Death of the Spoon

Zoro's three swords were fiercely suppressing Kuro's ten sharp claws.

Kuro's seemingly slender arms were now bulging with veins. His legs, unable to withstand the immense force, had bent slightly at the knees, his heels digging two deep furrows into the grass!

"This guy... I'll handle him!" Zoro said through gritted teeth to Ronan and Luffy amidst the stalemate.

"Hey!" Luffy jumped anxiously on the side, "Zoro! Didn't we agree to fight side-by-side!"

"No need!" Zoro roared suddenly, putting force into his arms and waist simultaneously!

"CLANG--!!"

A tremendous force, far exceeding Kuro's expectations, transmitted through the three swords.

Kuro felt an irresistible, strange power surge at him. His prideful claws could no longer maintain their defensive stance, and he was forcefully pushed back by this immense strength!

"Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!"

Kuro stumbled back five or six steps in disarray before he could barely steady himself.

His arms felt numb, and his fingers could barely grip the heavy claws.

He endured the churning pain in his stomach and the numbness in his arms, looking at Zoro in shock.

So heavy! This kid's Strength... completely suppressed me?!

Kuro's heart sank.

Since when did the East Blue... produce such an expert? This kind of skill, this swordsmanship... he's no unknown nobody!

"How would you, who abandoned your ambitions and planned to eke out an existence on this small island, know about the rising stars who have appeared in the East Blue over the past year?"

Ronan's voice came leisurely, like a commentator.

Enjoying the physical enhancement from his fivefold cultivation, he calmly introduced Kuro:

"The swordsman you're facing is a renowned Three Sword Style swordsman who has become famous on the seas over the past year, a 'Pirate Hunter'—Roronoa Zoro!"

"Hey! Ronan! You talk too much!"

Zoro couldn't help but blush, even for someone like him, hearing Ronan's exaggerated introduction, and yelled back irritably.

"Roronoa... Zoro..."

Kuro chewed on the name, his gloomy expression almost dripping with water.

He knew he had run into a tough opponent today.

"Enough with the nonsense!" Kuro let out a sharp roar, "Fighting isn't about who has more Strength!"

He knew that neither Ronan's foresight nor Zoro's Strength was something he could directly confront.

His only, and strongest, chance of victory lay in his unparalleled Speed!

Kuro made his decision.

He bent his body low, lowering himself extremely, like a crouching leopard, adopting a highly aggressive stance.

His legs were bent, muscles tensed, in a state of coiled power.

His claw-gloved hands hung naturally at his sides, swaying slightly, but the sharp "Cat Claws" blades were already slightly open, reflecting a heart-stopping cold glint in the sunlight.

The atmosphere in the courtyard became extremely tense at this moment.

The wind stopped.

The birdsong disappeared.

Luffy and Zoro subconsciously slowed their breathing.

Kuro's aura was escalating wildly, a chaotic, violent, indiscriminate killing intent spreading from him.

"Huh?"

Luffy's eyes suddenly widened.

"Where did he go? He vanished!"

Just as Luffy spoke these words, Kuro's figure disappeared before Zoro and Ronan.

It wasn't a point-to-point teleportation like "Silent Step," but a complete, visual evaporation!

The patch of grass beneath his feet was instantly blown away by an unseen immense force, scattering grass and dirt everywhere!

"He didn't!"

Ronan's voice rang out amidst the chaos. His eyes had become incredibly focused at some point, his Spirit, amplified fivefold, allowing him to barely catch a trace of his trajectory.

"This isn't vanishing! It's an incredibly fast movement that we can't comprehend! His Speed is so fast that the naked eye can't see him anymore!"

A word surfaced in Ronan's mind – "Spoon" (Death of the Spoon)!

Here it comes! This is Kuro's strongest, indiscriminate attack!

Ronan knew clearly that this move was Kuro using his fastest Speed for indiscriminate, high-speed slashes within a certain range.

It was so fast that even he didn't know what he would cut or how to stop himself!

This is a crazy, deadly technique!

"Zoro!" Ronan roared, "Don't try to follow him with your eyes! He can't control himself! Steady your mind!"

"What?!" Zoro was startled, but he no longer had time to understand Ronan's words.

Because the symphony of death had already begun!

"Hiss--! Hiss! Hiss! Hiss! Hiss--!"

Piercing sounds of air being torn apart came from all directions of the courtyard simultaneously!

Kuro's figure transformed into countless gray-black afterimages, madly shuttling and darting within the area!

The ten claws in his hands were like the scythes of death, tearing everything in their path to shreds!

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Kaya's meticulously planted rose bushes, the stone benches used for decoration, and even the large tree Usopp had hidden behind earlier...

In that instant, they were all subjected to dozens of slashes!

Wood chips flew! Stones scattered! Red petals danced in the air like a bloody rain!

"So... so fast!" Luffy watched everything around him in shock, unable to even distinguish which was Kuro's true body.

"Damn it!"

Kuro's Speed had surpassed the limit of his dynamic vision!

"Hahahaha!!"

Kuro's frenzied laughter echoed from all directions, reverberating throughout the entire courtyard.

"See! Brats! This is my 'Spoon'! In this area, I am a god!

Where is your prediction?! Where is your Strength?! In the face of absolute Speed, it's all meaningless!!"

"Die! Die! All of you... be torn to shreds!!"

Kuro's Speed increased again!

Wood chips flew! Stones scattered! Red rose petals were shredded by the claws, dancing in the air like a bloody rain!

On the white walls of the villa, on the sturdy stone pillars, countless crisscrossing claw marks appeared in an instant.

The entire backyard, in just a few seconds, transformed from a beautiful garden into a crumbling ruin!

"Damn it!"

Zoro held his three swords in front of him, attempting to block.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

Three crisp sounds came from his left, right, and back almost simultaneously!

Zoro felt three immense forces strike him, his tiger's mouth throbbing with pain, and he stumbled from the chaotic Strength!

He couldn't judge the source of the attacks at all!

"Ugh!" Zoro cried out in pain.

The brand-new white shirt on his chest was instantly torn, revealing five shocking bloodstains, and blood instantly dyed the lapels red.

"Such incredible Speed... such fierce attacks..."

"I have no idea... where he's going to attack from!"

"Waaah!"

On the other side, several slashes also suddenly appeared on Luffy's red vest.

Although his rubber body saved him from most of the blunt force, the sharp blades still left shallow wounds on his skin.

"I can't find that guy at all!"

Luffy shouted anxiously, swinging his fists wildly like a headless fly, but he couldn't even touch Kuro's clothes.

"Don't panic!"

Ronan's voice rang out in the storm. While warily scanning their surroundings, he shouted to the two of them:

"Rather than not knowing where he's attacking, look at his indiscriminate attacks around the courtyard, and you can tell--

The guy himself can't control the direction of his attacks! His Speed is too fast, that's the drawback!"

The moment Ronan finished speaking--

An extreme cold, a sense of life-or-death crisis that felt like it would freeze his very soul, suddenly struck from behind him!

This was a killing intent far surpassing the previous 'Silent Step'!