Chapter 393: Chapter 393: Lucci: The World’s Strongest is Worth a Fight
Chapter 393: Lucci: The World’s Strongest is Worth a Fight
"...Black Snake Reiner. It seems you won’t let us enter so easily."
"Hehehe, that’s fine too..."
A sinister laugh came from the collapsed ruins. In the smoke and dust, two scarlet points of light could be vaguely seen, and a circle of dark purple flames was ignited.
A hand covered in yellow fur with black spots pushed aside the smoke. Having transformed into his half-beast leopard-man form, Lucci’s lips curled up to reveal deadly sharp teeth as he walked out arrogantly.
"The World’s Strongest? Worth a challenge. Let me give it a try and see if you’re not just an empty name."
Lucci sneered and ripped off his shirt. The smooth lines of his body were wrapped in tight, well-defined muscles, all of which displayed powerful explosive strength and speed.
Behind him, a dark purple flame cloud wrapped around his shoulders. Lucci sank into a half-squat and assumed a starting stance, facing Reiner from dozens of meters away.
"...A flame cloud like Reiner’s. Is this guy also an awakened Zoan user?"
Seeing his posture, Usopp quickly recognized it. His expression was grave, and he tightened his grip on his weapon.
"In the end, it still turned into a frontal battle..."
Seeing that a battle was inevitable, the faces of the CP0 members all became grave.
Kaku’s body gradually expanded, and his neck stretched several times longer. His skin turned a yellowish-brown color as he transformed into his giraffe beast-man form.
The same as Lucci, a burning flame cloud was also wrapped around his shoulders.
"Another awakened user?!"
Usopp couldn’t help but be surprised.
The two sides stared at each other with wary eyes until...
"S-Bear, assist us in battle."
Lucci said coldly. At the same time, his body crouched down, and the muscles in his thighs tensed.
Beep, beep, beep~
"Receiving command."
The Seraphim emitted a cold, electronic mechanical sound. At the same time...
Bang!!
Lucci pushed off with a mighty stomp, and his entire person shot at Reiner at a speed that was invisible to the naked eye, his figure transforming into an afterimage.
His feet violently stomped on the air, creating sound waves. The techniques of Soru and Moonwalk were perfectly fused. The trajectory he left behind was like a cold blade of light.
Arriving in front of Reiner, Lucci swept his leg in a flying kick, the sharp claws on his toes glinting with a cold light as they viciously tore at his throat!
"Kamisori!!"
Faced with this fast and powerful attack, Reiner tilted slightly to the side. His body shifted a little, his movements seemingly slow but in fact so fast they left an afterimage. The sharp claws grazed his neck as they passed.
With the first blow missing, the two figures quickly crossed paths.
Lucci’s feet scraped along the ground, sliding for dozens of meters before he stopped. He turned back, crouched down, and his gaze was fixed on Reiner. He dug his hands and feet into the ground a few times and then rushed out on all fours at an extremely fast speed.
"Shigan: Kari!!"
Arriving in front of Reiner, Lucci’s wrist was quickly covered in pitch-black Armament Haki. He extended one finger, concentrating all his strength at the tip as he thrust it out, his target: the throat.
Reiner raised an arm, also covering it with Armament Haki, and used the back of his hand to block the sharp claw, preventing it from advancing an inch.
Clang!!
A spark flew out. Lucci withdrew his claw and grinned. He propped himself up with one hand and quickly spun his body, swinging a high whip kick fiercely at his head.
Reiner’s expression didn’t change. He moved the arm he had just raised to the side and steadily blocked the other’s whip kick.
Bang!!
A powerful wind pressure vibrated out in a circular shockwave, and even the island clouds on the ground were churned.
"Rankyaku: Ran!!"
Lucci supported himself with his hands and did a handstand. He twisted his waist and spun, his two feet kicking continuously, a blur of afterimages. A large number of wind scythes shot out like a rain of pear blossoms.
Reiner raised his arms and crossed them to block, his Armament Haki deep and dark.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
The wind scythes chopped down on his arms, making a dense, crisp sound as if hitting steel, but not leaving a single mark.
Lucci continued to exert force. The storm-like wind scythes pushed Reiner’s feet, making them scrape the ground as he slid back bit by bit.
Although he was just playing with a cat, Lucci’s strength was not to be trifled with.
The Six Powers, trained to the extreme... whether it was his move connections or his combat reaction ability, all his physical skills were worthy of the title of genius.
Although the Cat-Cat Fruit, Model: Leopard was not a particularly powerful Devil Fruit, it had greatly increased the other’s strength, speed, and all his physical attributes.
For a pure physical skill user like him, a Zoan fruit was indeed the most comprehensive and well-rounded match. After awakening, it was a qualitative leap.
Even in the New World, the other’s strength was ranked among the powerhouses. Unfortunately...
...he had run into Reiner.
"Heh. The World’s Strongest shouldn’t just have this little skill, right?"
Seeing Reiner continuously retreating, a corner of Lucci’s mouth lifted slightly, and the movements of his feet became even more forceful.
However, the next moment.
Swish!
The frantically pouring flying scythes all hit empty air. Reiner’s figure suddenly disappeared. At the same time, the black shadow of a palm appeared in his vision. On his index finger was a pure white bone ring, faintly glowing with a strange light.
"Again?"
Lucci’s expression was shocked. He exerted force on his hands, propped himself up, and flipped backward. Just as he left the ground, Reiner’s figure had already teleported and stuck to him.
"I have plenty of methods. I was just afraid you wouldn’t be able to take it. After all..."
"...you really only have this little skill."
Slap—!
Reiner teased, then opened his five fingers and grabbed the other’s face, smashing him into the research institute’s metal wall!
Bang!!
His head smashed heavily. Even the hard, thick metal wall was dented and deformed. Lucci’s eyes immediately rolled back, full of bloodshot veins, and he was almost knocked unconscious.
After letting go, Lucci’s body began to slide down. Reiner then whipped out a violent kick, his black foot covered in Armament Haki, viciously smashing into the other’s abdomen!
Bang!!
"Puwaah—!!"
His abdomen was turned upside down. Lucci spat out a large mouthful of blood, and with his back bent, he smashed against the wall, and then his entire person slid down like a pile of soft mud.
"Cough! Cough, cough... puwaah!"
Several cracks split from the metal wall. Lucci propped himself up with both hands, kneeling and panting. He was overcome with pain and couldn’t help but cough up a few more mouthfuls of blood, his face extremely pained.
He was just about to raise his foot and continue when a golden laser shot over at high speed!
Reiner’s movement paused. His foot was suspended in the air, and the laser beam shot past, almost grazing the sole of his shoe.
At the same time.
A tall figure abruptly appeared behind him and enveloped him, its speed so fast it was almost invisible to the naked eye.
"Pressure Cannon!"
In S-Bear’s raised palm, a paw-shaped ball of compressed air was gathered by its paw pad. It was pushed down from above!
Bang!
Reiner quickly turned, his raised leg sweeping high, his heel striking S-Bear’s arm.
The ball of compressed air was deflected and flew from its palm, directly smashing into the back of the kneeling Lucci.
A dazzling white light bloomed. Reiner and S-Bear quickly retreated. The terrifying compressed energy directly exploded!
Boom!!
The violent explosion made this small sky island tremble. A violent wind pressure blasted out.
The fighting on both sides was stopped. Everyone whipped their heads around and looked over.
"What an exaggerated explosion! What’s going on!"
Looking at the explosive impact that had laid waste to the surroundings, Usopp’s face was grave.
By the time the exaggerated commotion had gradually subsided, the group could gradually see the scene within.
A hole had been blasted through the thick, metal-composed wall. The island cloud ground had also collapsed into a giant, paw-shaped crater.
Lucci, in his leopard-man form, was covered in blood, lying motionless in the deep pit, his eyes rolled back and bloodshot, almost without consciousness.
"Lucci!!"
Kaku cried out in disbelief. The others were also equally in disbelief.
They knew Lucci’s strength best. With his methods, even if the opponent was stronger, he shouldn’t have been defeated so quickly.
"Is the gap really that big..."
Blueno’s mood was complicated. His grave gaze shifted to Reiner, and he subconsciously clenched his fists.
Two years ago, he had fought the other... or rather, two of the other’s undead. He had been beaten black and blue in just a few exchanges.
He hadn’t expected that after two years, even though he was countless times stronger than before, he still saw no hope of winning when facing this man again.
"Cover me! Blueno! Prepare to retreat!"
Kaku shouted and hurriedly charged towards Lucci’s position.
Blueno nodded. "I know!"
"It’s not that simple!"
Bang! Bang!
Usopp immediately raised his gun and leaped up, firing two shots at Kaku’s movement path, interrupting the other.
"Do you think you can just come and go as you please!"
"That’s right. We can’t rest easy with a group of assassins on the island."
Nami shouted in a low voice. She swung her lightning-wreathed Clima-Tact, and a ferocious thunder dragon containing a terrifying energy bit down at Blueno.
Boom!! Boom!!
A powerful explosion blocked Kaku’s path.
Faced with the instantly arriving thunder dragon, Blueno could only quickly jump back and dodge, and was also unable to use his Door-Door Fruit’s ability.
"This is bad..."
Seeing the other’s appearance, as if they didn’t intend to let them leave, the faces of Kaku and the others instantly became grave.
Kalifa glanced at the situation on the field and thought quickly with her glasses raised.
Facing Reiner, S-Bear was barely able to hold him back.
The remaining Rumble-Rumble ability user, sniper, and Flower-Flower Fruit user all possessed long-range attack methods and were all known for their speed.
To rescue Lucci from under their noses and find a chance to use the Door-Door Fruit’s ability to take them all away... such a possibility was almost zero.
It was 5v4 on the field now. Unless...
Kalifa looked at her other teammates with a complicated expression, a hint of determination in her eyes.
"You guys fight and retreat. Blueno, when you get close to Lucci later, use your ability directly and take him away. I’ll cover you."
"Then what about you?"
Blueno glanced back at her.
If he left, Kalifa would be completely unable to resist Nami.
Never mind one person, even with two people, they had been suppressed by the other until now.
Blueno knew what Kalifa meant. Without one person staying behind, there was simply no chance.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t be the one to stay behind. Without his Door-Door Fruit, the others would not be able to retreat.
Even so, it was just a slim possibility in a desperate situation.
Kaku and the others gritted their teeth, their faces a little ugly.
Just then, Stussy suddenly spoke.
"Follow Kalifa’s instructions. But,"
"Leave the rearguard to me. The success rate will be higher."
Stussy, while dodging Robin’s attack, said with a faint smile and turned her head:
"You all understand, right? As agents, we should abandon our emotions and act rationally. In this situation, don’t dally any longer."
"Damn it!"
Kaku clenched his fists unwillingly. But there was no more time for them to argue about who would stay behind. He immediately shouted:
"Follow Stussy’s plan! Prepare to retreat!"
As his voice fell, the others gritted their teeth and scattered, fighting while retreating.
Blueno used Soru to quickly rush towards Lucci.
"Rankyaku: Kinsen!" (Storm Leg: Golden Thread!)
Stussy kicked out, and dozens, even hundreds, of thin, thread-like wind scythes clashed with Nami’s lightning strike and exploded.
Kalifa took the opportunity to switch opponents with her. Using her Bubble-Bubble Fruit to lubricate her skin and her Paper Arts to soften her body, she continuously broke free from the joint locks that Robin’s hands had sprouted on her body.
The tacit cooperation of CP0 was brought into full play at this moment.
Kaku, using his speed advantage and various resistance methods, did not seem to be under as much pressure facing Usopp’s precise shooting.
Looking at the two who were gradually retreating, a strange, sharp glint appeared in the depths of Stussy’s eyes.
The CP organization was composed of agents skilled in various espionage abilities. CP0 was the best among them. It was not easy to pass on intelligence to Vegapunk under the noses of several people.
The crisis that Egghead was facing now was far more than just a few assassins. The main force of the Marines was about to press in. She had to find a way to meet Vegapunk.
To be captured by the Straw Hat crew... not only could she see Vegapunk, but she also wouldn’t easily expose her identity as a mole in the World Government. This method was simply perfect.
Besides...
Seeing Blueno, under her cover, about to approach Lucci, a hint of relief inadvertently appeared in Stussy’s eyes.
Although they had only been together for a short two years, she had truly felt an unprecedented friendship with these few people.
At this moment, she also sincerely hoped that these few, her only friends, could successfully escape.
Swish—!
Just ten meters away, Blueno, with a final burst of effort, used ’Soru’ again and finally successfully arrived beside Lucci and squatted down.
"Now! Go!"
Stussy followed up in sync. Faced with Nami’s lightning strike, she did not dodge, but protected the two behind her, forcefully kicking out a Rankyaku to resist it.
"Air Door!!"
Blueno took the opportunity to activate his ability. He waved his hand and opened a space door in the air, then immediately grabbed Lucci’s hand.
"I’m going first, Stussy! Wait! We’ll come and save you!"
Finally, Blueno shouted at Stussy, squatted down, and was about to jump into the door.
However.
"Teleport."
Just as he was about to rescue Lucci, a low voice suddenly appeared behind him.
The moment he heard the voice, Blueno discovered that the force in his hand had suddenly become heavy. His expression changed in shock as he whipped his head around.
A figure, with its back to the dazzling sun, was looking down at him. One foot was on Lucci’s back, and no matter how hard he pulled, he couldn’t move him.
"Black Snake Reiner...!"
Blueno squeezed out a few words from between his teeth, his eyes angry and a little unwilling.
He was so close to succeeding!!
"Are you angry? Tch. I seem to have seen this scene somewhere before."
Reiner’s tone was teasing as he said:
"I remember now. Two years ago, when we were taking Robin away, you guys seemed to have jumped out one by one to stop us."
"History is always surprisingly similar. Unfortunately, the roles have been reversed this time. And you..."
The playful smile on Reiner’s face slowly faded. He said coldly:
"...don’t have the strength to take anyone from my hands."
(End of Chapter)
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