Pirates: A Family Slain, All Celestial Dragons Must Die! Chapter 27

The only difference was that Rono's sword energy was far weaker than Golden Lion's.

The cracks in the ground and the spray where the sea had parted both fell short in scale!

But the move itself was identical, down to the last detail!

"Captain Shiki, what do you think? Does that pass?"

Rono smiled at the "masterpiece" he had left behind. He still needed to improve his command of sword energy.

The gap between him and Golden Lion was huge.

But that was fine. On a ship full of monsters, Rono was sure he would improve quickly!

"Captain Shiki?" When no one answered, Rono turned around.

Only then did he realize that every pirate present seemed to have been frozen in place!

Their mouths hung open and their eyes bulged. They looked as if they had seen a ghost, turned into statues!

"He really... he really learned it! Am I seeing things?"

"Captain Shiki's signature move... Lion's Cleave Wave!"

"He used One Sword Style, but the result was exactly like Captain Shiki's Two-Sword Style!"

"It's definitely a lot weaker, but that's Cleaving Wave! No mistake!"

"My God, he really learned it!"

The pirates clutched their heads and began questioning everything they knew!

Rono had truly grasped Captain Shiki's signature move, Cleaving Wave, in a single second!

What had this guy eaten growing up? How could anyone be so terrifyingly gifted?

"That... that really is Cleaving Wave!"

Even Shiki, the move's creator, took a long time to recover!

The difference in power was considerable, but the way Rono swung his sword and the sword energy it produced were unmistakably identical to Cleaving Wave!

It was as though Shiki had swung the blades himself!

And Rono had perfectly replicated his Two-Sword Style move with One Sword Style!

Come On, All of You! Let Every Captain Test Me!

One Sword Style had copied Two-Sword Style?

Golden Lion began questioning everything he knew!

This was a sword technique he had spent ten years developing himself!

And Rono had learned it with a single glance!

Terrifying! Absolutely terrifying!

Talent like this appeared once in decades!

No... perhaps not even once in centuries!

Golden Lion was not the only one. Rocks was smiling too.

Sending Whitebeard to recruit Rono had been the right decision.

A monstrous genius had joined the Rocks Pirates!

"Well, Captain Golden Lion? Did I pass?"

Rono asked with a grin. Judging by Golden Lion's stunned expression, he probably had.

"I... suppose you did..."

Golden Lion knew it was far more than a pass. Rono had produced a near-perfect copy!

At the same time, Golden Lion reassessed Rono in his mind.

The man's talent was extraordinary. Someone like him was best kept close, not made an enemy!

Golden Lion's ambitions were no smaller than Rocks's. He had long been waiting for a chance to build a force of his own.

Now Rono had become someone Golden Lion wanted on his side.

But before Golden Lion could say anything more, someone stepped out of the crowd.

Everyone looked over. It was another Division Commander: Silver Axe!

"I don't agree that he's passed this test. Golden Lion is a swordsman, and so is Rono here."

"His swordsmanship was already at least Swordmaster level. Given his talent, it's not impossible that he could grasp a sword move at a glance."

Silver Axe had spoken up because ten billion was riding on the bet.

He could hardly bear to hand John ten billion just like that, so he voiced his objection.

"Captain Silver Axe has a point."

"Right... judging by Captain Rono's swordsmanship just now, he's at least a Swordmaster, maybe even at Great Swordsman level."

The pirates present thought Captain Silver Axe's argument made some sense.

Golden Lion thought Silver Axe was talking nonsense. Rono's talent was clearly the reason.

By Silver Axe's logic, could any half-decent swordsman learn his Cleaving Wave just by watching it once?

Then what had he spent ten years honing it for?

But remembering the ten-billion bet, Golden Lion kept quiet and let Silver Axe continue.

"Silver Axe, who asked you?"

Whitebeard, standing nearby, was displeased.

He knew Rono's abilities better than anyone. If Rono could learn Iron Fist, Golden Lion's slash was no obstacle.

John was irritated too. The moves had plainly been identical, which meant he had won!

From the look of it, Silver Axe was trying to welch on the bet.

John stepped forward to stand beside Whitebeard, but Rono raised a hand to stop him.

"Oh? Captain Silver Axe, what would you suggest?" Rono asked with a smile, showing no anger.

"Simple. I'll perform a move. If you can learn it, I'll admit you're impressive," Silver Axe said.

"Fine."

A faint smile appeared on Rono's face, but inside he was overjoyed.

Come on, all of you! Better yet, let every captain test me!

Otherwise, I won't feel I've earned this Division Commander seat!

That's why I joined the Rocks Pirates in the first place!

"Good. Watch closely. If you can learn this move, I'll have no objection to you becoming a Division Commander."

Silver Axe felt relieved when Rono agreed. He also resolved to give him the hardest test possible!

The pirates held their breath, afraid to miss even a second!

Silver Axe drew an axe from his waist. Its blade gleamed brilliantly and gave off a biting chill. One look told them it was a treasure sharp enough to cut through iron.

A person's name might be misleading, but a nickname never was.

Silver Axe was called Silver Axe because of his weapon!

That weapon's awfully bright. If he's been channeling Haki into it for years, shouldn't it have turned black?

Rono looked at Silver Axe's weapon with curiosity.

Silver Axe was a Great Pirate with a bounty of seven hundred million and a Division Commander under Rocks. He had to be highly skilled in Haki.

And judging by his nickname, he had no Devil Fruit power. He relied purely on physical combat.

Weapons that powerful Haki users coated in Armament Haki year after year eventually turned black as ink.

Yet Silver Axe's axe gleamed like fresh ice and snow. Interesting.

Rono soon learned why.

Silver Axe drew his axe and unleashed Conqueror's Haki.

Rumble! Dark clouds immediately crowded the sky, and thunderheads roared!

As a senior officer of the Rocks Pirates, it was hardly surprising that Silver Axe possessed Conqueror's Haki.

Then something happened that startled even Rono.

Silver Axe raised his axe high. An instant later, thunder cracked so loudly that it left many people's ears ringing.

Rumble!

Suddenly, a lightning bolt streaked down like a meteor, straight toward the banquet grounds!

No... more precisely, straight toward Silver Axe!

The lightning curled obediently around the axe like a tame pet, flashing again and again. It looked like a weapon wielded by a thunder god!

Only then did Silver Axe coat the lightning-wreathed axe in Armament Haki. Dark red Haki and lightning intertwined, giving off terrifying waves of energy!

So that's why they call him Silver Axe.

Watching the lightning continue to bathe Silver Axe's weapon, Rono finally understood why it was not black!

It was constantly being tempered by lightning!

Good. Very good. Now this is interesting!

"Watch closely, Rono! If that Cleaving Wave could split the sea, then I can split the sky!"

"Silver Axe: Qilin!"

Silver Axe sensed the moment had come. His lightning-laden axe traced a beautiful arc through the air!

Lightning surged out alongside dark red Haki as he swung his axe mightily at the sky above!

Rumble! Rumble!

The axe energy, so like sword energy, transformed into the shape of the legendary divine beast, the Kirin!

The lightning Kirin opened its cavernous jaws and tore savagely at everything before it!

In an instant, it ripped apart the dark clouds overhead!

The rupture spread and spread!

The sky above seemed to become a sea of clouds!

And that sea of clouds was split apart by sheer force!

Rumble! Rumble!

The Kirin, as though unleashed from hell, still seemed unsatisfied. It suddenly swelled at tremendous speed!

Boom!

The Kirin exploded in the sky, blasting a dazzling mushroom cloud directly above Hachinosu!

Judging by that, if the move had struck Hachinosu itself, it might have split the island apart!

"That... that's incredible!"

"So this is Captain Silver Axe's power!"

"My God, even a Marine Admiral wouldn't dare take that move head-on!"

The pirates stared in awe, and praise rang out all around.

Silver Axe truly lived up to his reputation: a Rocks Division Commander and a Great Pirate with a seven-hundred-million bounty!

Silver Axe was immensely pleased with himself. He did not believe for a moment that Rono could learn his killing move!

It had far too many difficult steps. His father had mastered it before passing it down to him.

Even though Silver Axe had begun practicing it as a child, it had taken him more than twenty years to master it completely!