Chapter 92 – The End of the Pirate Era (Part 1)
Deep within the heart of the Holy Land Mariejois—so deep that even the most high-ranking nobles rarely stepped foot—an earth-shattering explosion erupted.
A deafening shockwave tore through the ground, loud enough to rupture a normal person's eardrums. The rumble echoed far and wide, shaking the very foundations of the island.
A massive rift cracked open, slicing straight through Mariejois, reaching all the way to the Red Line's bedrock. The earth itself split apart, forming a wide chasm between Tachibana Kyūjō and Azazel.
Kyūjō casually tossed aside the severed golden wing he had been holding, murmuring under his breath, "What a waste..."
Moments ago, he had activated his Mark and unleashed the fastest slash in the world. Yet even then, Azazel had narrowly dodged—purely on instinct.
Still, Kyūjō had managed to slice off half the wing. Not a complete success, but not a failure either. According to Infinity's calculations, Azazel's "Divine Purification Light" attack had now been severely weakened. While it could still vaporize most of Mariejois, the scale had dropped drastically from before.
Even so… Kyūjō doubted he'd survive a hit of that magnitude.
But honestly, whether he had cut Azazel's wing or not wouldn't have changed the outcome much.
Why?
Because the moment Kyūjō activated his Mark, Azazel had ceased to be a threat.
Despite the demon's vast arsenal of abilities, when it came to raw power—Azazel had fallen behind.
Not to mention, Kyūjō had Infinity—a support system that granted him perceptive enhancements and optimal pathing. As long as his opponent didn't exceed him in raw stats, Kyūjō rarely lost.
Still, he had aimed for the wing for one reason:
To stop Azazel from going full berserk and dragging all the nearby Marines into a mass-suicidal obliteration.
And beyond that...
He wanted to buy a little more time.
Time to see her again—one last time.
As for the Celestial Dragons in Mariejois?
If they died, so be it.
But not everyone here was guilty.
If he could prevent Azazel from unleashing that apocalyptic technique... Kyūjō would do whatever it took.
— — —
Azazel stood frozen, his expression stiff with disbelief.
He hadn't even fully registered what had just happened, and yet... the tide of battle had already shifted—drastically—into a dangerous corner.
Just moments ago, he had lost one of his vital golden wings, and it had only taken a single slash from that man.
Even more terrifying?
Azazel hadn't even seen the blade move.
His body had reacted purely on the instinct of death—the dread that clawed at him in that split second—prompting him to teleport reflexively.
He hadn't even felt the pain yet.
And yet he knew—
He wouldn't be lucky enough to dodge the next one.
And that was what truly frightened him.
He quickly activated the regenerative power of his green wings, restoring the gaping wound on his back. Eyes wide and shaken, he stared at Kyūjō.
This human had no cursed powers. No special transformation. No demon blood.
Just pure physical might—and speed—that applied pressure like a vice grip.
And then there was that Haki...
His Kenbunshoku Haki was on a whole other level.
Azazel still couldn't understand how Kyūjō was unaffected by the specialized technique Imu had developed—one designed specifically to nullify Observation Haki.
And yet, this man could still see the future.
Which raised a horrifying question in Azazel's mind.
Was this human's Haki even stronger than Imu's?
No.
No. He couldn't believe that.
He refused to.
— — —
After activating his Lightning Mark, Kyūjō's physical stats skyrocketed across the board. But the most notable of all... was speed.
And with greater speed came heightened Haki.
Both his Kenbunshoku and Busoshoku Haki were now operating at peak efficiency. That was why just one slash was enough to severely injure Azazel.
Interestingly though, lightning itself had become… irrelevant.
It wasn't that his Lightning Breathing or thunder-based techniques were useless.
It was just that here—in this world—Kyūjō had chosen to refine his body, swordsmanship, and Haki above all.
The lightning was simply a legacy of his Lightning Breathing ver. 3.0—a tool, not the main dish.
And even if he hadn't evolved that aspect further, that didn't mean it lacked potential.
As the old saying went:
"There are a thousand paths to strength. None are inherently superior."
And this battle...
This battle was strikingly similar to a scene from Naruto—when Might Guy opened the Eight Inner Gates and challenged Six Paths Madara.
Madara, with all his mythical ninjutsu and divine power, was still forced on the defensive by Guy's raw Taijutsu.
But unlike Guy… Kyūjō wasn't the underdog.
Even without the Mark, his base strength was already far above Azazel's.
This wasn't to diminish Guy or the Eight Gates.
Guy only failed to win because the gap between them was simply too vast.
Before opening the Gates, Guy was merely an Elite Jōnin. And with just martial arts alone, he surpassed countless power levels and cornered a literal god.
That feat alone was legendary.
And from that alone—you could understand the terrifying potential of the Eight Gates.
But if we're talking about raw life-sacrifice-for-power exchanges...
Then Kyūjō's Mark still had a long way to go before reaching that level.
— — —
Wave after wave of power rippled out, as if the very sky and earth were being torn apart.
In just sixty seconds, Azazel's entire form had changed dramatically.
His left leg—gone from the knee down.
His six pairs of wings—reduced to one golden wing and a pair of original white wings.
Beneath their feet, the Holy Land of Mariejois lay in complete ruin.
With Rairyūken, his lightning-forged blade, Kyūjō had torn through the land like slicing through a cake—with frightening precision.
All of it was intentional.
To keep the battlefield away from the Marine HQ.
— — —
As Kyūjō once again raised his sword, preparing to end it—
Azazel's eyes narrowed sharply.
After a brief moment of mental chaos, he blurted out:
"Wait! Human—stop!"
"You are… the strongest human I've seen in eight hundred years. I admit defeat. But don't think you can crush me that easily!"
"Tell me… human—can you still see the future with your Kenbunshoku Haki?!"
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