Silent Step? Like an Old Granny in Front of Lightning Speed

"Cough... spit..."

Kuro, who was stepped into the pit, suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with shattered teeth.

The extreme humiliation and excruciating pain instantly filled his eyes, hidden beneath the blood stains, with crazed bloodshot veins.

"Unforgivable... absolutely unforgivable!"

Kuro let out a beast-like low growl.

He fiercely waved the Ten-Bladed Cat Claws on his arms, not attacking Lei En, but instead savagely slashing at his own pinned swallow-tailed coat!

"Rip!"

The sound of tearing fabric rang out.

Kuro actually used such a self-mutilating method to cast a cicada's shell molting, forcibly breaking free from beneath Lei En's foot!

He scrambled backward in a flurry for a dozen meters, putting distance between them as his chest heaved violently.

"Whoa! This guy is hardcore!"

Usopp in the distance saw this scene, so frightened his eyeballs nearly popped out.

Lei En looked at the battered, blood-splattered Kuro, his face still maintaining that unperturbed expression.

"What? Done acting elegant?"

Lei En raised an eyebrow. "Broken down already? Your mental fortitude is lacking."

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!"

Lei En's taunt, like pouring oil on fire, completely ignited the last remaining string of reason in Kuro's heart.

He completely plunged into a berserk state!

"Brat! You forced this on me!"

Kuro's body swayed in an extremely bizarre posture, like a tumbler.

His gaze grew unfocused, yet the corners of his mouth split into an exceptionally crazed smile.

"Next, I'll let you witness what true speed is!"

"Shakushi!"

Accompanied by a hoarse roar!

"Whoosh—!"

Kuro's figure vanished from the spot instantly!

Not like the afterimages from just now, but genuinely, visually vanished completely!

"P... people are gone?!" Usopp shouted in terror.

The next second!

"Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!"

Centered on Lei En, within a radius of a dozen meters, countless crisscrossing, fierce slashes instantly appeared!

These slashes were completely random, reaching the absolute limit of speed, as if dozens of Kuro were launching attacks simultaneously!

The surrounding ground, walls, and even that smashed large iron gate were cut to pieces under these slashes like fragile tofu!

Shakushi was precisely the ultimate upgraded version of Silent Step!

An ultimate killing move that carried out indiscriminate attacks regardless of friend or foe at super-high speed!

Kuro believed that under this inescapable web-like flurry of blades, no living creature could survive!

He felt as though he had already seen the bloody scene of Lei En being chopped into countless fragments!

However.

Lei En, standing right at the center of the slashing storm, didn't even budge an inch.

He even gave a tremendously leisurely, huge yawn.

"Is that it? I thought there was some big ultimate move, turns out you just turned yourself into a high-speed spinning top."

Lei En's extremely punch-able sarcastic remark clearly reached Kuro's ears as he moved at high speed, nearly making him spit a mouthful of old blood.

"Stop putting on a bluff over there! Turn into pieces for me!"

Kuro's roar came from all directions, and the speed of the slashes became even more ferocious!

"Fine, since you love playing with speed so much, I'll play along with you."

Lei En finally put away that lazy posture.

His body, at the very split second before countless slashes were about to hit, suddenly turned illusory.

"Zila—!"

Lei En's entire body instantly decomposed into countless jumping blue electric arcs!

Natural-type Devil Fruit—Elementalization!

"Swish, swish, swish!"

Kuro's Ten-Bladed Cat Claws, which were sufficient to cut through steel, passed straight through Lei En's thunderous body without encountering any obstruction.

It caused no damage whatsoever.

"Wh... what?!"

Kuro, while moving at high speed, sensed this bizarre touch and his heart sank heavily.

Physical attacks are useless?!

This guy... is also a devil fruit user?!

Just as he was struck with terror and horror, preparing to stop and reformulate his tactics.

It was already too late.

"Got you, kitty cat."

A voice like a grim reaper's whisper suddenly sounded directly in front of him!

Kuro jerked his head up.

He saw that mass of blue lightning which had originally remained stationary in place, at some unknown point, had re-condensed into Lei En's appearance!

Lei En had actually appeared in his high-speed movement path in an instant, using true lightning extreme speed that surpassed Kuro's comprehension!

"Th... this is impossible!!!"

Kuro's pupils violently contracted, his mind going completely blank.

In front of this godly speed, the Shakushi he was so proud of was simply like a toddler learning to walk!

He wanted to brake, wanted to turn, but the immense inertia generated by his super-high-speed movement made it completely impossible to stop!

He could only watch helplessly as he, like a moth lunging at a spiderweb, actively crashed into Lei En's already-opened hand, which was like an iron clamp!

"Crack!"

An extremely crisp sound rang out.

Lei En with pinpoint precision grabbed Kuro's fragile neck!

A terrifying grip strength erupted instantly!

Kuro, moving at supersonic speed, was like a sports car driving at high speed being abruptly yanked to a stop by a suddenly appearing steel wall!

The massive inertial force caused the bones all over his body to emit creaking, agonizing groans.

"Urgh..."

A sense of suffocation and excruciating pain arrived simultaneously, Kuro's feet kicking weakly in mid-air, his complexion turning a liverish purple from oxygen deprivation.

Everything he was so proud of was thoroughly shattered in this moment.

Lei En hoisted Kuro into mid-air with one hand, just like holding a helpless little chick.

He looked into Kuro's bulging eyes filled with fear, the corners of his mouth curving into an extremely contemptuous sneer.

"Is this the speed you're so proud of?"

Lei En's voice was so icy it lacked a trace of warmth.

"In my eyes, you're so slow, you look just like an old granny leaning on a cane."

As the words fell.

"Zilalala—!"

Ferocious blue current surged along Lei En's arm and erupted with a roar!

The terrifying high-voltage lightning instantly swallowed Kuro!

"Ah—!"

Kuro emitted a shrill, inhuman shriek.

Under this violent current and high temperature, his proud and razor-sharp Ten-Bladed Cat Claws melted instantly like a fragile candle into molten iron, dripping onto the ground and emitting sizzling sounds.

Lei En looked at Kuro, who was convulsing all over and foaming at the mouth, and casually tossed him onto the ground like garbage.

He turned his head to look at Usopp, who was completely terrified into a daze in the distance, and flashed a grin.

"Hey, long nose."

Lei En pointed at Kuro, who was like a dead dog on the ground, and then pointed at himself.

"Now, whose speed do you think is faster?"