Puff—
When the famous sword slashed at Shiryu's throat, blood splattered everywhere!
At that moment, aside from the Blackbeard Pirates' crew, even the powerful onlookers from afar were shocked once again!
Everyone knew that Shiryu of the Rain provoking Shiro was a definite mistake. Nine times out of ten, Shiryu was no match for Shiro!
However, being outmatched and being killed in an instant are entirely different concepts!
No matter how flawed Shiryu of the Rain might have been, he was still a formidable swordsman with incredible strength, second only to the poisonous man Magellan in the entire Impel Down!
Without any exaggeration, compared to Shiryu of the Rain, the Vice Admiral Momonga, who had previously been defeated by Shiro and whose life or death remained unknown, was much weaker.
It was understandable that Shiro could defeat Momonga quickly. But killing Shiryu of the Rain with a single blow was utterly terrifying!
For a moment, Shiro's fearsome image grew even more terrifying in the eyes of these people. The 30,000 Navy elites who had fallen to Shiro also looked upon him with fanaticism, as if they were witnessing the invincible Haki of a future Admiral.
Only the top-tier powerhouses knew that Shiryu of the Rain had died due to a lack of information. When Shiryu thought that Shiro was not his match, his fate was already sealed!
Though Shiryu's death was shocking, it was also understandable. After all, Shiro had become incredibly powerful! His thunderous speed alone was enough to make Shiryu pay a heavy price!
What's more, Shiryu had no understanding of Shiro's current strength! And with Shiro's strong performance this time, Borsalino, who was fishing in the distance, remarked, "Can speed really be used like this? What a scary kid!"
By the time Blackbeard Marshall D. Teach reacted, Shiryu's blood had already splashed across the ice!
Bang!
Before Blackbeard could act, Shiro tossed aside the lifeless body of Shiryu of the Rain.
"Hahaha, it seems I underestimated you, Navy traitor, Shiro!" Blackbeard didn't catch Shiryu's body but threw it directly to his crew. He looked at Shiro with a dark smile, though his laughter was tinged with insidiousness and anger.
But Shiro paid no attention to Blackbeard because, at that moment, the system had just activated.
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for killing Shiryu of the Rain. Reward: Great Swordsman-level Three-Sword Style! ]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing three tasks within 48 hours and triggering a hidden reward. Rewards: Eternal Pose, Transferable Devil Blessing X0.5 (Half of the Devil Blessing, when fully collected, can be used to bless yourself with the Devil Blessing or transfer it to your partner.)]
...
Hearing the system prompt, Shiro didn't pay much attention. The Great Swordsman-level Three-Sword Style was optional for him because he was already a great swordsman. All in all, the Three-Sword Style always felt a bit flashy to Shiro. But still, something was better than nothing.
After seizing Shiryu's sword, Shiro now had three famous swords. As for the hidden rewards, Shiro was quite satisfied. The system was still somewhat useful. The Eternal Pose would be convenient for future navigation, but the second hidden reward, the Transferable Devil Blessing, was even better.
In addition to being able to consume a second Devil Fruit himself, imagine forming a team of cadres with double or even triple Devil Fruit abilities. Wouldn't that be incredibly impressive?
Of course, these were just unexpected bonuses for Shiro. The most important thing was his current strength. When Shiro possessed invincible strength on the sea, everything else was irrelevant.
At that time, if he wanted, he could even take the Empress Boa Hancock to sleep on the couch of Imu, the leader of the Celestial Dragons!
"Hey, Shiro, I have a proposal. How about you join me, or... join my pirate crew and reach the top of the new era together? Thief hahaha!" After a brief moment of anger, Blackbeard Marshall D. Teach quickly calmed down. For him, the most important thing now was to achieve his set goals.
And Shiro, who had the strength to kill Shiryu in seconds—though there were other factors—was undeniably powerful. Therefore, there was no need to offend such a formidable enemy as Shiro over a dead man. Otherwise, the already dire situation would only worsen!
If he could recruit Shiro, it would be a great advantage. After all, he had defected before the war as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and the Navy might not continue to cooperate with him!
Damn it! Why wasn't Whitebeard dead yet? Why hadn't the Whitebeard Pirates been completely crushed by the Navy? This was simply abnormal!
Blackbeard thought to himself hysterically.
[Ding, detected an invitation from Pirate Blackbeard, choose to trigger!]
[Option 1: Embrace the darkness, accept Blackbeard's invitation, and join the Blackbeard Pirates. Reward: Enhanced Gatling with Blue Fire. (The power can shoot through ordinary iron blocks, and it will be even stronger when imbued with Armament Haki!)]
[Option 2: Ignore Blackbeard's invitation, kill another member of the Blackbeard Pirates at will. Reward: Perfect Recovery Potion X 24 hours. (Restores peak combat power in any state for 24 hours.)]
When Blackbeard extended the invitation to Shiro, the system triggered. But Shiro didn't even glance at it. No matter what the reward was, it was impossible for him to join the Blackbeard Pirates.
Or rather, he would never join any pirate crew or faction. After making a declaration using the "Voice of God," it was clear: he, Shiro, was his own force!
"Haha, what do you say, Shiro, have you thought it over?" Blackbeard said with a smile. At that moment, he couldn't guess what Shiro was thinking, as they were not familiar with each other.
Rumble—
However, Shiro didn't keep Blackbeard waiting long. In Blackbeard's stunned and fearful gaze, a blue arc of lightning flashed, and Shiro's figure disappeared instantly.
When he reappeared, he was above the crown of Champion Burgess, a member of the Blackbeard Pirates!
"Burgess, be careful!" Blackbeard shouted in shock. He hadn't expected Shiro to attack without responding and certainly didn't expect Shiro's speed to reach such an appalling level!
At this speed, only Admiral Kizaru could surpass it on the entire sea! But Shiro was clearly an enemy of the Navy. Why hadn't Kizaru dealt with him!?
Blackbeard's warning came too late. Just as Shiro reached Burgess, several vines appeared out of nowhere, entangling the latter's body. Before the other Blackbeard Pirates could come to the rescue, Shiro's sword, Destiny, unsheathed, and the black blade's light flashed, delivering a powerful slash that split the ice beneath them!
"Jesus Burgess, you dare covet the Pirate Empress?"
...
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+30 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg
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