https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-578-Do-You-Think-You-re-One-Piece-/13538579/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-580-Governments-Are-Not-All-the-Same/13538640/
Chapter 579: Do Pirates Have a King Too?
Chapter 579: Do Pirates Have a King Too?
One Piece.
The real One Piece.
Kuro knew about it.
Back then, his crew had been filled with extraordinary individuals.
Silvers Rayleigh. Jaba. Barrett. All first-rate experts. Even Wano Country's mighty warrior, Kozuki Oden, had once sailed aboard this ship.
Whoever dared to name someone "One Piece", Kuro thought, must be an iron-willed lunatic.
One Piece? What good was that? It didn't even grant longevity.
That damned old man Silvers Rayleigh had hired someone surprisingly interesting. This guy had imitated One Piece to the point of obsession.
After the thick-mustached man spoke, the man named Jaba stepped back, choosing not to continue fighting Kuro. Kuro turned his gaze toward him.
Only now did he notice—the mustache actually looked quite like One Piece's.
The aura-wielding man took one step forward.
Kuro swore under his breath. Just one step.
That single stride instinctively made Kuro retreat, sweat breaking out on his forehead.
A terrifying aura like a ferocious beast surged forth, making Kuro's pupils tremble.
Strong!
Incredibly strong!
Earlier, when he couldn't sense the man's presence, Kuro had felt nothing. Later, when he saw him, even his Observation Haki only detected an indistinct, fluctuating aura without determining strength. Before, this aura hadn't even matched that ponytail guy's power.
That's why he'd chosen to eliminate the ponytail first.
But now, after this single step, Kuro felt as though an ancient feral beast had awakened. A life-force aura like an ocean surged toward him in waves.
The man unsheathed the blade at his waist. Armament Haki swept across its surface, crimson lightning crackling along the steel. As he stepped forward, his entire body burst into motion, cleaving downward with a single slash.
"Shinpi!"
The descending blade moved at moderate speed, yet the might it carried shook the soul!
Impossible to dodge!
Too much power!
And too close!
This slash—
Kuro's pupils shrank. He tightened his grip on Autumn Water. Golden lightning shimmered across the black blade as Haki of the Ultimate Mystic Art materialized behind him. He met the incoming strike with a counter-slash.
"Ultimate Mystic Art!!!"
Boom!!!
A massive shockwave erupted in the clearing, its impact shaking the entire island.
The sky darkened momentarily before a brilliant fissure of light split the heavens, as though space itself were collapsing inward.
"Hey, this power."
Jaba tilted his head skyward, eyes narrowing as he observed the two figures within the shockwave. "This brother's stronger than I thought."
Bang!!
Kuro's body suddenly flew backward, skidding dozens of meters across the ground before stopping.
The sky cleared. The island steadied.
Kuro wiped his mouth, staring at the man standing in the deep crater with a malevolent grin. His eyes brimmed with disbelief.
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
This strength—
Completely abnormal!
Defying all logic!
In this world, there shouldn't exist anyone this powerful!
Kaido! Big Mom! Shanks! Blackbeard! Sakazuki! Gramps! Kuzan! Yi Xiao! Garp! Sengoku!
All the Grand Line's strongest warriors he'd encountered—none had possessed a life-force aura this mighty!
Perhaps some had aged, but they remained the pinnacle. This man... seemed to have shattered that ceiling!
But that was impossible!
Someone this strong should already be legendary across the Grand Line, especially as a pirate!
Kuro had never seen this man's Wanted Poster.
"Navy brother, what's impossible?"
The man emerged from the crater formed by their clash, smirking. "Your senses are sharp, but you flatter me. Maybe in a few decades, you'll reach my level too."
"Who the hell are you!" Kuro roared.
"Me?"
The man pointed at himself, feigning confusion. "You came specially to catch me, yet don't know who I am?"
"What nonsense! Why would I waste time hunting you?! Aren't you here to avenge Silvers Rayleigh!" Kuro shouted.
"Oh? Silvers Rayleigh? Do you two have a grudge?"
The man pondered, then nodded. "Either way, I can't let you leave. Silvers Rayleigh was my comrade. As for me—I'm Roger. Gol D. Roger."
Kuro's eyes widened. The cigar in his mouth dropped. His lips parted slightly, staring at the thick mustache that increasingly resembled a face from a newspaper headline over twenty years ago.
"You said... who you are?!" His voice trembled.
"Gol D. Roger, Navy brother. Seems you recognize me after all." Roger laughed heartily.
Obviously!
Who in this world wouldn't recognize that name?!
But—
But!!
Kuro gritted his teeth. "What joke are you playing! Wait—"
Suddenly suspicious, he scanned the surroundings, frowning. "Could it be..."
Since being touched by that "Feld the Hidden", he'd sensed no auras. Earlier, from the sky, he'd seen no villages—just a deserted island.
Even Feld the Hidden's power shouldn't accomplish this.
But if this ability transported you to another dimension...
Not through military force, but Devil Fruit power shifting locations, naturally he'd detect no familiar auras.
Like now—
"Gol D. Roger?"
Kuro fixed the man with a piercing stare. "One Piece?"
"Hahahaha! What a confusing title! Do pirates truly have a king?"
Roger laughed. "Brother, what exactly is the One Piece?"
"The existence that circumnavigates the world, reaching the final point of the Grand Line." Kuro answered.
"Is that... what makes a king?"
Roger mused, then grinned. "I wouldn't call it kingship, but I did intend to reach that final point. You're interesting, brother. Want to join me?"
He extended his hand.
Kuro retrieved a cigar from his coat, lit it, and took a slow drag. His expression calmed.
From between his brows, a wisp of purple Haki shaped like a cross emerged, spreading outward like armor. Armament Haki enveloped his body.
"The old man serves the Navy. I don't fraternize with pirates—even you. No, let me rephrase."
Kuro tightened his grip on Autumn Water, baring his teeth. "I simply dislike you!"
Makes sense. In his world, no one should surpass those titans. But in the past...
The young Garp. The youthful Sengoku. And... the living One Piece, Gol D. Roger.
He'd traveled back in time!
To the era when One Piece still lived.
Before reaching that cursed place—Laugh Tale.
Before the world had dubbed him 'One Piece'!
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
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