https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-505-Conqueror-s-Haki-How-Marvelous/13537988/
Chapter 506: Failure in Slaying the Dragon Also Makes One a Dragon's Claw of Evil
Chapter 506: Failure in Slaying the Dragon Also Makes One a Dragon's Claw of Evil
Conqueror's Haki.
A talent found in one person out of millions.
The aptitude of a kingmaker.
Yet in Kuro's eyes, Conqueror's Haki seemed almost commonplace.
But thinking deeper, weren't those possessing it actually just a handful of individuals?
They were figures who, over decades, had crushed countless rivals to stand atop the world.
As for the Super Novas, they'd carved their paths through bloodshed—how many pirates in the world could claim to have safely reached Shabondy?
You think it's common, but it isn't.
You think it's rare, but truly, it is.
In this era of relentless selection, only strongmen survived long-term.
Those who held contempt would eventually capsize.
After waiting for the Marines to regain consciousness, Kuro picked up Boa Hancock onto the ship. With three Warships, they set sail toward Marineford.
Inside the Warship's office, Boa Hancock sat directly on a throne-shaped chair coiled from serpents, tilting her head up to gaze at Kuro before her.
She had specifically requested Kuro to dismiss everyone nearby, insisting on being alone with him—this was her condition for boarding.
This demand had Kuro pondering anxiously, his mind churning for nearly three seconds, before he reluctantly agreed with a sigh.
"Hey, man."
Boa Hancock spoke, "I'm curious—do you know about my past?"
Kuro sighed, "Since you asked directly, I won't hide it. Correct."
He looked at Boa Hancock, his expression twisting into a sinister Yi Xiao. "I know your secret!"
Boa Hancock's face shifted slightly, her thumb instinctively caught between her teeth.
"If you're so eager to know, I'll just reveal it."
Kuro leaned forward, hands braced on the table, his voice low and mocking: "You, Boa Hancock, didn't receive the 'Gorgon's' curse at all—it was—"
"Yamete!"
Boa Hancock clutched her forehead, dramatically falling backward with a shriek. "Yamete yo!!"
"—Devil Fruit, right?"
Kuro leaned back, a cigar dangling from his lips, his expression piercing and arrogant. "I know everything. You restricting outsiders from Kusnake—it's just to hide the fact that your petrification ability isn't a curse, but from eating a Devil Fruit. You underestimate us Marines. Such a lie is too crude."
"You despicable man!"
Boa Hancock halted her theatrics, stood abruptly, and glared fiercely at him. "You'll regret this!"
With that, she strode to the door, yanked it open, and Lida stumbled in clumsily.
"I wasn't eavesdropping", Lida protested. "I was just passing by."
"This is the top-level office—it only has one room. Where exactly were you 'passing' to?"
Kuro rolled his eyes, watching Boa Hancock leave. Leaning back in his chair, he exhaled a plume of smoke, muttering, "Why dig up secrets? Keeping quiet benefits everyone."
What was the point of exposing this? It wasn't something to be proud of.
He wasn't a saint, but there was no need to pry into others' scars.
Revealing it would only bring shame.
Lucius Kro wasn't the type to threaten others with such disgraceful secrets.
Being targeted by Boa Hancock was purely accidental.
All Klah's fault, that idiot!
Lida entered the room, his nose twitching like a dog sniffing the air.
"Hmm, nothing strange—just that annoying woman's perfume and Kuro's cigar smoke."
"Kuro, what did she want in your office?" Lida eyed him suspiciously.
"To learn a past she wished buried", Kuro replied. "A pitiful woman, really."
Kusnake had long been a Pirate Kingdom. Due to the Calm Belt's isolation, commerce was impossible—pirates had no choice but to raid beyond it.
But every action carried a price.
Becoming a pirate meant accepting the risk of being hunted by the Marines.
A pirate's only fate was this.
As for other matters, like slavery—
He despised it utterly.
Such practices crushed souls, leaving scars even in hearts as strong as Fisher Tiger's, the Sun of the Fishmen. Even he bore shadows until death.
Such shadows lingered forever.
Someone like Tiger could suppress them, but the weak, like Arlong from East Blue, were another matter.
The tattoos of Arlong's crew in East Blue and the World Nobles' hoofprints were essentially the same.
Not only did dragon-slayers become dragons, but those fleeing dragon's claws would also grow new fangs.
Damn it all.
Shaking his head, Kuro picked up the Transponder Snail, dialing a number.
The call connected swiftly.
"Hello, this is Lucius Kro. Boa Hancock has accepted conscription. We're returning to Marineford now."
Outside the office, Boa Hancock exited the Warship's fortress, stepping onto the deck. The sea breeze tousled her hair, her gaze distant.
That man definitely knew.
Then why didn't he speak?
With his despicable nature, he should have.
Boa Hancock felt torn. On one hand, she wished Kuro would expose the truth, revealing his source so she could sever ties with the Marines, resolving this burden. Even if the outcome was dire, secrets were no longer secrets once known—better to end it decisively.
After all these years, though fear and resentment lingered, the memory still terrified her. Her younger sisters would collapse entirely if they knew.
But it was time to end this. If Kuro spoke, she'd kill everyone here, dragging these ships into the Grand Line's depths.
She refused to be controlled by anyone—even at the cost of her life!
Yet, another part of her hoped Kuro stayed silent.
This was Boa Hancock's last shred of dignity. Amazon Lily needed her. She still desired freedom—she hadn't married Luffyofficer yet!
"That detestable man!"
Boa Hancock muttered, her expression complex.
He was pretending ignorance, but... why?
"Hey."
Suddenly, a voice called from the side.
"Who's there!"
Boa Hancock lashed out with her long leg, kicking sideways.
Bang!
Her foot struck a wooden beam, shattering it into stone fragments before reducing it to dust.
"You're both Seven Warlords of the Sea. No need to be so hostile", Trafalgar Law said, squatting on the nearby ship's railing, sword in hand.
"Restoration, Trafalgar Law."
Boa Hancock resumed her cold, haughty demeanor but relaxed. This man had once saved Luffyofficer—no need for conflict.
"Didn't expect you to accept conscription."
Law smiled. "I thought you and Hawk-Eye were the least likely among the Seven Warlords to comply."
"I'm merely fulfilling my duty as a Seven Warlord", Boa Hancock retorted. "Unlike you, who came willingly."
That stung Law's teeth.
He hadn't wanted to either.
But as a new Seven Warlord, for his plans, he had to attend the first conscription.
Otherwise, who would willingly go to Shabondy and endure the humiliation of being seen by Lucius Kro?
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
