Slaying Kuka

"Li Yuan, remember this name. One day, it will resound throughout the world, even if you won't live to see it."

Li Yuan pointed his sword at Kuke, his fighting spirit soaring. This pirate was strong—perfect as an opponent.

"Brat, today I'll teach you that when talent doesn't match strength, you die a miserable death."

Thinking of how he had actually knelt before this brat just moments ago, Kuka was instantly consumed by rage.

In an instant, Kuka rushed before Li Yuan, bringing the Great Cleaver in his hand down without mercy.

"Too fast—I can't dodge!"

Although Li Yuan's Observation Haki had foreseen the Great Cleaver's trajectory, his own reactions were too slow for him to evade the strike.

Clang!!!!

The Great Cleaver perfectly complemented Kuka's strength. When Li Yuan raised his sword in both hands to block it, he was sent flying back more than ten meters.

"If this is all the strength you have, then you can die."

"Limitless Iron Cutting: One Stroke!!"

The moment he steadied himself, Li Yuan kicked off the ground and shot forward. Both hands clenched around the Sword Hilt, his gaze blazing as he drew his sword the instant he approached Kuka.

"Brat, there's a limit to arrogance!"

Kuka raised the Great Cleaver and slashed straight at Li Yuan's head.

Yet no matter how huge or sturdy Kuka's Great Cleaver was, before Li Yuan, who had comprehended the Iron Cutting Realm, it was so fragile that it could not withstand a single blow.

He could clearly perceive where the Great Cleaver's weakness lay.

Crack!!!!

When Li Yuan's Iron Sword cut through Kuka's Great Cleaver, there was no sound of metal clashing. Instead, a crisp snapping sound rang out.

Under Kuka's Shocked gaze, his Great Cleaver had actually been severed by Li Yuan's Iron Sword!

Slash!!!

The Iron Sword swept across, but at the critical moment, Kuka instinctively leaped backward, escaping the fate of being cut in half at the waist.

Still, a straight sword wound that cut deep to the bone was left across his abdomen.

"Aah!!!"

"It hurts like hell!"

"Brat, you forced me to do this! I'll make you die horribly!!"

"..."

Kuka clutched his continuously bleeding abdomen, his eyes bloodshot as he screamed madly.

The next moment, his body abruptly began to grow taller, larger, and more bizarre.

A human being had actually transformed into a five-meter-tall black boar, and the wound on his abdomen rapidly scabbed over.

"Zoan Devil Fruit."

Seeing this, Li Yuan knew that this guy was a Zoan Devil Fruit user. No wonder his bounty had reached Thirty-Nine Million.

"Oink!!!"

Kuka the boar let out an enraged roar, then instantly moved all four limbs and charged toward Li Yuan.

With his massive weight combined with the speed of his charge, Kuka the boar was like an incredibly fast tank. Even Li Yuan did not dare meet him head-on.

Relying on Observation Haki, Li Yuan easily dodged Kuka the boar's first charge.

"So what if it's a Zoan Devil Fruit? Let's see whether your pig hide is tougher, or my blade is sharper!"

Li Yuan returned the Iron Sword to its sheath. His left hand tightly gripped the sheath, while his right rested on the Sword Hilt as he gathered all the strength in his body there.

He activated his Observation Haki to its fullest, predicting Kuka the boar's next move.

Boom!!!!

After Li Yuan dodged him once, Kuka the boar turned around and charged again from even farther away.

This time, he was faster, and the force behind his charge was even greater. Though he had not yet reached him, Li Yuan could already feel that savage, overwhelming power.

"Limitless Charged Draw Slash!!!"

The instant Kuka the boar drew near, Li Yuan used a sword step to swiftly evade his charge. Then he pulled back his footing, spun around in a flash, and lunged toward Kuka the boar's neck.

Clang!!!

A sword cry rang out as the Iron Sword instantly left its sheath. White sword light clung to the Sword Body, making the ordinary Iron Sword incomparably sharp.

Sssshh!!

The boar's highly defensive hide and thick muscles were effortlessly sliced apart in the blink of an eye. The Iron Sword plunged into its neck and severed Kuka the boar's carotid artery.

Boom!!!!

Kuka the boar could not believe it. His formidable defense had actually been broken through?

With his artery severed, Kuka the boar returned to human form. He clutched his neck with both hands and stared fixedly at Li Yuan. In less than five seconds, he died unwillingly.

Crack!!!

At that moment, as the sword light faded, the Iron Sword in Li Yuan's hand shattered inch by inch, leaving only a Sword Hilt in his grasp.

"Ah, an ordinary Iron Sword can't even withstand the sword light of my Iron Cutting Realm. If I reach the Swordmaster realm and can unleash Flying Slashes, does that mean I'll need to change swords every time I swing one?"

"Looks like I'll have to find a good sword in the future."

Li Yuan said with a sigh.

"Li Yuan, congratulations on slaying Kuka. Your strength now surpasses even mine, your master."

Louis walked over as he spoke.

"Master, it's because you taught me well."

Li Yuan said with a smile.

"You, now. Your master isn't a stingy man. You can be considered to have completed your training now, so I'll give this to you."

"The reason I never gave it to you before was mainly because I feared you would neglect your swordsmanship training."

"But now, it seems your Swordsmanship talent is the best I have ever seen. Perhaps before long, you'll reach the realm of a Swordmaster."

Louis took a book from his robe and handed it to Li Yuan.

"Marine Six Styles?"

Li Yuan looked at its contents. Clearly, it was a manual for training in the Marine Six Styles, complete with detailed annotations.

"A senior once gave this to me, but it was of little use to me. Today, I'll hand it over to you."

Louis spoke with a sigh. Back then, he had believed himself to be a genius and trained in both swordsmanship and martial arts.

But after reality mercilessly slapped him in the face, he gave up martial arts and focused solely on swordsmanship.

Later, just as his swordsmanship reached the Iron Cutting Realm, he grew old. With his vitality declining, his swordsmanship could no longer advance. It became the regret of his life.

Yet in Li Yuan, he saw the dream he had once wanted to achieve but could never realize.

"Master, Eldest Senior Brother!!!"

After the battle ended, many junior disciples from the Limitless Sword Hall hurried over.

"Bleurgh!!!!"

"Urgh!!!"

However, when they saw the severed limbs and mangled bodies around them, their faces immediately turned ugly. Many junior disciples seeing blood for the first time began to vomit.

"Kano, hurry and get some ropes. Tie up all these unconscious pirates!!!"

Li Yuan said nothing to the vomiting junior disciples. After giving the order, he jumped onto Kuka's Pirate Ship and tore down its pirate flag.