Chapter 830: Justice Prevails!
Chapter 830: Justice Prevails!
Whoosh!!!
A wisp of something resembling a cannonball shot up from the ground, soaring past the water-surrounded island cloaked in bubbles before anyone could react.
But not everyone missed it.
"He's here", said the slicked-back hair man, watching the black shadow rocket upward with a malevolent grin. "Word came that he destroyed his own fortress. Finally, the collision begins."
In a nearby alley, the white-clad man wearing a chef's tall hat witnessed the event. Quietly, he pulled out a Transponder Snail. "Bartholomew's operation has begun."
Pah!
Bang!!!
First the bubbles burst, then the island itself exploded from the base.
Boom!!!
The vanishing bubbles and shattering island sent the entire landmass plummeting downward.
"Kuro!!"
Lida staggered, barely maintaining his footing against the shockwave. "Kuro!" he shouted.
Kuro extended his finger. The ground near the shipwrecks anchored itself, preventing further collapse.
The remaining area collapsed downward.
"Run for it!!"
Pirates gathering nearby panicked as the island descended, scrambling to escape.
But the island's falling speed affirmed it would overtake their escape.
The water column couldn't withstand the impact, instantly collapsing into a spray.
Boom!!!
The falling island shattered at the central ring, scattering fragments across the gap like a chaotic mosaic.
Meanwhile, the ground near the shipwrecks landed intact on the sea surface.
"What kind of weapon is this?" Klah's hand trembled as he pushed his glasses up. What level of power could produce such an attack?
Cannons?
Some other weapon?
"No, it's a person", Lida's voice turned grave.
Klah couldn't see clearly, but Lida sensed it.
That figure who rocketed upward from below, punching straight through the bubble-covered island in one strike - it was human!!
"Kuro, that guy..." Lida swallowed hard, eyes locked on the smoke-choked area ahead.
Kuro bit his cigar, expression darkening.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Footsteps echoed through the smoke.
From the haze emerged a towering figure. Wild golden hair flowed from his head, headphones around his neck, a black military uniform accentuating his powerful frame. White gloves covered both hands, one of which gripped an old man's head. With a twist and a sickening crack, Klah the Cyclops' head spun 360 degrees. The attacker discarded him like a rag doll, then bared bone-white teeth toward Kuro.
"Taking this long to eliminate such trash - have you grown weaker, Lucius Kro?"
"Is this..." Klah's eyes widened in disbelief.
This man's epithets were many.
Country Destroyer. City Sacker. At fourteen, he slaughtered an entire nation, shocking the world.
Fifteen when he joined Roger's pirate crew, navigating the Grand Line.
Seventeen earned him the reputation as 'Devil's Offspring'.
Eighteen saw him leave Roger's crew, gaining fame under his own name as 'Devil's Heir'.
Twenty-one, the year Roger died, he turned the Grand Line upside-down.
Twenty-two, he faced a Pacifista ambush led by Sengoku and Garp, only falling to Vice Admiral Sakazuki's might.
Yet this young man carved such a fearsome legacy the world would never forget.
Douglas Bartolomew!
"You finally showed up! I thought you'd lurk until the end", Kuro tightened his grip on Autumn Water. "Destroying Old Man's G-3 looked effortless."
Bartholomew grinned maliciously. "Just testing my hands. Weaklings like them lack the qualification to exist in this world."
He glanced at Lida and Klah. "Kuro, I don't hate you, but your companions are weak. Such trash has no place here. Strength alone survives - your fortress' people proved that best."
Kuro's expression darkened as he stepped forward, confronting Bartholomew directly. Though shorter, his aura matched the other's intensity. "You really want to die, Bartholomew."
"Heheheh..."
Bartholomew chuckled lowly. "I've wanted this fight for twenty years. You've already cut a captain once. Defeat me, and you'll claim that treasure."
He pointed toward the treasure pile. "You see that wooden chest? That One..."
Whoosh!!
He hadn't finished speaking when Kuro attacked. Autumn Water crackled with golden electric sparks as it slashed downward.
Clang!!
The strike landed perfectly on Bartholomew's shoulder near his neck, but a wisp of pitch-black, nearly blue Haki blocked it.
Bartholomew smiled, looking down at Kuro. "Decent power."
He clenched his fist, blue Haki swirling like a windstorm, launching a lightning-fast punch.
Kuro's pupils constricted. He barely raised Autumn Water in defense.
Boom!!
The punch slammed against his blade. Kuro hissed through clenched teeth, body flying backward, carving a smoky path through the dust.
"Hahaha! Come on!!"
Bartholomew bent his spine, arms wide in a grotesque dance. "Let me kill you! Or you kill me! A life-or-death struggle! Golden Lion!!"
Golden Lion?
His voice carried to nearby pirates still present.
Golden Lion? Wasn't that a Navy name?
Wait, this man was Navy?
Navy?!
"Run! Navy's here!!"
Pirates screamed.
"Cursed Festa! Why's Navy here!!"
The host onstage heard the commotion and scrambled away.
Kuro skidded to a halt, twisting his neck with a pop before straightening.
"Operation, Lida, Klah."
At Kuro's words, Klah adjusted his glasses. His body shimmered as he dashed sideways.
Lida stepped on air, activating Moonstep. A ghostly afterimage lingered in the sky as he leapt away.
"Oh? Trying to eliminate all these weaklings? Doesn't matter. Those were meant to be my practice targets anyway. I targeted the Worst Generation originally, but they never showed up." Bartholomew watched Kuro with a malevolent grin.
"They're not the only ones getting eliminated!"
Suddenly, Kuro thrust his hand skyward. "You didn't think Old Man would face you alone, did you, Bartholomew?"
A massive shadow blotted out the sky, nearly engulfing the island.
Not land - a golden ship blazing like the sun itself.
Golden Lion!
On Golden Lion's deck stood countless Navy personnel, lowest-ranked being Commanders, rows forming an imposing battle line.
At the forefront: famous Vice Admirals.
Togeko, Borsalino, Aokiji, Doflamingo, Storbery, Dalmatian - and others.
Twenty strong, including elite and standard Vice Admirals.
Leading them, Kas gazed down at the island's dense network of enemies. "Justice will prevail!"
(End of Chapter)
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