https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-66-The-Devil-Fruit-User-s-Deviousness/13535838/
Chapter 67: Bullet Swallow
Chapter 67: Bullet Swallow
Speed is power.
This was Grandmaster's favorite saying. Lucius Kro was a man of speed.
Kuro admitted there was truth in those words.
While he mastered the Shinmeiryu Style, his greatest strength lay in the Iaijutsu Path. At its core, Iaijutsu was all about one thing: speed.
One Sword Style, also known as Iaijutsu: The Slash of Heaven and Earth, was one of Kuro's most practical techniques. It emphasized movement speed, delivering a single slash at maximum velocity to leave no reaction time.
Hiss!!
Ten deep cross-shaped gashes tore through Buggy's thick crocodile hide, exposing bone. The massive reptile's body trembled before softening into Buggy's human form, his chest now marked by ten fresh scars.
Buggy's eyes rolled back. Mouth gaping wide, he swayed unsteadily, gasping for breath.
Had he not transformed into this South Sea Shellthorn Crocodile—the creature with the most formidable vitality in these waters—he'd have died instantly from that strike.
Bak Arlo hailed from a major island in the South Sea, a landmass rivaling Arabasta in size. His homeland was a small Kingdom nestled along a mighty river that sustained its people.
But that river harbored Shellthorn Crocodiles. These beasts had devoured his parents.
The Kingdom once sent armies to exterminate them, only suffering devastating losses. Neither blades nor cannons could kill these crocodiles—not because their hides couldn't be pierced, but because their vitality made them practically immortal.
Military campaigns at least contained their numbers until the Kingdom collapsed under internal strife. With the purge abandoned, the crocodiles multiplied uncontrollably. By the time the Kingdom reorganized, the river had become their domain.
Without water, the people perished—some fled, others died. The once-thriving land became a wasteland.
Eventually, the World Government intervened, wiping the species extinct.
But the memory of those crocodiles burned deep in Bak Arlo since childhood. When Buggy first ate his Devil Fruit, the Shellthorn Crocodile's form was one of his earliest transformations.
Yet he'd never used it—until now, when his life hung in balance.
Klah rose, eyeing the staggering Buggy. He clenched his teeth. "Persistent."
That "Superspeed Shave" had strained him too. His body trembled from the technique's backlash. Legs still wobbled.
He'd thought finishing Buggy would be straightforward. Three hundred million bounty? These Supernovas truly deserved their reputation.
But it ends here.
Klah advanced, claw blade aimed at Buggy's chest.
"Aaaaah!"
Buggy suddenly clasped his hands, roaring.
"I won't die! Not when I'm one step from Paradise! You forced my hand—behold the form I never used even against Jack the Disaster!"
His skin softened. Buggy shrank rapidly.
"Shave."
Klah's eyes narrowed. He accelerated, blade surging toward Buggy's back.
Something felt wrong.
The claw struck nothing. Buggy vanished.
Klah's pupils contracted. A chilling sensation prickled his scalp.
"Superspeed Shave!"
A circular shockwave erupted. Klah moved faster than ever, vanishing.
In that instant, a tiny black shadow streaked toward his former position. A soft ping sounded—leaving a half-palm-sized hole in the ground. Deep.
"Hah!"
Klah reappeared at the shockwave's edge, half-crouched, staring at the hole, panting.
A bloodline streaked his cheek, oozing crimson.
Despite his immediate dodge, he'd been grazed. He hadn't even seen the attack—only sensed blinding speed and lethal sharpness.
Klah stiffened, eyes locked on the hole. Suddenly, a wisp of blackness shot from the hole under moonlight.
"God-Speed Shave!"
He vanished, reappearing at the hole's mouth. Ten cross-cutting claw blades attacked in unison.
Hiss!
The black shadow pierced the dense net of blades, slicing his arm.
"Dodged?! Impossible!" Klah snarled.
"Chirp!"
A piercing cry rang from the sky—a taunting sound.
This time, Klah saw it clearly: a tiny swallow no larger than half a palm. Its beak gleamed like a sword, its tail sharp as shears, circling above.
"Bullet Swallow?!"
Lida blinked, exclaiming, "Eh? Weren't they extinct years ago?"
Kuro eyed the bird curiously. "So this is the legend."
Klah's face darkened.
From East Blue, he knew the name well.
Bullet Swallows—East Blue's terror. Their speed and minuscule size earned them their name. Their beaks pierced steel effortlessly, their agility unmatched. No attack could touch them.
Carnivores by nature, they'd drill blood holes in prey, snatch meat, and leave. Their small appetites belied their danger: swarming groups could reduce Sea Kings to skeletons.
East Blue's terror.
"Wait—why do you know they're extinct?" Kuro asked Lida.
Lida smacked his lips. "Heard they tasted great. Came to East Blue hoping to find one, but they're gone. Damn it, they vanished the year before I arrived! If I'd come later..."
Buggy never visited East Blue. How did he mimic this creature?
The swallow circled smugly, savoring its power.
This was Buggy's peak transformation.
Though a Supernova, Buggy was over forty. Twenty years ago, he watched One Piece's execution in East Blue. On his return journey, he'd seen these swallows hunting Sea Kings. Their effortless dominance made him vow: this was his ultimate weapon.
He'd saved it for Kaido. Even when facing Jack the Disaster's near-fatal assault, he'd held back.
Today, it was unleashed.
Now—kill them all!
"Moonstep!"
Klah dashed skyward, claw blade slashing.
Buggy needed no defense. The air currents from weapons moved the swallow instinctively.
For Bullet Swallows, any attack with visible trajectory or air movement became harmless.
Klah swung repeatedly. Buggy weaved between blades effortlessly, soaring.
Hiss!
The swallow grazed Klah's thigh, tearing flesh.
"Chirp!"
Its triumphant cry rang clear.
Klah understood: next time, it would pierce him.
Time to end this.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
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