Chapter 13: Spoon Death

“Only after the fact, must everyone present be killed to ensure safety.”

Thinking of this, Clo’s killing intent grew harder to suppress, even causing his subordinates to instinctively keep their distance.

Soon.

The distance between the warship and the pirate ship shrank to less than a hundred meters; a barrage of nearly point-blank cannon fire was blocked by the two men’s blades.

Boom!

The two ships collided, producing a deafening sound.

Pirate against pirate.

Sword against sword.

Instantly, the fiercest hand-to-hand combat erupted.

Gao Wen’s pirates displayed overwhelming superiority from the outset of the melee, as the two sides were not even on the same level in skill or experience.

In just a few seconds, over a dozen corpses lay on Clo’s ship.

Had it not been for the Cat Brothers, Clo’s pirates would have been completely overwhelmed in a single exchange.

“What the hell are these people?”

“Do ordinary pirates possess this level of swordsmanship?”

“They must be from some sword school!”

Xia Mu swiped his claws to deflect the blade aimed at him, yet in the next instant, more enemies charged forward excitedly, blades and claws clashing again.

He and Bu Zhi barely held off Gao Wen’s pirates, and even that was proving extremely difficult.

…

The battlefield raged.

Yet the two captains, strangely, did not move, exchanging glances and sensing absolute confidence in each other’s eyes.

“When did the East Blue produce someone like you?”

Clo slowly removed the sheath from his fingertip; the silver-white, straight claw-blade refracted cold light in midair.

“The East Blue has produced many figures—some have claimed the title of King in the New World, others have been hailed by the Marines as heroes who saved the world.”

Gao Wen said calmly:

“Wanna join me?”

“Hah.”

Clo sneered:

“A few years ago, I might’ve considered taking you under my wing—but now I’m tired of this pirate game. I’ll just send you to hell.”

“What a pity.”

As his words ended, both struck at once.

Shhh!

Two sharp cracks merged into one; a black and white figure lunged toward each other simultaneously.

Claw-blade and knight’s sword collided in midair, sparking instantly, followed by a rapid, rain-like clatter of metal on metal.

Ding!

Ding!

Ding!

…

Sparks flew through the air, yet no one could see the fighters—only the sound remained.

Both excelled in speed.

One mastered the secret technique Spoon Death, moving so fast the eye could barely track him; his ten claw-blades granted him overwhelming advantage in such combat.

The other awakened Divine Speed, his reflexes and sword speed surpassing normal humans, coupled with formidable physical strength—he was a true stat monster.

As their clash intensified, both weapons began to show chips and nicks, yet their eyes grew ever brighter.

Clo swung his claw-blades relentlessly, yet felt Gao Wen’s longsword like a venomous snake—invading every gap, seizing even the tiniest opening to thrust forward…

Ssshh!

A silver blade flashed; blood sprayed—Clo was wounded.

Though only a slice on his shoulder, Clo’s eyeballs trembled uncontrollably.

“I’m being dominated!”

“I’m being outpaced in my own strength—speed!”

“Fascinating! Truly fascinating!”

Clo’s bloodthirsty nature, long suppressed, was fully awakened by the escalating battle; pain only fueled his exhilaration.

In turn, his speed grew even faster.

Where once others could barely make out Clo’s afterimages, now even those vanished—only claw marks kept appearing across the pirate ship’s deck.

“It’s Spoon Death!”

“The captain’s activated Spoon Death!”

“Damn it!”

One Black Cat Pirate turned pale with terror; barely had he cried out when a row of neat claw marks appeared across his chest—deep enough to expose bone and damage internal organs.

He spat a mouthful of blood and collapsed backward.

Meanwhile,

The Black Cat Pirates, finally realizing the danger, lost all will to fight and scrambled backward, some even leaping into the sea—only then could they escape Clo’s indiscriminate assault.

This technique, Spoon Death, was not something a human could control!

“Xia Mu, go!”

“The captain’s activated that—this is his domain now. No one survives it!”

“If we stay here, even we’ll be—!”

Bu Zhi’s words were cut short as several new wounds appeared on his shoulder.

Fortunately, his thick hide spared him serious injury, yet his fear of this technique was now fully awakened.

“Hurry!”

“That knight Gao Wen is dead. No enemy has ever survived the captain’s move!”

“Even pirates from the Grand Line with bounties over twenty million Berries have been crippled by this!”

Bu Zhi clutched his wound and bolted into the cabin; Xia Mu swatted away attacking pirates and followed.

On deck.

One pirate after another fell, some decapitated, others severed at limbs.

In just a few seconds.

The only one still standing on deck, besides Gao Wen, was no one else.

Clo, activated in Spoon Death, moved like the legendary phantom beast Lan You of Wano—reaping lives with invisible speed and blade-tipped claws.

“Once activated, even I can barely control its direction—what it cuts is pure luck!”

Clo’s voice echoed from all directions, as if everywhere at once.

“So today it’s Monk who’s supposed to die. My plans were all perfect.”

“Kill him, and I can shed my pirate identity, live a quiet, peaceful life.”

“But if I kill you, it’s still not too late!”

“Blame your rotten luck!”

“Is that so?”

Gao Wen’s expression remained calm.

His eyeballs darted rapidly; his focus fixed precisely on Clo, moving in erratic, blinding speed.

Divine Speed had not only enhanced his body’s speed but drastically improved his neural reflexes.

What was invisible to others was crystal clear to him!

“Your ability is even better than I imagined!”

Gao Wen praised:

“I want you more than ever—join me, Clo. Become my right hand.”

“Don’t make me laugh!”

Clo’s furious shout echoed through the air—he thought this man was utterly insane, still dreaming of recruitment as he faced death.

“Fool!”

In his super-speed movement, Clo’s eyes barely locked onto the last figure on deck.

Who else but Gao Wen?

After several attempts, he finally positioned Gao Wen directly in his path, then spread his claw-blades and charged straight at him…

In that moment, he nearly saw Gao Wen’s death—chest and abdomen torn open, organs spilling out—yet in the next instant…

Ding!

A piercing explosion rent the air; Clo’s charging form froze abruptly, as if struck head-on by a cannonball—his organs felt ready to burst from his mouth.

The surroundings gradually sharpened; Clo exited Spoon Death to find Gao Wen’s sword hilt pressed directly against his chest.

Clo paid no attention to his pain, staring in shock at Gao Wen:

“You could see me?!”

"That's right, I can see it."

(End of Chapter)