Chapter 694: Castoffs Must Accept Their Fate
Chapter 694: Castoffs Must Accept Their Fate
Twenty-six billion.
When Kuro heard this bounty, he paused.
Then...
He opened his wrist-mounted Transponder Snail and dialed Headquarters.
Are you kidding me?!
Twenty-six billion Belly?!
Marshall D. Teach, that idiot, only has twenty-two billion, right?!
This level of bounty is seriously problematic.
Better call for backup first.
But the Transponder Snail wouldn't connect no matter how many times he tried. It was as if there was no signal nearby.
Transponder Snails should only fail when submerged in seawater, temporarily rendering them useless.
Other than that...
"An Ability?!"
Kuro closed his Transponder Snail and looked toward the five enemies.
He turned to Moer. "Moer, pick up Kas and the others. The Golden Lion still needs someone to command."
"I'm completely drained", Moer sighed, his face twisted in frustration. "Seriously, I ran out of energy halfway here."
Moer had pushed the Golden Lion to arrive this quickly. Within his Ability's limits, he'd scattered his Road Marks across the floating stone fragments Kuro controlled, then used his Madness to activate his power.
Transporting an entire ship and its crew was possible, but his physical stamina had plummeted drastically.
When they reached the one-third mark, he'd already exhausted himself. The sheer number and mass were simply too overwhelming.
In the end, it was Lida absorbing the physical strength of multiple Navy soldiers that allowed Moer to push through the remaining third. Even then, it hadn't been enough.
The Navy needed to conserve their strength too.
For the final stretch, Kuro had personally lifted the Golden Lion into a charge, racing forward to barely make it.
"You're really giving up like this? A man shouldn't say he can't do something. Whatever, talk about it after we finish this", Kuro muttered around his cigar, turning back to the five warships.
Moer was strong. In Kuro's eyes, Moer's strength was rivaling Lida's.
After all, the current Lida was vastly different from the two-years-ago girl who hadn't even begun developing her Devil Fruit Ability. Under Kuro's tutelage, Lida's power had skyrocketed.
Her innate talent for mastering any unarmed combat technique she saw had allowed her to learn every Navy and pirate hand-to-hand style during her time with him.
Constant nutritional support had rapidly improved her physical constitution as well.
Honestly, Kuro would rather starve himself than let her go hungry.
In this world, baofanle (being full) was a form of strength in itself.
Especially for Lida, a big eater whose Devil Fruit Ability thrived on this.
Combined with her increasingly refined Devil Fruit development, Lida could now casually unleash shockwaves with her bare hands—like some damn Saiyan. Sometimes Kuro couldn't help but envy her.
Shockwaves with a single punch...
He wished he could do that too.
Moer's strength wasn't far behind Lida's.
His Haki mastery was profound, and his Devil Fruit Ability was uniquely terrifying. In a real fight, the outcome between them remained uncertain.
Even among those so-called "Seven Sins", the supposed "angel" wouldn't necessarily pose a greater threat than Moer.
His only flaw was his laziness—matching even Kuro's own level of sloth.
Still, he'd proven himself this time.
This Devil Fruit Ability was truly convenient.
"Golden Lion?"
From the five warships, Arams chuckled darkly. "So you're the Golden Lion? I've seen your wanted posters. Heard you defeated Shanks, Lucius, Buggy the Clown, and even that old geezer Luo Shen? Don't believe it."
Bexi scoffed. "We all know how the Navy works—love their propaganda and exaggerations. Thinking you can follow Garp's footsteps to create a new 'hero'?"
"Hehehe, the Old Era Bane", Mojas grinned maliciously. "We're part of the Old Era, huh? Let's see if you can really eliminate us this time."
"Old Era Bane? What Old Era Bane?"
Kuro frowned, turning to Klah. "Since when did I get that title?"
"Ah..." Klah sweated. "It's been around since you became an Admiral candidate. The Navy published it in the newspapers."
"Eh?!" Kuro's eyes widened. "How come I never heard of this?!"
"Er... Kuro Mr., I did try showing you the newspaper back then, but you weren't interested", Klah muttered.
Yeah right! If I knew, wouldn't I get beaten up?!
Klah pressed his lips together, too scared to elaborate.
Back then, Kuro's expression had been terrifying—worse than his current look.
Provoking him further would've left Klah in a bad state.
Kuro fell silent for a moment, recalling...
Back then, Klah had indeed reported all the news. During that period, Kuro had wanted to do nothing but rest after his promotion—nearly reaching the peak and feeling disillusioned. Dozens of documents and reports had piled up.
He vaguely remembered seeing that newspaper but hadn't read it thoroughly. Eventually, he'd told Klah to summarize only the important news worth noting.
To him, as long as he wasn't famous, nothing else mattered.
Damn it!
Even an old fart like me, why won't they leave me alone?!
What "Old Era Bane"?!
I never eliminated anyone!
I just wanted a peaceful life! What did I do wrong?!
They started this whole mess!
"So you lot..."
Kuro exhaled smoke toward the five enemies. "Escaped failures from Impel Down? Why not find a quiet place to work construction instead of stirring up trouble in the Grand Line? Even stirring the pot isn't enough—you specifically came after me?!"
These guys: Bexi and Arams looked around fifty.
Brode and Mojas were pushing sixty.
As for Smiths, judging by his hair and demeanor, he might even rival Sengoku's age.
"Can't you just wait to die peacefully somewhere? Failing that, pick some random youngster—a Luffy-type with a headband or glasses. Hack off your hands and hand them your legacy tokens. Let them inherit your will, then push them toward becoming the One Piece, Four Emperors, or Pirate Supreme Ruler! Then just wait while they die in the New World instead!"
"If even that's too much, find an island and watch for passing pirates. Teach them a few moves, then send them to the New World to fight other pirates. With your failure-affirming strategy, you can win by proxy! Let your chosen youths outlast those old-timers through sheer age. Their victory would be your victory, wouldn't it?!"
Kuro's eyes suddenly sharpened as he stared at the sea surface.
There lay the wreckage of a sunken warship, with floating Navy corpses.
One entire ship had been destroyed. Naturally, none of its crew had survived unscathed.
Boom!
Bexi and Arams were the first to draw weapons, their faces twisted in horror.
Brode and Mojas turned grim, sweat pouring down.
Only Smiths looked surprised. "This Killing Intent... truly terrifying."
The air itself seemed to thicken, almost congealing into blood, surging toward them.
Kuro kept his cigar clenched in his teeth, his right hand resting on his sword hilt. His voice was calm, almost dismissive. "Castoffs must accept their fate. You lot won't ignite anything. The only result here is sinking to the ocean floor."
(End of Chapter)
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