Is it blocked?

Kuro smiled wryly, but then he thought about it and realized that if he could defeat Kaido head-on, wouldn't it be normal for him to block one of his slashes?

Luffy pulled one hand back and said, "Gum-Gum..."

Kuro narrowed his eyes. Extend? With so many openings in his movements, I might as well cut his arm off!

"Jet!"

Whoosh!

Kuro was taken aback, his eyes widening as Luffy vanished from his spot at a speed that even he could barely see.

"Giant Serpent Cannon!"

The sound came from beside his ear, and Kuro instinctively swung his sword to block. With a loud bang, he clicked his tongue and looked over there, only to see Luffy standing there, his fist hitting the very blade that Kuro had just blocked.

The arm was not extended; it was simply a punch.

But it was this punch that made Kuro's arm feel a little numb.

He slashed his arm downwards, the blade deflecting Luffy's fist, and then thrust his elbow upwards, directly pushing Luffy's arm up. At the same time, the blade transformed into a bloody light, slashing straight into Luffy's chest.

Bang!

This slash sent Luffy hurtling downwards. He spun twice in the air, landed like a squirrel, and then looked up at Kuro with a smile.

"This feeling..."

Kuro raised his hand, glanced at his Luo Gui, and then looked down. Luffy's chest, which already had a 'rice' shaped wound, now had a horizontal white mark.

Yes, a white mark...

“Elasticity…” Kuro squinted.

Kuro is an incredibly intelligent person. He is not like the kind of "great intelligence" that is Kro, nor is he like the two "hidden dragons and phoenixes" like Cass and Wilbur. He is truly intelligent.

How could someone who isn't smart create so many moves based on the "Mysterious God's Elegance" technique?

Although those moves all had templates from his hometown in his previous life, a template is just a template, and it's just a name. If you really wanted to follow the 'principles' of those moves from his previous life, you couldn't come up with them even in eight lifetimes. It was only thanks to Kuro's own extraordinary talent that he was able to create them.

Aside from having the cheat code "Unknown God's Romantic Journey," he didn't have anything else. Without Deep Blue, he couldn't arrogantly claim that he had gotten to where he was entirely on his own. So, he could only truly rely on himself.

So as soon as he made a move, he noticed the difference in Luffy.

That punch didn't extend through the unique 'compression' of rubber to engage the enemy; it was just a regular, fast straight punch. But the fist itself possessed the 'compression' characteristic, making the punch even more perfect than the one that required charging and compressing. Every punch and kick he delivered already carried that characteristic.

And that stab just now...

The slash was supposed to be effective against rubber, but now it was clearly different. His body still had a springy texture, and when his blade struck, that springy texture neutralized the blade, causing it to snap back slightly. It was only through the impact that Luffy was knocked down.

The power of the awakened fruit, the level of Haki, and the current body—clearly formed after being enveloped in Conqueror's Haki—all contribute to its combat-ready appearance...

"No wonder he was able to defeat Kaido..." Kuro muttered quietly.

This is clearly more durable than Kaido, but that's not the most important thing...

Kuro narrowed his eyes, and his body disappeared from the air. A powerful gust of wind swept out, ruffling Luffy's already standing-up hair.

Luffy instinctively raised his hands and braced his arms forward.

when!

A blood-red blade appeared there, and Kuro appeared there as well, wielding the Luo Gui sword and slashing down.

"I saw it!"

Luffy chuckled: "Your speed!"

"Are you that smug?"

Kuro squinted and said, "Fight me in this state..."

Kuro's arm veins bulged as he pressed down, forcefully pinning Luffy's arms down. He then launched a powerful kick, imbued with the power of Haki, striking Luffy squarely in the chest and sending him staggering backward.

How much longer do you have to live?

These words startled Zoro, who instinctively looked at Luffy, who had regained his footing.

How long will you live?

At this moment, steam was still rising from Luffy's body from time to time, and every movement made the steam rise faster.

It wasn't always like this; when he developed 'Gear 5,' the steam wasn't exploding so violently...

Is this because after defeating Kaido, there wasn't enough stamina to force another battle?

Zoro vaguely remembered that Luffy used to do the same thing when he developed 'Gear Second', and that kind of posture could easily shorten one's lifespan!

"Hey, Luffy, didn't you say that the side effects disappeared after you developed 'Gear Fourth'?" Zoro asked instinctively.

"ha!"

Kuro, however, spoke with a mocking tone, looking at Zoro, "What are you talking about, Roronoa Zoro? I remember the first time we met on Enies Lobby, you seemed fine, but you were actually covered in wounds. If you hadn't hidden for two years, you would have been dead long ago!"

"The visible and hidden injuries from the battle can be healed in a few days of rest? If he had a Devil Fruit ability, that would be one thing, but without a Devil Fruit ability, can this Straw Hat kid really hold on with just the 'Life Return' that comes with his Devil Fruit? Of course not. Similarly, if you want to achieve extraordinary combat power comparable to ours at this age, you can't do it without paying a price!"

"On the high seas, there are countless people with extraordinary talent, but the one who truly has talent is Charlotte Linlin! But even she wouldn't dare say that she could compare to the Four Emperors in her youth. Even I! When I was in my teens or twenties, I was just playing house with pirates in the East Blue. Why do you think you can punch Kaido and kick Big Mom? There will be a price to pay!"

He said to Zoro, "Your Conqueror's Haki only allows you to temporarily control that sword. Once you're exhausted, the sword will still turn against you. The sword is spiritless, which means it's indiscriminate. It can only be wielded by someone who can perfectly control it. Even if someone weak can control it temporarily, it will backfire and drain you dry!"

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