One Piece: A Warlord's Path-Chapter 683: The Might of a Single Strike

"What is this? An Ability User?"

Cavendish saw it with his own eyes: with a mere casual press of the hand, without any apparent force, a massive section of the wall had toppled over. Such a feat could only be achieved through perfect leverage or the power of a Devil Fruit.

Before Cavendish could react, Razalo lunged again. The snow-white arm blades on his wrists, gleaming with a deadly chill, swept toward Cavendish’s throat.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

Cavendish didn’t retreat. He swung Durandal, engaging Razalo in a frantic melee. For a moment, sword light flickered and shadows filled the air. Sparks flew and the screech of clashing steel rang out as the two fought with incredible intensity.

Sharp sword ki slashed against the walls and the ground, carving deep fissures into the stone. A few bold knights and clergymen rushed in to assist, only to be caught in the stray shocks; they were cut down on the spot, heads severed from their shoulders.

A dozen mangled corpses lay scattered across the street. The sight of the brilliant crimson blood chilled the onlookers to the bone, snapping even the most fanatical priests out of their fervor. They didn’t fear death, but this kind of meaningless, futile slaughter was unbearable. After all, they weren’t trained suicide squads.

While Cavendish and Razalo were locked in combat, the situation on the main road to the harbor was faring no better for the locals.

The mixed army, composed of commoners, city guards, and the Church of the Night’s clergy, was being decimated. They were in full retreat, fleeing in total disarray under the combined onslaught of the Chris Pirates and the Triangle Pirates.

The pirates were advancing with a triumphant roar, while the Church of the Night suffered devastating losses. One side was small in number but elite and coordinated; the other side was a massive horde of varying strength that lacked any semblance of teamwork.

"More-More: 100-Fold Slash!!!"

Dimitri let out a furious roar. The white jade-like beast-fang dagger in his hand suddenly expanded a hundred times in size and length, transforming into a thirty-meter-long jade blade. He swung it horizontally, the edge nearly tearing the air apart with a shrill, piercing shriek.

Squelch! Squelch! Squelch!

The giant jade blade acted like a divine weapon of unstoppable destruction. Blood sprayed as the crowd was mowed down like stalks of wheat. Whether it was flesh, armor, steel weapons, or even trees, everything was sliced clean through at the waist.

Bisection!

In any kingdom, this was considered a most barbaric form of execution, so cruel that many kings had specifically abolished it.

The street was instantly filled with a pungent, metallic stench. Severed limbs and internal organs spilled onto the pavement amidst a chorus of agonizing screams. Due to differences in height, some died instantly, while others, left with only their upper halves, crawled along the ground in a frantic, dying wail. Only the exceptionally tall fared slightly better, losing only their legs.

The street had become a charnel house, a gruesome slaughterhouse beyond description.

The sheer terror of this single strike snapped the fanaticism of the commoners and guards. They scrambled backward in horror, and some were so paralyzed with fear they collapsed where they stood, their clothes soaked in urine.

Even Dimitri himself hadn’t expected such a result. He stared at the beast-fang dagger, which had returned to its original size, stunned by the carnage he had wrought.

Perhaps in the eyes of a Great Pirate, a Marine Admiral, or one of the Yonko, this strike was nothing special, something easily parried. But to ordinary people and the weak, it was a demonic blade from the heavens, making the act of killing simpler than cutting grass.

At the rear of the crowd, Mondos Bank watched the aftermath of the strike, his expression shifting. He had sailed the seas for years and witnessed many brutal battles, even the destruction of entire cities, and he himself had killed countless men. But the sight of two hundred people being bisected by a single blow was a first for him.

In terms of sheer brutality, this ranked high even in his experience.

While the other side of the battlefield was still raging, this section fell into a deathly silence.

"Phew..."

Bank exhaled a long breath of turbid air. Civilians were just civilians; they had never experienced a scene like this. He knew his men were paralyzed by fear. It was time for him to step in.

Schwing—

Bank suddenly drew his black katana. The blade was pitch-black and lightless, yet one look was enough to tell anyone it was terrifyingly sharp.

One of the 21 Great Grade Blades. The Black Blade: Kurokawa (Black River), also known as Righteous Left Principle!

The blade measured 93cm in length and 2.3cm in width. It featured a small irregular wave pattern (ko-midare) and bore the signature: Righteous Left Principle. The entire weapon, including the scabbard and hilt, was jet black and carved with subtle wave engravings, representing the legendary "Black River" of the underworld. [1]

Ting—

Bank flicked the black blade with his finger, producing a crisp, melodious metallic ring. He nodded in satisfaction, a neurotic, predatory smile spreading across his face.

"Fight! Fight on! As long as I can stall until nightfall to slaughter you all, the ’Goddess of the Night’ will surely be pleased with these sacrifices!"

Bank stepped out from the crowd, talking to himself. Under the bright sun, the blade of the Kurokawa didn’t reflect a single ray of light.

"Mondos Bank!"

Dimitri saw the young man with the black katana emerging, and his pupils constricted. At that moment, his scalp tingled with the sensation of lethal danger. The source was the man before him.

The great pirate with a bounty of 710 million, the Night Executioner, Mondos Bank!!!

It was clear that after years of roaming the sea, this man had undergone a complete transformation. He was no longer the Supernova whose crew had been wiped out by Hawkeye Mihawk and who had been chased away by the Chris Pirates years ago.

"More-More: 10-Fold Speed!"

"More-More: 100-Fold Slash!"

Without hesitation, Dimitri stomped the ground and lunged forward, unleashing a massive strike. The thirty-meter jade blade reappeared, descending with terrifying speed and power, forming an invisible blade of compressed air.

BOOOM!!!

The blade slammed down, shattering the pavement and splitting the earth. A deafening explosion rang out as a powerful shockwave erupted like a gale, kicking up a massive cloud of dust and debris.

Bank leaped onto a nearby rooftop, shielding his eyes from the grit. He peered through his fingers at the dozens-of-meters-long trench carved into the street.

"Impressive! Impressive indeed! As expected of a veteran cadre of the Chris Pirates! You’ve mastered the essence of the More-More Fruit!"

"Now, take a taste of mine! Hardening: Terror Slash!!!"

Bank laughed maniacally. He leaped into the air, gripping his sword with both hands, and brought it down in a vertical cleave.

"Not good!"

Dimitri felt a terrifying surge of killing intent. Horrified, he threw himself to the side.

Ssssshhht—! RUMBLE!

The earth and the surrounding houses were instantly cleaved by an invisible edge. A straight fissure over a hundred meters long appeared—only a palm’s width wide, but several meters deep, with an edge so smooth it looked polished.

——————— 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

[1] I don’t get what does 左纲正 (Righteous Left Principle) mean here.

Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over here ——— pa-tre-on.c-om/AlexandrusTL [remove the hyphen for normal access]