Chapter 476: You're a Strong Man
Chapter 476: You're a Strong Man
Sag yanked his hoe from Ba Bo's skull, tears streaming down his face as he brought the weapon crashing down on the motionless man's head.
Crack.
A hand seized his wrists.
Kuro stood there, voice heavy with finality. "Enough. You have other tasks. He's already dead."
Sag saw it then—the smirk lingering on Ba Bo's lips.
He finally understood why this man, already on death's door, had moved with such terrifying resolve.
Kuro's grip snapped him back to reality. Sag staggered, staring in disbelief at Ba Bo's collapsed form.
"He's dead."
Sag whispered, "Is he really gone? That Ba Bo?"
Dead.
The man who had whipped him relentlessly since his capture in the minefield, punishing him for nothing more than a defiant glance.
Gone?
The monster who treated them like weeds, killing others for his own amusement.
Dead.
"Ba Bo is dead!!!"
Sag suddenly roared, "He's dead! The mountain crushing us is gone!!!"
Boom!
The scream shook Kuro's coat, sending dust swirling through the air. Kuro released Sag's wrists and stepped back.
"Damn, this really is Conqueror's Haki", Kuro muttered.
"Rebel! Rebel!!"
Hoe raised high, Sag shouted, "Ba Bo is dead! Then King Krayen Oger will die too! Crush him! Tear down the mountains crushing us!!"
Like a switch flipped, this young man named Sag unleashed defiance for the first time.
Under the ripple of Conqueror's Haki, the numb crowd finally stirred.
"But we—"
A burly man hesitated.
"No 'buts'!" Sag bellowed. "Think of your families! Think of your children's future! I won't be a lowborn generation after generation! Don't you want more? Ba Bo died—King Krayen Oger will too! As long as he dies!"
His eyes burned crimson. "We'll be reborn! This nation will have hope!!"
"Then let's do it!!"
A burly man smashed his hoe into the ground, shattering rock. His eyes blazed with crimson fury. "My wife died in the minefield! I won't let my child suffer here! If death's inevitable, let's gamble everything!"
"Right! Gamble everything!"
A woman screamed, "For my child!"
"For our families!"
"For a future where no one shares our fate!"
"We. Rebel!!!"
Like firecrackers igniting, the crowd's eyes blazed with hatred and purpose.
Thousands in the open-air minefield raised their hoes, their roar shaking the mountains.
Sag turned to Kuro, hope in his eyes. "You'll help us, right?"
"No."
Kuro shook his head. "I'm just passing through. This is your fight."
"Ahh..."
Disappointment flickered in Sag's eyes, but he straightened. "Fine. We've always been alone. Relying on others was foolish. We'll do this ourselves!"
"Comrades! Now's the moment to seize new lives! Even if we die, we'll show King Krayen Oger we're not easy prey!!"
He charged forward, the first to break the line.
"Ooooh!!!"
The crowd surged like a tidal wave, roaring behind him.
Under Observation Haki, Kuro felt the numbness shatter.
Excitement. Hatred. Hope. The intoxicating thrill of liberation.
As if a prison had been shattered.
Amid the human tide, Kuro narrowed his eyes at Sag's running figure. "Conqueror's Haki—rare even among millions. His charisma infects them all. Terrifying."
The crowd swept past him, a torrent of fury flowing from minefield to town.
Huuuuh!
As they left the minefield, a sharp wind cut through behind Kuro.
"I'm Navy."
Without turning, Kuro spoke. The wind halted.
Kuro turned. The massive kneeling figure had toppled sideways, now slumped on the ground.
As if that kneeling pose had been deliberate.
The face, once hideous, now wore a smile of fulfilled longing.
"Tch."
After a long pause, Kuro sighed.
"Even in death, your will persists? My presence alone triggered your body's reflex to attack—because you saw me as a pirate?"
"I understand. When I appeared, your Killing Intent made sense. If someone threatens your plans, you eliminate them first. Back in East Blue, I felt the same toward pirates over three million bounty. Then I'd kill them quietly, keeping my retirement peaceful."
He understood—but could never match this.
This man's will had reached terrifying heights.
A single goal, a mission to fulfill.
"With Dual-colored Haki this refined, perhaps it's natural."
Kuro shook his head, gazing at Ba Bo's corpse. "Sorry. You were a strong man."
With that, he lifted into the air, following the torrent of rebellion.
...
In the town.
"Boring. Let's find a family to 'entertain' us."
A group of soldiers swaggered down the street. One yawned, making the suggestion.
They were Krean Kingdom's soldiers.
Only two hundred existed in this nation, barely enough to enforce the King's commands.
No need for more. The nation's civilians required no protection.
Some were former thugs, others ex-pirates.
Under King Krayen Oger's reign, lawlessness reigned.
The King himself had promised: obey his orders, never rebel, and they could do as they pleased.
True to his word, the King rarely issued commands—save for periodic sweeps to refill the minefields.
Otherwise, chaos ruled.
Like now.
"Pass. These people are too poor. Rob a pirate instead—they've got coin", another soldier scoffed.
"Not necessarily", a third grinned, pointing at a house. "Look. Prime goods."
At the window, a golden-haired woman cradled a newborn, rocking it gently.
"Oho! Perfect. Let's go!"
The soldiers laughed as one.
The woman noticed, glanced out—and froze under their predatory gazes.
"Her it is!"
A soldier stepped forward, gun raised to shoot off the door lock.
Boom! Boom!
Suddenly, the ground trembled.
"Earthquake?!"
"From that direction!"
A soldier pointed—then gaped.
Smoke and dust billowed.
From the choking haze, a ragged army charged, hoes raised in fury.
"The minefield—"
A soldier swallowed hard. "The minefield's rebelling!!!"
(End of Chapter)
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