The cruel grin on Kuro's face froze instantly.
It was replaced by endless, absurd disbelief.
His claws were less than three centimeters from Ronan's throat.
But Ronan's fist had already slammed solidly into his stomach!
This long-prepared Collapsing Fist pushed Ronan's 12 points of Strength and the essence of National Martial Arts' Manifested Strength to their limits!
The terrifying force pierced through Kuro's suit and shook his internal organs.
"Puh—!!"
Kuro had been charging forward in an attack stance, on the verge of landing his blow, when his body was struck head-on as if by a battering ram.
He curled up like a cooked shrimp in midair and was sent flying backward even faster than he had come!
A dark-red spray of blood mixed with stomach fluid violently burst from his mouth, drawing a miserable arc through the air.
"Bang!!"
Kuro flew seven or eight meters before smashing Kaya's carefully tended flower bed to pieces!
Wood chips, dirt, and red-and-yellow petals exploded into the air like a chaotic downpour.
Kuro landed miserably amid the garden's ruins, his ten clawed fingers buried deep in the soil as his body convulsed violently.
The entire scene fell silent.
Luffy and Zoro were completely dumbfounded.
Their brains simply could not process what had just happened.
An enemy so fast that even Zoro could not see him clearly, a pirate with a bounty of sixteen million Belly... had been sent flying by Ronan's single punch just like that?
Luffy's mouth hung open in an O, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.
Zoro's hand gripping his sword hilt trembled slightly from exerting too much force.
He was not afraid. He was shocked.
He muttered under his breath, "...He saw him? No... he didn't look... How did he do that?"
Then, inside Ronan's mind, that cold, familiar mechanical voice rang out right on cue:
[Host has entered Deathmatch State. Cultivation Multiplier *5]
In an instant, a massive current of heat far greater than what he felt while holding a Horse Stance surged through Ronan's limbs and bones.
He could feel his muscles, bones, and even his nerve reaction speed beginning to strengthen again at a rate visible to the naked eye!
"Cough... cough cough..."
Several meters away, Kuro pushed himself upright from the shattered flower bed.
He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, while his other hand clutched his stomach, which was still in sharp pain, as though it had been pierced through by a hammer.
He stared at Ronan in disbelief. One lens of his glasses had shattered in the impact, revealing bloodshot eyes filled with shock.
"How... is that possible..."
His voice had become hoarse and twisted from pain and fury.
"You little Kid... how could you possibly evade my Silent Step?!!"
"No... you didn't evade it!" Kuro finally realized, becoming even angrier. "You bastard! You predicted my position!!"
Ronan slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air. The rebound force from that punch had left his arm slightly numb as well.
He looked at the enraged Kuro and said calmly,
"Your killing intent is too heavy, Kuro. It stands out like a firefly in the night."
Ronan could now clearly feel it. Under the fivefold boost of the [Perseverance] panel,
the arm that had gone numb from his charged strike was recovering at a rate visible to the naked eye, even becoming tougher than before.
Muscle fibers throughout his body trembled slightly, tore apart, and then reformed.
He slowly exhaled a plume of white vapor. Under the bright sunlight, it lingered without dispersing, like a miniature white Dragon.
Ronan's gaze locked onto Kuro, who was struggling amid the flower bed ruins like a hawk's.
"You seem," Ronan said calmly, his voice carrying the coldness of someone dissecting prey, "not to be a pirate whose strength lies in physical toughness."
As he sensed the ever-growing strength in his body, he continued applying pressure with his words.
"The toughness of your body is not even as good as that pirate captain I encountered before, the one with a bounty of three million Belly."
"However..." Ronan changed the subject. "Since your bounty is so high, it seems your worth is all in your speed and those claws of yours."
"Cough... cough, ah!"
Clutching his painfully aching stomach, Kuro staggered to his feet from the broken petals and damp soil.
The cracks in his lens formed a spiderweb, reflecting his twisted, incredulous face.
Ronan's Collapsing Fist had nearly jolted his internal organs out of place.
"So that's how it is..."
Kuro glared viciously at Ronan, enduring the sharp pain as he tried to regain control of the situation.
"Are you... an intelligence-type expert? I never expected me, Kuro of Hundred Schemes, to fall for the trick of a Kid like you!"
He used his wrist to push up his damaged glasses, his eyes behind the lenses gleaming like those of a venomous snake.
"However, Kid, on this Great Sea, having brains alone isn't enough! You also need strength!"
His voice became shrill with rage and sharp pain.
"Now that I'm prepared, can you still avoid my second move? No, you won't even be able to see it! And I... won't let you hit me again!"
"You're right, Kuro."
Ronan actually nodded in agreement. "In this world, brains truly aren't as important as strength."
Kuro froze.
"But," the corner of Ronan's lips curled mockingly, "you forgot one more thing."
"What?" Kuro asked instinctively.
"Companions and connections."
Ronan's gaze slowly shifted toward the two companions beside him, whose Fighting Spirit had long since surged.
"Don't you agree?"
"Bang!"
Luffy slammed a fist into his palm, producing a crisp explosive crack.
The innocence and curiosity on his face had long vanished, replaced by unquestionable seriousness.
"Yeah! Ronan is my companion! How could I possibly let you hurt him?!"
Meanwhile, Zoro held the white Wado Ichimonji horizontally before his mouth.
"Clang... clang..."
His other two swords left their sheaths at the same time!
Three Sword Style!
A swordsman's aura, purer and more domineering than Kuro's sinister killing intent, swept through the entire backyard like a storm!
Zoro pointed the blades of all Three Swords at Kuro.
"Though ganging up on someone isn't my style,"
Zoro's voice was somewhat muffled because he held a sword hilt between his teeth, but the Fighting Spirit within it was unmistakably clear.
"your speed is indeed troublesome. To keep you from doing anything you shouldn't, I'll take you down right here!"
Before his words had even faded, Zoro moved!
He stomped forward with his leading foot, instantly leaving a deep pit in the lawn beneath his force!
"Three Sword Style: Demon Slash—!!"
Zoro shot forward like a cannonball. With a leap, he transformed into a whirlwind and lunged fiercely at Kuro!
Three streak-like slashes crossed through the air, sealing off every route of retreat!
"Damned Kid!"
Kuro's pupils contracted sharply. He had not expected this swordsman's explosive power to be so astonishing as well.
He had no time to use Silent Step. He could only cross the ten claws on both hands before his chest to block this devastating blow!
"Clang—!!!"
A deafening, ear-piercing sound of metal friction exploded above the entire courtyard!
Three swords and ten claws crashed together violently! The sparks that erupted scattered like a grand display of fireworks!
A visible shockwave exploded outward from the two of them!
"Bzz—!"
The shockwave swept over the grass, jolting the broken section of stick Ronan had thrown aside into the air;
making Luffy's red vest flap loudly in the wind;
and even causing the windows on the second floor of the distant villa to creak under the strain.
Zoro and Kuro were locked in a stalemate.
This was a contest of pure strength!
Before you continue