memory that had been stirred up. "However, if there are no flaws, then I will create them! As a swordsman, I have no reason to retreat!"

Suspended in mid-air, Lily had already reached her limit. Now, she had to make a move!

If she fell here, it would mean that she was not good enough and didn't deserve to continue following Saggy!

Escape!

She felt that she had been a bit lax recently, and wondered if it was because Saggy was above. If she left this place, would Saggy help her solve her problems?

Such cowardly thoughts!

"Who do you think you are?!"

Zing!

A flash of black light suddenly appeared, like a bolt of black lightning, carrying Lily's body as it vanished within it. In the blink of an eye, she broke through the rising streams of molten iron and appeared before Kappa.

"A desperate gamble, huh?! Very well, let me melt your sword first. Rest assured, after you surrender, I'll buy you a new one!"

Kappa protected his body with Armament Haki.

If it weren't necessary, he wouldn't want to suffer too much damage. As long as he could block this woman's attack with his Haki, he would have a chance to grab her sword.

Without her sword, a swordsman is as good as defeated!

However, as he covered himself with Armament Haki, Lily hesitated for a moment, as if she had been electrically shocked, and subconsciously swung her sword upward, causing the Haki that had been coiling around the sword to leave the blade and explode outward.

"Flying Bird·Falcon!"

The black bird expanded to cover half of Kappa's body as the sword slashed through the air, soaring and screeching like a falcon's cry. The sword's buzz resembled the falcon's screech as it cut through.

A Haki-infused soaring slash!

This guy...

He could only harden his body and had no other Haki techniques!

Understanding the flow and wrapping it around herself, Lily unleashed her Haki outward, a swordsman's soaring slash infused with Haki.

This technique... She had just realized it.

Boom!

The black bird crashed into Kappa's upper body, colliding with the Haki that surrounded him, causing his Haki to erode while also leaving numerous wounds on his steel-like body. The all-encompassing Haki didn't have the same concentration and focus as the coiled Haki, generally covering his entire body, but it was basically evenly distributed, and as the gathered Haki was attacked, it began to weaken, causing his defense to gradually weaken until it finally broke.

"I can still block it! You lose!"

Kappa roared, reaching out to grab Lily's sword. If he could grab it, he would win!

"I see the flaw now."

However, just as his hand was about to touch White Thunder, a cold voice sounded beside his ear.

The sword, which had been like thunder, suddenly disappeared, and along with it, Lily, who had been in front of him, also vanished.

A hissing sound rang out, and before Kappa could even turn around, he felt his right arm go limp as it was severed from his shoulder, spraying blood everywhere.

With her back still turned to Kappa, Lily glanced at her slender sword, which remained intact, and said, "Also, you won't be able to destroy my sword before I kill you. My victory condition is that my sword remains undamaged. So, I win."

"Ahhhh!!!"

Kappa clutched his right arm and let out a miserable howl as he fell to the ground, rolling around. "My hand! My arm! It hurts so much! I'm in agony! My arm is gone! I'm incomplete!"

At this moment, he had lost all traces of his previous confident demeanor and looked like a defeated dog.

"So, you turn into a pathetic hound when faced with a desperate situation?" Lily turned her head and asked coldly, "Then, do you think you're qualified?"

Buzz!

The scarlet in her eyes materialized as her Conqueror's Haki overwhelmed Kappa, causing his eyes to roll back and lose consciousness.

In that brief moment of unconsciousness, the rising stream of molten iron lost its momentum and fell to the ground, turning into ordinary molten iron that slowly spread out.

Lily held her sword, intending to kill this man, but then she changed her mind and walked towards the room emitting the white light.

This guy might be useful; his abilities are quite interesting. What a waste it would be to let him die.

Hss!

Lily swung her sword and sliced open the door to the room. Without even looking inside, she raised her hand and slashed, cutting in half a lead bullet that was flying towards her. Then, she flashed towards the old man who had been shooting at her and, with a downward slash, cut off the hand holding the gun.

As the arm fell to the ground, a cannon emerged from the old man's wrist, intending to fire, but Lily's sword returned and sliced him in half.

"A Pacifista?"

She cut the mechanical-looking arm in half and examined the cut on the old man's waist, revealing intricate machinery similar to the Pacifista she had encountered on Shabondy.

"It's not a Pacifista! I'm a cyborg! A cyborg!"

Even though he had been sliced in half at the waist, the old man grit his teeth and roared, "It's not just Vegapunk's technology that's amazing. I have my own technology! It's not just Pacifistas that are perfect. Mine is perfect, too, because I don't need any other special technology. All I need is an ordinary human body and inexpensive metal!"

"Is that Mother Steel?"

Lily paid him no heed and instead focused her attention on the seemingly growing but unchanging steel inside the container.

There was no need for the old man to answer; it was clear that this was the most unusual thing in the room. Lily walked up to the container and raised her sword to cut it open.

"It's not ready yet! It's not complete! Don't cut it!"

The old man hurriedly shouted, "Just three more minutes! It needs three more minutes to complete the three-hundred-year cycle!"

Lily paused and sheathed her sword, White Thunder, without asking any questions. She simply stood there quietly, waiting.

"Hey, aren't you going to ask who I am?" the old man asked.

"I'm not interested," Lily replied blandly. "Saggy always says that other people's stories are theirs alone. We have our own path to follow, and listening to too many stories can turn one into a hot-blooded hero, though I don't know what that means. But somehow, I don't think it's a good thing."

"However, I do have three minutes to spare, and my intuition tells me you're not lying," she said calmly.

"My name is Isaac."

Isaac, former member of the MADS.

The MADS was an illegal organization led by Vegapunk and composed of the world's most promising scientists. It was also known as the 'Peace Institute.' While there were a few core members, there were also scientists like Isaac who seemed rather ordinary in comparison.

But that didn't mean he was truly ordinary; his brilliance was simply overshadowed by the geniuses around him.

As members of the Peace Institute, each scientist's research project was, in essence, intended to benefit humanity.

Isaac's research focused on using cybernetic enhancements to bring eternal happiness to humans.

The sea was too cruel.

Humans struggled daily for food and shelter.

However, by becoming cyborgs, they could be freed from these worries. They wouldn't need to worry about hunger or where to sleep; they would only need someone to provide them with energy periodically, and they could live comfortably.

This technology could be considered both a success and a failure.

The failure was that the so-called cyborgs were essentially robots, not much different from remote-controlled machines.

The success was that humans could indeed be successfully modified.

The first successful modification was on Isaac himself. He retained his brain and intelligence, modifying only parts of his body, and gradually replaced half of his body. However, this method was unsustainable, and he would still experience aging.

Only a fully modified body could escape the ravages of time, though such individuals would lose their human consciousness.

"Those ordinary humans are useless! I refuse to accept that they have their own special techniques and bloodline factors. I don't think that technology is all that great. Machinery is eternal!"

"But for machinery to be eternal, it needs an eternal power source. While materials can be replaced, energy cannot. That's why I set my sights on Mother Steel. This metal has the unique ability to infinitely expand internally. It is the most vibrant metal, the ideal container and converter. With it, I can create a container that stores infinite energy, converting anything added to it."

"Think about it. With this, I don't have to worry about material limitations and can continue researching modified humans who retain their intelligence and emotions. If I succeed, I will be the one truly benefiting humanity!"

"By then, I will trample Begapunk under my feet and be the most brilliant scientist in the world!"

Isaac exclaimed, "Hey, join me! Give me the Demon Clan to research. This ancient race possesses the strongest physical aptitude in the world. With them, my research will definitely speed up! With the World Government's cooperation, they will obtain Mother Steel's technology sharing. With my research on the Demon Clan, I will be the first to grant you immortality. What do you say?"

Pa!

The glass shattered as Lily slashed the glass container with her sword, taking out the irregularly shaped, ever-expanding sea urchin-like iron within. She said, "Time's up. Also, this thing will be the core of our new ship. Those characteristics you mentioned are excellent, and Retty happens to need this."

Lily walked past Isaac's body and paused for a moment before leaving the room. She said, "Also, the Demon Clan are Saggy's vassals, so don't say such meaningless things. Also... you're about to die."

"Blah, blah, blah," Isaac muttered, lifting his head to stare at Lily's retreating back. His voice turned low and menacing as he continued, "What I can't have, no one else can either!"

A mechanical red glow flashed in his left eye, followed by the sound of an opening mechanism within his body.

Whoosh!

The surrounding sea of molten iron suddenly boiled, like waves in a storm, beginning to surge. Lily turned her head, intending to ask a question, but the red light in the old man's eyes had already faded, and his body froze, indicating that he had died.

However, the molten iron continued to surge and then billowed upwards, resembling a volcanic eruption as it spread in all directions.

Boom!

Thunder rumbled in the sky as a torrential downpour mixed with icy snow fell, blanketing the gloomy sky.

Boom!!

On the ground, two figures collided, creating a shockwave that shattered the thick layer of ice beneath them, turning it into ice shards that flew in all directions.

Kuzan's body was reduced to shards from the powerful collision, and as they fell to the ground, they quickly froze into ice spears that pierced Saggy's abdomen.

Crack!

Saggy, now in his 80% state, twisted his abdomen, shattering the ice spears, and casually wiped away the ice shards on his abdomen, ignoring the frostbite that caused white smoke to rise from the wounds as they slowly healed.

"This body is really..."

Kuzan's ice-covered body reformed, and he scratched his head, saying, "Enviable."

Saggy grinned menacingly, and his sinister smile only served to enhance the terrifying appearance of his transformed body. He said, "I think it's ugly. If not necessary, I wouldn't want to use it, but I have no choice since you're stopping me."

"Alala, with your newfound abilities, you're quite troublesome. Only Yellow Monkey can keep up with your speed; even I find it challenging."

Kuzan frowned and said, "But I can't leave. I need that thing. It's so troublesome."

"Don't spout nonsense!"

Saggy sneered, "You're doing pretty well in the fight!"

Ever since he transformed, he had finally been able to match Kuzan's speed thanks to the Mo Mo Fruit.

Although his Haki level was still not that high, the increased speed allowed him to react in time instead of passively taking hits due to his transformed body's superior physical qualities.

Up to this point, he had used all sorts of techniques, and Saggy felt quite pleased with himself. At the very least, Kuzan wouldn't be able to take him down in the short term!

If a Fleet Admiral couldn't take him down, then that meant he could fight anyone!

The vast sea was like that; there were no ultimate moves. It was all about Haki and one's own attack power, but if your opponent had the same things, then it was a fairly even match.

The same was true for physical qualities. Saggy had hit Kuzan several times, but despite his tall and skinny appearance and seeming frailty compared to the more robust-looking Miot, his body was incredibly tough!

He had high attack, defense, and health stats.

"Hey, are you really not going to retreat? I'm quite close to the World Government," Kuzan asked.

Saggy twisted his neck, making it crack, and said, "I can destroy islands very quickly too!"

"Then I guess we have to get serious. The warm-up is over, junior brother," Kuzan said, his voice turning low.

"Don't randomly acknowledge people as your juniors. Neither Zefa nor Kapp acknowledged me as their disciple. These techniques, once learned, are my own! Whoo-ha-ha-ha!"

As he laughed heartily, his body became even more sinister-looking, and he continued, "The warm-up is over!"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end