Chapter 553: Young Man, Unaware of Heaven and Earth's Vastness
Chapter 553: Young Man, Unaware of Heaven and Earth's Vastness
When Kuro returned, he could hardly believe his eyes.
His massive base fortress—its main gate had already been blasted open.
Wilbur told him that Luffy's Crew had barged in, and upon hearing this, his heart sank.
After sending Wilbur to help Sengoku maintain the Shabondy Order, he had rushed here.
But before he had taken two steps, a deafening explosion echoed.
Then he saw part of the ceiling blasted open.
As he approached, the interior was even more chaotic.
The outside had already been a mess, but now, his own base was nearly torn apart.
These people must’ve all eaten the Dogo Dogo Devil Fruit! Why else would they be so destructive?!
“Kuro, you’re here,” Lida said.
Kuro nodded grimly, walked to her side, and glanced at Klah lying on the ground.
“Stand up,” he hissed through clenched teeth.
“Yes!”
Klah jolted upright, his heels digging into the floor as he rose stiffly, knees unbent, spine rigid.
Sweat began trickling down his face.
Kuro’s glare was murderous.
“I’ll deal with you later.”
He shot Klah a venomous look before turning toward Luffy’s Crew.
The moment his eyes met theirs, Luffy clenched his Fist, assuming a combat stance.
“Namimiss, step back! This man is formidable!” Sanji shouted, lifting his leg.
Zoro adopted his Three Sword Style, unleashing a chilling Ghostly Aura. “So it’s you! You’re the Incense Burner, huh?”
“Eh? He’s not—” Namimiss gasped, pointing at Kuro. “The guy who tricked Zoro out of his sword two years ago?!”
“Looks like it,” Usopp nodded.
“The guy who likes married women,” Robin added.
“Yohohohohoho! The guy who compared swords to wives!”
A faint blue vein throbbed on Kuro’s temple. “Enough!”
“Hey! Are you the Incense Burner Vice Admiral?!” Luffy roared at Kuro. “Are you the one trying to stop our departure?!”
“Departure?”
Kuro’s eye twitched as a dark line creased his brow. Gritting his teeth, he snapped, “Is this why you’ve turned Shabondy into chaos and nearly destroyed my base?!”
“Sunny is here, so of course I came!” Luffy declared.
“Huh?”
Kuro finally noticed a non-Warship vessel docked nearby.
“What the hell is that?” he blinked.
“Kuromr., that’s Luffy’s Crew’s ship,” Klah explained.
“I know what it is! I mean, why is it here?!” Kuro demanded.
Klah replied, "When you went to find Xiong, wasn’t he guarding this ship?"
“I know that too—”
Kuro exhaled smoke. “But I don’t remember ordering that.”
“Massey did it.”
Klah hesitated. “He ordered the ship brought here.”
Massey?
Kuro paused, recalling—the Navy officer he’d reported to the World Nobles for groveling, later exiled to the Four Seas’ Outer Sea.
“Even after leaving, he’s causing trouble for the Old Man.”
Sighing, Kuro refocused on Luffy’s Crew. “But that’s no excuse to destroy the Old Man’s base, Luffy.”
“I don’t care! I just want to depart!” Luffy growled, eyes sharp.
“Is that so?”
Kuro bit his cigar, his gaze flicking to the red mark on Lida’s ankle. Shaking his head, he slid one hand into his pocket, withdrew the other, and stepped forward, aligning his feet into a straight line.
This bizarre posture made Klah’s eye twitch.
Now he understood where Lida had learned that stance.
“I was originally going to let you go, for Garp’s sake. But you’ve gone too far—where’s my dignity?” Kuro muttered.
“We’re leaving no matter what!” Luffy bellowed. “If you try stopping me, I’ll beat you first and then depart, Incense Burner!”
Kuro chuckled darkly. “Young man, unaware of heaven and earth’s vastness.”
Whoosh!
Instantly, Zoro’s eyes narrowed. Channeling Armament Haki, he raised his blades in a defensive arc.
Boom!!
A black blade imbued with Haki slammed down, striking Zoro’s guard. The force drove Zoro downward, half his body buried under the blade’s crushing strength.
“The mark on Lida’s ankle is a Blade Mark. That was you, right?” Kuro coldly stared at him.
Zoro gritted his teeth, blocking Autumn Water’s descent. He held the blade, but the pressure was monstrous!
“Green Algae Head!”
Sanji shouted, his body flashing sideways. His right foot slashed through the air, igniting a crimson arc like a blazing meteor.
“Demon Wind Leg!”
“Using Shave? You pirates, stop stealing Navy techniques!”
Kuro didn’t dodge. He yanked Autumn Water free, slashing sideways.
Crack!
Sanji’s Haki-infused foot struck the blade, and the force sent him flying backward in a burst of smoke.
“Zoro! Sanji!”
Luffy bit his thumb. “Damn it—Third Gear!”
His fist swelled into a colossal black limb, roaring downward.
“Giant Elephant Gun!”
Clang!
Kuro simply thrust Autumn Water upward, blade tip aimed at the fist. The strike halted Luffy’s monstrous punch.
Boom!
The shockwave cracked the ground beneath them.
“What the hell?!” Usopp yelped. “That punch should’ve matched a Giant’s power!”
Luffy’s strike indeed rivaled the Giants’ strength.
Especially with Haki added, its force was even more terrifying.
Yet it seemed utterly ineffective.
“Three Sword Style—Crab Scissors!”
Zoro reversed his grip on Huazhou, erupting from the crater. Blades crossed horizontally toward Kuro’s head, like a crab snapping shut on prey.
An ordinary swordsman would never dodge this!
But Kuro didn’t even glance. His foot lashed out, slamming into Zoro’s exposed chest mid-technique, sending him flying.
Simultaneously, Kuro flicked his wrist, releasing Haki Diffusion from Autumn Water. The shockwave repelled Luffy’s giant fist. Thrusting the blade forward, he unleashed Haki External Release, striking Luffy’s chest and sending him soaring.
“I’ll help too!”
Franky clasped his palms, spread his fingers wide, and roared, “Franky Radical Beam!”
A barrage of laser beams erupted from his hands, blasting toward Kuro.
Kuro arched an eyebrow, slicing sideways. “Wind Coffin.”
The air before him twisted, forming turbulent waves that devoured the beams.
“Cutty Flam.”
Kuro muttered, “The World Government still watches you, huh? Flaunting yourself openly in front of me—wise?” He turned to Robin, who crossed her arms, preparing to act. “And you, Nico Robin. Kuzan once wanted to train you, didn’t he? A shame.”
The higher-ups had a habit of taking in children. Garp raised Luffy. Sengoku adopted Rosinante. Kuzan, once under Garp’s wing, might’ve once considered training Robin—but fate had other plans, even for himself.
Under Kuro’s glare, Robin instinctively stepped back, cold sweat drenching her.
She dared not use her ability.
Her clones, if injured, would transmit damage to her body.
(End of Chapter)
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