Chapter 631: The True Face of Humanity
Chapter 631: The True Face of Humanity
"Still can't break through?!"
Adela's strike failed to pierce the white energy. His body spun mid-air before landing back on the ground.
He slightly lowered his head, staring at the greatsword trembling in his grip. His expression darkened.
It wasn't the weapon shaking—it was his arm.
That single strike had been his full power.
He wasn't unfamiliar with the Navy—though most Navy personnel, for reasons related to the holy maiden officer, had been spared. But he'd certainly killed his share. He'd even slain a Navy Vice Admiral when unleashing his full combat prowess.
According to others' descriptions, this opponent was merely a 'Commander.' Why was his defense so persistent?
And what was this strange white energy?
A Devil Fruit user?
"Tch, now this white energy's clinging to me like a curse."
Swinging his greatsword wildly, Adela tried to dispel the encasing energy, but it clung to him like a parasite, refusing to dissipate no matter how furiously he slashed. Worse, it carried a tangible force.
"Think you can defeat me with this technique? You're mistaken."
Adela smirked arrogantly, inhaled sharply, and sucked the white energy into his body.
"Delicious."
His eyes gleamed greedily at Kas. "Hey, your strength feels amazing! Killing you will make me even stronger!"
"I have a name." Kas replied calmly. "I am Dougleg·Kas, the man who will guide you to become a Complete Being."
Kas's words made Adela's breath hitch. A distant voice echoed in his mind.
"I am Bonaparte Poropa, the one destined to become your master."
Different voices, different words, yet Adela felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
"No..."
Black aura surged from Adela's body. With a whoosh, a wisp of smoke and dust erupted as he vanished, reappearing in a flash before Kas. His greatsword stabbed violently at the white energy barrier.
"Never speak to me like that, human!!"
Clang!
This time, even the white energy barrier trembled with shockwaves.
"This feeling..."
Klah, who had already finished his battle, turned toward the commotion. Adjusting his glasses, the glint on his lenses obscured his eyes.
"Another man with unyielding willpower... What's going on here?"
From his observations, these individuals all possessed surprisingly strong wills.
"I'm far superior to you humans! Don't dare command me with that tone!!"
Adela's neck veins bulged, his knuckles whitening around the greatsword. "I'll kill you and take your delightful strength!"
"A pitiful man." Kas's voice turned solemn. "If you want it, come and take it yourself!"
The white energy continued encasing Adela, thickening by the second.
"Is this supposed to stop me?!" Adela roared, madly inhaling the white energy. "I am 'Greed'! I can absorb any strength, even draw power from corpses! It will only make me stronger, while you grow weaker!"
His black aura intensified, coalescing into a wolf's head made of pitch-black carbon-like energy. With a snarl, it lunged at the white energy.
The wolf embodied pure greed—its gaping maw devoured a chunk of white energy, growing larger with each bite.
"Kas!"
Wilbur instinctively raised his gun at Adela. "Ten—"
"Stand down, Wilbur." Kas raised a hand without glancing away, his gaze locked on Adela. "Let him continue."
"Fool! I'll show you true despair!"
With every bite, Adela's aura thickened, spreading a dangerous, restless energy.
"This is it..."
Adela tilted his head back, a blissful smile twisting his lips. He thrust his greatsword forward, the blade pressing against Kas's white energy barrier.
Crack!
The thin barrier developed a hairline fracture as the sword pierced inward.
"You and your pathetic Turtle Shell Barrier will share the same fate!" Adela snarled, his face contorted with gruesome delight.
Kas remained silent, his calm gaze piercing through Adela's rage.
"Stop looking at me like that!!"
With a furious roar, the wolf's head tore into the energy with renewed ferocity. "Your strength will complete me, make me invincible! Repent, human!"
"Why do you keep denying your humanity?"
Kas's sudden words froze Adela mid-attack.
"What... did you say?" Adela gritted his teeth.
"You've felt it, haven't you?" Kas shook his head. "First, I must apologize. Calling you an 'incomplete being' was my subjective judgment. I take it back."
"Kuromr. once said—there are no perfect people, just as there are no complete ones. Everyone has flaws. Because of this, whether striving to improve or embracing one's flaws, both effort and decadence are simply different faces of humanity."
"As you absorb my strength, I've also felt your heart through our clash."
Tears streamed from Kas's eyes, making Adela stiffen.
"You're not some 'incomplete being'—you're human, simply hiding your heart. What are you afraid of?"
As if his soul had been pierced, Adela froze completely, his greatsword lodged in the barrier.
Kas continued, "You deny your humanity, but humans are inherently incomplete. Born cold-hearted or wicked by nature, that's what 'humanity' means. Using your birth and upbringing to reject your own humanity is normal. But rejecting yourself, forcing yourself to accept things that clash with your nature..."
Crack!
This time, it wasn't the white energy barrier shattering.
Adela slowly looked down. His chest had cracked like glass, spreading fractures across his body.
He was breaking...
"Shattering." Kas uttered the final words.
"I..."
Adela reached trembling hands toward his chest, his eyes losing focus.
"A failed product."
A voice like thunder echoed in Adela's mind.
A dwarf lord stood before him, expressionless.
Yes, he was a failure.
The first experiment conducted on Moe Island's Weapon Soldiers was him.
He was the only survivor among the first batch, but also a failure.
As a failed product, he retained a sliver of independent thought.
When he was born as a 'Weapon Soldier,' he was happy. The lord gave him new life, and he vowed to protect that lord forever.
But that dream shattered quickly.
The lord never acknowledged him, treating him like a ghost. He was left to wander Moe Island freely.
The more freedom he had, the more he saw.
Soon, the 'completed' models appeared.
His kin.
Adela was overjoyed—finally, companions.
"Hey, let's play together."
When he approached them with hopeful words, all he received was cold silence.
These 'completed' models were more 'weapon-like' than him—possessing thought, yet devoid of it.
Their sole purpose was to be used and discarded.
A deep fear gripped him.
Why? Why had they become this way?
They were also modified from human bodies, living beings. Why were they treated as tools?
Why were his kin treated as disposable assets, bought and sold like goods?
Would he become like them someday?
"If I were a complete human, would it be better?"
When Adela reached longingly toward the Grand Line, a savior appeared.
The Iron Maiden granted him 'greed,' making him crave humanity even more.
If he became human, perhaps he wouldn't be treated as a tool.
If he could become human...
Perhaps his kin could find a way to become human too.
To cry, to laugh, to envy, to feel joy.
To live like normal humans on that island... That must be beautiful.
"Am I... human?"
A faint smile curved Adela's lips. "So I was human all along..."
The wolf head of black energy dissipated.
He lifted his head, cracks of residual energy spreading across his face.
"You win, bearded man. You've conquered Greed. Don't lose again, or I'll return."
Crack!
His body shattered instantly, fragments like broken glass scattering into the air before dissolving into black mist.
Only his greatsword remained, clattering to the ground as proof of his existence.
Kas stood silently for a moment before picking up the greatsword and strapping it to his back.
"I will. Because you've shown me my own mistake. This lesson, I'll never forget."
(End of Chapter)
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