"Your Majesty! Kuro of the East Blue reports to you!"
Kuro slowly raised his head.
Blood flowed from the wound in his chest and stomach, running through his torn clothes and spreading into a bright red pool across the floor.
His face had turned pale from blood loss, and his lips shook badly. But his eyes burned with almost mad excitement.
He forced the words out from deep in his throat. His voice was hoarse but strong, each word sounding as if he were shouting with his life.
"The Red Hair Pirates are sheltering the Child of Destiny. Please bring down divine punishment upon them!"
At this moment, the emotions surging inside him were about to burst through the hole in his chest.
He had done it.
He had really done it.
Before tonight, he had been nothing more than a nameless extra in this story.
A butler whose name the main character would never remember. He appeared only to disappear, dying without a sound, without leaving even the slightest mark.
But now, those divine eyes high above the heavens were watching him.
That great being had witnessed every plan, every struggle, and every drop of blood he had shed tonight.
From this moment on, he was no longer an extra.
He would become a supporting character in this story.
["Granted."]
One word. Deep and mighty.
It descended from the highest point of the sky, as though countless stars shook together and endless waves across the distant sea bowed in reply.
The next instant, Kuro felt an indescribable flood pour into his body.
It was a power beyond the ordinary world, flowing through his blood, his bones, and even his soul.
His awareness seemed to rise in that instant, refined and lifted to a level he had never reached before.
Under Rosse's guidance, spirit particles poured over Kuro like a tide.
———
[Holy Land, Mary Geoise]
Rosse sat high above the clouds with a faint smile.
It was open appreciation.
Pure, with a hint of interest.
He liked unexpected turns.
He enjoyed seeing someone suddenly break free from a script that fate had already written.
Those who changed the course of events always made the long performance more entertaining.
This Kuro was quite good.
Rosse narrowed his eyes with interest.
He wanted to see just how far this ambitious cat could go.
BOOM!
The world changed. Clouds rolled across the sky as endless spirit particles poured down like a river of stars, blessing Kuro alone.
With the slightest movement of Rosse's finger, Kuro's presence rose again and again, like a beacon suddenly set ablaze, reaching into the sky.
B Rank→ B+→A-→ A→ A+→S-→S
Only after his power finally settled at S Rank did the spirit particles filling heaven and earth gradually calm down.
It wasn't that Rosse couldn't do more.
This level of strength simply made the next act more interesting.
For this journey of Luffy's, Rosse had never planned to send an SS Rank fighter.
Otherwise, one casual flick of a finger would crush Luffy into dust.
That would be far too boring.
"Hey... That presence is already on par with the captain, isn't it? That's actually possible?"
Beckman looked serious as he pushed off the ground and landed on the battlefield.
The pressure coming from Kuro had already gone beyond anything he could understand.
How could someone jump from the level of an ordinary Vice Admiral straight to Admiral level in an instant?
Everyone present, including Shanks, who had sailed the seas for decades, was seeing something like this for the first time.
"Now it's time for the second round," Kuro grinned.
His smile held both madness and satisfaction.
He reached out and firmly grabbed Griffin, which was still buried in his chest. Against the overwhelming force coming from Shanks' hand, he slowly pulled it out, inch by inch.
Slash!
Dark red blood sprayed from his chest, drawing a striking arc through the air.
Yet almost the very next second, the horrifying wound rapidly closed under the cover of spirit particles, leaving not even a scar.
Although Kuro only possessed this power temporarily, his healing ability had also been raised to a frightening level.
As long as an injury like this didn't pierce his heart, it could recover in the blink of an eye.
BANG!
Shanks and Kuro moved at almost the exact same moment.
A fist and a blade crashed together in midair with a heavy boom that seemed to freeze the air.
An S Rank fighter possessed the strength of an Admiral.
When two S Rank fighters clashed with all their power, the shockwaves alone were enough to tear apart an ordinary person's body.
A violent wind carrying invisible force swept outward.
Everyone nearby changed expression and could only retreat with everything they had.
"AAAAAHHHHH!"
Luffy screamed as the shockwave threw him into the air.
Like a kite with its string cut, he flew several hundred meters through the night together with half the roof that had been blown away, disappearing into the darkness.
Nami and Zoro had been standing farther away, so they were affected less. They also ran quickly enough to escape by the narrowest margin, rolling behind a pile of rubble.
When the shockwave faded, another clash didn't follow.
Kuro and Shanks had each stepped back five meters.
They stood facing each other from a distance, both seeing the other's killing intent and caution.
"AAAAAAAH! I'LL KILL YOU ALL!"
Usopp's desperate roar echoed across the night once again.
Everyone turned toward the sound.
The blood-covered boy was kneeling on the ground.
All that remained in his arms was a bloodstained nightgown.
As for where its owner had gone, he didn't need to say it.
Everyone already knew the cruel answer.
"Usopp, if you want to blame someone, blame yourself for choosing to become a live-in son-in-law."
Yasopp silently appeared behind Usopp.
The dark barrel of his gun rested firmly against the back of the boy's head.
His finger on the trigger trembled slightly, and there was hesitation on his face.
But when he remembered revealing Luffy's secret... and saw the overwhelming hatred in Usopp's eyes... he finally gritted his teeth, made up his mind, and slowly began pulling the trigger.
But that single moment of hesitation was already too late.
Or rather, with Usopp's strength, the moment Yasopp appeared behind him... it had already been too late.
"You are the King who rules the world!"
"You are the Lord of Order!"
"The sea flows for you, the sky shines because of you, and the earth stands firm because of you!"
The familiar prayer that sent chills through everyone sounded once more.
Only this time, the one reciting Rosse's holy name was Usopp, his face covered in tears.
Everyone who had just witnessed the miracle turned pale.
The giant eye in the sky... it still hadn't closed.
Yasopp's finger froze on the trigger.
Only now did he understand the despair Shanks had felt moments ago.
His finger rested on the trigger.
But no matter what he did, he couldn't pull it.
His body wouldn't move.
Not even a single hair.
Ignoring the gun pressed against the back of his head, Usopp suddenly lifted his face toward the divine eye high above and shouted with everything he had.
"Great God, I beg you to grant us your power and let justice come into this world!"
He actually had no idea what he was supposed to say.
But he knew one thing.
No matter what he shouted, Rosse would definitely act.
After all... today's main character wasn't Kuro.
It was him.
Buzz!
Almost the instant Usopp finished speaking, a deep blue beam burst from the giant divine eye overhead.
No one present could move.
All they could do was watch as the beam poured down from the heavens and landed directly where the Red Hair Pirates had gathered.
BOOM!
The massive pillar of light swallowed the entire area like divine punishment descending upon the world.
At that instant, the night split apart.
The earth cried out.
"NO!"
Shanks and Yasopp both shouted in despair.
But their movements were so slow, so powerless.
Neither of them could save a single member of the Red Hair Pirates.
Five seconds later, the beam slowly faded.
Those five short seconds felt like an entire lifetime to Shanks and Yasopp.
Even though nearly half of the familiar presences they sensed through Observation Haki had already disappeared.
They still forced their eyes open, wanting to see the cruel ending for themselves.
When the dim moonlight once again fell over the scorched ground, everyone finally saw the scene.
"Th-That's... way too much..."
Nami slowly peeked out from behind cover and swallowed.
Her eyes were filled with awe and fear toward the divine eye hanging above.
Before them was a bottomless crater.
At the bottom, Beckman was supporting himself on one knee, breathing heavily.
His body was covered in blood.
The others weren't in any better shape.
Most lay motionless on the burned ground, their clothes soaked with blood.
Only a handful were still barely breathing.
Every member of the Red Hair Pirates below B Rank had been erased by that divine punishment.
"Beckman!"
Shanks' eyes turned red as he tried to rush over.
But the moment he pushed off the ground, he caught sight of Kuro charging toward Yasopp.
Left with no choice, he gritted his teeth, turned back, and intercepted Kuro again.
After fighting Kuro, he knew very well that only he and Beckman could barely hold Kuro back.
Even then, they weren't guaranteed to kill him.
If Kuro wanted Yasopp dead now, it would take almost no effort.
Even though Yasopp had just done something unbelievably foolish... he had still been Shanks' companion for many years.
Shanks couldn't abandon him.
Although for one brief moment, he had considered leaving him alone.
After all, if Yasopp hadn't insisted on killing Usopp, Usopp might never have recited that prayer.
And they certainly wouldn't have suffered this disaster.
BANG!
Kuro and Shanks collided in midair once again, sending scorched earth flying in every direction.
This time, Kuro looked much more relaxed.
Looking at the worried expression on Shanks' face, he curled his lips into a mocking smile.
"You're really not going to help your crew? Wait a little longer, and everyone except your first mate will probably die."
Rosse's strike had been perfectly measured.
It wiped out most of the Red Hair Pirates while leaving the survivors seriously wounded and hanging on the edge of death.
"Yasopp! Beckman! Take everyone who's still alive and retreat!"
Shanks roared with all his strength.
His voice trembled in a way it never had before.
At this point, only he and Yasopp could still fight.
As for Luffy, the shockwave had blown him who knew where.
There was no counting on him.
"Captain... I... I can't move..."
Beckman coughed up two mouthfuls of blood.
It wasn't that he didn't want to move.
His body felt locked down by invisible chains.
It simply wouldn't obey him.
His injuries weren't fatal.
But he couldn't move.
He knew this was Rosse's doing.
But what difference did knowing make?
"Captain, I can help you kill Kuro!"
Yasopp could still move.
Seeing that Usopp had already disappeared, he immediately decided that instead of splitting up to rescue everyone, the fastest solution was to kill Kuro first and save the others afterward.
But the moment those words left his mouth, Shanks shouted back angrily.
"Yasopp! As your captain, I order you to save our crewmates!"
How had he never realized before... that Yasopp was this stupid?
There was no chance of defeating Kuro in the current situation.
Rosse was still watching from above.
If Yasopp stayed to fight, every seriously wounded crewmate would die.
"All right!"
Seeing the seriousness on Shanks' face, Yasopp finally didn't dare argue anymore.
Grinding his teeth, he gave in.
He rushed toward his crewmates, lifting and supporting those who were still alive, helping them retreat with difficulty toward their ship.
Watching him leave, Shanks finally let out a quiet sigh of relief.
If the others hadn't already been dead or badly injured, he would never have entrusted them to Yasopp.
Now he was genuinely worried Yasopp might do something foolish again and drag all of them down with him.
"Tsk! Tsk! What touching friendship. Tell me, why did you have to get involved in this at all?"
Kuro laughed as he continued exchanging blows with Shanks.
The fight looked fierce.
In reality, Shanks had no way to win.
When it came to combat experience and skill, Shanks could completely overwhelm him.
But Kuro was now almost impossible to kill.
With Rosse watching from above, he wasn't afraid of anything.
Shanks, on the other hand, couldn't stop worrying about his crew.
Even though he was stronger overall, Kuro had forced him onto the defensive.
By now, Kuro knew the battle was almost over.
Rosse clearly had no intention of wiping out the Red Hair Pirates tonight.
This was already the limit.
To be honest, after receiving divine power today, he hadn't even had many chances to show what he could do.
Yasopp had simply stolen too much of the spotlight.
Kuro truly hadn't imagined there could be someone like him in this world.
Right now, he really wanted to see how the Red Hair Pirates would look at their good companion Yasopp in the future.
Those crewmates who had died... were all watching him from above.
They never had to die.
At the very least... they didn't have to die like this tonight.
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