Ironclad Pirates

Kane understood. They wanted to take Rosinante away not for the fake rescue bounty offered by Sengoku, but to obtain the Donquixote Family's secrets!

And those were precisely what major powers valued most!

That was why the Ironclad Pirates and Lohr were among the big fish Sengoku and Tsuru wanted to lure out!

With everything clear in his mind, Kane no longer hesitated and decisively shook his head.

"Sorry, Rosinante's final destination can only be Impel Down. If you want to take him away, you'll have to step over my corpse."

"That is truly regrettable."

Lohr shook his head regretfully. As soon as he finished speaking, violent flames erupted beneath his feet, and he shot toward Kane.

Kane, who possessed Observation Haki, had already moved first. He threw a punch, his Armament Haki-hardened fist hurtling straight toward Lohr's face!

Lohr reacted just as quickly, throwing a heavy punch of his own instead of defending, meeting Kane's fist head-on!

Boom!

The two fists collided in midair. The tremendous clang of metal echoed through the sky, whipping up a gale across the Calm Belt.

Seeing that the armor on his opponent's hand had not suffered the slightest damage, Kane raised an eyebrow in surprise and kicked out with a Rankyaku!

The massive vacuum slash shot straight at Lohr. If he dodged, the slash would strike the pirate ship behind him!

And if he chose to block it, Kane's follow-up attacks would crash down on him wave after wave!

Lohr had already anticipated all of this. He neither dodged nor blocked, instead thrusting both palms toward the vacuum slash.

The next instant, a massive shockwave erupted from his palms and blew the vacuum slash to pieces!

Then, without the slightest pause, the armor on Lohr's arms sprang open. Several pitch-black gun barrels aimed directly at Kane, and flames abruptly burst forth!

Bang bang bang...

The bullets fell as densely as rain, scorching trails of fire through the air as they shot wildly toward Kane like a crazed swarm of bees!

Kane swiftly drew his sword. His arm moved so fast it left only afterimages, while sword light burst forth like a flock of birds in flight, colliding head-on with the incoming bullets!

Dense metallic clashes exploded through the air as firelight and sword light intertwined, dazzling the eyes.

Yet amid the flames, several missiles suddenly flew out, trailing blue tails of fire as they streaked toward Kane!

Kane's face instantly darkened. What kind of Iron Man was this in a pirate world?!

He slashed several times like lightning, instantly cleaving every missile in two. They passed by him and exploded violently behind him, making his coat of justice flap wildly.

Lohr's endless arsenal could not harm Kane, but it kept him from closing in for the moment.

Seeing the warship behind him getting closer and closer, Kane's expression darkened. Armament Haki spread from his arm to his longsword, and in the blink of an eye, the blade in his hand had turned pitch-black.

Kane took a deep breath. His Observation Haki locked firmly onto Lohr in the distance, cold light gleaming in his eyes.

Lohr instinctively sensed danger. He thrust both palms toward Kane again, and powerful shockwaves capable of shattering a Rankyaku surged toward Kane like a tide!

Kane hovered motionlessly in the air. Just as the shockwaves were about to strike him, the longsword that had gathered enough momentum finally swung down!

Screech!

A sword cry resembling an eagle's shriek burst forth. The surging black sword light on the blade transformed into a colossal black eagle, crashing head-on into the tide of shockwaves!

Cuckoo's personal teaching—

Bird Style Secret Art: Lone Goose Break!

In an instant, the shockwaves were effortlessly split in two by the giant eagle sword light, which continued onward without slowing toward Lohr, who still had both arms raised.

He seemed stunned rigid for an instant. Seeing that there was nowhere to evade, he suddenly let out a tremendous roar. His breastplate split apart, revealing a cannon barrel of astonishing caliber!

Boom!

Blinding flames bloomed from the barrel, spewing out a crimson pillar of fire carrying terrifying heat as it collided head-on with the giant eagle sword light!

In an instant, scorching air waves swept through the surroundings. Even the air warped from the intense heat, making the outline of the giant eagle ripple like water.

The flames and giant eagle collided like light and shadow, but this time, the light failed to disperse the darkness.

The flames blocking the giant eagle sword light shattered and scattered, yet they could not delay it in the slightest.

A trace of fear flashed through Lohr's eyes beneath his helmet, as though he had seen death standing right before him.

His strongest move could not withstand the sword light, and with Kane's aura locked onto him, he had nowhere to run. Defeat was already inevitable.

Kane acted ruthlessly and never left survivors. Even if Kane spared him, he would not survive.

At that thought, the fear in Lohr's eyes was replaced by relief. He shouted, clenched both fists, and charged at the giant eagle sword light with unstoppable resolve.

His fists, carrying his will to the end, finally halted the giant eagle sword light for an instant, but only for an instant.

Lohr's armored gauntlets were the first to be sliced apart, followed by his fists, forearms, elbows, and then his entire arms.

In the end, the giant eagle sword light slammed viciously into Lohr's chest.

His thick, hard breastplate was shattered into fragments after absorbing the greatest part of the blow. Lohr spat blood wildly as he flew away, crashing onto the pirate ship with a thunderous bang.

Yet what shocked Kane was that after seeing their captain defeated, not a single pirate on the ship stepped forward to check on him. There was not even the slightest change in their expressions!

They were like robots wearing human skin, each carrying out their duties aboard the ship.

Only after Lohr's defeat did they all turn their eyes toward Kane in the sky.

Kane could not sense the slightest emotion in those pairs of eyes, only the chill of being watched by an icy gaze.

Something was wrong with these people!

The moment that thought surfaced, the pirates aboard the three ships seemed to receive some command at the same time. They all picked up the guns at hand, aimed at Kane, and pulled the triggers.

In an instant, all manner of bullets and cannonballs rose into the sky like dense raindrops flying in reverse, shrieking as they descended upon Kane.

Yet the pressure brought by this barrage was far less than Lohr's. Kane merely used Geppo to dart and weave through the air, avoiding every attack.

Then he dropped onto the pirate ship and raised his longsword at the pirates charging toward him.

Would people without emotions fear pain?

With that question in mind, sword light erupted from Kane's blade and began ravaging the pirate ship.

For a time, blood sprayed everywhere across the deck, while severed limbs flew in all directions.

Yet even as Kane began his bloody slaughter, the pirates still charged at him without hesitation.

If their legs were cut off, they crawled with their hands. If their hands were cut off too, they twisted and wriggled forward.

As long as they were not dead, they would throw themselves toward Kane, trying to injure him with any part of their bodies that could still move.

What chilled Kane the most was that from beginning to end, these pirates showed no expression whatsoever, nor did a single word leave their tightly closed mouths!

Yet they were undeniably living people. When Kane's blade cut into them, they bled. Their limbs broke, and their severed parts twitched from bodily instinct.

But were they really human?

The pirates on the two nearby ships did not even spare a thought for their companions' safety.

The instant they saw Kane land on the pirate ship, they opened fire. The incoming cannonballs even skimmed past Captain Lohr's head.

A chill suddenly rose in Kane's heart, but his attacks became even more merciless.

After slaughtering every pirate aboard the three ships as quickly as possible, he looked toward Lohr, who was too badly injured to rise.

"Who exactly are you people?"

Lohr kept coughing, blood mixed with fragments of internal organs flowing from his mouth.

Such injuries would make it impossible for a normal person to remain alive, yet Lohr looked at Kane with a smile in his eyes and even gave a muffled but fluent reply.

"Our identities are not important."

"Then what is important?"

"What is important is that I failed to take Donquixote Rosinante away."

Kane suddenly recalled something Lohr had said. It had seemed absurd at first, but now it somehow sent a chill through him.

The Ironclad Pirates could be defeated or wiped out by you...

As long as you are willing to hand over Donquixote Rosinante...

Kane frowned and bent down to remove Lohr's helmet. All the pirates across the three ships combined were not as valuable as Lohr before him. He wanted to see the face this man hid beneath his helmet.

Yet just as Kane's fingers were about to touch Lohr, he suddenly noticed a flash of regret in Lohr's eyes.

Then, from deep beneath the deck under his feet, Kane faintly heard an incredibly subtle vibration, like the strike of a firing pin.

Not good!

Rumble!

A massive explosion erupted from beneath the ship, and flames shooting into the sky instantly swallowed the entire pirate vessel!

The violent blast tore apart the sturdy hull, and shattered, charred fragments of the ship rained down with crackling pops.

The enormous commotion startled Tsuru and the others aboard the warship.

They had clearly seen Kane land on that pirate ship, only for it to explode violently shortly afterward.

Hina clenched her fists, her body taut. She had even forgotten to breathe.

Cuckoo, who had been watching Kane all along, was in even worse shape. The color drained entirely from her pretty face, and her body trembled slightly as her eyes turned vacant.

Swift looked at her worriedly, then at the pirate ship engulfed in flames. She bit her lip, unsure what to say.

Even Tsuru, the calmest among them, grew tense. The teacup at her lips paused for a moment before she set it down, only then realizing she had not taken a sip.

Just as everyone was extremely anxious, a disheveled figure suddenly flew out of the towering smoke.

His hair was charred black and smoking, his skin blackened all over. Bent over and coughing hard, he had clearly been badly choked by the smoke.

Only then did everyone let out a long breath of relief.

As their tense nerves relaxed, they suddenly noticed that Kane's clothes had been blasted into tatters, barely covering him!

Grey Pigeon, being the sniper, had the best eyesight. She blinked, then suddenly burst into hearty laughter.

"So scary, hahaha..."

"Quiet!"

Tsuru interrupted Grey Pigeon's laughter speechlessly and said with a helpless expression, "Who is going to bring him some clothes?"

Swift looked at Cuckoo, seemingly recalling something. A strange smile appeared on her face.

Cuckoo's riding skills...

Terrifying...

Hehe~~

Cuckoo's face turned bright red. In her heart, she shouted, That's mine! Close your eyes, all of you! Don't look! Then she turned and ran out of the command room.

Kane in the sky had clearly noticed the problem as well, but he was far more casual about it. He fished a piece of torn cloth from the sea, tied it around his waist, and turned toward the warship.

When the explosion occurred earlier, he had not had time to dodge. He could only grab Lohr and use him as a shield.

Fortunately, Lohr's back armor was still intact and sturdy enough, while Kane's mastery of Armament Haki was deep enough. That was the only reason he survived the massive explosion.

Still, the shockwave from the blast had injured him. He had been disoriented in the thick smoke for quite a while before escaping, and all the clothes on his body had been burned away.

Now, he only wanted to know who was behind the Ironclad Pirates. With that thought, he looked at the thing clenched in his hand.

It was a small fragment of armor.