Chapter 703: Lida's Version – “Instant Thousand Strikes”
Chapter 703: Lida’s Version – “Instant Thousand Strikes”
Lida’s descending figure didn’t seem especially fast to the naked eye, yet her movements carried an undeniable sense of inevitability.
“Hoo-la!”
In the instant she flashed past the crocodile, her fist smashed into its jaw.
Boom!
The sheer force wrenched the beast’s head sideways, its armored scales visibly caved inward.
As her strike connected, the Terror Crocodile’s overwhelming aura dimmed fractionally—its legendary might subtly drained.
No sooner had the punch landed than Lida flickered above the creature’s skull, hammering down with another blow.
“Hoo-la!”
Boom!
This strike came faster than the last.
Then, in a blur, Lida reappeared on the opposite side of the Terror Crocodile’s head, unleashing another fist.
“Hoo-ra!”
Boom!
She didn’t stop—immediately following up with another strike from a new angle, her speed surging past the previous.
Boom!
Boom-boom!
Boom-boom-boom!!
“Hoo-ra hoo-ra hoo-ra hoo-ra hoo-ra!!”
Fists and feet blurred into a relentless storm, cratering the Terror Crocodile’s scaled hide while rapidly eroding its colossal strength.
Eventually, Lida’s form vanished entirely, leaving only her echoing cries. Then even those fell silent, replaced by a whistling wind that traced the afterimages of her movements—until even those faded.
Only the rapid, near-invisible depressions forming across Mojas’ body indicated the unceasing assault.
Too fast!
A sudden gust howled, and abruptly, the air around Mojas stilled—time itself seeming to freeze in an unnatural pocket of stillness.
The next instant, Lida emerged behind the Terror Crocodile’s massive form, her hooded cloak fluttering like a wave in the wind.
She tilted her head slightly, pulling the lollipop from her mouth as she mimicked Kuro’s expressionless tone: “Instant Thousand Strikes, Mystic Art.”
“Can you feel it? The sorrow of strength fading away?”
As Lida’s voice faded, the Terror Crocodile’s aura collapsed entirely.
Its colossal body rapidly shrank, transforming into a motionless, hunched human figure. Though still powerfully built, the form radiated only decay—no trace of its former might.
Under Lida’s assault, this once-feared pirate who had plagued the Grand Line and tormented the Navy had met his inevitable end.
Only then did Lida turn to Klah. “What’s all this whining you were doing earlier? Couldn’t you have finished things faster?”
Klah: “….”
His tail drooped, his head sinking low, eyes brimming with resentment.
Why?
It was he who had engaged the enemy first!
After finally proving himself against a formidable foe, he’d entered a battle of equals—two users of ancient-type Devil Fruit abilities in their transformed states.
Double the happiness should have meant double the glory!
Yet… why?!
And why did she have to copy Kuro’s mannerism so perfectly?!
It wasn’t just a little similar—it was identical!
“It’s not like you need massive physical strength for this move anymore, right?” Klah asked, disbelief coloring his voice.
Klah knew the technique well—it was one he’d long struggled to master.
Instant Thousand Strikes!
Lida had used it before in the Insect Country, but back then, she’d needed to siphon Kuro’s strength to pull it off.
Could she really execute it independently now?!
This technique was notoriously, maddeningly difficult!
Instant Thousand Strikes was a supreme technique proposed by Kuro and refined by Lida’s genius.
Its foundation required mastering the “Black Rope Heaven Flash” first, with further refinements beyond.
While the Black Rope Heaven Flash was merely the preliminary technique for Instant Thousand Strikes, even that remained beyond Klah’s grasp—despite his transformation into his wolf-human form.
Kuro never hoarded techniques, sharing the method freely with his subordinates.
Yet none had succeeded.
Klah was the closest among them, and even he couldn’t grasp the basics.
In Klah’s eyes, becoming a true core member of Kuro’s crew required more than mere loyalty or recognition from the captain.
One had to at least master the Black Rope Heaven Flash to rise to core status—and fully executing Instant Thousand Strikes meant one had truly followed in Kuro’s footsteps.
Lida had always stood beside Kuro, her unique status bolstered by her mysterious affinity for Devil Fruits.
But beyond that, her strength was unquestionably supreme among the subordinates.
No one denied it.
Sure, she might seem to idle away her time eating and drinking, calling for Kuro when trouble arose, and shouting Kuro’s name when bored—a mere mascot figure.
But the truth? She was terrifyingly strong.
From the start, she’d been formidable, and after traveling with Kuro, her resources and experience had only grown.
Even before her Devil Fruit power fully manifested, she’d been dangerous.
Now, having refined her Devil Fruit abilities and studied countless enemies’ unarmed combat techniques alongside Kuro, her mastery had reached a terrifying level.
Once, only Kuro could fully execute Instant Thousand Strikes.
Now, Lida had joined him.
What was her secret?
He wanted to learn it too!
“I’m not as monstrous as Kuro. This is an improved version.”
Lida smirked, tossing her lollipop aside. “Didn’t you notice I started by punching that dumb crocodile a few times? That was siphoning its strength. I absorb its power to enhance myself, accelerating until I can fully unleash Instant Thousand Strikes. The technique completes when I channel all that stored energy.”
This release method wasn’t as instant as Kuro’s—requiring proximity to build momentum smoothly.
And naturally, it lacked Kuro’s sheer destructive force.
In Lida’s view, Instant Thousand Strikes was just the foundation. The true power lay in combining the dense assault with effective attacks.
Kuro’s “Instant Hell Azure Dragon Slash” wasn’t just fast—each strike carried the killing intent of the Azure Dragon (Jiaolong), amplified by his Haki mastery. Even the Four Emperors would struggle against that technique.
Lida’s improved version couldn’t match that, but it was vastly superior to her earlier attempts.
Previously, she couldn’t wield Haki with her abilities—using Haki would block her own powers as much as the enemy’s.
But now, she could harmonize the two. It wasn’t perfect—she still couldn’t use her abilities effectively against opponents protected by Haki—but it was progress.
Her strikes might lack Kuro’s terror, but each blow still strengthened herself while weakening the foe.
And her raw strength? Nothing to scoff at.
This was her unique variation of Instant Thousand Strikes, born from her own abilities—just like Kuro’s, uncopyable by others.
Klah had already guessed as much.
“A personal improvement, huh…”
Klah clenched his claws, his eyes narrowing.
He needed to accelerate his cultivation. If he lingered too long in the glory of being Kuro’s right-hand man, he’d only grow weaker.
Among the subordinates, several already couldn’t be underestimated.
Kas, of course—but even Donald’s strength was formidable. And the newly joined Moer was no pushover either.
He had to secure his position!
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
