https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-846-Demon-God-of-Evil-Spirits-Demonic-Warrior/13539366/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-848-You-Drain-Me-I-Drain-You-Grand-Line-Showdown/13539374/
Chapter 847: Cracking Earth Here, Collapsing Mountains There
Chapter 847: Cracking Earth Here, Collapsing Mountains There
Kuro took a step forward, gripping his sword with both hands. The blade extended forward across his line of sight as he steadied himself.
Bartholomew spread his legs slightly, his left fist drawn back while his right thrust forward into a combat stance.
Both stood motionless.
The wind howled, kicking up a swirl of sand, sweeping past their bodies.
Under the influence of Conqueror’s Haki, even nature seemed to recoil from the impending clash.
“This is getting serious,” someone muttered.
On the severed island nearby, Dracule Mihawk tightened his grip on the massive Black Blade in his hands, his eyes blazing with battle intent.
He cared little for Bartholomew.
But facing Kuro? His desire to fight had only grown more intense.
A Supreme Great Quick Blade like himself. This swordsmanship—
He wanted to test his strength against this man!
“Looks like I don’t need to hold back anymore,” Crocodile remarked, eyeing the demonic figure of Bartholomew with a scoff. “He’s gotten stronger from cultivating in that jail, huh?”
Strong? Definitely. But Crocodile had no intention of fearing him.
The problem was—how had this guy become so powerful while rotting in prison? Meanwhile, Crocodile himself had grown complacent after retreating from the New World, allowing that brat Luffy to steal the spotlight.
“Has it come to this already?”
Back on the Navy’s side, Rob Lucci suddenly appeared, his gaze fixed on the battlefield. “Truly unexpected.”
Aokiji’s voice was grave. “Lucci? Where have you been all this time?”
“I don’t recall needing to report to you,” Lucci replied coolly.
“He was in the underground palace.”
A wisp of smoke materialized into Smoker’s form, carrying an unconscious Tashigi. “I was scouting the underground when he showed up. We came out together.”
Beneath the island lay an ancient underground palace—once Festa’s hideout.
Smoker and Tashigi had infiltrated it before the treasure hunt began. But soon after, an aura of Conqueror’s Haki erupted. Tashigi hadn’t fainted yet, but the subsequent explosions collapsed the entire structure, leaving them trapped.
After who knows how long, Lucci arrived. But that overwhelming mix of shockwaves and Killing Intent struck so fiercely that Tashigi lost consciousness on the spot.
Thus, the scene that unfolded now.
“That Killing Intent… I knew it was Kuro.”
Smoker stared at the distant island, gritting his teeth. “Has it escalated to this level already?”
He’d never seen Kuro fight like this.
“Hey, Klah,” he turned to the werewolf incarnation. “Did your boss ever fight like this?”
“No,” the werewolf shook their head. “Not even close.”
And they weren’t exaggerating. Even Lida hadn’t witnessed such a display.
Kuro was the type who cultivated in secrecy, far from anyone’s reach. The sky above held a vast continent—plenty of space for him to train.
Lida stayed silent. She knew Kuro too well. The way he described his own progress was always something like, “Oops, I’m afraid I did poorly on this one.”
She didn’t understand what “did poorly” referred to, but the meaning was clear enough.
He worked hard in the shadows, and you could never pin down his true strength. You might think you were equals, but when the decisive moment came, he’d grind your face into the dirt.
You’d never know how he cultivated, so you’d never grasp his real power. You’d never be able to gauge his strength or weakness. In short—he was unpredictable.
A real fox.
“But now…”
Lida’s eyelid twitched. Even without further details, she could sense it clearly—this was Kuro’s full power.
The first time she’d ever seen him fight at his limit. Had things really escalated to this critical point?
Most importantly, they couldn’t interfere.
Forcing their way in now would only burden Kuro.
Even with Kuro at his peak, Lida couldn’t predict the outcome.
Victory or defeat—still uncertain.
……
Crash!
The waves slammed against the island’s severed edge, splashing upward only to be absorbed by the sand.
As that sound echoed, both fighters sprang into motion simultaneously.
Bartholomew’s feet slammed the ground, erupting into a shockwave as he lunged forward like a tiger.
Kuro, meanwhile, blurred into a wisp of blood-red shadow, moving even faster than Bartholomew.
The Crimson Black Back Yokai Blade—its blade edge met the blue-black aura-wreathed fist of Bartholomew’s attack.
Boom!!!
The shockwave erupted outward, the deafening explosion splitting the island into four jagged fragments centered on their clash!
Boom!
The sky darkened. Behind Kuro, the crimson sun blazed like blood, staining half the heavens. On the opposite side, gloomy clouds roiled like thunder, splitting the sky with a thunderous Boom that clashed against the crimson horizon.
The heavens themselves had shifted under the clash of Conqueror’s Haki and Killing Intent!
The ground behind Bartholomew resembled a net of razor-sharp slashes, fracturing into a dense lattice of stone fragments, seawater gushing forth.
Behind Kuro, the mountain previously raised by his ability now bore a massive hole at its waist, revealing the open sky.
A single strike’s aftershock—cracking the earth here, collapsing mountains there.
Zizzizzi!
Kuro’s blade cleaved downward, sliding along Bartholomew’s fist, sparking a shower of sparks. The blade dipped, then Kuro twisted his grip, flipping the sword upward in a diagonal slash toward Bartholomew’s chest.
Bang!
The strike was deflected by Bartholomew’s free fist, but Kuro used the recoil to spin his body, twisting upward into the sky. The blood-lit Yokai Blade whirled with him, then came crashing down with tremendous force.
Bartholomew’s lips curled into a malevolent grin. His fist rocketed toward the airborne Kuro.
The blue-black aura-wreathed punch erupted, generating a sonic boom cloud in the air.
But halfway through the strike, Bartholomew’s eyes flickered. His body twisted sideways, ignoring the Kuro-shaped phantom his fist had punched through.
Swish!!
A glint of blood-red light flashed from the side, barely slicing past Bartholomew’s arm.
Now steadying his footing, Bartholomew reared back his fist and swung it in a wide arc toward Kuro.
But the punch passed through empty air—another phantom image.
“Hallucinations and illusions again? Are you afraid to fight me head-on, Kuro?”
Bartholomew turned calmly, his gaze shifting to the side.
“Tsk, what’s the rush?”
Kuro emerged from the shadows, his voice cold. “I’ll cut you eventually.”
With Killing Intent saturating the battlefield, Kuro could forcibly create these illusions through his ability. Their strength might not plunge opponents into a trance-like immersion, but in this high-intensity combat, even this level of deception was sufficient to create openings.
After all, to truly erode Bartholomew’s defenses, mere Killing Intent wouldn’t suffice.
His enemy’s willpower and Haki had yet to waver.
And neither had his own.
Though this level of combat drained his physical strength rapidly, if it came to this—
Kuro tightened his grip on the Yokai Blade, baring his teeth.
“Let’s see who outlasts the other!”
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
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