On the other side of the battle area, the two men faced each other, one above the other, their eyes gleaming with fighting spirit.

Lida's discovery was also Kuro's discovery: this guy was a physical version of himself, or rather, a swordsmanship version of Barrett.

Barrett's abilities, Haki, and physical skills are comparable to his own, and from their fight, Kuro sensed that Barrett's stamina was similar to his own, with a slight improvement in endurance.

Kuro wasn't surprised by this; his physical strength was also something he had trained himself. There are always people who are born with special advantages.

Charlotte Linlin was already a force to be reckoned with at the age of five, so what is his talent compared to hers? There will always be someone who achieves the same level of success as her.

This guy is only in his forties, in his prime, not the kind of person whose strength is starting to decline. He's very difficult to deal with.

Kuro has the advantage in speed, but Barrett has the advantage in strength.

Moreover, in terms of ability, he restrained himself, which made him hesitant to use the [Heavenly Treasury] for fear of being 'fused' by him. However, the specific power of the fusion would be interfered with by his own ability.

In terms of power... Kuro, as a swordsman, is naturally more lethal than this person, but there is also a certain risk in getting close.

Similarly, Barrett seemed to have the same feeling as Kuro, and grinned maliciously at him.

This is a fair 50/50 split.

Kuro narrowed his eyes slightly, stretched out his hand, and raised Qiu Shui upwards.

Tick-tock...

Raindrops began to fall above the island.

Splash!

The raindrops turned into a downpour, almost the size of a fist, and began to engulf the area around Kuro and Barrett.

"seawater?"

As soon as Barrett was hit by the raindrops, he immediately realized that the sensation was definitely from seawater.

"Azure Dragon Rain!"

Kuro said in a low voice.

Bang!

Barrett instantly assumed a horse stance, his whole body trembling. He first shook off the water, then unleashed his domineering aura, using external release to directly block the fist-sized raindrops.

Ta-da!

The raindrops fell on the imposing protective barrier, cutting through it like sharp blades with a crisp sound.

Barrett looked up with a sinister grin, pressing his arm directly into the ground. Purple mosaic particles surged from his palm, spreading across the ground and solidifying into a massive stone arm. With a thrust forward, the stone hand surged with Haki, like a blue-black 'magic circuit,' directly grabbing at Kuro.

Kuro's gaze sharpened, slowing down the swinging stone hand. He then leaped forward, diving towards Barrett.

The concept of fusion, especially fusion with inanimate objects, means that even if Haki is applied, the object is still inanimate. Kuro cannot fully control it, but that doesn't mean it has no effect.

"Is this clumsy thing meant to insult me?!" Kuro inserted the blade into its sheath, and it fell in a straight line. The blade was instantly drawn out, leaving three afterimages in its wake.

"Swallow Returns!"

Seal off the space, and split the blade into three!

Barrett's merged stone wall shattered with a roar, freeing his hands. He used both hands, one above the other, to block the blade aimed at his waist and chest with his fists. At the same time, he tilted his head forward to block the blade that Kuro was about to strike his neck.

when!!

With a crisp sound, the two blade lights around Barrett disappeared, and the solid blade, crackling with golden lightning, struck his forehead. A trickle of blood flowed down his forehead, down his cheek, and dripped to the ground.

"Hey!"

He flashed a gleaming white smile at Kuro, a cold laugh escaping his teeth. Suddenly, he jerked his head, sparks flying from the surface of Kuro's face, and charged straight at Kuro's chest.

Kuro clicked his tongue, and Shusui immediately leaned back, trying to withstand the blow, but at that moment, Barrett's fist suddenly slid from the side.

"Black Tortoise Body!"

Kuro's pupils contracted, and he quickly ran two fingers of his other hand across Qiu Shui.

Bang!!

The fist, as big as a clay pot, struck Kuro squarely in the face, sending him flying high into the air where he remained suspended for quite some time.

He tilted his head back for a while before lowering it, and blood was flowing down his nose.

"Good physical condition." Barrett licked the blood that had flowed from his forehead to the corner of his mouth, then wiped the blood away, revealing a small, newly formed scar between his eyebrows.

It's like a third eye.

"You bastard!"

Kuro's eyes twitched slightly. He wiped his nose with his hand, slowly exhaled the stale air, and replaced the breath of his nearly exhausted 'Black Tortoise Body' with.

If that punch hadn't been delivered perfectly, his face would have been dented.

In terms of physical attributes, I am no match for Barrett.

But in terms of lethality...

Sizzle!

The golden lightning shone even brighter on the autumn waters, and Kuro bared his teeth and roared, "I hate it when people slap me in the face!"

boom!!

He burst into the air with a sonic boom, and in a high-speed attack, he slashed directly at Barrett.

"Hyaikage Senkiri Valley!!"

With a single slash, it transformed into a hundred afterimages, but within these afterimages, a burst of black-gold light erupted, unleashing a massive number of flying slashes that nearly covered the entire area. There were probably tens of thousands of them, and they were all close-range slashes!

Apart from Mihawk, who remained unmoved, everyone else felt their scalp tingle.

"A combination of the real and the virtual?!"

Barrett's pupils contracted, he steadied himself, and with a tremor of his fist, he unleashed a punch with a 'whoosh' sound, like a blur.

"But a fake is a fake!!"

He ignored the dense barrage of slashes, his fist striking the solid slashes directly, shattering them rapidly. With a swift, sweeping motion, the crescent-shaped black-gold rays gradually crumbled and disappeared.

This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!