Burgess, in Kikunojo’s eyes, was just a simple brute. His straightforward brute-force attacks were easy to evade, and within a few moves, Kikunojo could completely suppress him.
As for Doc Q, he doesn’t leave much of an impression. His sickly appearance makes it seem like he could drop dead at any moment.
Moreover, he didn’t look like he had any intention of fighting, making him just as non-threatening. Van Augur’s sniper rifle, however, was impressive—the craftsmanship of the firearm far exceeded that of ordinary weapons.
But the strength of a sniper could vary drastically, or rather, on these seas, there were very few powerhouses who had made a name for themselves relying solely on firearms.
Beckman being able to threaten Kizaru with a gun wasn’t because of the gun’s power but because his Haki was strong enough. Until Van Augur’s Haki training was prioritized by Blackbeard, he likewise wouldn’t be able to threaten Kikunojo.
Only Laffitte, this eerie man, made Kikunojo feel different. Unlike the fake smile on his face, he genuinely seems a bit dangerous.
“Fallen Snow Scythes!”
Seeing his diagonal slash miss, Kikunojo once again reversed his blade and swung several more times toward Laffitte. A barrage of circular slashes, accompanied by the sound of slicing through the air, flew toward Laffitte and the fallen Burgess.
In the original timeline, while fighting with Kanjuro, Kikunojo had appeared rather indecisive. Even when Kanjuro revealed himself as a spy, Kikunojo still couldn’t bring himself to deliver a fatal blow.
But that was because Kanjuro was a childhood companion. Laffitte and Burgess had no such connection to him.
Delia’s battle had him slightly worried as well. At this moment, Kikunojo just wanted to finish off the enemy in front of him quickly so he could go help Delia.
Laffitte spun his cane and used its curved end to hook onto Burgess, lifting him from the ground. Then, a pair of wings sprang from his back as he took to the air, dodging Kikunojo’s slashes.
At the same time, several bullets came flying towards Kikunojo. The continuous gunfire cut off his retreat, but Kikunojo simply used the tip of his blade to deflect the bullets, even managing to hit a few apples that had been thrown at him with the ricocheting shots.
The moment the apples were pierced, multiple explosions erupted, temporarily separating him from several members of the Blackbeard Pirates.
Van Augur’s sniper shots and Doc Q’s apple bombs continued to rain down, but Kikunojo shattered them all with another wave of slashes.
Fallen Snow Scythes was his signature technique and the reason behind his moniker, Fallen Snow.
Through a unique sword technique, his strikes inflict greater damage to wounds, making them harder to heal. Of course, to the outside world, he has a more intimidating explanation for it.
“First of all, I am a man. Secondly, the wounds inflicted by my sword will never fade, even in hell. Like snow that lingers into early spring, they will eternally torment your souls. If you think you can dodge them all, you’re welcome to try.”
“Hm? That sounds pretty interesting. I’m starting to like you a little.”
Hearing Kikunojo’s words, Laffitte not only showed no fear but instead became even more excited.
Kikunojo’s instincts were not wrong—among these people, Laffitte was indeed a special case. His strength was different from theirs, and his personality was also rather twisted.
Originally, he had been a sheriff in the West Blue, but due to his excessive use of violence, he became notorious there. In the end, he was even dubbed the Demon Sheriff. Because of his brutal methods, he was ultimately exiled. After arriving at the Grand Line, he encountered Blackbeard, who then recruited him.
Aside from his ability to fly, Laffitte also possessed impressive courage and hypnotic skills. He dared to enter Mariejois alone to negotiate for Blackbeard’s Shichibukai position, and even in the presence of Sengoku, he showed no signs of fear.
Scars that last even in hell—that just so happened to align with Laffitte’s tastes.
Laffitte faced Kikunojo, and unlike Burgess, who had been completely beaten up earlier, he was able to hold his own while battling Kikunojo. In fact, thanks to his ability to fly, he even had a slight advantage.
Meanwhile, Doc Q was tending to Burgess’s wounds. He always looked like he was on the verge of death, yet somehow, he just wouldn’t die. His medical skills were actually quite decent, and even if he couldn’t save someone, as a part-time undertaker, he could at least take care of the corpse.
“Why is that guy’s sword so fast…”
“So this is… the power of the New World, huh…”
Van Augur walked over from the side, but he didn’t continue sniping.
Ever since he was hiding as per Blackbeard’s orders, he believed that every shot he fired would hit its target. But the result was that he was either interrupted by lightning or nearly cut in half by flying slashes. At this point, just like Burgess, he was beginning to question his entire existence.
…
“I really underestimated you… Looks like you’re not just some coward who only knows how to launch sneak attacks…”
Delia had no idea what had actually happened aboard Whitebeard Pirates’ ship. However, based on her deductions, Blackbeard must have ambushed Thatch, without giving him any chance to fight back.
If Thatch had been able to cry out for help, Blackbeard would never have been able to escape from Moby Dick right under Whitebeard’s nose.
Originally, she had thought that catching someone off guard with a surprise attack—especially when relying on a companion’s trust—wasn’t particularly difficult. As long as the strength gap between them wasn’t too great, it should have been possible.
But as the battle progressed, she increasingly realized that Blackbeard was not an easy opponent. Besides his Dark-Dark Fruit’s abilities, his physical skills were also formidable.
Blackbeard had left a scar on Shanks, though the exact timing was unclear. However, since Ace had once asked Blackbeard why he never became a division commander, it could be inferred that even without a Devil Fruit, Blackbeard’s physical skills alone had been enough for him to qualify as a division commander on Whitebeard’s ship.
After all, becoming a division commander required more than just seniority—it also demanded a certain level of strength.
“Zehahahaha! To be honest, I never intended to kill him back then. We had been crewmates for a long time, after all. It was just an accident… But there’s one thing you aren’t wrong about—I really am despicable. Black Vortex!”
A massive gravitational force erupted from Blackbeard’s palm, but this time, his target wasn’t Delia—it was Kikunojo.
“You seem to care quite a bit about that guy. Now, what are you going to do?!”
Blackbeard didn’t care if others called him despicable, nor did he mind using underhanded tactics to end a battle quickly. Whether it was to recruit or steal ability, he had to defeat Delia first—and for that, he was willing to target Kikunojo.
In a direct fight, Blackbeard wasn’t afraid of her, but he was wary of other Beasts Pirates people in the area, so he wanted to finish this battle as quickly as possible.
During Kikunojo and Laffitte’s fight, their movements had gradually brought them within the range of Blackbeard’s ability.
The sudden gravitational pull disrupted Kikunojo’s balance. Laffitte seized the opportunity, briefly jabbing his cane into Kikunojo’s chest. Even without a sharp tip, the sheer force of the blow penetrated Kikunojo’s body, momentarily freezing him in place.
“Damn it, you b*stard!”
Seeing Laffitte preparing to continue his attack on Kikunojo, Delia’s body surged with a powerful electric current, and in an instant, it connected her and Kikunojo.
Born in the one piece world, Zeraora originally developed a variant use of Volt Switch, altering its sequence.
Normally, Volt Switch allowed the user to attack and then immediately return, switching out for another Pokémon. However, in Zeraora’s modified version, it could instead be used to swiftly arrive by an ally’s side to provide support.
Over the years, Zeraora had further refined this move, and he hadn’t kept it to himself. When Delia sought his guidance, he had taught her how to use this move.
Using this version of Volt Switch, Delia’s speed rivals that of lightning itself. In the blink of an eye, she had practically teleported to Kikunojo’s side.
But this also gave Blackbeard an opportunity…
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