Chapter 696: Power Nullification
Chapter 696: Power Nullification
Even Kuzan wouldn’t dare let him get this close.
Kuro shook his head, stepped forward, and strode directly off the ship, hovering midair.
“Old Man has no interest in playing your game of ‘soldier against soldier, general against general.’ Right now, I’m in a terrible mood—get it? A terrible mood.”
He extended his hand toward the people on the ships below. “On land, you might have the guts to challenge Old Man, but on the Grand Line, what gives you the nerve to defy me? Here, Old Man is the heavens!”
Five fingers clenched.
Boom!
A deafening explosion rippled through the sea water. Those aboard the warships felt the ships lurch violently as massive vortices erupted beneath the surface, spreading rapidly.
“Lion’s Might—Sea Whirl Hell!”
Who cares how many billions your bounties are worth? On land, he might need to land a few blows to find an opening, but at sea—
If you can’t fly, challenging him on the ocean means death!
The vortices converged, merging into one colossal whirlpool that swallowed the five warships whole.
“This strength…”
Smiths blinked, then nodded approvingly. “No wonder they call him the Old Era Bane. Shanks’s ability? At least it’s true he killed Shanks. Brode.”
“I know, don’t boss me around, old man.”
Brode smirked. "Your ability's impressive, too bad—you're still weaker!"
He thrust both hands forward, gripping tightly. “Power Nullification!”
The monstrous vortex, powerful enough to crush everything, vanished in an instant. The whirlpools flattened, the sea restored to a mirror-like calm.
No—calmer than before.
The Grand Line is never this still, not even the Calm Belt. Yet now, the waters here were as tranquil as the Calm Belt, undisturbed as ancient still water.
His ability… nullified?!
Kuro’s eyes widened in slight surprise.
“Fall down here!”
Brode’s grin twisted into a malevolent sneer. Fingers splayed wide, he locked onto Kuro midair and clenched his fist. “Power Nullification!”
Kuro felt his body suddenly weigh a ton, his limbs plummeting.
The Float-Float Fruit’s ability—gone?!
“No way…”
Kuro narrowed his eyes. As he dropped, his body abruptly lifted again, soaring back to the Golden Lion’s deck. He glared at the slicked-back-haired, scarred face.
“Shocked? Scared?”
Brode grinned. “You should be. No one fails to marvel at my ability. For a Devil Fruit user like you, my power is your natural predator!”
He chuckled confidently, unfurling his fingers. The Grand Line’s waves resumed their natural rhythm.
“I ate the Power Nullification Devil Fruit, becoming the Power Nullification Human. Any force generated—Transponder Snail signals, cannonballs, the Grand Line’s surging tides, even the Floating Force you use to levitate—I can erase it all!”
Brode tilted his head, his grin widening. “I’m the Black Hand who erases strength. A shame Whitebeard’s old man is dead—I’d have killed him and become legendary across the Grand Line. But for now, I’ll settle for killing you, then hunting down Marshall D. Teach. Killing him will work just as well!”
“Power Nullification?”
Kuro clicked his tongue. “Another damn overpowered Devil Fruit.”
It had to be said—this ability was a nightmare for users like him or others who manipulated “force.”
He himself, Yi Xiao, even the late Whitebeard—all of them would be rendered powerless against this guy, their abilities useless.
“Stay cowered on your ship, Golden Lion. That vessel is your final peaceful sanctuary!” Brode’s grin curled darkly.
Below the Golden Lion, a group of Fishmen surfaced, their own malicious grins mirroring his.
“That’s right! Hahahaha!”
A second ship’s figure in a long pirate coat—Mojas—cackled maniacally. His sharp teeth and gill-slit cheeks marked him clearly as a Fishman.
“Once you touch the sea, my kin will tear you apart!”
“What a terrifying threat.”
Kuro gripped his blade and slashed downward.
“Then try this—Thousand Cutting Valleys!”
Razor-sharp golden slashes rained from above, slicing through the sky like a storm of blades.
The slashes sent everyone’s expressions shifting, except for Smiths.
“Leave it to me.”
A knight in armor leaped forward, drawing the ornate sword at his waist. He gripped the blade in both hands, cleaving upward through the chaos.
Boom!
The sword strike carved a vacuum cleave through the heart of the slashes, scattering the golden blades to either side. They sliced into the ocean, carving deep wounds in the sea before the water swallowed them once more.
The knight landed back on the ship, eyes locked on Kuro above. “Your slashes aren’t enough to harm me, Golden Lion.”
‘Plague Knight’ Cape Bessy.
Kuro raised an eyebrow. “That swordsmanship… surpasses Arams’s? You’re far stronger than him.”
These were once legendary figures of the Grand Line, though now captured. Their defeat was just bad luck.
Not every free man was necessarily more powerful.
Unleashed, these men could crush the so-called Super Novas.
“So why kill Old Man’s men? Why not let them slug it out ahead like obedient dogs?”
Kuro would’ve let them pass if they hadn’t dared confront him now. In the New World, he’d have let these pirates kill each other freely.
But now—
He exhaled a puff of smoke, eyeing Brode.
His wariness had already thinned.
One thing was clear: his slashes’ force was unaffected. Knowing that was all he needed.
Whether the Devil Fruit was incompletely developed or had limits didn’t matter.
Dealing with someone like this? He had more than enough countermeasures.
“Try nullifying this.”
Kuro clenched his fingers, speaking effortlessly.
The sky darkened.
Everyone looked up, startled.
From the heavens descended a massive object, large enough to cover all five warships, plummeting rapidly.
As it neared, they finally saw its form.
It was an island—
A massive one.
“Come on. Try nullifying this.”
Kuro smirked, cigar dangling, as he taunted Brode.
This object was already falling.
Even if you nullified his Float-Float force, you couldn’t erase the object’s inherent force.
This Devil Fruit’s limits were obvious.
If Brode’s ability had no limits, when he nullified Kuro’s flight earlier, Kuro wouldn’t have fallen—he’d still be floating, defying gravity.
But gravity itself—the world’s natural force—remained beyond his reach.
(End of Chapter)
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