Just moments ago, he had been testing whether cutting off the central head of Kurozumi Orochi would kill it instantly!
So, wasn't Kurozumi Orochi transforming into the eight-headed serpent exactly what he wanted?
In the blink of an eye, Lancelot's figure flickered, darting forward like a ghost.
The Shusui sword in his hand transformed into a streak of light, tracing a beautiful yet deadly arc through the air.
In an instant, Shusui reached Kurozumi Orochi's neck and flashed past with lightning speed.
Kurozumi Orochi's central head, which bore its distinct features, was instantly severed and fell to the ground with a dull thud.
"Pfft..."
In that moment, scarlet, scalding blood gushed out like a fountain, forming a surging pillar that shot straight into the air.
Then, the splattering blood intertwined and merged mid-air, eventually turning into a chilling blood mist that permeated the surroundings.
However, something astonishing happened that left Lancelot utterly stunned.
Even though the central head had been successfully severed, Kurozumi Orochi did not collapse as expected.
Instead, its body trembled slightly, and then Lancelot noticed one of the other eight heads suddenly droop lifelessly, seemingly devoid of all vitality.
But at the same time, the severed central head began to regenerate at a visible rate!
Alright! This strike proved him wrong.
But he still wanted to test further.
Previously, all his speculations had been about the heads.
What if he targeted the body instead of a head? Or perhaps an arm or something similar.
What would happen then?
Lancelot was someone who acted on his thoughts without hesitation.
"Swish..."
Lancelot thrust his sword, and before Kurozumi Orochi could react, Shusui pierced straight through its chest, even piercing its heart.
The heart was undoubtedly a vital spot for all humans—no one could survive having their heart pierced.
Lancelot immediately withdrew Shusui, and blood spurted out along the blade.
Kurozumi Orochi collapsed to the ground but did not die.
Because Lancelot saw another head droop lifelessly. In the next moment, the wound on its chest healed completely.
"Impressive... it really has nine lives!" Lancelot's eyes lit up.
Just this ability alone could rank among the top ten Devil Fruits.
However, Lancelot had no intention of letting Kurozumi Orochi off.
He swung Shusui once more.
"Swish..."
Kurozumi Orochi's legs were severed at the knees.
"Ahhh..."
This time was different from the previous two.
In those instances, he hadn't even felt the pain before dying once, only to revive and heal immediately.
He hadn't felt anything at all! But this time... The agony of having his legs severed!
Under the immense pain, Kurozumi Orochi's face twisted grotesquely, even taking on a ferocious expression.
At the same time, he glared fiercely at Lancelot.
He had some brains to be able to sit in the position of Shogun of Wano Country.
Through Lancelot's three attacks, he had already guessed what Lancelot was doing.
He was testing his abilities and understanding his powers.
This was even more unacceptable than killing him outright.
It was completely like a cat toying with a mouse before the kill... But what could he do about it? He had never felt so powerless before.
In fact, the best and wisest choice for him now would be to end his own life.
But how many people could face death directly and still have the courage to take their own lives? Very few in the entire world.
And Kurozumi Orochi definitely wasn't one of them.
So, he activated his ability once again.
One of his remaining heads drooped down, and immediately his legs completely recovered.
Lancelot couldn't help but narrow his eyes.
Now he understood this ability—the nine heads weren't just nine lives, but he could actively choose to use one of them to recover from injuries.
This Zoan-type: Hebi Hebi no Mi, Mythical Zoan Type: Yamata no Orochi Form truly lived up to being a Mythical Zoan.
The Devil Fruit's ability was indeed powerful.
"Kekekekeke!" And the stronger this fruit was, the happier and more satisfied Lancelot became.
"Bastard..."
Meanwhile, Kurozumi Orochi completely lost his mind.
His remaining heads shot out rapidly like agile snakes, attacking Lancelot from different angles.
"Swish..."
Lancelot directly swung Shusui in his hand, the blade releasing a cold gleam in the air.
All of Kurozumi Orochi's heads were severed in an instant.
Thus, Lancelot obtained another Zoan-type: Hebi Hebi no Mi, Mythical Zoan Type: Yamata no Orochi Form.
...
With such huge commotion coming from the shogun's palace, how could Black Maria, Ulti, and Page One—who were constantly monitoring the shogun's palace—not know about it?
Black Maria, Ulti, and Page One couldn't help but look at each other in surprise.
When they saw Kurozumi Semimaru's barrier being broken from afar, all three of them had already begun to question their understanding of reality.
As members of the Beasts Pirates, they naturally understood their captain's character.
Even though they hadn't joined the Beasts Pirates when their captain conquered this place, given their captain's personality and way of doing things, he would never cooperate with trash like Kurozumi Orochi.
And yet he did cooperate.
So they were quite curious and puzzled about this.
When the captain assigned them to be stationed here, they looked into the matter.
Eventually, they learned about Kurozumi Semimaru and Oden.
When they understood everything, all three of them were shocked, each more surprised than the last.
Oden who could rival their captain and Semimaru, a Devil Fruit Ability User who could block all attacks in this world.
Plus a group of powerful samurai and master swordsmen.
With such strength, they could probably rank among the top three among all the kingdoms in the world!
At the same time, they admired Kaido even more.
To have conquered such a powerful country... But they were also greatly shocked by Oden and Kurozumi Semimaru.
Especially Kurozumi Semimaru, since Oden was already dead while Kurozumi Semimaru was still alive.
"Huu..."
Black Maria, Ulti, and Page One all took deep breaths simultaneously.
Ulti and Page One exchanged a glance, then turned their gaze to Black Maria.
Page One spoke bluntly: "Even the captain couldn't break through Kurozumi Semimaru's barrier. Yet this Marine managed to shatter it... Does that mean this guy's strength surpasses even the captain's?"
At that moment, the invincible image of Kaido in their hearts began to waver.
Black Maria: "..."
She fell silent immediately, because she didn't know how to respond.
Because she herself thought the same way.
Kaido had gathered numerous powerful followers through his invincible one-on-one combat prowess, but what if he was no longer unbeatable in single combat?
What if he was no longer the strongest creature on land, sea, and air?
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