Chapter 148: Can't Even Hit With Strength?

Shave!

Lucci's figure vanished from its original spot, moving with lightning speed to instantly close the distance and appear right before Siano!

He bent his index finger, the knuckle carrying a sharp sound of tearing wind as it struck straight for Siano's face—

"Finger Pistol: Renge!"

In an instant, he launched hundreds upon thousands of consecutive attacks, leaving countless afterimages, resembling a high-speed heavy machine gun recklessly spewing fire at point-blank range.

The intersecting trajectories, viewed from afar, looked like a blooming lotus flower.

This was an enhanced technique Lucci created by improving the Finger Pistol, and under the bolstered state of his half-beast transformation, its power was displayed to the fullest extent.

Only the mediocre and incompetent blindly imitate others.

Only true geniuses and true powerhouses like himself forge their own paths!

Bang-bang-bang-bang-bang!

A continuous series of explosive roars tore through the silent night.

Impact force far surpassing bullets instantly engulfed Siano's entire upper body, from his head down to his chest, yet Siano remained standing in place, unmoving.

Can't he dodge?

Anyone who knows even a little Paper Art should be able to evade at least some of it, right?

So the great swordsman famous across the four seas has speed as his weakness, huh!

Lucci seemed to already see the future: once he stopped his technique, his opponent's entire body would be riddled with countless bloody holes like a sieve!

The corners of his mouth had just begun to curl up, his ferocious grin not yet fully formed—

Crack!

A crisp sound of bone splitting suddenly rang out.

His index finger, that killing weapon capable of piercing steel, was actually held firmly between two of Siano's fingers.

Lucci's pupils contracted sharply, and the smile on his face instantly froze.

"When did...?!"

He hadn't even seen Siano's movement!

One second ago, his Finger Pistols were still pouring down like a rainstorm.

Yet the next second, Siano seemed to have predicted all his attack trajectories, accurately seizing his index finger.

Then—

He gave a gentle twist.

"Aaaah—!"

Heart-piercing agony surged through him; Lucci gritted his teeth and instinctively strained desperately to yank his index finger free.

But no matter how hard he pulled, Siano's two fingers remained immovable like iron pincers, not even trembling slightly from his resistance.

The next moment, Siano's thumb exerted a slight force, pressing downward—

Crack!

Lucci's index finger, that killing weapon which had once pierced through countless people's chests, snapped cleanly in his hands like a fragile, withered branch!

Siano's actions did not stop there.

Gripping that broken finger bone, he suddenly yanked outward!

Rip!

Blood sprayed, tendons tore!

The entire index finger was torn completely off Lucci's palm by Siano, skin and bone alike!

"Aaaaaaaah—!"

Lucci finally could not hold back a heart-rending scream of pain, stumbling backward several steps.

His left hand tightly clutched his right wrist as blood gushed madly through his fingers, dripping onto the ground with a "patter-patter" sound.

But he paid no heed to this, merely lifting his head to stare at Siano in disbelief.

Under such an onslaught just now, his opponent was actually unscathed from head to toe!

"Don't bring out such childish play-acting techniques just to embarrass yourself."

As if seeing through his thoughts, Siano casually tossed the severed finger to the ground, shook his head, and spoke:

"Bring out your trump card directly; let me see just what the true level of the so-called strongest CP9 member in eight hundred years actually is."

Childish play-acting techniques?

That was clearly the ultimate Finger Pistol technique he had painstakingly blended and created himself...

Yet he was humiliated like this by his opponent??

Lucci's face flushed red, blue veins bulging on his forehead, but his eyes grew even more ferocious, as if he wanted to tear Siano's mouth open.

"You... bastard...!"

He suddenly stepped forward, his eyes filled with bloodshot threads, a hoarse growl squeezing out of his throat.

"It's just one broken index finger; at this level, don't think... it can affect me in any way!"

Before his voice even faded, his body suddenly began to transform again.

First, his muscles swelled and writhed wildly, leopard-like patterns emerging on his skin surface, his nails extending into sharp beast claws; after pushing this half-beast state nearly to its limit...

His body then abruptly began to shrink drastically!

In merely a single breath, he returned to the height of a normal human.

Oh?

Siano raised an eyebrow slightly, his gaze sweeping over Lucci.

At this moment, Lucci's muscle lines were as distinct as if carved by a knife, no longer displaying that terrifying, gnarled and twisted appearance like tree roots.

His breathing was long and deep; in every gesture, he carried the bearing of a martial arts grandmaster, and beneath every inch of his skin seemed to lie coiled explosive power.

"This is the ultimate form I mastered after cultivating Life Return to its utmost limit!"

In this state, Lucci's confidence, which had just begun to waver, swiftly recovered once more.

With a cold face, he spoke indifferently:

"I name this form: Paper Art Martial Body!"

"You have likely never witnessed it; you do not know whether, under this form of mine, you can still remain as composed as you were just now."

"Is that so?"

Siano smiled.

Never witnessed it?

That doesn't seem right.

He was far too familiar with this form...

"It seems things are finally getting interesting."

Siano glanced at Bingshan lying on the ground. "Old man, retreat farther away, and help me evacuate the people in this villa estate. This fellow seems finally ready to fight with his life; the aftermath could easily injure bystanders."

"I actually wanted to retreat farther away long ago..."

Bingshan pointed at his knees, on the verge of tears yet unable to weep. "Honored sir, but I truly cannot walk!"

Is that so?

Siano scratched his head with some vexation, then turned to look at Lucci. "Then we'll just have to change locations for our fight."

"Are you discussing this with me?"

Lucci sneered coldly. "A pirate actually caring so much about the lives of ants? You possess not a shred of a strong one's demeanor. Why should I agree..."

Before the word "agree" could even leave his mouth,

Siano suddenly grabbed him by the chest, hoisted him up, yanked him fiercely, and directly through the broken window's gap, brought him above the roof at the estate's highest point.

Siano scanned the surroundings, his gaze finally settling on the open ground of Dock Number One of the Galley-La Company, several hundred meters away.

No ships were under construction; the shipwrights had all clocked off for their holiday. The vast dock, save for scattered timber, was completely empty—indeed a fine place for a fight.

Casually, he flung the Lucci he had been gripping.

Whoosh—!

Lucci's body instantly shot like a javelin, crashing down toward the dock's open ground!

Meanwhile, Siano's figure flashed; he stepped firmly onto Lucci's chest, standing with hands clasped behind his back against the wind.

Faster said than done, this continuous series of actions was completed in the blink of an eye, between lightning and flint.

"..."

Lucci froze for a moment; then, humiliated and enraged, when he realized what had happened, his body was already plummeting heavily, smashing onto the open ground!

Dust billowed upward. Siano strolled down leisurely, turned, and looked down at Lucci.

"You—?!"

Lucci snapped his head up, his features twisted in distortion, fury in his eyes nearly erupting forth!

He had actually been stepped on, treated as a means of transport, as a surfboard?!

"Seeking death!!"

Lucci roared; his entire body's muscles suddenly tensed, his figure blurred, and he vanished from the spot!

This time, his speed was even faster than before; almost no afterimage could be caught. In the next instant, he appeared high in the sky above Siano's head.

"Storm Leg: Kaiho!"

Suspended upside down in the high sky, Lucci's legs split apart violently like the wings of a giant bird unfolding!

Hiss—!!!

Two intersecting blue vacuum slashes howled downward, shaped like a giant bird soaring with spread wings, tearing through the night wind straight for the crown of Siano's head!

This was a killing move that perfectly combined Storm Leg with the "Paper Art Martial Body" form; its power was so great it could instantly slice apart even the largest giant warship.

Siano, however, yawned without even lifting his eyelids.

Still not dodging?

Compared to the earlier Finger Pistol, which emphasized attack efficiency, this move, although even he could not fire it consecutively within a short time, relied purely on destructive power!

A burst of delight exploded in Lucci's eyes; he was about to succeed!

Clang!

The blue vacuum slash struck his skull, emitting a crisp sound like metal clashing against metal, yet it did not leave even a single white mark... No! It could not even sever a single strand of his hair!

How is this possible???

What in the world is this fellow's body made of!!!

Lucci's throat went dry; horror finally surged in his eyes.

At the center of Water Seven, atop the giant fountain standing at the highest point.

Bluno held his breath, crouched at the fountain's edge, his body completely concealed, cautiously extending only half his head.

Lucci! Do your best!

Bluno clenched his fists, cheering for his comrade in a voice only he could hear.

Only if you win will this arduous undercover operation of ours not have been in vain, and only then will there be a chance later to save Kaku and Kalifa!

However...

When Bluno clearly saw the scene now unfolding within the dock, a bead of cold sweat immediately trickled down from his temple.

Does Lucci... truly have any chance?

……

In the open space of the distant shipyard.

Under panic and horror, Lucci had already fallen into a frenzy; his figure flashed like a ghost, using Geppo, Rankyaku, Shigan... exhausting every Soru technique in a mad assault on Siano!

Every strike was delivered with full force, beating the air into continuous, violent explosions.

But that black-haired boy stood still the entire time, never moving a single inch.

From start to finish, Bruno watched every moment of this unfold.

How could this be? How could this be?!

Bruno broke out in cold sweat, his pupils trembling violently.

He had never seen Lucci so wretched.

Lucci, the greatest genius of CP9 in eight hundred years; Lucci, who was always cold, powerful, and in control of everything...

now seemed like a helpless child, desperately fighting in the night, yet unable to harm the other party by even a fraction.

The mist from the fountain soaked his back, cold and piercing.

Bruno glanced at the katana in his hand and finally realized a terrifying fact he had no choice but to admit.

They were wrong; all of them were wrong.

This man named Siano was by no means an ordinary swordsman whose strength would greatly diminish if he lost his sword.

Even without that katana, which had become his nickname and made him famous throughout the world, the other party was still a terrifying existence with a physique as strong as a monster!

Wasn't the battle before their eyes proof of that?

No, that's not right; it should be said that this wasn't a battle at all, but a one-sided torture!

That black-haired boy hadn't even taken it seriously; he was toying with Lucci's life as casually as a cat playing with a mouse!

……

Inside the shipyard.

Lucci was still attacking frantically; his elbows, legs, feet, forehead, tail... all had become sharp weapons in his hands, yet he still could not break through Siano's defense.

And Siano, at the beginning, had watched with interest.

After all, the techniques the other party had created himself were indeed numerous and dazzling; he had actually wanted to see if he could learn something by taking the good and discarding the bad from Lucci's moves.

But unfortunately...

it seemed there was nothing.

Mere flourishes with no reference value whatsoever.

He too finally began to lose patience.

"Enough."

He waved his right hand casually.

Boom!!!

A terrifying shockwave suddenly erupted; Lucci was instantly sent flying like a ragdoll, plowing a ditch over a hundred meters long before using all his strength to brace himself and finally come to a halt.

"I told you, I have no interest in these children's make-believe techniques."

Looking at Lucci, who was panting heavily, Siano frowned slightly and said displeasedly:

"I'll give you one last chance: bring out your strongest trump card, or this battle ends here."

Lucci's face turned extremely gloomy and ugly.

Still that same sentence?

How arrogant!

But after fighting until now, he had to admit that the other party indeed had the qualification to be arrogant; the astonishing physical strength displayed had even made him feel fear.

It seems...

there really is no choice but to use that one move!

Lucci's eyes turned blood-red, filled with capillaries; his entire body's muscles tightened to the limit, both fists suddenly drawn to his waist, accumulating all his strength within them, and then, with the momentum of a tidal wave, he thrust both fists together in a single strike!

"Six Powers Ultimate Art: Six King Gun!!!"

Thud!

The air was compressed to its extreme, forming a visible shockwave that roared out like a raging tide and crashed heavily onto Siano's body!

This strike was the peak of his lifetime of Soru; it was the strongest trump card he could unleash!

The released shockwave could penetrate even the strongest flesh, even capable of passing through the skin to directly shatter the opponent's internal organs!

He simply didn't believe Siano could stand motionless and withstand this move!

Boom—!!!

The shockwave of the Six King Gun struck Siano's chest solidly, erupting into a deafening roar that pierced the clouds and swept out in all directions!

"What happened?"

"Such a huge explosion... what's going on?"

"It seems to be from Dock One of the Galley-La Company! Let's go check!"

In an instant.

more than half of Water 7 was alarmed by this commotion.

On many of the nearby waterways, citizens, unable to suppress their curiosity, drove their brucos from all directions toward this place.

And in the open space of the shipyard.

Lucci panted heavily like a bellows; this strike had almost drained all his remaining strength, and he propped himself up with his hands on his knees just to avoid collapsing.

His gaze stared fixedly at the dust cloud before him.

The dust only gradually dispersed after a long while, finally revealing Siano's figure.

This time.

Under this strike where he poured out his full strength, the Six Styles' Secret Technique, Siano indeed could no longer stand motionless in place, but instead stepped back half a step.

Yet it was merely half a step backward.

His entire body remained unscathed, and even his breath stayed as calm as before, without the slightest disorder.

"..."

Lucci stared blankly at this scene.

His strongest attack... had actually only forced the opponent back half a step?

Having poured out everything, he still couldn't injure the other party in the slightest?!

Lucci's whole body trembled as he fell into complete despair.

The martial arts he took pride in, the physical strength he took pride in, all seemed like a joke, unworthy of mention before this man...

"No strength even when hitting people?"

Siano also sighed, grabbed Lucci's hair, and glanced down at him with disappointment, "So you really are only at this level..."

(End of Chapter)