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Chapter 811: Devil Fruit Users Are Grand Line's Specialty
Chapter 811: Devil Fruit Users Are Grand Line's Specialty
"You're cheating."
A wisp of black smoke flickered across Smoker's eyes. "You used your ability, didn’t you? Otherwise, how could you have such accuracy!"
"Please", Kuro scoffed, "Devil Fruit users are Grand Line's specialty. Don’t like it? Don’t play."
With a flick of his finger, the cannonballs inside the crate floated upward. He snapped his fingers forward. "Go."
Hiss!
The cannonballs rocketed toward the two pirate ships. The dual-sword pirate crew hadn’t even figured out what was happening, still watching for movement from the enemy ship, when the sky suddenly darkened with a swarm of cannonballs plummeting toward them.
"It’s cannonballs!"
The older captain leaped up, his massive sword swinging overhead like a shield.
"Some cannonballs? You think they’ll destroy my ship?!"
Bang!
The moment the sword struck the cannonball, a sharp crack rang out. His iron-severing swordsmanship failed to split it immediately—his blade didn’t even budge, as though it had struck an unyielding barrier.
"This is… Haki?!"
The older captain’s pupils shrank. Jet-black cannonballs now gleamed with a layer of Haki.
Hiss!
Another wisp of cannonball, dark as lightning, came streaking. Before the captain could react, the massive projectile pierced his body, leaving a gaping hole through his chest.
"Brother!!"
The younger captain bellowed as his sibling’s body exploded midair.
But in the next instant, another black thunderbolt slammed into his head, obliterating it entirely. The dark projectile continued its trajectory across the Grand Line, finally splashing into the sea and sending a towering geyser skyward.
Only then did the pirates realize—it was just a cannonball.
But what difference did that make now?
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The remaining cannonballs rained down, exploding across the two pirate ships, tearing through their hulls. The speed-focused vessels, built for velocity over defense, crumbled under the bombardment.
Meanwhile, the Navy commander watched, stunned.
Pirates fighting pirates? Common enough. But he was still here—shouldn’t they have dealt with him first before turning on each other?
Something’s off about this Flying Rudder Pirate Group…
"Prepare for combat!" the commander barked. "Engage at my command!"
But pirates remained pirates. Even if they’d indirectly saved his crew, they were still outlaws.
Navy versus pirates—natural order of the world.
The pirate ship edged closer, aligning parallel to the warship.
"Hey there, still intact?"
A figure with a strong Haki aura casually greeted the commander from the ship’s side. His smile was warm, yet his presence was overwhelming—a clear leader.
Just one glance screamed ‘strong man’!
The commander had already retrieved the Navy’s wanted posters. He quickly identified the man.
Captain of the Flying Rudder Pirate Group!
‘Heavenly King’ Gilgamesh!
"Pirate!" the commander gritted his teeth. "What’s your objective here?!"
"Who’re you calling—" Kuro’s scowl faltered as he spotted the wanted poster in the commander’s hand. "Ah, right… Forgot the old man’s a pirate now."
"Then you shouldn’t be chatting, Kuro."
Smoker approached, eyeing the commander. "Arrest the rest of them."
He yanked off his headband, revealing his slicked-back hairstyle.
"Vice Admiral Smoker?!"
The commander recoiled. He recognized Smoker immediately. Wait—he should’ve been ‘Iron Rod King’ Gamos!
Wait, Gamos?!
"Are you really Vice Admiral Smoker?!" the commander squinted. This was definitely Smoker—but the man grinning beside him, initially overlooked, now drew his attention.
"Golden Lion Vice Admiral?!" he gasped.
"Shh, keep it down", Kuro raised a finger, smirking. "No Golden Lion, no Smoker. Just pirates on a whim. Got it? Pirates."
"Understood", the commander bowed.
A full Admiral candidate acting as a pirate? There was clearly a mission here—but he dared not ask details. Best to comply.
As for Kuro actually becoming a pirate…
Absolutely impossible.
If Golden Lion Vice Admiral had really gone rogue, would he be this low-key? Would he even need a pseudonym? He’d have already shaken the Grand Line by now.
"I understand. You’re pirates, and our damaged warships can’t pursue. You’re free to escape", the commander declared.
"Hmph! At least this one’s reasonable", Kuro nodded. "Fine, play it your way—but don’t let these pirates escape. Retrieve every corpse floating in the sea."
With a single crate of cannonballs, the pirate ships were crippled—one already split in half, its captain dead. Failing to capture them now would be a disgrace.
"Hey", Smoker grumbled, "why did they recognize me immediately? You didn’t even disguise your face or wear a headband. How come I’m the only one who gets stuck covering up?"
"Your face lacks versatility", Kuro shrugged. "Changing hairstyles works for pretty boys like Kyoto Animation characters or Takeuchi faces. Some people can switch from Britannia King to Roman Emperor just by adjusting their outfit, no hair change needed."
"And people say they’re different? Please", he scoffed.
"Still…" Kuro glanced at the destroyed ships, frowning. "Blackbeard’s been quiet lately. Is Kaido and Big Mom overshadowing him?"
"Blackbeard? He’s just been hoarding Whitebeard’s territory, but I’ve got a feeling—he’ll be a major threat", Smoker mused.
"You’ve got a point", Kuro shot him a sidelong glance.
Marshall D. Teach, the Blackbeard Pirate captain, with a 2.2 billion bounty, had risen as a new Emperor after the War of the Best, inheriting most of Whitebeard’s dominion. Yet recently, he’d gone silent, causing no major incidents.
A man of his caliber staying low? Impossible.
Among the Four Emperors, excluding the deceased Whitebeard, Kuro considered Blackbeard the only one who’d truly earned his spot on the throne. But for now, his foundation remained shaky—lacking Kaido or Big Mom’s stability and constantly shadowed by Marco’s remnants.
This was precisely why Kuro fiercely opposed abolishing the Seven Warlords system.
Even if the current Warlords were weakened, the remaining veterans were still formidable. Letting Blackbeard slip through their grasp could spell disaster.
(End of Chapter)
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