Korusu stood still, his gaze focused on the oncoming slash. He extended both hands, fingers spread, and pushed forward.
Beside him, Sada and Kuru mimicked the action of Kuroi Yari, shooting off to the sides with a "whoosh."
Korusu, still unaware that Kouta had already killed one of their own, looked down at Kouta with arrogance.
"Silver hair, I'll show you my power now."
As he spoke, an invisible, transparent shield materialized before him, blocking the slash.
He sneered at the silver-gray slash before him, shouting, "I am Korusu, the Rebound Man, who ate the 'Paramecia-Type Rebound-Rebound Fruit'! I can rebound all attacks!"
*Bang—!*
Kouta's slash was stopped by the transparent shield in front of Korusu.
Korusu felt the force transmitted through the barrier as the slash passed through it. He stared at Kouta and shouted boastfully, "Is that all the strength you have? I thought you were much stronger!"
As he spoke, he pushed forward with both hands.
"I'll send your own slash back to you!"
The slash that had been locked in a stalemate with him quickly turned around and charged back towards Kouta.
"Interesting."
Kouta, having just merged with his afterimage, watched the redirected slash coming towards him, a flicker of a smile in his eyes.
"Rebound everything?"
"Then, let me test if you can truly bounce everything back."
With that, he tightened his grip on the hilt of Zankon, his right arm bulging with veins, and instantly growing a size larger.
Then, a world-conquering aura rose from him, causing wisps of purple lightning to appear around him out of nowhere.
Kouta stared at Korusu. The dark purple Haki instantly wrapped around Zankon. He then stomped on the ground.
*Whoosh—!*
Ignoring the reflected slash before him, his figure instantly vanished from its path and reappeared before Korusu.
He raised his sword and brought it down with force.
"Kami Giri!"
Rebounding everything? If he truly had the ability to rebound everything, the World Government would have sent him to fight the Four Emperors long ago.
He didn't believe he could actually rebound everything!
It wasn't a bug-like ability like the Barrier-Barrier Fruit. Even with the Barrier-Barrier Fruit, he could have outlasted him.
*Thud—!*
The purple-black blade collided with the transparent shield before Korusu. A colossal sound, like a bell tolling, echoed along the entire coastline. The wind pressure from the impact surged outwards.
Korusu looked at Kouta, who was right in front of him, his face full of confidence. But before he could even smile, a sound like shattering glass emanated from in front of him.
It was this sound that yanked him back to reality.
"Crack!"
"Crack..."
He couldn't believe his eyes. He stared fixedly at the shield formed by his ability, his hands trembling as he poured all his strength into trying to stabilize it.
But it was futile.
In the next instant, under his horrified gaze, the transparent shield before him instantly shattered. Even the surrounding space was filled with spiderweb-like cracks.
Kouta looked at Korusu and laughed heartily.
"Weren't you arrogant before?"
"Show me some more arrogance! Hahahaha..."
Then, his laughter subsided. He looked down at Korusu, his eyes cold.
"If this is all you've got, then die!"
With that, he tightened his grip on his right hand, easily shattering Korusu's transparent shield. He then swiftly slashed towards Korusu's chest.
Korusu's pupils contracted to their extreme as he saw the approaching blade. His mind raced.
"It's too late!"
Judging by the sharpness of Kouta's attack, there was no way he could block it. kanδん
But at this point, he had to try, or he would just wait for death.
His eyes turned red, his legs bent slightly, and his arms and chest were covered in black Armament Haki.
Then, he let out a roar.
"Tekkai!"
"..."
Kouta looked at Korusu speechlessly. These guys seemed to have some inexplicable confidence in Tekkai.
Hadn't they heard the saying?
"Cherish life, avoid Tekkai."
Getting off track. Kouta's gaze sharpened as he looked at Korusu and, without hesitation, swung his sword down.
He had initially intended to keep this guy as a sparring partner for Guina, but he never expected him to have such a bizarre Devil Fruit ability.
While his fruit might not be very useful against top world-class powerhouses, for those of the same level, or below...
No, even for those who weren't strong attackers but were stronger than him, it was a terrifying ability.
If he hadn't used Conqueror's Haki infusion, he might not have been able to break through this guy's ability.
From the distant beach, Mera Ransen watched Kouta, his pupils constricting sharply.
"Conqueror's Haki infusion?"
Only a few people in this world could use this. And all of them were, without exception, top-tier in the world.
He couldn't fathom that Kouta could use it too.
And it seemed to be quite effortless.
Sensing the sharpness of Kouta's blade, he stomped on the ground and rapidly charged towards Kouta.
He couldn't just stand by and watch this CP0 die.
But as fast as he was, Kouta's blade was faster. The moment he stomped on the ground, Korusu's Devil Fruit ability shattered. By the time he was halfway there, Kouta had already swung his sword.
From the moment Kouta swung his first sword to this second swing, only a few seconds had passed.
A few seconds, a few blinks of an eye, a few breaths, a couple of steps...
But for a strong individual, it was enough to kill several people.
*Clang—!*
Zankon landed squarely on Korusu's right shoulder with a tremendous sound, like steel colliding.
The giant rock beneath Korusu's feet, centered on his feet, rapidly collapsed and then exploded.
Feeling the force and sharp pain in his shoulder, Korusu's bloodshot eyes gritted his teeth tightly.
"Can't endure it, can't dodge it."
Certain death.
Just as his body was about to fall downwards, Zankon, having broken through his Armament Haki and his skin, continued without stopping, slicing through him as if it were cutting tofu.
*Slash—!*
It rapidly sliced through his entire body.
His body paused for a moment, and then, at the speed of a comet falling, it shot downwards.
*Crash—!*
It shattered the giant rock, plunged into the ground, and let out a massive roar.
Dust billowed up, covering the entire ground.
Sada, Kuru, and Mera Ransen, who were in mid-air, witnessed this scene up close.
They wanted to save him.
But they were powerless.
They extended their fists, swatting away flying debris, and stared at Kouta, their eyes filled with shock.
Sada and Kuru wore expressions of terror.
They were human too, and they feared death.
Kouta's terror had made them feel the breath of death up close.
Only then did Kuroi Yari's corpse, no longer supported by the giant rock, slowly descend.
Kuroi Yari's fall immediately drew everyone's attention.
As they watched Kuroi Yari, his head separated from his body and falling into the dust below, their fear intensified.
"When?"
"..."
While they had witnessed Korusu's death with their own eyes,
Kuroi Yari...
They had no idea when it happened.
"You... You, you bastard, when, when did you kill Kuroi Yari?"
Sada and Kuru landed on the distant beach and looked up at Kouta, who was suspended in the air, speaking with a loud voice.
They, who had always proudly called themselves the strongest shield of the Celestial Dragons, were now looking at Kouta, their voices stuttering and trembling.
"Oh!"
"You're talking about that person covered in a black robe, always acting sneakily!"
Kouta looked at the two of them and chuckled lightly. "Of course, it was when..."
"When what?"
"It was when..."
Kouta suddenly burst into laughter, his voice full of mockery.
"I won't tell you."
"Hahahaha..."