Chapter 372: This Slash of Mine is No Joke
Chapter 372: This Slash of Mine is No Joke
After recovering from his astonishment at Kas’s sheer strength of will, Kuro finally fixed his gaze on the colossal Stone Sphere.
“C’mon, let my old self see what the heck you really are.”
As he spoke, the Stone Sphere shuddered violently. Cracks spiderwebbed across its surface.
Boom!
A deafening explosion erupted as the fissures spread instantaneously. The Lion Ape’s titanic form reared into the sky, bellowing furiously as its blood-red eyes locked onto the Sky’s culprit.
“Roar!!”
The beast opened its maw, unleashing a thunderous roar at Kuro. The shockwave ripped through the air, sending Kuro’s robes flapping wildly at high altitude.
“Hmph, haven’t brushed my teeth in ages,” Kuro muttered, waving a hand dismissively. “Smells like a fish market in there.”
The Lion Ape seemed to understand. It snapped its jaws shut, glaring hatefully at Kuro. Then, it inhaled deeply, its abdomen swelling until its chest heaved.
From the city wall, Klah—who had just reverted to human form—blanched. “This is…”
Bang!
The Lion Ape thrust its chest forward, channeling the compressed air into a visible blast of destruction that rocketed toward Kuro in the sky.
“My Wolf Dash Cannon?!” Klah’s eyes bulged. “I only used it once in front of him! Could he have seen through my martial arts?!”
“That’s not even martial arts,” Lida scoffed. “It’s just sucking in air and blowing it out forcefully. Any brute with a big body can do it. He’s twice your transformed size—of course he can pull off a breath attack like this.”
At the end of the day, this technique was just a “breath attack.” Even basic Zoan-type beasts could manage it.
Kuro wasn’t even impressed. “You want to impress me? Try spitting air at wind-blade speeds with actual slash power. That’s scary.”
With a flick of his arm, he shattered the air beam, the turbulent energy whipping his hair as it dispersed.
“Let me see what you’re really made of!”
Kuro gripped his hilt. In a flash, his form streaked like a meteor, carving a straight black Cold Gleam across the sky as he closed the distance. Then—click—he stood behind the Lion Ape, half-crouched, sheathing his blade.
“Yixiantian.”
Chi!
A crimson mist erupted from the Lion Ape’s side as the beast staggered sideways.
Thud!
The Lion Ape planted its feet, stopping its fall. With one hand, it swung its nitoryu at Kuro’s back.
“Roar!”
The roar brimmed with fury.
At point-blank range, the nitoryu’s swing was blisteringly fast. In an instant, the massive blade—nearly a third the width of Kuro’s head—cleaved toward him. If it connected, it wouldn’t just slice—it’d obliterate.
But Kuro’s body rippled like water, dissolving into a blur as the blade passed through empty space.
Chi!
A crimson slash split the Lion Ape’s shoulder. Kuro hovered above, holding his iaijutsu pose.
“Afterimage Slash.”
Before the blade even settled in its sheath, Kuro landed beside the Lion Ape. Autumn Water flashed—hundreds of afterimages materialized, converging on the beast’s flank in a storm of steel.
“Baiying Zhan!”
Swish! Swish! Swish!
A hundred slashes tore into the Lion Ape’s body, carving its side into a meaty pulp.
“Aooo!!”
This time, the Lion Ape couldn’t steady itself. With a pained howl, it toppled sideways.
Bang!
The monstrous body collapsed, sending a cloud of dust billowing into the sky.
The sheer force of the impact was like a sandstorm to the civilians watching. They shielded their faces, scrambling backward.
Sazil clenched his fists in the distance. The gap was staggering.
He’d trained at Headquarters. Dozens of officers had drilled him personally. He should’ve been stronger by now!
He returned here not just because Admiral Lucius Kro ordered him to protect Kuro—he wanted to prove himself to everyone.
Sazil Kuro couldn’t stay a mere Navy grunt forever. He had the potential to become an officer!
“My decision was right. Only by following this man can I glimpse the pinnacle of martial cultivation!”
Donald’s mind echoed the same conviction.
Kuro slid his blade into its sheath and landed, staring at the fallen beast with an unreadable expression.
Now that he saw the Lion Ape’s true form, he could sense its aura. From a distance, he hadn’t noticed it at all.
“You’re hiding something… or maybe a special trait? Either way, you’re no ordinary beast.” Kuro exhaled a puff of smoke.
The Lion Ape’s wounds were already healing at an insane pace. Such vitality and regeneration could only belong to a Zoan Awakening powerhouse.
A Devil Fruit user.
The Lion Ape rose unsteadily. This time, it abandoned its nitoryu. Both massive claws slammed to the ground, its golden fur bristling like a lion’s mane. Its face elongated, fangs jutting past its lips, as its body swelled into a fifteen-meter nightmare.
Now, it was impossible to distinguish lion or ape. The creature was pure, gruesome monstrosity.
“Rooooar!!!”
The beast roared at Kuro, its eyes seething with unbridled rage.
“Another form?!”
Klah swallowed hard, a chill crawling up his spine.
If it had used this form back in the grasslands, he wouldn’t have escaped.
“What even is that thing?”
“Full beast form?” Kuro’s voice held genuine surprise. “So the previous one was a half-beast hybrid? Truly terrifying.”
The wind howled as the monster swung its claw, tearing up the ground itself.
Kuro vanished in a blur, reappearing before the Lion Ape’s head. A black arc—like moonlight—sliced across its neck.
“Crescent Moon Slash!”
Chi!
Another crimson bloom erupted from the Lion Ape’s throat. It staggered backward, then steadied itself. With blinding speed, it swiped its paw at Kuro.
But the swipe missed. Though the Lion Ape was fast, Kuro was faster. As the beast raised its claw, Kuro’s form flickered onto its shoulder, Autumn Water carving a black arc through the beast’s flesh. Blood sprayed as the limb went limp.
“Roar!”
The Lion Ape’s fury deepened. It charged headlong at Kuro.
Swish!
A black arc split the beast from head to chest. Kuro wielded Autumn Water in a downward slash, the blade crackling with golden lightning.
This time, the blood spurted like a waterfall. The Lion Ape collapsed onto its back, drenching the street in crimson as the puddle spread outward.
“This slash was no joke. You’re just a beast relying on brute strength. Without Haki, surviving the Grand Line will be tough for you.”
Kuro flicked Autumn Water clean, sheathed it, and turned his back to the Lion Ape.
But as he took a step forward, he froze—his eyes widening.
The nearly eviscerated Lion Ape was staggering to its feet again, trembling as it raised one claw.
It wasn’t just regeneration. Kuro’s last slash had been imbued with Supreme-grade Armament Haki. Even Kaido wouldn’t dare take that blow without Haki.
And yet, a Zoan Devil Fruit user from the West Blue had just stood up.
“This is… truly terrifying.”
(End of Chapter)
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