Chapter 144: The Person I Once Was [Please Vote]

Chapter 144: The Former Self

"Joking?"

Kuro froze for a moment, then snapped back to reality. Squinting his eyes, he chuckled, "Young man, you cannot understand the gap between the strong and the weak. For example..."

Before his voice had even faded, Kuro dissolved into a blur. Amidst the gasps of the crowd, his razor-sharp cat claws sliced through the air, leaving five ferocious claw marks as he tore directly toward Kaya!

Insidious and cunning—that was Kuro's instinct.

"No..."

Kaya stared in bewilderment at the incoming claw marks. The attack was blindingly sharp; a single strike would easily slice her into two!

Panicked, she closed her despairing eyes, her heart turning to ash.

Clang—

Sparks flew. Instead of the expected pain, Kaya opened her eyes in a daze, only to see a figure both unfamiliar and familiar standing before her.

Tang Shen?!

With a mix of surviving-catastrophe joy and disbelief, Kaya widened her eyes as she looked at Tang Shen shielding her.

"Step back. This guy is a handful."

Turning his head, Tang Shen still wore his signature, brilliantly sunny smile—as eternal as ever—as he gazed at Kuro before him.

His long sword had precisely blocked Kuro's downward strike, yet the immense force caused the ground beneath Tang Shen's feet to crack like a spiderweb.

"Is this the gap you were talking about? Doesn't seem like much to me."

The light laughter falling into Kuro's ears was dripping with mockery and pity, igniting a fury beyond mere coldness within Kuro's eyes.

He was Klahadore of the Hundred Plans!

A renowned bounty pirate of the East Blue!

Even his later scheming was simply because he didn't want to play the game anymore—well, at least that was what he told himself—resulting in him faking his own death.

"As you wish!"

Kuro's movements visibly accelerated, and the force emanating from his claws grew even more ferocious. Kaya quickly retreated under the protection of the surrounding villagers, and Nami alongside the others backed away as well, leaving Tang Shen plenty of space.

"Being able to defeat Sham and Buchi proves you have the capital to be arrogant. Unfortunately, in front of me... you're still too weak!"

Kuro's sneer echoed from the air. Operating at full explosive power, his speed skyrocketed even further. The sheer magnitude of his movements caused the sleeves of his elegant suit to rip apart, exposing his white shirt beneath.

Clang!

Bang!

Thud!

The long sword and the cat claws collided repeatedly, every single clash exhibiting ferocious power.

Wherever the cat claws landed, a giant tree thick enough for four or five people to embrace was sliced cleanly in half, the cut surfaces perfectly smooth. The villagers watched with dropped jaws and tongues tied.

To them, such terrifying destructive power was incomprehensible and unimaginable, let alone that it was unleashed by thin, paper-like cat claws. Even more horrifying was that these torrential, blindingly fast attacks were all intercepted by Tang Shen.

Impermeable!

"Hiss..."

Even the villagers who knew nothing of combat sucked in sharp breaths.

Stunning!

This was the true strength of a bounty pirate!

Too strong! Too terrifying!

People screamed inwardly. Kaya, Nami, and the others watched the ongoing battle with extreme tension, especially Nami. She had thought she would desperately want Tang Shen to die—how wonderful would it be if this damned devil perished at the hands of a fierce pirate?

Yet, when actually facing this reality, Nami realized that her true innermost thought was a fervent prayer for Tang Shen to survive, pleading that he must not die. Why... why was she praying for this devil?

Even Nami herself could not understand.

Rip—

The long sword finally flashed out of its scabbard, and a spray of blood bloomed in the air.

The figures of the two men came to a halt.

Tang Shen's hem was tattered, and several claw marks now marred his clothes, yet not a single drop of blood flowed; the claws had merely torn his outer garments.

Kuro, however, looked rather disheveled. His once ornate and formal suit now bore a ferocious bloody gash extending down from his right shoulder. Pale bone and rolling crimson flesh were visible within the wound, and blood trickled out steadily, soaking his suit.

"Cough, cough!"

He coughed in agony, yet it failed to mask the shock in his heart. Kuro stared fixedly at Tang Shen, for the first time looking at him with a gaze of utmost gravity. Not a trace of the physical pain showed on his face.

"You're strong! Stronger than I imagined! I never expected my judgment to fail."

Kuro's voice was hoarse and low.

"Is that so? You were worth me drawing my sword, but you're weaker than I expected, Hundred Plans Kuro. Reputed to possess the second-highest intellect in the pirate world... What a pity, your strength is truly mediocre."

Looking at the blood on his blade, Tang Shen shook his head gently. In his memories, this guy should be the only one in the entire One Piece storyline to defeat Luffy without a Devil Fruit; naturally, his strength could not be underestimated.

However, the current Tang Shen was no longer his former self. Having survived battle after battle, coupled with his astonishing innate talent, his strength had definitively suppressed Kuro by a tier!

"Second-highest intellect?! Heh, it seems you are very confident in yourself."

Gazing coldly at Tang Shen, Kuro's claws radiated a chilly gleam.

"It's just a shame! The once-renowned Hundred Plans Kuro of the East Blue actually chose to retire into obscurity. Was it disappointment in yourself? Fear of the Marines? Or perhaps... staying in this tiny place gives you more peace of mind than rising up in the New World?"

Looking at Kuro with a playful gaze, Tang Shen still smiled brilliantly. It was a smile that made people deeply uncomfortable, including Kuro. Suddenly, Kuro had the illusion that he was a clown—or perhaps it wasn't an illusion, because that gaze was telling him plainly that he was being looked down upon by Tang Shen.

"You!"

Kuro was stung to the quick by that look, and upon hearing the three words 'New World,' his pupils abruptly constricted. From his gaze, Tang Shen recognized something called ambition.

"Forget the New World; I'm afraid even the Grand Line alone is enough to terrify you, Kuro. Only by staying in this pathetic countryside can you preserve your last shred of dignity, and then peacefully and comfortably be buried in a grave! For a dignified pirate to end his life like this... it truly makes one sigh."

Tang Shen continued speaking.

At this moment, Kuro was like a wounded beast. Yes, once upon a time, he had been so proud, playing the Marines for fools, easily maneuvering and matching wits with a Marine Headquarters Rear Admiral, becoming a legend in the mouths of his subordinates!

Yet now... he was like a lion that had lost its courage, attempting to use this final piece of fig leaf to hide his own weakness. Instead, the overbearing youth before him made him feel... as if he were looking at... his former self!

How proud!

How confident!

And... far stronger than he had been back then!

"You have two choices: die here, or follow my footsteps and trample the New World beneath our feet!"

Tang Shen stared straight into Kuro's eyes, his tone dead serious and calm.

"Trample... the New World... beneath our feet!!"

The words exploded in Kuro's heart like a thunderclap, causing his eyes to flare brightly. He could not fathom where Tang Shen found the courage and confidence. The world out there was a nightmare he couldn't even bear to recall. Furrowing his brow, he suddenly grew calm again, speaking for the first time in a relatively level tone.

"On this ocean, how many arrogant fellows like you have already sunk to the bottom of the sea, their failures forgotten by all! But my intuition tells me... this might just turn out to be a magnificent journey. Before that, please! Unleash your strongest attack and defeat me! Or... be defeated by me!"