Chapter 582: Is Shanks Dead?
Chapter 582: Is Shanks Dead?
"Hey, Brother", Roger swung his blade, launching a wisp of red lightning-infused Flying Slash, "if you're just going to hover in the sky like this—"
"—I won't hold back then!"
The slash's speed was blistering!
Kuro flickered midair like a teleportation, vanishing from one position and reappearing elsewhere.
"Tch! Why?!" He spat out his cigar in frustration, gripping Autumn Water tightly as he flashed rapidly through positions, finally appearing above Roger and cleaving downward with full force.
"Guess the old man just had bad luck!"
Clang!!
Roger's blade blocked the golden lightning-encased Autumn Water.
Roger grinned, "Brother, you're getting a bit ragey there. Losing your cool in combat's a good way to get wrecked."
"Think about yourself, pirate!" Kuro's form faded, his voice suddenly behind Roger as a wisp of golden lightning-laced Black Radiance slashed through the air.
"Afterimage Slash!"
Roger turned with confident ease, raising his blade to block.
"Roger!!" Jaba suddenly shouted. "Your foot!"
Roger felt his leg snag mid-turn, no time to look down. The Cold Gleam already surrounded him. He dropped his body just as a Haki-imbued kick smashed into Autumn Water's strike.
Boom!!
The shockwave cratered the ground beneath Roger's feet.
"Damn sneaky Navy!"
Roger grinned, pushing down hard with his foot to resist Kuro's blade, shoving him backward. As he prepared to counterattack, Kuro flickered away again, reappearing at a distance. He slammed his palm into the ground.
"Poison Snake!"
A massive earth wave erupted like a tidal wave, surging toward Roger.
"This is—"
Roger's eyes widened. His blade cleaved through the earth wave, shattering it instantly.
But as the debris settled, a wisp of black light shot from the broken soil, aiming for Roger's opening. Autumn Water, crackling with golden lightning, stabbed straight for his heart.
Roger's pupils contracted. He leapt backward, his left fist tightening as he punched toward the blade's tip.
Boom!!
His fist halted mid-air, releasing a red lightning-like Haki that blocked Autumn Water's strike.
In the next instant, Roger redirected his half-swinging blade to slash at Kuro's position.
Whoosh!
Before the strike landed, Kuro vanished again, reappearing above Roger.
"Lion Bite!"
Kuro swung Autumn Water, distorting the air around Roger. The compressed air sliced through his clothes.
At that moment, Roger's half-swing pivoted upward, unleashing a shockwave. Haki radiated from his blade, dispersing the chaotic air distortion.
"Lion!"
Kuro sheathed Autumn Water in one motion, then unsheathed it again, releasing a dense network of Haki-infused Flying Slashes that rained down on Roger.
"Nice!!"
Roger bared a malevolent grin, gripping Saber's Hilt with both hands. He swung downward at the incoming slashes.
Boom!!!
A single slash unleashed a might that seemed to cleave the heavens in two.
"Conqueror's Haki?!"
Kuro's pupils contracted. He instinctively raised Autumn Water in defense. Though no physical slash was visible, the moment Roger's blade fell, Kuro felt an invisible impact sending him flying skyward. Only when he reached high altitude did the force dissipate.
His launched slashes were also instantly shredded.
"Absolute monster!"
Kuro gritted his teeth, staring at his trembling hands with a gloomy expression. If he hadn't blocked in time, that strike would've hit his body directly. Even so, it nearly wrenched the blade from his grip.
A flurry of high-speed attacks had only managed to tear his clothes... truly monstrous.
"Navy Brother, you're stronger than I expected", Roger laughed heartily, eyes gleaming. "That speed technique—Lucius' style, right? Have you met him? Also, your slashes carry Shanks' flair. And—"
Roger glanced at the rubble below, "That sudden earth binding on my foot, the earth wave, and the air distortion—those are Devil Fruit abilities, aren't they? You've got Shanks' powers. Did he die?"
Jaba's expression darkened.
Shanks' abilities were unexpected.
In this world, many could fly, but he'd assumed this Navy officer merely had flight or some other basic ability. But after those techniques, something felt off.
Those were definitely Shanks' moves!
Thankfully, this was on land. At sea, it would've been far more dangerous.
They hadn't seen Shanks since that naval battle. Their captain had escaped, but Shanks was swept away in a storm afterward. Whether he lived or died remained unknown.
There was only one Devil Fruit user.
Had he found Shanks' Devil Fruit?
But Kuro's slashing style mirrored Shanks' too closely. It wasn't just about the fruit—had he trained with Shanks?
Regardless, if this Navy officer possessed Shanks' powers, it meant one thing: Shanks was dead.
"Big scoop here", Jaba murmured.
"This isn't about who knows who, pirate", Kuro sheathed Autumn Water, eyes locked on Roger. "Now isn't the time for chit-chat!"
Normal attacks wouldn't work anymore. Kuro had no counter for those Haki-laced slashes. The move that shattered his Thousand Cutting Valleys was clearly infused with Conqueror's Haki. Only brute-force techniques like that could leave him helpless.
"One-force-shatters-all" tactics were just too overwhelming.
He envied it.
No wonder the One Piece wasn't something you could find through mere adventure.
Roger's existence was already absurdly strong, but his crew were freaks too.
Jaba, who'd only been a rumor before—equal in fame to Silvers Rayleigh—was one such monster.
And on the island's shores, overwhelming auras abounded.
With this setup, it was no wonder they'd reached the One Piece and left the entire Navy helpless.
The Navy's combat power could theoretically take down two Four Emperors if they threw everything in recklessly.
But against a pirate crew with no territory, no influence—just adventurers of this caliber? They had no real solution.
(End of Chapter)
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