https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-728-Tiger-Sword-Sliding-Tackle-Sword-/13539085/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-730-Supreme-Great-Quick-Blade-Yokai-Blade-Luogui-/13539087/
Chapter 729: Artistic Showcase of Generations of Swordsmen
Chapter 729: Artistic Showcase of Generations of Swordsmen
At this moment, hearing Chuan Zang’s words, a Navy officer stared blankly at the blade in his hand. “Swordsman King? Mune Chika? Did you steal that blade from the royal family of Li’s Kingdom?!”
In response, Chuan Zang’s lips curved into a faint arc beneath his mask.
Kuro recalled something and said, “Ah, I’ve heard of this. In the New World, there’s a country where every King is a swordsman. Only those who master swordsmanship can ascend the throne.”
This was a rumor he’d overheard while idling at Headquarters with Lucius Kro, casually mentioned by Gramps.
In that nation, the royal family is massive—anyone who trains swordsmanship and proves themselves the strongest becomes the King. That blade must be the symbol of kingship.
But what truly impressed Kuro back then wasn’t just the blade—it was the fact that half the population of that tiny country belonged to the royal family.
That’s some serious fertility.
Chuan Zang smirked proudly, “Right. I acquired it recently. The people of that country were persistent, but no match for me. This Famous Blade’s previous owners were all swordsmen, but its true strength lies with the one who earned the title ‘Swordsman King’ across the Grand Line—Phil.”
Gripping Mune Chika with both hands, he stepped forward and struck a slashing pose. “Come, test the power of this swordsman!”
With those words, his figure surged ahead, executing a vertical downward slash with the Long Blade toward Kuro.
His aura shifted too. If before it was recklessly ferocious, now it carried a sense of upright righteousness.
“Kenjutsu that suppresses through sheer momentum?”
Clang!
Kuro parried with Autumn Water, their blades sparking on impact. With a swift lateral pull, he deflected Mune Chika aside and counterattacked with a horizontal slash toward Chuan Zang’s chest.
Chuan Zang leapt back, raising Mune Chika vertically to block. He redirected Autumn Water downward, sliding Black Blade’s edge along its length for a reverse diagonal slash toward Kuro.
Kuro tilted his head. A wisp of displaced air sliced through the space where his neck had been, carving a gash into the structure behind him.
“Not bad,” Kuro praised.
This swordsmanship was undeniably upright.
“You dare compliment me? You won’t be so smug soon. Crescent Moon!”
Chuan Zang readied his stance, inhaled deeply, and his eyes blazed with light. Suddenly, his figure split into three—appearing before Kuro’s front, left, and right. All three Mune Chika blades, wreathed in Haki, descended simultaneously in vertical slashes.
“Afterimages? No… it’s speed so extreme the slashes feel simultaneous. This move—”
Kuro’s voice held surprise as the three slashes tore into him.
“A true masterpiece.”
The voice came from behind Chuan Zang, followed by Black Radiance slicing toward his neck.
Chuan Zang’s hairs stood on end. In an instant, he ducked low and sprang forward like a disheveled dog, narrowly evading the ambush.
Kuro stood unscathed behind him, while the previously shattered body dissolved into fading illusions.
Chuan Zang leapt to a distance, turned, and instinctively touched his neck. A streak of blood stained his palm, and his eyes darkened instantly.
“High-speed afterimages? I’ve got those too,” Kuro grinned.
Not only did he mimic them, but he could make them indistinguishable from reality. The unparalleled control of his Float-Float Fruit merged with Shinmeiryu’s wind manipulation prolonged and enhanced the afterimages’ realism.
“Then try this!”
Chuan Zang sheathed Mune Chika and drew two blades—one in each hand. “Left blade ‘Ox,’ right blade ‘Demon.’ These Famous Blades—Dual Blades ‘Ox Demon’—once wielded by the Ox Demon Swordsman. Witness my sword techniques!”
Boom!
His feet stomped the ground like a sumo wrestler, alternating left and right, creating thunderous echoes. In this moment, his gaunt frame seemed to swell with power.
Hiss!
White energy erupted from his nose and mouth like arrows, jetting outward.
He leveled the dual blades at Kuro, adopting a charging stance.
“Yellow Spring Demon Bull!!”
Bang!!
He charged forward, shockwaves exploding beneath his feet. The blades pierced the air, carving vortexes that resembled a monstrous bull with grotesque horns charging forth.
His aura now exuded a terrifying, soul-shaking pressure.
Another swordsman.
“So, you’re combining the techniques of legendary swordsmen,” Kuro observed.
Sliding Autumn Water into its sheath, he hooked his left thumb over the guard and gripped the hilt with his right.
“If that bastard Hawk-Eye knew about you, he’d probably adore you.”
Slash!
Autumn Water flashed out, trailing Black Radiance. Kuro vanished, reappearing ahead to slash a black line straight toward Chuan Zang.
Bang!
The Ox Demon’s phantom disintegrated under the black line’s force. Chuan Zang’s body flew backward, while Kuro appeared behind him, clicking Autumn Water back into its sheath.
“One Line Sky,” Kuro stated coolly.
“Damn you!!”
Chuan Zang roared, landing heavily before springing upward to face Kuro mid-air.
Hiss!
His sleeves exploded, revealing eight coldly gleaming blades strapped to each wrist.
“Famous Blade ‘Earth Spider’! Roar Chaos!!”
His arms blurred, creating afterimages that all targeted Kuro simultaneously—a sight like dozens of arms sprouting from his body.
“No matter how fast you swing, you still only have two arms,” Kuro said flatly.
He drew Autumn Water again. In an instant, a hundred afterimages slashed upward.
“Hundred Shadows Slash.”
Shishishi!
Chuan Zang’s body erupted with wounds, flying backward to crash into the ground.
Thud!
He knelt, barely steadying himself.
Crack!
The sound of breaking blades echoed. Chuan Zang stared in horror as the Earth Spider blades shattered at his wrists, scattering like shards.
The Famous Blade ‘Earth Spider’ had crumbled!
“But I’m different. Though I wield only one blade, I can strike a hundred times.” Kuro slashed downward with Autumn Water, addressing him.
Speed was simply that arrogant.
In that instant, Kuro had shattered the so-called Famous Blade into oblivion.
Beyond that, Chuan Zang’s upper ninja attire had been reduced to tattered rags clinging to his body, while his lower half remained intact. Beneath the torn cloth, his emaciated frame resembled nothing more than a skeleton draped in bark-like skin. His mask had torn away, revealing a withered face like withered tree bark.
“You’re quite entertaining. After all, the chance to spar with techniques from generations of swordsmen is rare. Show me more Famous Blades—I’ll watch,” Kuro remarked, eyeing Chuan Zang like a performing artist.
He was still a swordsman himself. Encountering someone who could mimic the sword techniques of the Grand Line’s ancient and modern masters was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And since Chuan Zang posed little danger, Kuro could observe at ease.
The more, the merrier.
Wishing all senior high students success in their exams!
(End of Chapter)
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