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Chapter 85: The Lion's Roar Fades
Chapter 85: The Lion's Roar Fades
As soon as those words left his mouth, Shanks suddenly raised his sword. Instantly, shadows swallowed the island whole.
In this world where the seas dominate most of the land, what is the greatest calamity?
The answer is a tsunami.
This is the floating Skypiea, surrounded by other airborne sea territories. But when the entire expanse of water suddenly surged upward, curling into towering waves that crashed toward the island, even this place couldn’t escape unscathed.
Kuro certainly didn’t think it was trivial.
The tsunami rose like an endless wall, its shadow swallowing the entire island. Compared to this monstrous wave, Kuro felt as small as an ant.
There was no way to stop something this overwhelming.
“Gururururu—”
Lida struggled within her rain-coated prison. Klah slashed through the watery sphere, then struck again with his claw blade, shattering Lida’s protective barrier.
Lida collapsed onto the ground, coughing violently. Her eyes widened at the tsunami’s towering form. Gritting her teeth, she sprinted toward Kuro, desperate to restore some of his physical strength.
“No. It’s unnecessary.”
Kuro slowly sheathed his blade, his gaze fixed complexly on Shanks in the sky.
Shanks didn’t speak. He simply hovered in place.
The sword floating around him suddenly plummeted.
Simultaneously, the colossal Grand Line tsunami began its descent.
“I’ve lost.”
Shanks forced a stiff smile, his voice hoarse. “Kid, where are you from?”
“The East Blue.” Kuro replied slowly.
“Again… I’ve lost to someone from the East Blue. Interesting. One was a pirate, one was a Navy man.”
He lifted his remaining arm toward the sky, spreading his five fingers wide. “So this is it. My era has long passed.”
The sword in his grip slipped from his hand, landing beside Kuro along with the fallen blade.
“Your spoils. Take them. Cut off my head. Inherit my name. Let your name thunder across the Grand Line, Lucius Kro!!!”
As his final words faded, Shanks’ smile froze. Suspended in the sky, he stood motionless, like a statue.
The lion has roared its last.
The lion grows old. Its furious Qi fades.
“He has no aura left.”
Lida gasped. “Kuro! He’s dead!”
“I know.”
Kuro glanced at the two swords at his feet. “Sorry, but I have no interest in making my name famous across the Grand Line. I’ll take your swords though. Since you’ve become a legend, rest peacefully as one. But these blades? I’ll accept them gladly. After all, they’re [Famous Blades].”
Unfortunately, Shanks could no longer hear him.
His eyes closed, his body began its final fall.
Boom!
The earth cracked, fragmented, and began collapsing downward.
“Let’s go. Shanks is dead. His power is gone. This floating Skypiea’s going down with us.”
Kuro snatched up the two swords, activated his Moonstep, and launched himself skyward.
This was the Grand Line. Nothing existed below. Falling wouldn’t matter. Kuro didn’t care about crashing into anything.
What? Sea beasts?
Their misfortune.
The group soared upward, fleeing toward Germora Island.
The floating Skypiea shattered, plunging into the Grand Line. Several islands collided mid-fall, merging into a new landmass in the ocean’s depths.
Shanks’ body sank into the Grand Line, vanishing forever.
“Old man… thanks for the lesson.”
Kuro cast one last glance at the spot where Shanks disappeared. “I’ll burn some paper for you during the holidays.”
…
Five days later, Germora Island had recovered from the panic of nearly being crushed by falling land.
When Kuro returned, the Navy hadn’t left yet.
Of course—they had no officer to command them.
But most of the Navy had already departed when Kuro returned.
Kuro ignored them, heading straight to the Mendeltown mayor’s house.
“Ah! Kuro! You’re finally back!”
The mayor’s home had been rebuilt. Seeing Kuro’s battered state, he rushed forward to support him.
Kuro waved him off. “Don’t touch me. Help someone else. Just get me something to eat. I’m starving.”
Five days of nonstop combat meant five days without food. Kuro could barely stand.
He slumped into a chair inside Mendel’s home, panting heavily.
Lida leaned against Kuro’s legs like a limp rag, utterly spent.
Klah trembled, collapsing against a wall. He hadn’t fought at all—just being near Kuro and Shanks’ battlefield had drained him. He’d wanted to collapse entirely, but feared falling into the sea.
This level of power was terrifying.
Mendel said nothing, bringing out bread and apples.
Kuro devoured a loaf in seconds.
Lida attacked the table like a starving tiger, her hands a blur as she gorged herself.
She’d maintained her Observation Haki the entire time, avoiding eating anything on the floating island, and barely nibbling on her own supplies. She was ravenous.
“You’re all so hungry! Making strong men suffer like this… it breaks my heart.”
Mendel fretted over Kuro and Klah, ignoring Lida completely.
Mendel replenished the table multiple times before Kuro finally felt full. He patted his stomach, leaned back in the chair, and stared at the [Sakujū] and [Kigō] swords he’d brought back. His expression darkened.
Even a powerhouse like Shanks had shattered Kuro’s ultimate trump card, his [Ultimate Mystic Art].
At full strength, Kuro would’ve stood no chance against that man.
Shanks lost only because age had eroded him, and pulling the ship’s rudder had drained his vitality.
“Hmph. The Grand Line’s still too dangerous. I’m still too weak.” Kuro muttered.
“By the way… where are my subordinates?”
“They went looking for you! They’ve searched this island nonstop for five days. They should be back soon. I didn’t tell them anything. A strong man like you must have your reasons for disappearing suddenly!”
Mendel gave a thumbs-up, his grinning teeth gleaming with an annoying metallic sheen that made Kuro squint.
Kuro turned away, avoiding the mayor’s face, which radiated a disturbing [Alabasta] aura.
“Finally over, thank the gods.”
Kuro gulped down water, lit a cigar, and exhaled a plume of smoke. “No more threats to my safety in the East Blue, right? Definitely none!”
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Lida swallowed the last bread and looked away. “Of course there’s nothing. This is the East Blue.”
Yes. This is the East Blue.
What kind of monsters had this region already produced?
Kuro felt drained. Utterly exhausted.
If defeating a Shanks had taken this much effort, how terrifying would the Top War, or the even stronger Whitebeard, be?
He’d never go.
No one could drag him there.
Since Shanks’ defeat was unknown to all, no one could promote him.
And if he wasn’t promoted, he could stay cozy in the East Blue forever.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
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