https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-706-The-Rain-is-Also-Under-My-Control/13539045/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-708-The-Infamous-Navy-Golden-Lion-/13539047/
Chapter 707: The Grand Line is Cruel
Chapter 707: The Grand Line is Cruel
The thick, bloodied water splattered across the ground, spreading wider with the falling rain.
Smiths' body was gone long ago.
Kuro landed slowly, his lips clamped around a cigar as he stared at the crimson puddle, exhaling a plume of smoke.
Dead. Yes, he was dead.
For a bounty of 2.6 billion, he should’ve been formidable—unlikely to fall so easily.
But he died.
Powerful? Naturally. With a Logia-type Devil Fruit ability manipulating weather phenomena, he’d dominate the Grand Line. Storms, tsunamis, lightning strikes—it would take few in the New World to match him.
Yet his unarmed combat skills and Haki were merely average. Maybe age dulled him, or perhaps that was his baseline.
His Observation Haki could dodge Kuro’s blade, but counterattacks? Lacking.
No Unified Haki either. Against Kuro, he was doomed after one mistake.
Speed-wise, Smiths lagged behind Kuro’s Logia form. Strength-wise, no contest.
His only edge—Observation Haki—barely matched Kuro’s.
In such a scenario, Kuro could fail endlessly. Smiths? One slip, and he vanished.
Twice already.
First, ‘Swallow Return’ struck. Second? Death.
“Still lacking,” Kuro muttered, shaking his head at the bloodstain. “But with that power, he’d have stirred chaos in the New World. Pity. If you hadn’t killed Marines under my nose, I might’ve let you go.”
Such combat strength could trouble even the Yonko, aside from Marshall D. Teach’s idiocy.
Kuro countered him uniquely—mirroring his weather-manipulation ability. Add seawater’s weakness to Logia fruits, and without Kaido or Big Mom’s monstrous physicality and Haki power, breaking through was near impossible.
Yet letting him roam would’ve shattered the Yonko balance.
Smiths was the Fifth Emperor.
More qualified than some not yet dubbed that title.
Sheathing Autumn Water, Kuro soared toward the Golden Lion.
“I’m done,” he called.
Meanwhile, Donald recovered from his weakened state.
Though Fen Ni’s Medicine neutralized the poison, traces lingered in his body. Recovery needed time—but Bexi’s death dissolved his unnatural ability. Artificial, not organic, it vanished with its creator.
As the crew boarded the Golden Lion, the island’s sea patch lifted skyward with them.
“Bororo…”
Back in his cabin, Kuro’s Transponder Snail chimed.
“Hello, Kuro here.”
“Oooh~ Kuro!”
No need to ask—the Snail’s lecherous tone and voice confirmed it: Gramps.
Leaning lazily in his chair, Kuro drawled, “Gramps, what now?”
“Got news. Old Man captured a criminal. Report says some Sixth Level escapees plan to target you as a show of strength. Watch out.”
You’re a damn day late!
The guy’s already a puddle!
Kuro rolled his eyes, hanging up.
“Kuro, Mr., we’ve failed you.”
Kas and Wilbur stood like scolded schoolboys, heads bowed.
Lida flipped through his pack on the couch. Klah adjusted his glasses beside Kuro.
Guilt gnawed at them, especially Wilbur.
“You entrusted me with patrolling this sea zone, but I messed it up so badly that an entire ship’s crew sank into the Grand Line. I’ve betrayed your trust! I’m devastated, ashamed before the Navy, ashamed before you—I wish it were me who died!”
Wilbur lifted his tear-streaked face, pulling a pistol to his temple. “Only death can atone!”
Whoosh!
The gun floated away as if caught in a breeze.
Kuro caught it with a flick of his fingers, rolling his eyes. “What’s wrong with you people? Death erases responsibility? There’s no such easy escape. If dying wiped away debts, Gol D. Roger’s legacy wouldn’t still haunt us after twenty years?”
“Kuro, Mr…” Wilbur blinked, stunned.
“You’re Marines! Own your responsibility!” Kuro boomed. “The Grand Line’s battles claim lives. Accept it. If you truly feel guilty, kill more pirates—serve the world’s peace. That honors our fallen comrades.”
“Kuro, Mr.!” Wilbur wiped his tears, rising firmly. “You’re right. Dying would be cowardice. I’ll learn from this—I’ll never run again!”
Kas wept too. “Kuro, Mr., I’ll reflect. Letting an entire crew perish was my fault.”
“Enough! Men blubbering like this? Form a ‘tearful tough guy duo’ and debut already.”
Waving his hand, Kuro dismissed them.
After they left, he toyed with the pistol, sighing again.
The Grand Line is cruel. Always cruel.
From one angle, it brims with adventure, optimism. Physical resilience lets bodies heal if not slain.
Yet undeniable: the Grand Line is cruel.
Childish, fairy-tale adventures? They never belonged here.
Behind every legend lies struggle—bloody, brutal, life-or-death battles.
If the world ran as simply as the Pirate King envisioned, the Navy wouldn’t exist.
Take today’s five—Smiths wasn’t the real threat. Bexi was.
That ability? A weapon of mass destruction.
Why Kuro avoids the New World—and the Grand Line.
Unknown abilities are most terrifying until their veils lift.
Hence, Kuro craves safety.
“No more fame. My rank’s maxed, but fame? Can’t risk it. Look how quickly strange threats target me.”
Kuro’s voice darkened. “Absolutely no more fame.”
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
