One Piece: King of the World-Chapter 461: The Cursed Blade Corrupts Its Master, Kuina Joins the Battle

After dealing with Devon, Crocodile stepped out of the dense forest once again and gazed into the distant sky. This victory had cost him little effort, and at this moment, Enel was still battling Shiki.

Taking a pocket watch from his coat, Crocodile checked the time. His brows furrowed slightly as he murmured, "So Kaido really isn't coming to the Pirate Expo? A bit of a shame, but Claudius shouldn't have to wait too long, right?"

Kaido's absence was unexpected. Who would have thought that the most reckless of the Four Emperors would turn out to be the most cautious? Could he be hiding away to create some sort of ultimate weapon? Preparing something on the scale of an atomic bomb?

As Crocodile pondered this, the battlefield nearby saw a sudden change—not in the fight between Enel and the Golden Lion, Shiki, but in the clash between Roronoa Zoro and Shiryu of the Rain.

A third party had joined the battle.

A sudden slash cut through the air, heading straight for Shiryu. At that moment, he was engaged in combat with Zoro, his shoulder already bearing a fresh wound. Instinctively, he dodged, sensing the immense power behind the attack.

Clutching his shoulder with one hand, Shiryu backed away from Zoro, his gaze dark and unreadable, but he remained silent.

Zoro, rather than pressing his advantage, frowned impatiently and turned toward the source of the slash. "Who's there?" he demanded.

Moments later, a figure emerged from the direction of the attack.

The newcomer wore a Marine uniform with the epaulets of a Vice Admiral. Across her chest was the insignia of "Absolute Justice," and at her waist hung a white saber—Wadō Ichimonji. There was no doubt—Vice Admiral Kuina had arrived.

"Zoro, it's been a while. Still as weak as ever?" Kuina approached with a teasing smile.

"You bastard..." Zoro's eyes flickered with a mix of excitement, frustration, and anger upon seeing Kuina.

"This is my fight! I don't need your interference!" he growled, flicking the blood from his blade.

Kuina smirked, raising her chin slightly and gesturing toward the battlefield. "Don't misunderstand, Zoro. This is a war. And in a war, we are comrades-in-arms. We support each other, eliminate the enemy swiftly, and secure victory. That's just common sense, isn't it?"

Zoro frowned. "That's your Marine logic. I'm not a Marine. If anything, I'm a pirate now."

"Marine or pirate, in the end, you're still part of the World Government's forces, aren't you?" Kuina replied calmly. "That makes us allies in this battle."

Zoro's mouth twitched. Damn it, she had a point, and he couldn't even argue with her.

Without waiting for his response, Kuina continued, "You're always obsessed with one-on-one duels. But let's mix things up today. How about we test your skills in a different way?"

Shiryu had never considered himself a traditional swordsman bound by honor. If Zoro wanted to stick to fair duels, that was his problem. Kuina was right—this was a battlefield, and fighting together against an enemy was perfectly reasonable.

In truth, Shiryu had only ended up here by accident, he was supposed to be engaging Big Mom's forces instead.

Zoro sheathed Sandai Kitetsu and Shusui, gripping only his black blade, Enma. He took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "Just don't slow me down."

Kuina chuckled. "You've got quite the attitude now."

"Vice Admiral Kuina, huh? This just keeps getting worse..." Shiryu muttered under his breath.

Roronoa Zoro alone was already troublesome. Now, with Kuina joining the fight, things had gone from bad to worse, especially since he was already injured. The wound wasn't severe, but it wasn't light either. A one-on-one fight would've been hard enough, but two against one? The odds were bleak.

Shiryu had never been one to care about honor. His instinct told him the best move here was to retreat.

After all, what loyalty did he owe Shiki? It wasn't his fault if the enemy was too strong.

Boss, if you manage to escape, I'll keep following you. But if you die… well, I'll burn some incense for you every year.

That was the plan—escape. But for some reason, his body wasn't listening.

His blood was boiling. His hands trembled, not from fear, but from excitement.

Was this… battle lust? The thrill of the fight?

His eyes turned bloodshot, filled with a terrifying bloodthirst. The cursed blade in his grip—Thunderstorm—let out a low, eerie hum, almost as if it were laughing.

Every previous wielder of Thunderstorm had met a tragic end. Shiryu had never cared, after all, he was already a killer by nature. He had escaped Impel Down to embrace a life of slaughter.

As long as he could satisfy his bloodlust, what did it matter if the sword had a will of its own?

But today… something was different.

His thoughts of retreat faded. His mind clouded with madness.

Pain from his wounds dulled, and his confidence soared. For a brief moment, he believed—even if Dracule Mihawk stood before him now, he could cut him down.

Clutching his sword tightly, his Armament Haki surged violently, stronger than ever. Blood-red mist rose faintly from his wounds, evaporating into the air.

With an explosive step, he shattered the ground beneath him and lunged at Kuina.

"Ittōryū—Blood Rain!" Shiryu snarled.

Kuina reacted instantly. Wadō Ichimonji flashed from its sheath, intercepting Thunderstorm in a brilliant clash of steel.

The impact sent a shockwave rippling through the battlefield. A tremendous force pressed down on Kuina, trying to crush her.

"Cursed sword!" Kuina spat, tightening her grip. Using her free hand, she shifted her stance, redirected the force, and—bam!—she sent Thunderstorm skidding away.

Kuina's swordsmanship wasn't purely traditional. She had trained under Vice Admiral Gion, developing a fighting style that incorporated both swordplay and hand-to-hand combat.

A swordsman didn't have to only use their sword.

As Thunderstorm was knocked aside, Kuina's foot shot forward like lightning, slamming into Shiryu's chest.

The force sent him flying.

She hadn't expected the kick to land so cleanly—Shiryu was acting oddly reckless.

Zoro noticed it too. He had already launched his next attack cleaving down toward Shiryu.

Shiryu barely managed to block it, but Kuina keenly observed something—his movements were erratic. His breathing was chaotic. His mind… was unraveling.

"Thunderstorm," Kuina realized.

Cursed blades like Thunderstorm consumed the weak-willed. If the wielder's will faltered, the sword would take over.

Shiryu had hesitated, he had wanted to retreat. In that moment of weakness, Thunderstorm had seized control, driving him into a berserker state.

That made things simpler.

Kuina smirked as Zoro forced Shiryu back once more. She suddenly called out, "Zoro, it's been a while since you've used that technique, hasn't it?"

Clang!

Zoro withdrew a step, blade humming in his grip. Hearing Kuina's words, his lips curled into a grin. ƒrēenovelkiss.com

"Just don't slow me down," he replied.

(To be continued.)

***

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