A slash of blue and white light came slicing through the air, stirring a sharp gust so intense that Cross could feel it sting his cheeks, yet even then, he couldn't help but smile.
Muttering to himself, he said, "I can't quite read how he channels his strength, but this is clearly a swordsman's technique. What an interesting move."
Clang—!
Without hesitation, Cross drew the sword at his waist, Kagehide, and unleashed a powerful Iaido strike. His blade collided directly with the incoming slash.
CLANG!
With the sound of metal clashing, the blue-white slash was cleanly bisected, scattering into shimmering motes of light before fading into the air.
"He cut it in half...?"
Rob Lucci's expression darkened. He was clearly surprised that Cross had destroyed his slash with a single blow. Inwardly, he speculated: A sword user... Could he already be a master swordsman?
But before Lucci could dwell on it further, Cross launched a sudden counterattack. In a single swift movement, he dashed several meters forward and appeared right in front of Lucci, then threw a punch.
A punch?
Lucci froze for a moment, stunned that a swordsman would strike with his fists instead of his blade.
"Tekkai!"
With a low shout, Lucci braced his stance. A faint gleam, nearly imperceptible to the naked eye, flickered across his body as his muscles tensed like coiled steel.
Boom!
Cross's punch slammed straight into Lucci's chest, unleashing an unrestrained torrent of force. Lucci let out a muffled grunt, his body sliding backward as his boots scraped twin grooves across the palace floor.
A surge of wind exploded outward from the blow, kicking up clouds of dust inside the royal hall.
"What a heavy punch... Feels like my ribs are about to snap." Lucci dropped to one knee, clutching his chest with a grimace of pain.
Meanwhile, Cross stared at his fist, mulling over the sensation from the strike. He muttered, "A technique that hardens the body... Feels like iron. If an ordinary person tried cutting it with a sword, their blade would probably shatter. Still, the energy's flowing internally, so I can't quite figure out how it works yet."
"Who the hell is this guy?"
Lucci gritted his teeth, slowly rising to his feet while massaging his chest. I went through hellish training to master the Rokushiki... yet I couldn't take a single punch from him. How is that even possible?
At that moment, King Haritch XIX and Minister Sarin stood frozen, their eyes nearly popping out of their sockets in disbelief.
Two boys, neither even of age, exchanging blows with such terrifying power... it felt like a joke.
But Haritch XIX quickly snapped out of it. His face twisted in anger as he shouted at Lucci, "Enough! Aren't you just an envoy sent by the World Government? How dare you strike a noble of this kingdom so recklessly! Are you treating the Tobias Kingdom like it's beneath you? I will lodge a formal complaint with the World Government!"
Lucci shot him a cold glance but didn't respond.
To him, the so-called king was just another frail old man. As a CP agent trained in shadow ops, Lucci had no interest in politics or petty diplomacy. Threats meant nothing to him, at least, not from someone like that. The man before him was far more dangerous.
"Soru!"
In a flash, Lucci vanished, at least to the untrained eyes of onlookers.
The next instant, he reappeared beside Cross, fist cocked, aiming to strike his head with blinding speed.
But in the blink of an eye, a hand shot up and clamped down on Lucci's face, so fast he couldn't even react, then slammed him into the ground.
BOOM!
His skull smashed into the stone floor like a warhammer striking an anvil. The tiles shattered on impact, his entire head embedded deep into the floor. The surrounding stone cracked into dozens of fractured slabs under the sheer force.
"Your movement technique's impressive. Fast, too," Cross said as he stood over Lucci, his tone calm and indifferent. "But it doesn't work on me."
Haritch XIX and Sarin gaped in disbelief. All they'd seen was a blur, and then Lucci was on the ground.
They rubbed their eyes and stared again, just to be sure they hadn't imagined it.
"I held back," Cross said plainly as he slid Kagehide back into its sheath. "Besides, with that hardening technique of yours, you're barely scratched. Get up."
Lucci grunted, pushing himself up with both hands. He wrenched his head free from the shattered floor, staggering to his feet, clearly dazed.
"You just assaulted a World Government officer... You must be tired of living!" Lucci snapped, holding his head and snarling in anger.
The fight had made one thing painfully clear: he was no match for Cross.
Even with Tekkai, he couldn't block the raw power behind those blows. And Soru, the fastest of the Six Powers, had been effortlessly countered. If Cross had used his sword instead of his fists, Lucci would likely be bleeding out on the floor by now.
But if this country has someone this powerful, why would they even bother asking the World Government to send help against a few pirates who rely on hostages?
"Spare me the lecture."
Cross's voice turned sharp. "His Majesty asked the World Government for help because I wasn't here. Now that I'm back, you're going to assist me in cleaning up this pirate invasion."
"What you report afterward is your business. But if you try to interfere, I'll cut you down where you stand."
...
Under the cover of night, a massive three-masted pirate ship rested at the kingdom's western harbor. Beside it were two mid-sized warships, now little more than ruins, one tilted steeply with half its hull sunk beneath the waves.
"You lot did good work. Tonight, we drink, feast, and party as we please!"
On the deck, pirates reveled in high spirits. At the center sat Kubi, beaming with pride as he raised his voice to his crew.
"The Tobias Kingdom ain't so tough after all!"
"Damn right! The whole kingdom's ours now!"
"Long live the boss!"
"What do you mean 'boss'? He's the new king now!"
"Is that so? Hahahaha!"
"More booze! We're running dry!"
"Same here! Someone grab another barrel!"
The pirates cheered, swapping cups and toying with the stolen gold and silver ornaments they'd looted.
Kubi downed a mug of beer in one go, letting out a hearty laugh. "This booze tastes better than ever tonight, hahaha!"
Suddenly, a cold, unfamiliar voice cut through the chaos.
"Who's the captain of this crew?"
The raucous laughter died at once.
The pirates turned toward the voice, toward a dark-haired boy standing quietly at the edge of the deck, eyes like steel.
"Who the hell are you?"
Kubi, still seated at the head of the feast, stared at the boy and asked.
"Bounty: 37 million Berries. Scoundrel Manol Kubi." The boy's voice was cold, his tone unflinching. "By the authority of the World Government, you're under arrest."
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