Hiroto stepped in, his hand clamping Kuro's neck, smashing him to the earth.
With a thunderous boom, Kuro cratered the ground.
Gluttony!
A torrent of warmth flooded Hiroto's body, forging an extracted entry.
[Entry: Son of Wind (Blue) acquired!]
[Agility: E++ → D (ten-million-bounty tier)]
[Entry: Son of Wind]
[Quality: Blue]
[Type: Passive]
[Effect: Greatly increases Agility, aptitude for Agility, and affinity with the wind.]
[Cost: None]
[Remark: Wind, listen to my command!]
Hiroto released his grip, sensing the change. This entry was exactly what he'd expected.
Kuro had genuine speed talent.
One 'great' boost to Agility had pushed him solidly into D-tier. In Hiroto's estimate, only Arlong and Krieg matched that stat in East Blue.
Added aptitude and wind affinity followed.
Hiroto lowered his head, replaying every move he'd observed from Kuro.
He'd meant to memorize them and attempt replication with 200x training.
Now… unnecessary.
His footwork shifted—awkward, then fluent, then masterful.
Minutes later, he vanished from the courtyard, just as Kuro had when first using Nukiashi.
No—more accurately, faster than Kuro.
In the second-floor, Tashigi's eyes bulged in shock.
'He… learned it?'
Across the yard, slash-marks suddenly appeared, mirroring Shakushi's trails, only claws replaced by a blade.
It meant Kuro's Shakushi had been learned.
If she wasn't mistaken, they'd met barely ten minutes ago.
What monstrous talent could copy a foe's proudest technique so fast?
Incomprehensible.
The sword-genius Tashigi felt someone towering above her.
'We can't let him go, absolutely not.' The thought crystallized instantly.
If this monster kept growing, the world might see a new Emperor.
Just then, Hiroto halted, pensively sheathing Shigure.
Nukiashi—learned, Shakushi—not yet, because their stats differed.
What Tashigi called 'Shakushi' was merely his normal Nukiashi. She couldn't see only because she was weak, but that wasn't the point now.
Hiroto looked skyward, white smoke had blanketed the courtyard unnoticed.
—Smoker had arrived.
Thick fog poured in, swallowing the yard.
'Not as brainless as I thought.'
A glance told Hiroto: Smoker was ensuring no hostages, and perhaps countering his flying slash.
Yet that foresight also meant Smoker saw zero chance of losing, planning from the stance of absolute victor.
Hiroto slid Shigure home again, eyes on the white wall descending.
Inside the smoke, Smoker struck without hesitation. His lower half turned to smoke and the yard-wide fog became a thruster. Jitte raised, he dived like a pale meteor at Hiroto.
'Really underestimated, huh.'
Hiroto's thumb flicked the guard and Shigure leapt free.
Savage wind gusted, scattering smoke as flames erupted.
Wind fed fire, fire fed wind.
In an instant, a fiery stream wrapped Shigure's edge.
Fiery Heart + Steel-Severing Slash!
Wind and fire wailed into a red column, carving everything within twenty metres.
The tree and Smoker were bisected.
'No Haki, can't hurt me.' Smoker's gaze was cold.
No blood, only white mist from the cut.
The Sea Stone jitte crashed down with force onto the blocking Shigure. Sparks flew and Hiroto's footing cracked as he took the blow.
Smoker pressed, jitte raining like a blacksmith's hammer to break him.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
In the furious roar, Shigure and jitte clashed. The yard fractured into spider-web scars, testament to their inhuman power.
Hiroto's long blade parried every smash and he slipped in a dozen cuts that bled white smoke from Smoker's body.
However, Smoker ignored him completely, swinging his jitte like a mad dog, managing to suppress Hiroto for a moment.
Whoosh—
A violent gale swept up, merging with the surging flames to form a firestorm that exploded with a bang.
Smoker dispersed into smoke and was sent flying back over ten meters before he finally stabilized himself, looking at his enemy with a solemn expression.
A Devil Fruit User?
No, it seems like some kind of special technique.
But he's so strong, no wonder Headquarters sent him to deal with him personally.
"Logia types are truly impressive."
Hiroto looked at the unharmed Smoker, somewhat admiring the "shamelessness" of Logia types. Without Armament Haki, one couldn't hurt them. Nobody could touch them, while they could hit anyone.
"You're quite well-informed."
Smoker's expression was cold. "In that case, don't waste your effort. Neither your flying slashes nor your sword can hurt me. Surrender now. With me here, you won't escape."
Hiroto tilted his head. "You misunderstand. What I meant was that you make an excellent sandbag."
"Then let's see about that."
Smoker's face darkened as he swung his jitte and charged again. This time, however, Hiroto didn't clash with him head-on. Instead, he tapped his foot and vanished from the spot, the eerie scene Tashigi had witnessed unfolding once more.
Even with Smoker's eyesight, he could only barely catch the trail of afterimages.
'So fast!'
Just as the thought flashed through his mind, Smoker suddenly swung his jitte. The blade of Shigure grated against the steel, sparks flying as the weapons clashed with a metallic ring.
Just as he was about to exert force, the resistance against his jitte vanished. Hiroto, who had just swung, disappeared into the wind.
Swoosh!
In the next instant, another slash came.
This time, Smoker failed to block it, and a burst of white smoke erupted from his shoulder. If he weren't a Logia type Devil Fruit User, that single blow would have sliced through his shoulder.
Swinging his jitte, Smoker's lower body erupted in rapid smoke, propelling him into fast motion.
Bang!
The jitte missed, smashing a large crater into the ground.
Clang!
Shigure and the jitte collided, sparks flying.
Clang! Clang! Clang...
Continuous loud bangs echoed in the courtyard, dust and roars rising together.
The high-speed clash was incredibly intense, two figures entangled in a fierce battle as violent winds billowed through the courtyard.
(End of Chapter)
Read 50 Chapters ahead on
patreon.com/astralicity