Chapter 78: Smashing a Hurricane with Thunder!
Three Marines appeared. Two followed behind, like deputies, one holding a sword and one a gun. The one in the lead was burly, rivaling Sag's subordinate, Miote, in stature.
Miote was the three-meter-tall mute strongman, one of the more outstanding individuals Sag had recruited. Thanks to his huge body and the giant tachi looted from Loguetown, he could easily take on ten opponents in battle now.
This man wearing the 'Justice' cloak was of a similar type. He carried a large tachi on his back that was not inferior to his own body size. He appeared just as Lily had finished dealing with two waves of Marines and was about to push forward.
"Don't get too complacent!"
The two deputies shouted in unison. The sword-wielding deputy rushed out quickly, while the gun-wielding deputy coordinated, aiming rapidly and pulling the trigger.
Chih!
Lead bullets and the deputy's sword attacked Lily simultaneously. Just then, Lily's figure flashed. The cold brilliance emitted by her sword light formed a zigzagging line, bending from the sword-wielding deputy to the gun-wielding one. A spray of blood erupted, and the brilliance quickly bent towards the tall Marine.
Clang!!
The rapier was blocked by the huge blade, revealing Lily's high-speed moving figure.
"Bientetta Lily, the pirate with a bounty of thirty-six million Beli!"
The Marine's expression was solemn. He held the hilt with one hand, and just a slight tremor sent Lily's rapier flying away. At the same time, taking advantage of the opening, he brought his sword down fiercely. "I am Marine HQ Captain 'Wind Wall' Bred! Prepare to die!"
Lily's body was slightly turned, about to dodge the blade, intending to counterattack with a stab towards the Marine Captain. But the moment she acted, she suddenly sensed something, and her feet rapidly tapped the ground.
"Soru!"
Boom!
Her slightly turned body suddenly flashed, disappearing from the spot. As she explosively retreated backward, the huge descending blade seemed to carry a special force, blasting a rectangular trench in the deck in front, extending all the way to the bow.
"A flying slash attack?" Lily asked.
"Soru? Hateful pirate!"
Seeing his attack miss, Bred gripped the hilt with both hands and swept fiercely towards Lily.
Swish!
This fierce swing was completely devoid of heavy slowness; instead, it seemed abnormally fast. His huge body wasn't just powerful in appearance; his speed also seemed considerable.
Boom!
As the blade swung out, a wall-like airflow slash charged forward, easily cutting through the warship's railing, even slicing open a large chunk of the deck, turning it into a hole.
Lily's feet moved in coordination, dodging as soon as he swung the blade, using Soru's high-speed movement to rush to Bred's other side.
"You can't dodge!"
But Bred reacted quickly too. The huge blade he had just swung instantly reversed direction, moving so fast it almost created afterimages. The swirling airflow slash tore up the deck entirely, chasing directly after the dodging Lily.
About ten pirates, who had just gained some advantage under Gin and Pearl's attack and defeated a Marine unit, were hit by this pursuing airflow slash. Their bodies burst with copious amounts of blood as they fell.
If he spun around like this again, the people on this ship wouldn't need to fight anymore…
A cold glint appeared in Lily's pupils. Her high-speed moving body stopped. Her feet, about to step forward, suddenly stomped hard on the air, as if climbing stairs. With several bounces, she ascended into the air.
"Oh… mastered it already?" Sag took a sip of wine, but without much surprise.
Having mastered Soru, Geppo was naturally not far off. With Lily becoming increasingly proficient in Soru daily, mastering Geppo was expected.
Boom!
Lily's sudden ascent also drew Bred's gaze upwards. The horizontally swung blade suddenly lifted inverted, rolling up a wind-like slash.
Against such a wide-ranging flying slash, simple dodging was useless; it could only be broken through.
"The range is huge, but the power is insufficient. Then…"
Lily gripped Shirai tightly in her hand, her feet kicked off hard in the air. Like a cannonball, she shot forward rapidly. Shirai's blade reflected the sunlight, moving with her body like a straight bolt of lightning chopping downwards.
"Pierce the surface with a point! Hakūzan (Space-Breaking Slash)!"
Like tearing through silk cloth, the center of the wild airflow slash was penetrated and struck by this lightning.
"Oh?"
Sag paused, not surprised by Lily's sudden attack. He knew her strength well enough; breaking through this kind of unfocused, wide-ranging slash wasn't a problem. But that sudden burst of acceleration after using Geppo…
"Looks like my Geppo: Comet, remembered it, huh?" Sag chuckled softly and shook his head. "But just this isn't enough, Lily."
"Wind Wall!"
After the lightning rapidly broke through the slash, Bred spun the blade outwards with both hands, one hand emptying to press against the back of the blade. The huge blade spun like a whirlwind in front of him, and the airflow-like slash continuously revolved with the blade, resisting the downward chopping attack.
Clang!!
As the two-finger-wide rapier blade broke through the airflow, there was a distinct feeling of stagnation. In just an instant, it was blocked by the stopped blade, emitting a crisp sound.
"Useless!"
Bred roared, his blade undulating to knock Lily's sword away, then directly swung past. Lily's figure quickly retreated. During the retreat, her foot tapped, kicking left and right in the air, dodging the slash rolled open within the blade, while simultaneously charging down again.
Clang!
Shirai stabbed down but was again blocked by the rotating blade. Seeing this, Lily didn't linger, kicked off the air away from Bred, landed from the sky, and focused her gaze on Bred.
The blade's rotation still hadn't stopped. Bred's body was hidden behind the whirlwind-like spinning blade. He shouted, "My 'Wind Wall' has defenses comparable to steel! Your sword cannot break my attack!"
"Oh? Doesn't seem like the strength an HQ Captain should have. Limited by rank?"
Sag, sitting cross-legged on the edge of the Death Omen Star, put down his wine glass, picked up a cigar, bit it, lit it, exhaled a cloud of white smoke, and glanced at Bred.
"Natural Disaster?!"
Bred looked up and shouted, "Wait until I finish off your subordinate, then I'll come for you! As long as I capture you, my merits will be enough for promotion!"
Marine ranks merely represented position. There were always elites whose actual strength far exceeded their rank. After all, compared to strength, merits often weighed more heavily.
"Hmph hmph hmph, then you'll have to work hard," Sag chuckled softly, looking at Lily. "Lily, dealing with him, if you can't comprehend 'Cutting Steel,' you will lose."
"'Breath of All Things'…" Lily nodded, her expression calming.
Sag had mentioned this. Unlike Haki, although Kenbunshoku Haki increased perception, it wasn't the same type as the Breath of All Things. And Busoshoku Haki just enhanced power, also unrelated to this aspect.
There were too many ways to enhance power. The sea had all sorts of techniques, like the charged King's Fist, strange martial arts, and qigong – all could increase power.
Haki was just controlling will, amplifying strength through will. But the Breath of All Things was about comprehending oneself and all things, like the meditative realm of 'Life Return'. A sufficiently sharp sword could touch a leaf without cutting it, yet break steel upon encountering it.
Even swordsmen who could launch flying slashes might not necessarily comprehend this technique. This was an enlightenment belonging to swordsmen.
Against this kind of person, besides 'Cutting Steel,' there was no other way.
But this kind of enlightenment…
"Wind Blade!"
The rotating blade stopped abruptly at this moment. Bred gripped the now-stationary hilt with both hands, swinging open with the airflow not yet condensed around him, unleashing a spiraling, entangled whirlwind slash.
Lily's pupils contracted. She was about to use Geppo to bounce away, but just as she stepped on the air, the surrounding air seemed to fall into chaos, instantly disrupting her Geppo. At that moment, the slash arrived extremely quickly before her.
Boom!!
Lily blocked with her rapier in front of her, bracing against the slash. Her body was sent flying backward by the attack. The sword body groaned under the whirlwind slash, and even her grip almost failed, trembling rapidly.
Her sword wasn't a thin awl; it had a two-finger-wide blade, a straight sword sharpened on both edges, with edge patterns like lightning.
As one of the fifty Ryō Wazamono grade swords, its quality was certainly not bad; it could naturally withstand slashes.
However…
Chih!
Just as Lily struggled to block the slash, the clothes on her arm were torn open, revealing snow-white skin. The hem of her skirt below was also cut, revealing close-fitting black silk thighs.
This slash technique was different from the rough slashes issued earlier. The constantly rotating 'Wind Wall' condensed around him was launched with the slash, adding disordered wind blades within the attack. Besides the unique power of the slash, it was also mixed with numerous slashes like small Rankyaku.
Even if blocked, the aftermath could still attack.
Seeing she was about to crash into the Death Omen Star behind her, Lily fiercely gritted her teeth. Holding the rapier with both hands, she strenuously picked upwards. While her clothes were torn open in several more places, she used this force to quickly stomp her feet, using Soru to flash aside. But her body still staggered from the force of the slash, falling to the ground.
Boom!
That slash directly bombarded the hull of the Death Omen Star, emitting a loud boom. The fierce wind ripped up the deck plating, sending wood chips flying and exploding together.
However, the hull remained unscathed, like a true iron wall, undamaged.
Of course, it wasn't because the wood was hard enough. With this power, even the hardest wood would suffer damage.
It was purely because of Sag above.
He glanced at Bred, a cold light in his eyes. "Hey, be careful. If you damage my ship, you won't even get a chance to test your hand against anyone."
These people below couldn't see it, naturally. But from Sag's perspective, Haki flowed down from his body, covering the bow of the Death Omen Star with a layer, protecting it from the slash attack.
Whether hardening or coating, both could be applied to objects. However, hardening required contact with the object, while coating could be used to strike objects outwards.
Sag was sitting on the ship now, so of course, he was considered in contact.
Caught by his gaze, Bred suddenly froze, sweat inexplicably appearing on his forehead.
He didn't know what was happening, only that being looked at by this Natural Disaster made his heart tremble inexplicably.
"Worthy of the man crowned with the title 'Natural Disaster'!" A ferocious look appeared on Bred's face. "But the Marines, carrying Justice, will not be afraid! In the name of Justice, I will arrest you!"
"A defeated dog has no qualification to talk about justice," Sag bit his cigar and sneered. "Justice isn't something only the Marines can use. You have to defeat my subordinate first before you're qualified to discuss justice with me. Right, Lily?"
"Yes."
Lily stood up from the deck, patted the dust off herself, and gripped the hilt of Shirai forcefully. "I will not lose!"
"How can you, who cannot cut steel, possibly be my opponent!" Bred roared angrily, suddenly leaping upwards. The blade spun fiercely around him. As he descended towards Lily, it brought a whirlwind with it. Then, gripping the hilt, he wrapped the whirlwind around the blade and chopped straight down.
"Wind Blade!"
Just then, Lily closed her eyes.
This was a strong enemy, an enemy like steel. As a swordswoman, if she couldn't cut steel, she indeed wouldn't be his opponent.
Escape?
Of course, she could. Lily was confident Bred couldn't catch her.
But what was the use of escaping? Just leave it for Sag to solve? Sag might not care, might even comfort her, saying she'd get stronger eventually, no need to rush.
But she was unwilling!
Escape once, and there would be a second time. This was different from evading Marine pursuit; this was a steel wall blocking her path.
Escape this time, what about the next? Encountering someone Sag didn't even want to fight, would she still need his help next time?
And the time after that?
Lily's knuckles turned white as she gripped the hilt tighter.
She wasn't just a pretty face who only knew navigation! Nor was she just an ordinary woman who only fed Sag in leisure time, replaceable at any moment!
"I am a cadre, a navigator, Sag's first recruited subordinate, someone determined not to let people suffer oppression! I am not someone asking for help!"
Lily's eyes snapped open. Shirai in her hand thrust rapidly towards the descending Bred.
Even if it was a death match, she had to defeat this guy, not become Sag's burden!
Clang!
The sword blade stabbed into the wind pressure brought by the descending blade, meeting resistance. The huge whirlwind slash enveloped Lily. Even though it hadn't reached her yet, the stirred-up aftermath blew her golden hair, even cutting off a few strands.
The threat, almost of death, surged in Lily's heart. At the same time, her mind became ethereal. In that instant, she seemed to sense, within this fierce whirlwind slash, the crisscrossing flow of the wind blades, and the chaos of the stirred-up air.
…
"Lily, do you like swords? Then I'll teach you swordsmanship later? Although you're still small, you can build a foundation."
In the garden of the royal palace, a blurry figure spoke to Lily, who was only three or four years old at the time. The face was unclear, but the smiling corner of the mouth could be seen.
"No need to swing so hastily; that's a superficial method. What's needed now is observation, then meditation."
"Remember, a sword, although sharp, doesn't need to cut everything. Leaves have the flow of leaves, stones have the breath of stones, the earth and air also have different feelings. Cutting everything is just the sword itself. But you, who can control what is cut, are the swordsman."
Young Lily,懵懵懂懂 (ignorant/confused), held the sword, meditating daily according to that person's words, using the tailor-made wooden sword of that time to strike leaves and branches, striking stone and steel.
Fierce swinging could break leaves and branches, but couldn't break stone and steel.
Until one day, her wooden sword could brush past leaves and branches. Just as she struck a stone, already twelve years old, she saw the arrogant Ennio.
The blurry figure in memory disappeared, replaced by the hated Ennio!
Who was that figure? The memory was unclear. But, Lily saw it. When Ennio laughed wildly at her, the stone hit by the wooden sword already showed a crack.
That was…
Chih!
The thrusting rapier blade broke through the slash, and Lily's body moved, dodging to the side.
Boom!!
The huge blade smashed down, blasting a hole in the deck. The slash swept around the hole, cutting open cracks.
Bred shouted at Lily, who had moved to the other side, "Don't think you can run!"
"No! I won't run!"
Lily kicked off, used Geppo to jump into the air, and again, just like before, kicked off with both feet, transforming into a white bolt of lightning shooting straight down.
"Hakū..." (Space-Breaking...)
"Useless!"
Bred spun the blade open, forming the Wind Wall. This woman's speed was indeed very fast, too fast to counterattack. But breaking through his steel-like defense was also impossible!
Just block it again!
The lightning descended. The speed of accelerating down from above enhanced the power of the thrust. Its sword tip broke through the wind of the slash surrounding the blade's exterior and touched the blade.
At this moment, the power of the thrust would weaken, thus being blocked by the equally steel blade. Next, it was his, Bred's, time to make a move…
"Zan!" (Cut!)
The lightning fiercely accelerated,掠过 (swept past/grazed) Bred's body, slamming into the position behind him.
Lily half-squatted, slowly returning the rapier to its sheath.
Her body stood up. Shirai's hilt met the scabbard, emitting a light sound.
Ka.
Chih!!
Bred's blocking action froze. At the same moment the blade returned to the sheath, a crack opened across his chest, spraying blood like a fountain. The huge blade crumbled from the middle, breaking into two pieces.
"Cutting steel… I can do it."
Lily raised her head to look at Sag, who was watching her. "After all, I am a cadre of the Natural Disaster Pirates."
Sag returned a smile. "Excellent, Lily."
Lily nodded, then turned back towards the falling Bred and said淡淡ly, "This so-called iron wall couldn't stop me."
"Iron Wall? Where's an iron wall?"
Pearl, who had already gotten up and joined the battle, his ears twitched. He looked around. "Is there another guy as famous as Lord Pearl?!"
"Fight properly, Pearl, don't get distracted!"
Gin danced with his tonfas, knocking down the surrounding Marines, and looked towards Pearl. "Otherwise, Lady Renettia will hit you."
"Yes!"
Pearl tapped the iron shields on his fists. The friction of the fluorite stones on the shields ignited flames on them. He laughed loudly, "Taste my Pearl's flame fists!"
Bang!
A hammer smashed onto the back of his head again, knocking him to the ground with one blow.
"I told you not to use fire! Fight properly with your turtle shell! Otherwise, this lady will throw you into the sea to keep the sea turtles company!"
Renettia smoothly blasted away the charging Marines with her long hammer, then turned and shouted angrily at Pearl.
"Su-Sumimasen…"
Pearl trembled on the deck for a moment, raised his smoking head, and cried out aggrievedly.
●●●
● 24 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
● https://www.patreon.com/c/Devmaya
(Just remove the hyphen to access patreon normally)