Busoshoku Haki!
Oguro glanced at his fist.
This was a completely different power from spiritual pressure. If spiritual pressure came from the soul, Busoshoku Haki was the ultimate refinement of physical strength.
"As expected… nothing beats real combat for practice!" Oguro muttered.
In truth, his Busoshoku Haki had long reached the awakening threshold, but he had been unable to fully break through.
The reason was simple, delivering a lethal punch to a real enemy required a level of determination and mental training that was worlds apart from practice. Only after overcoming this psychological barrier could Busoshoku Haki be truly mastered.
"Too bad it just awakened… even basic coating is still a bit shaky."
The Haki wrapped around Oguro's fist like loose strands of thread, as if it could snap at any moment.
"But against weaklings like you lot? More than enough!"
Oguro lifted his head, a bloodthirsty cold smile forming on his face as he watched the pirates still charging at him.
In the next instant, Oguro vanished.
Using Shunpo's incredible speed, the pirates couldn't even see a shadow of him.
Yet with the destructive power of Busoshoku Haki, Oguro knocked each pirate out with a single punch.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
In mere seconds, more than thirty pirates lay sprawled around him.
For these weak East Blue pirates, Busoshoku Haki was nothing short of a cheat code.
"Cut it out!"
A roar cut through the chaos.
A black shadow descended from above, and a double-staff with an iron ball slammed toward Oguro's head.
He slid back several meters with a single step.
Boom!
The deck cracked under the iron ball, wood splintering everywhere.
A middle-aged man with a gray-and-blue headscarf, rugged and unkempt, stood before Oguro, dragging the double-staff from the deck.
Oguro immediately recognized him, Akin, the Kurekku Pirates' Battle Commander.
Though he had no bounty, his strength was not to be underestimated. His first strike in the original story had even subdued one of the Straw Hat Pirates' top three, Sanji.
"Whoa! The Battle Commander is stepping in! That kid's dead for sure!"
"The Battle Commander's a demon! Even the captain would have trouble taking him down. Facing someone like this? Easy pickings!"
The battered pirates cheered, thinking victory was at hand.
Akin swung his twin staffs, the iron ball spinning rapidly. This was his signature "Demon Man" technique, using centrifugal force and his own martial skill to amplify the ball's destructive power several times over.
"My subordinates have really given you a warm welcome… I'll have to return the favor properly!"
His eyes cold, Akin growled.
"Hope your fists are tougher than your mouth!" Oguro retorted without hesitation.
Despite Akin's popularity in the original story, Oguro had no admiration for him. A pirate was a pirate. The Kurekku Pirates had terrorized East Blue for years, spilling countless innocent lives. Akin sparing Sanji in the original story was only because Sanji had helped him—hardly a sign of a good heart.
Oguro had witnessed even fake pirates plundering Paparoko Island! Real pirates were far crueler.
Since conflict had started, Oguro had no intention of letting the so-called rulers of East Blue continue to exist.
"Spinning Staff Strike!"
Akin charged, spinning his staffs at blinding speed. At the peak, he twisted his waist, swinging the iron ball in a massive arc aimed at Oguro's head.
The force was immense, the air itself tearing with the impact.
Yet to Oguro, the attack seemed as slow as a crawling snail.
In front of a Shinigami who had mastered Shunpo, only someone skilled in one of the Rokushiki techniques could hope to compete. Otherwise… it was nothing but play.
Oguro didn't even rely on speed this time. He wanted to test the real destructive power of his Busoshoku Haki.
"Busoshoku: Coating!"
Breaking through the psychological barrier, Oguro's Haki erupted, wrapping his fist in firm strands. After some combat practice, his proficiency had improved greatly.
The iron ball descended like a mountain-cracking hammer, yet Oguro stood firm, meeting it with a punch.
The pirates all thought simultaneously, He's dead meat!
Even Kurekku smirked inwardly. With Akin's strength, a man in armor would be injured taking this hit head-on. This guy was bare-handed.
Under the mocking stares of the pirates, Oguro's Haki-coated fist slammed into the iron ball.
Bang!
Instead of bones breaking, cracks appeared along the iron ball before it exploded.
Akin felt a sharp pain in his cheek as flying fragments left bloody streaks across his face.
Is… is this guy a monster? Akin's fear rose. That iron ball had cost him a fortune to craft. Blades usually left no mark, yet it was shattered by a single punch.
Oguro didn't hold back.
He retracted, stepped forward, and struck again.
Thud!
The Haki-coated fist crashed into Akin's abdomen like a battering ram. He crumpled like a cooked shrimp, flying into the cabin, utterly still. One strike. Instant kill.
The rest of the Kurekku Pirates were dumbfounded. This was a force far beyond their ability. Many began to retreat instinctively.
"Poison bomb!"
At the lowest point of morale, Kurekku shouted, attempting a hidden attack. A missile shot from his sleeve. Pirates scattered, startled by the words "poison bomb."
But Oguro knew it was a trick—disguised shuriken inside a missile. Luffy had been caught by this in the original story.
Oguro silently drew his Zanpakutō.
Gen!
As the Soul King's personal Zanpakutō, the blade bore an engraving of a faceless deity, holding the sun, moon, and stars. Once Oguro mastered its power, it would truly become his divine icon.
"Busoshoku: Coating!"
Haki wrapped around the blade. Without flashy moves, Oguro cut the tip of the missile.
Boom!
The missile exploded on contact, shattering completely along with its hidden shuriken.
"Why didn't he dodge?" Kurekku exclaimed. Enemies usually flinched at the word "poison bomb," only to be hit by the concealed weapon.
Seems this guy won't be easy! Kurekku's mind raced, plotting his next move.
***
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