Chapter 311: The Man Who Will Kill You
"Kuzan?"
Luke slightly raised his eyes, and upon seeing the newcomer, a sharp light flashed in his gaze. His aura surged, his black hair whipped wildly, like a lion whose territory had been invaded.
Even the four top commanders behind Luke unconsciously took a step back, feeling the immense pressure.
"Luke, long time no see."
Kuzan still looked like he hadn't fully woken up yet, lazily surveying the entire venue.
"It's actually the former Marine Admiral, Kuzan!"
"I heard that after failing to compete with Sakazuki for Fleet Admiral, he left the Marines. Why is he here?"
"It seems he has a grudge against the Kurman family."
Someone said with schadenfreude.
Many people were still dissatisfied with Luke's behavior, but they didn't dare stand up to him.
Now that Kuzan had appeared, if Luke couldn't defeat him, he probably wouldn't have the face to mention unifying the underworld again.
Luke was obviously well aware of this.
But his expression remained unchanged, very confident. This was not only due to his own strength, but also because of a piece of intelligence he'd recently learned.
"I heard you had your leg severed by Sakazuki. Instead of finding a dark corner to heal, you dare come here?"
"Could it be... you want to die?"
These words caused a stir, followed by an uproar.
The battle between Kuzan and Sakazuki, both Admirals, was widely known, but few knew the details. Most of those present were unaware of this.
"Admiral Kuzan actually lost a leg?"
Even Reiju, filled with fear and worry, feeling vulnerable and helpless, was shocked by this news. Clearly, Germa 66 didn't know this detail either.
Luke probably knew because of their past feud, and he'd investigated it beforehand as a precaution.
"Ara ara, this is really troublesome. My true strength was seen through..."
Kuzan scratched his head, then said somewhat sheepishly, "But I still think killing you shouldn't be a problem."
"What should we do, Luke?"
"I'll allow you to bring the four behind you, or you can all come at me together—it's fine."
Everyone was stunned, thinking Kuzan was just being polite. Unexpectedly, Kuzan directly spread his arms wide and coldly shouted:
"Ice Age!"
A terrifyingly powerful freezing force erupted, two ice pillars emerging from Kuzan's hands, instantly reaching the high walls on both sides of the arena.
Whoosh!
Under everyone's shocked gaze, the sun-baked walls of the arena instantly froze, and then the ice spread like a plague.
"So cold!"
Everyone, regardless of strength, almost involuntarily shivered.
How powerful was Kuzan's Ice Age?
During the Paramount War, Kuzan's Ice Age technique froze the massive tsunami triggered by Whitebeard into icebergs!
This time, targeting numerous powerful figures in the underworld, he showed no mercy.
He unleashed his full power from the outset, and the frigid ice surface instantly engulfed nearby figures, freezing them into ice sculptures.
"You're asking for death!"
Luke roared in fury, leaping into the air as mysterious black flames erupted from his body.
The black flames surged rapidly, forming two wings resembling demonic wings, flapping violently and propelling Luke into the air.
Whoosh!
An astonishingly high temperature spread, rippling in all directions, attempting to resist Kuzan's freezing power.
However, Luke's flames were clearly a secondary ability of his Zoan type, utterly insufficient to resist Kuzan's masterfully honed freezing power, only barely slowing the ice's spread.
"Attack together!"
Almost everyone present was an underworld boss, so they weren't panicked. After regaining their composure, they began to resist Ice Age, but a surge of anger rose within them as they attacked.
Kuzan was far too arrogant, actually attacking everyone!
A Marine Admiral, and a former one at that! Did he think he could do whatever he wanted?
"He's really showing off..."
Rhodes chuckled at the sight.
Perhaps due to some repression from his time as a Marine Admiral, Kuzan was extremely bold, bordering on contemptuous. His recent performance was incredibly flamboyant, successfully drawing Luke's ire.
Their previously agreed-upon division of labor was for Kuzan to try and hold off Luke,
while Rhodes, skilled in speed and cutting, would quickly eliminate Luke's powerful pirate subordinates, then join forces to attempt to kill Luke.
Yes, attempt.
Even with their combined efforts, Kuzan wasn't entirely confident he could capture Luke.
Because Kurman Luke was a very rare Mythical Zoan-type Devil Fruit user, possessing the ability to fly!
"I have to make a move too—we can't let the prey escape."
A flash of silver light appeared amid the soft words, and then Reiju was surprised to find herself alone in the luxurious private room.
"..."
Looking at the unconscious Yonji lying on the ground, Reiju bit her lip, wanting to flee, yet hesitant.
"It seems the Thunder God Swordsman has some plan, perhaps targeting Kurman Luke."
Reiju's mind raced, deciding to escape when the battle reached its peak and Rhodes couldn't spare attention for her.
If she ran now, she feared Rhodes would relentlessly pursue her.
Rumors circulated that Rhodes was extremely interested in women, especially princesses, queens, and empresses... Reiju, in a way, could be considered a princess.
At this moment, Luke had already spread his wings, like black lightning streaking across the sky, carrying immense wind pressure, rushing toward Kuzan.
BOOM!!
The two clashed, first producing a violent roar, then ice shards and black flames exploded, a shockwave rippling through the air.
BANG!
After a brief stalemate, both retreated, then unleashed even more terrifying attacks, engaging in fierce battle.
The two men harbored a long-standing grudge—the Kurman family had destroyed Kuzan's hometown, and although Kuzan wasn't entirely free during his tenure, he still managed to eliminate many members of the Kurman family, including Luke's brother. The battle instantly intensified, each strike aimed to kill.
"Admiral Kuzan is indeed formidable, worthy of being a contender for Fleet Admiral. Even with a severed leg, he's still evenly matched with Luke-sama."
Below, Thunderbird Tru and the four commanders gathered, looking up at the battle in the sky, all showing a hint of awe.
"Let's attack. With so many people watching, we must defeat Kuzan as quickly as possible," someone said coldly.
Today was a golden opportunity for the Kurman family to unify a significant portion of the underworld—they couldn't let Kuzan ruin it.
Tru and the others nodded slightly.
Although they were no match for Luke and his opponent individually, they were still qualified to participate in the battle. Five of them attacking together could influence the outcome, and if they could defeat Kuzan, they might even enhance the Kurman family's prestige.
In the Great Pirate Era, the most active and prestigious peak powerhouses were undoubtedly the Marine Admirals and the Yonko, while Luke ultimately fell short.
But just as they were about to make their move,
a flash of silver light appeared, and a young man abruptly materialized in their sight.
He was dressed in white, with black hair and black eyes, a handsome face like a deity, and his body shimmered with brilliant silver light, exuding immense majesty.
"Hmm?"
Tru and the others were all startled, their expressions turning wary, because the newcomer's speed was simply too fast.
"Who are you?!"
"The one who will kill you."
After saying this calmly, the white-clad youth drew his sword and slashed!
(End of Chapter)
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