456-460

*Chapter 456: Found You, Yoru *  

“This is absolutely necessary!” 

Yoru ’s face radiated confidence as he declared, “To handle what’s coming next, we need strength like this!”  

But…  

Before Nous could respond, danger struck out of nowhere!  

Whoosh!  

A razor-sharp blade wave sliced through the air, tearing the sky apart!  

“Watch out!”  

The surrounding pirates shouted in alarm…  

Clang!  

Without even seeing Yoru draw his blade, a blazing orange-red sword aura shot from his hand, shattering the incoming attack!  

But…  

That wasn’t the real threat.  

A shadowy figure zipped in front of Yoru, radiating killing intent. Their index finger, cloaked in Armament Haki, stabbed toward Yoru’s head with lethal precision!  

Clang!  

Yoru blocked the strike effortlessly.  

The attacker, however, grinned with excitement, their lips curling as a deep voice boomed, “Found you, Lightning Killer!”  

“Hmph, you went through a lot of trouble, didn’t you, Rob Lucci? Tracking me all the way here?”  

Yoru stared calmly at Rob Lucci, his tone teasing. “Who would’ve thought a stray dog like you would crawl back to being the World Government’s lapdog?”  

“Tch, how pathetic!”  

Lucci’s face twisted with a flash of rage. “You don’t need to worry about me. You should be more concerned about yourself!”  

The moment the words left his mouth, Lucci leaped back, pulling a signal flare from his chest and firing it into the sky!  

Shreeek!  

The flare screamed as it exploded in a brilliant burst above!  

Lucci smirked, his voice dripping with menace. “Get ready to meet your end, Lightning Pirates!”  

“A Navy Admiral is leading a fleet to surround this place as we speak!”  

With that, he kicked off the air with Moonwalk, retreating at breakneck speed!  

“Think you can just run? Not a chance!”  

Nous roared, his body crackling with terrifying lightning. He summoned a storm, transforming the entire area into a sea of electricity.  

“Fall!”  

Nous unleashed a barrage of lightning bolts toward Lucci, but Lucci’s agility was unreal.  

The dense storm of lightning couldn’t land a single hit!  

“Damn it!”  

Nous prepared to chase him into the sky, but Yoru stopped him.  

Raising his long blade, Yoru aimed at Lucci’s retreating figure and murmured, “Obliterate him… Shatter Delusion!”  

Boom!  

The air itself seemed to explode as his blade swung, unleashing a shockwave that formed a ring of compressed air. The strike pierced Lucci’s body with deadly precision…  

“This…”  

Lucci stared in disbelief at the blade protruding from his chest. He turned his head mechanically, catching Yoru’s lips moving as if saying, “Vanish.”  

Shatter Delusion retracted in a flash, then thrust forward again at blinding speed!  

A bone-chilling wave of mortal danger enveloped Lucci, but…  

It ignited his will to survive!  

“No way… I’m not falling here! My comrades… they’re waiting for me to come back!”  

Lucci had his own crew!  

He couldn’t die here!  

“Cheetah-Human Form!”  

“Armament Haki, full coverage!!”  

In an instant, he transformed into a humanoid cheetah. His fists, coated in Haki, gleamed as he launched himself forward with Moonwalk, swinging his arms at breakneck speed!  

“Six Powers Ultimate Technique: Six King Gun!”  

A devastating aura erupted from his arms, shaking the very heavens!  

BOOM! 

BOOM! 

BOOM!  

The entire world seemed to quake. The clash was cataclysmic, whipping the sea into towering, apocalyptic waves—a scene straight out of the end times!  

“Th-This is insane!”  

The grunts nearby were frozen in awe!  

Even Foz Fuu, Tsumugi, and the others watched with deadly serious expressions.  

The collision between these two was nothing short of earth-shattering!  

Chapter 457: Instant Kill  

"After more than a year, you've definitely gotten stronger!"  

Yoru's face was full of admiration, but in the next moment, his tone shifted sharply. "Too bad you're still just a little kitten, nowhere near becoming a fierce tiger!"  

"It's over!"  

Hearing Yoru's words, Foz F., Tsumeki, and the others looked at him in confusion.  

It's over? 

What does that mean? 

Isn't the fight still evenly matched?  

"Armament Haki: Impact!"  

Yoru didn't bother explaining. But once he infused his attack with Armament Haki…  

The tide of battle turned in an instant!  

Rob Lucci's expression changed drastically. If you looked closely, you could see shock and pain etched across his face.  

"How… is he this strong?!"  

Rob Lucci thought in disbelief. The force coming from Yoru's long blade had suddenly surged, overwhelming him!  

And that wasn't all…  

The impact struck directly into his body, completely bypassing any defense!  

The power was so refined, so concentrated, that there was no way to dispel it!  

"Urgh!"  

Rob Lucci spat out a mouthful of blood. The force rampaged through his body, dealing massive internal damage.  

Slash!  

In the moment his momentum faltered, a gash appeared across his chest!  

Then another! 

A third! 

…  

By the twentieth slash, in just three or four seconds, Rob Lucci's body was riddled with wounds, like a sieve!  

His form slumped, powerless, as he began to plummet.  

"Dolang, grab him!"  

At Yoru's command, a towering seahorse Fishman, over two meters tall, dove into the water, swiftly closing in on Lucci.  

"Next up, we’re facing an Admiral. Everyone, you ready for this?"  

Yoru called out to the crew behind him without turning around.  

"Obviously!"  

The group roared back in unison.  

Everyone present could sense how powerful Lucci was, yet Yoru had taken him down in the blink of an eye!  

With Yoru this strong, what did they have to fear?  

"Still, we’re about to face a Navy Admiral. That’s enough to make anyone’s skin crawl!"  

Nous, unlike the rank-and-file soldiers, didn’t share their blind confidence in their strength.  

As the Navy’s top-tier combatants, Admirals were unmatched—far from ordinary foes.  

"Set sail, you lot!"  

If Yoru could avoid clashing with an Admiral, he’d prefer not to tangle with them at all.  

If it was Kizaru, maybe they could handle it.  

But if it was Fujitora, that monster? That’d be a problem.  

Fujitora’s abilities were too versatile, especially at sea. His gravity powers made him the ultimate threat in this environment!  

Under that gravity, hardly anyone could escape unscathed!  

"Aye, Captain!"  

The crew shouted in response.  

As one of the four most dominant forces in the New World, they were fed up with living in the shadows.  

As strong pirates, they should be sailing the seas boldly, feared and revered by all!  

But they knew the truth.  

To earn that awe-inspiring reputation, they first had to survive the storm that was coming!  

Only by surviving and showing the world their strength could they truly claim their place as rulers of the New World!  

So…  

They were ready to face any enemy—whether it was Big Mom of the Four Emperors, the Navy, or even the World Government!  

Not far from where Yoru and his crew set sail…  

"Rob Lucci’s presence just plummeted. Even he couldn’t handle the Lightning Pirates?"  

The blind swordsman, Issho, sighed with a faint smile. "What a terrifying existence, the Lightning Killer, Yoru!"  

"Looks like Sengoku was right," he continued. "Now’s not the best time to take them down."  

Chapter 458: Drop a Meteor to Heat Things Up  

Fujitora sat calmly at the bow of the Marine warship, a faint smile on his face as he muttered to himself, “I’m not here to wipe you out this time, but I still need to test your strength and see what you’re made of!” 

“Do you have what it takes to rule the seas as one of the Four Emperors?” 

“Let’s find out!” 

With that, he drew his blade and swung it in a smooth arc. Purple waves of energy rippled upward, vanishing into the sky. 

And then, he began to float, speeding toward Yoru and his crew! 

Yoru’s Side 

“?!” 

Yoru’s head snapped up toward the sky, his expression turning grim. “Of course, the one thing I was worried about actually shows up!” 

Nearby, Nous looked puzzled for a moment, but before he could ask, he too sensed something and glanced upward, his face darkening. “Of all people, it’s that guy!” 

“This is gonna be trouble!” 

High above, the once-blue sky was now tinged with a streak of red. That red streak grew into a blazing dot, hurtling toward them at breakneck speed. 

There was no mistaking it—an attack as iconic as this could only belong to one person. 

Marine Admiral Fujitora’s meteor strike! 

“And that’s not all!” Yoru said, his gaze shifting to a point in the distance. “Fujitora himself is already here!” 

Nous nodded decisively. “I’ll handle the meteor. Captain, you take care of Fujitora!” 

Yoru gave a quick nod. “Be careful out there!” 

Fujitora’s meteors weren’t something you could just brush off. Without serious strength, stopping one was impossible. 

“I’ll help too!” Luri chimed in, faint wisps of black smoke swirling around her. 

“Perfect!” Yoru replied. With Luri’s help, their chances were looking better. 

“This is awesome! Facing a Marine Admiral? Now that’s exciting!” Fozfur stepped forward, a wild grin on his face. 

“I’ve never gone toe-to-toe with Fujitora before. Wonder how strong he really is!” Tetsuki added, brimming with confidence. 

“If that guy’s dumb enough to come at us alone, I’ll smash his head in!” Ulti said calmly, her words carrying a chilling edge. 

Yoru nodded at their enthusiasm but stepped forward, his hand resting on the sword at his waist. “It’s great that you’re all fired up, but don’t underestimate him. These guys are the top dogs of the sea—monsters who could take any one of you down without breaking a sweat!” 

Above them, the sky had turned a fiery red, the temperature spiking as a massive meteor—500 meters wide—plummeted like a falling sun, radiating overwhelming power and terror. 

The Lightning Pirates crew erupted into chaos. A meteor crashing down from the sky? It was too much—too overwhelming, too hopeless. There was nowhere to run. 

For the first time, they truly understood the terrifying strength of a Marine Admiral. 

It was on another level. They couldn’t hope to match it. 

“Wind-Thunder Wing Slash!” 

Nous, charging toward the meteor, unleashed his full power. Transforming into a thunderbird, he summoned roaring bolts of lightning that lit up the heavens, as if the end of the world had come. With a single slash that seemed to tear the sky apart, he sliced the meteor into dozens of fragments. 

BOOM! 

But even broken apart, the blazing chunks of meteor still carried horrifying power as they rained down, bringing with them crushing pressure and fierce winds that whipped the sea into a frenzy. 

“Dark Void Path!” 

Luri shot into the sky, like a goddess commanding the darkness itself. Thick black mist poured from her, engulfing every piece of the meteor. Unlike Blackbeard, who needed to touch objects to absorb them, Luri had mastered the ability to devour matter from a distance. 

Chapter 459: Yoru vs. Fujitora  

As Luri landed back on the deck and the black mist dissipated, the meteor was gone without a trace. 

“As expected of two of the Three Heavenly Stars! Luri and Captain Nous are just too incredible!”  

The Lightning Pirates crew let out a collective sigh of relief, their eyes shining with admiration for the duo. 

“So, what do you think, Mr. Smiley? Are you impressed with the show?”  

Yoru’s gaze, however, was locked on Fujitora, who was rapidly closing in. 

“Heh, not bad at all. Truly terrifying, as expected of two of the Three Heavenly Stars,” Fujitora said, perched calmly on a floating rock, his full attention fixed on Yoru. 

“No surprise from the man who claimed a seat among the Four Emperors. You’ve got that same fiery aura as the Emperor of Flame.” 

“This overwhelming pressure, this blazing presence—it’s enough to send chills down anyone’s spine. Honestly, I’d rather not have to fight you!”  

Fujitora’s words were humble, but his actions told a different story. 

He stood up. 

He drew his blade. 

“But duty calls, and I’ve got my orders. No offense, Lightning Killer!”  

In an instant, he appeared right in front of Yoru. His cane-sword, wrapped in swirling purple energy and heavy with crushing force, slashed downward. 

BOOM! 

Yoru met the attack head-on, drawing his own blade, coated in thick Armament Haki. The two weapons clashed in midair, sparks flying from the impact. 

“Talk about terrifying power!”  

Fujitora’s blade shimmered with a faint layer of Armament Haki as well. 

“Heh, I should be the one saying that!” Yoru shot back, locking eyes with Fujitora. “Your strength is downright monstrous!”  

The crushing weight of Fujitora’s gravity pressed down on Yoru’s blade and body. If Yoru weren’t already so powerful, that single strike would’ve flattened him. 

“The Fleet Admiral ordered me to go all out, so… I’ve got no choice but to give it everything I’ve got!”  

Fujitora’s grip tightened, and the force behind his blade surged. 

Their weapons, clashing in midair, unleashed waves of intense energy. 

Advanced Armament Haki versus Advanced Armament Haki!  

“They’re fighting so fiercely without even touching!”  

“This is what a battle between top-tier fighters looks like!”  

The crew watched in awe as shockwaves rippled around the two combatants, the sea churning violently under the pressure of their clash. Even someone as wild and untamed as Fozfur couldn’t help but feel a twinge of fear. 

The sky itself seemed to dim under the weight of their battle. 

“If you want to test my strength, let’s take this to the island. This ship can’t handle the pressure you’re dishing out!” Yoru said with a grin, before darting back in a flash, landing on the nearby island. 

Fujitora wanted a fight? Yoru was more than happy to oblige. 

In his eyes, Fujitora wasn’t just an enemy—he was a walking pile of power-up points!  

If things went well, Yoru figured he could rack up 700,000 or 800,000 reinforcement points from this! 

“Gravity Blade: Fierce Tiger!”  

Fujitora didn’t give Yoru a moment to catch his breath. With a single swing of his blade, the world around them twisted and warped. 

Fozfur and the others paled, their bodies feeling like they were being torn apart. Their blood and bones groaned under the strain, forcing them to instinctively shift into their Fierce Tiger forms to withstand the attack. 

And this was just the aftermath. 

At the center of it all, Yoru transformed into a phoenix wreathed in blazing flames. The fire flickered slightly under the gravity, but he stood unfazed. 

Behind him, though, the island wasn’t so lucky. 

BOOM! 

CRACK! 

A quarter of the island was crushed and warped, trembling like an earthquake had struck. Mountains collapsed, and the island’s ferocious beasts let out terrified cries, fleeing in panic as the scene looked like the end of the world. 

Chapter 460: Immortal Blazing Flame, Gravity Tiger  

"Assassinate him, Delusion Breaker!"  

Yoru thrust his blade forward, meeting the incoming Fujitora head-on. After all, it’d be rude not to return the favor!  

"Gravity: Reversal!"  

But this time…  

Yoru’s usually unstoppable piercing strike failed!  

An immense repulsive force pushed against his blade, making it impossible to get anywhere near Fujitora. The sword was even forced back!  

"Gravity Command: Hell’s Journey!"  

Fujitora landed calmly, his voice soft but commanding…  

And Yoru’s expression changed in an instant.  

"Hmph!"  

Even as he swiftly shifted into his Phoenix Man form, activating his "Rebirth in Flames" ability…  

The moment that godlike, oppressive gravity descended, his face twisted in shock.  

It was too heavy!  

The ground beneath him shattered with a deafening boom, collapsing into a five-meter-wide crater that kept sinking deeper…  

This gravity…  

It felt like it would crush him into pulp!  

This was nothing like Fujitora’s fight against Sabo in the original story!  

Even the seawater around them was pressed down, forming a perfectly round, bottomless pit!  

"No wonder he’s the Heavy-Heavy Fruit user. This guy’s strength is absolutely insane!"  

Yoru, still in his Phoenix Man form, let the flames on his body rage, incinerating everything around him.  

If he didn’t stay in this state, he’d be dead for sure!  

"You’re no slouch yourself," Fujitora said, his expression just as serious. "An Animal-type Devil Fruit user with elemental immunity like a Logia? Facing someone like you puts even an old man like me under pressure!"  

Hell’s Journey was Fujitora’s strongest single-target binding technique, and he was holding nothing back!  

With this power, he could flatten an entire island!  

Even the toughest metal would be crushed into paper-thin sheets!  

But Yoru…  

Not only did he have that bizarre fiery body, but the terrifying Armament Haki rebounding from him was enough to make Fujitora’s heart race.  

Yoru was actually resisting his gravity!  

And the payoff for that resistance was…  

"Assassinate him, Delusion Breaker!"  

The sharp, icy blade aimed straight for Fujitora once again.  

"Gravity: Reversal!"  

If he were facing a Warlord, Fujitora could suppress them while countering with reversal.  

But Yoru?  

No way!  

He had to pull back most of his power just to block this strike!  

Don’t be fooled by how easily he’d parried the last one—it had taken everything he had!  

Buzz!  

The repulsive force clashed with the blade…  

The air hummed violently, the ground kept crumbling, and trees were mercilessly torn apart…  

An unimaginable heat…  

It obliterated all life in its path without mercy!  

"Infinite Assassination!"  

One strike wasn’t enough?  

Then he’d just keep going!  

The greatest strength of Delusion Breaker was its ability to chain attacks endlessly, so fast it surpassed human reaction time!  

Of course, the more he chained…  

The stronger the recoil Yoru had to endure!  

"Armament: Enhancement!"  

His advanced Armament Haki coated the blade, amplifying its power…  

"High-Temperature Wrap!"  

At five thousand degrees, the blade transformed into a glowing light sword…  

The air itself warped from the scorching heat, terrifying anyone who witnessed it!  

Boom!  

Bang!  

BOOM BOOM BOOM!  

The island split apart!  

With the two of them at the center, wild shockwaves rippled outward, pushing the earth aside like flowing water…  

Countless ferocious beasts wailed in agony…  

Screams of terror echoed across the island…  

Beasts fled in droves, diving into the sea to escape!  

Nearby ships…  

Their masts shattered…  

Their sails tore apart…  

They were pushed further and further away by the force!  

Whoosh!  

Yoru closed the distance, forcing Fujitora into close-quarters combat.  

Boom!  

Bang!  

The two became avatars of destruction…  

Their clashes thundered like lightning, each strike carrying the force of a thousand tons, obliterating everything around them!