Chapter 931: Kuro, Don't Lose Your Head!
Chapter 931: Kuro, Don’t Lose Your Head!
“Zhaiha, Blackbeard’s Laugh!”
Marshall D. Teach thrust one hand toward Kuro, dark smoke swirling from his palm like a spiral of Dark Water. The fist on his other hand shimmered with a faint white glow.
“Kuro, I admit I lost the bet, but there’s still a chance! There has to be!”
Boom!!
He slammed his fist into the air, unleashing a violent shockwave that sent seawater erupting from the cruiser below. The towering column twisted into a tsunami, surging toward G-3. The fortress shattered even more violently as the wave crashed down.
“Erosion Wheel Return!” Crocodile slammed his palm onto the ground, transmuting stone into sand across G-3, transforming it into a sprawling desert island.
“Tsunami.” Kuro flicked his Yokai Blade upward. “You think I can’t kill you on the Grand Line?!”
Whoosh!!
He swung his blade—not even a full arc, just a single slash through the air.
Within his Killing Intent Domain, the tsunami abruptly snapped at its base. The towering wall of water collapsed as if its support vanished, and Kuro clenched his five fingers, tearing the wave apart into a downpour of sea spray.
With the water clearing his line of sight, Kuro spotted the cruiser ahead. The blade’s swing had sliced through it effortlessly, cutting the ship in two.
“Sea Whirl Hell!” Kuro snarled.
From beneath the cruiser, a massive vortex whirled to life in the sea. But before it could fully form, a shockwave rippled outward, flattening the whirlpool.
Boom!!
Another tremor shook the air. Kuro’s body wavered mid-air as Laffitte suddenly soared upward, wings spreading. He gripped Marshall D. Teach in one hand and Shiryu in the other, lifting them skyward. Shiryu had already ensnared Van Augur and Poison Q—Poison Q’s horse sank with the shattered cruiser, while Van Augur clutched Daidon and Basque Shot, fleeing the scene.
“Escape his Killing Intent Domain!” Shiryu bellowed.
They were already near the edge of Kuro’s domain. The cruiser had almost escaped—until now. But with Laffitte’s aid, they slipped just beyond the lethal boundary.
Marshall D. Teach braced himself, wary of Kuro’s approach. If Kuro dared attack, he’d drag them both into the Grand Line’s depths with his ability.
A cruel glint flashed in Marshall D. Teach’s eyes. He bet Kuro wouldn’t dare follow. He bet Kuro wouldn’t throw his life away.
And Kuro didn’t.
But—
“Marshall D. Teach, I said you wouldn’t escape so easily.”
Kuro twisted his blade, locking eyes on them. “Killing Intent Mirage.”
Basque Shot stiffened, then writhed free. “That guy’s here! Marshall D. Teach, Admiral, nice work—he’s dead! He’s falling into the sea! Let me go, I’m not even a Devil Fruit user yet!”
He tore from Van Augur’s grip, laughing as he plunged into the Grand Line.
The sea roared, swallowing him in a vortex. The swirling currents shredded him, staining the surface with blood and scraps of flesh.
When Kuro’s Killing Intent had lashed him earlier, it had already carved fatal wounds. Marshall D. Teach, unaware of the poison in Basque Shot’s blood, never used his ability to purge the Killing Intent’s effects.
Without that intervention, Basque Shot’s demise was inevitable.
Kuro wasn’t done with ranged attacks.
He raised a hand to the sky. A scabbard plummeted into his grasp. He sheathed the Yokai Blade, gripping the hilt in his right hand and the scabbard in his left, assuming an Iaijutsu stance. The Killing Intent Domain around him contracted violently.
A black-red glow, tinged with golden light, radiated from the scabbard, illuminating the darkened battlefield.
Killing Intent, Haki, and ability converged in a maelstrom of power.
“First Slash: Annihilation.”
Kuro spat the words through gritted teeth. He gripped the hilt—then drew.
Crack!!
The scabbard shattered under the strain. As the blade cleaved downward, a massive golden bird erupted forth, its wings etched with black patterns and trailing bloodfire. It shrieked, diving straight for Marshall D. Teach.
“Great Vermilion Bird Funeral Cry!!!”
“Screeee!!”
The bird’s cry thundered like a storm. Shiryu froze. “Slash! So many slashes! Marshall D. Teach, this move—”
No need to finish. Marshall D. Teach slammed his hands together, the spiraling darkness of Blackbeard’s power merging with the blinding white of Quake-Quake. He thrust his fists forward, unleashing the combined force.
Boom!!!
The air before him fractured like shattering glass, jet-black smoke erupting from the cracks. The two powers collided—
KA-Boom!!!
The bird struck the center of the shockwave, releasing a cataclysmic roar. The night sky tore open, revealing a gaping black-red void. Below, the sea churned into a storm, the impact zone blazing with searing light, blinding all.
Shockwaves rippled outward. Crocodile grunted, his body disintegrating into sand, then slicing apart into fragments.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The shockwaves hammered Kaswhite’s energy shield, carving pits and widening cracks in the white energy.
The pirates Kuro had slain earlier were now unrecognizable—shattered into pulp or sliced apart by the lingering slashes.
“Strength radiating this far… Still this devastating…”
Dracule Mihawk gripped his Black Blade, slashing outward to dispel the residual force. His frown deepened. “Kuro’s power is one thing… But Marshall D. Teach’s strength—no wonder Whitebeard faltered in his final days.”
“Kuro, don’t lose your head! The base can’t hold!”
Lida’s scream pierced the chaos. Kuro stiffened, his crimson eyes flickering with clarity. He turned to see her, arms crossed, essence shockwaves swirling around her.
Without Mihawk’s intervention, even this residual power would’ve overwhelmed her. The ground beneath her feet crumbled, barely held together by loose sand.
The black-red light faded. The battlefield fell silent. No one remained in sight.
“Tch!” Kuro’s eyes widened. He raised a hand to the sky. “My fortress is gone, and he just runs? Absolutely not!!”
Boom! Boom!
The sky darkened further, its gloom oppressive.
Those at the base instinctively looked up, swallowing hard.
“This…”
Joe Rudolph wiped sweat from his brow, lips trembling.
His three companions stood frozen, faces pale, trembling uncontrollably.
A colossal landmass, its edges vanishing into the horizon, descended from the heavens.
(End of Chapter)
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