One Piece: Nobody knows Devil Fruits better than me.

Chapter 255 Human-Human Fruit - Frost Moon Dragon Horse Form? Here to sharpen one's sword?

South China Sea, Kutsk Island.

In the slang of the people of the South China Sea, Kutsk means 'suffering' and 'battle'.

And this is indeed the case.

The South China Sea is a sea of ​​force known for its 'murderous' nature.

This island, located in the South China Sea, is known throughout the region as a fierce island.

Since the island is not a member state of the World Government, there is no legitimate government governing the entire island. Instead, it is a lawless zone ruled by the 'Black Flag Bandits', which is quite unusual.

It's easy to imagine that a group of robbers wouldn't have any reasonable way of governing.

Their method of governance was simple—everyone on the island had to pay them a monthly tribute if they wanted to live.

However, this island also has another rule.

That is, anyone who is strong enough can occupy a block and establish their own gang, even people from outside the island.

Gang warfare and constant fighting are practically synonymous with this island.

And at this moment.
"Pooh!"

A man with red hair and goggles spat out a mouthful of phlegm mixed with blood as he bandaged his wounds.

Beside him, a man with long blond hair, wearing a blue and white striped mask, and holding two scythes in his hands, was wiping the blood off the scythes.

"Huh?"

Beside them, two elderly men with white hair and beards were chatting and laughing.

One of the old men, puffing on his pipe, said, "Kidd, Kira—you two brats, you suffered heavy losses in this battle."

Another elderly man was cooking noodles: "After all, it's a direct rebellion against the 'Black Flag.' That kind of thing is very difficult."

The two elderly people chatted back and forth.

Even though the two young men in front of them were clearly seriously injured, they were still laughing heartily.

"Stop making so much noise, you two old geezers!"

At that moment, Kidd raised his head and let out a low shout.

"What do you mean by 'heavy losses'? I led my men and killed hundreds of them, right, Kira?"

He turned his head and looked at his friend.

"."

Kira nodded silently, continuing to wipe the scythe in his hands.

"Black Flag—Kira and I will cut down its flag sooner or later and replace it with ours."

Kidd spread his arms, revealing his current 'ambition': "That was something we agreed upon when Hillton died... uh."

He seemed to aggravate his wound as he spoke, causing him to hiss coldly.

But his gaze remained firm.

Yes.

He is Eustace Kid and his friend, Killer Kira.

They all grew up on this island.

Even in their childhood, they had already made a dream of making something of themselves, and were willing to risk their lives for it.

They were also among the few gang leaders on the island who dared to directly resist the 'Black Flag Bandits' and even wage war against them.

The reason is as he stated.

His friend and Kira's friend, 'Hilton', was killed by the Black Flag Bandits.

He and Killer made a promise before Hilten's corpse—they would destroy the Black Flag Pirates and use it as a ritual to celebrate their friendship and as the first step towards becoming the 'Pirate King'!
"We cannot go to sea unless we destroy them."

"If I don't kill every single one of the Black Flag members, then my life has no meaning. Do you even understand that, old man?!"

Kidd grinned maliciously.

"Wow, that's quite impressive."

Seeing the determination in Kidd's eyes, the old man smoking his pipe grinned and said, "That's the look in your eyes, kid. Not bad at all."

He sighed.

Over the years, he had seen Kidd's eyes like that countless times—even when he was being hunted down countless times, even when he could only rummage through garbage dumps for weapons, he never changed the 'determination' in his eyes.

Just like Kira beside him, this kid is young, but his spirit and will are already like a famous sword.

He likes famous knives.

He was certain that if things continued this way, it was only a matter of time before Black Flag was completely overthrown by these two kids.

He can even make assertions.

He didn't know if Kidd was the protagonist of this era, but he was certain that Kidd would become famous sooner or later.

Of course, the premise is
"Let's survive first before we talk big."

At this point, the other old man who was cooking noodles placed two bowls of udon noodles directly in front of Kira and Kid.

“There are already 714 people gathered outside, and there are quite a few sharp-looking guys among them. They should be the martial artists that Black Flag recruited from outside the island.”

He grinned and casually picked up a cup of tea and took a sip.

"According to the island's rules—you have to leave after you finish your noodles, so don't expect me to help you then."

He said so.

And at the same time, the facts are just as he said.

If anyone were here at this moment, they would surely see it.

The place where Kidd and Kira are currently is actually a ramen shop on the island.

The ramen shop is called "Shigaiju" and is decorated in the standard Wano Country style. There is even a tachi mark on the door of the ramen shop.

And at this moment, outside the ramen shop.

Members of the 'Black Flag Bandits,' some wielding swords and others holding firearms, have all gathered here.

"Hey, listen up, as soon as those two come out, kill them immediately. This time, we absolutely cannot let them escape!"

The person speaking at this moment was none other than 'Black Flag' Candra, the leader of the Black Flag Bandit Gang.

But at this moment, even this notorious, lawless bandit leader who ruled the island...

However, he never ordered any of his subordinates to attempt to force their way into the noodle shop.

The reason for this is quite simple.

Because he knew how special the two elderly people in that noodle shop were.

"Huh? Of course I know about that kind of thing!"

Upon hearing the old man's words, Kidd snorted coldly.

His gaze fell on the things around the waists of the two old men.

Those were two very old-looking katana.

That silence revealed the identities of the two old men—they were both 'swordsmen'.

Kidd didn’t know their identities, only that they seemed to be immigrants who came to the island from overseas decades ago.

Upon arriving on the island, they easily defeated the leader of the Black Flag Bandits with their overwhelming swordsmanship.

However, they did not directly seize ownership of the island afterwards.

Quite the opposite.

“We came here simply because we didn’t want our swords to grow cold and lifeless—give us a place to stay and watch the ‘battle’.”

With these words, the noodle shop was established and became the most unique place on the entire island.

Just like Kidd and Killer now—as long as they enter this shop and order a bowl of curry udon, even the Black Flag Bandits can't force their way in and kill them.

"Tch, it's getting worse and worse."

He slurped up the udon noodles in the bowl in front of him in just a few bites.

After finishing the initial bandaging, Kidd stood up unhappily and looked at Kira: "Hey—Kira, let's go."

As he spoke, purple magnetic force emanated from his hands, drawing pieces of steel together in them.

".Um."

Kira sucked the last noodle into the mask and grunted.

He then stood up and brandished the cleaned sickle.

Yes.

The people on the island are not allowed to attack anyone who enters the 'trial residence'; this is the rule.

However, the guests in the trial cohabitation must leave immediately after finishing their noodles to prepare for the battles they are supposed to face—this is also the rule.

Therefore, in many cases, this noodle shop does not represent the end of a struggle.

On the contrary, they were witnesses to the climax of a struggle.

Undeterred by trials and tribulations, they engage in endless martial arts training.

This is the origin of the name 'Trial Cohabitation'.

But at this moment
"Huh?"*2
Just as Kidd and Kira were gathering their strength, preparing to leave the noodle shop and fight their way out of the encirclement,

"Clang!" *2
They heard a sound. It was the crisp sound of a sword being drawn from its sheath.

So, Kidd and Killer turned their heads away.

"You old geezer, I already told you I don't need your help."

Kidd hissed in a low voice, but the next moment...
"Kidd, something's not right."

Kira grabbed him by the shoulder.

Kidd was taken aback.

Then he noticed.

The two elderly people, whom they knew intimately and who had practically watched grow up, now wore expressions of utter unfamiliarity.

"Bang!"
The pipe in the old man's hand that was smoking a pipe, and the teacup in the old man's hand that was drinking tea, had both fallen to the ground.

The relaxed smiles they had when they observed the battles on the island day after day for decades have vanished without a trace.

Their once cloudy eyes became sharp, and their hands were already on the hilts of their respective katanas, pulling them out an inch.

Their eyes were fixed on the direction of the noodle shop entrance, not fear, but an indescribable focus and incredible excitement.

It was as if a lion had sensed another beast entering its territory.

No, to be precise.

"Did you feel it, Jirobo?"

"Ah, how could I not sense this level—this level of 'intention' is almost the same as that kid Niuwan. No, it's even more terrifying than that."

The two elderly people chatted back and forth.

Kidd could even see that both of their hands were trembling unconsciously.

"Hey, you old geezers!"

He realized it instantly.

It wasn't lions that came, but monsters from far above.

But clearly, the two old men didn't heed Kidd's words.

"You two brats."

"Step aside!"

They simply said, "That guy's registration form is coming."

Kidd, Kira: "?"

But it was precisely in the next moment that...
"Buzz!"

A certain feeling arose within them.

What does that feel like?

It was as if their souls had been suddenly placed in an eternally frozen extreme cold.

They could hear exclamations and a crisp sound, like paper being cut, coming from outside the door.

But they were certain that what had been cut open was definitely not paper.

At this moment, their bodies stiffened almost instinctively, and goosebumps rose involuntarily.

It was as if something incredibly sharp had cleaved their souls at that moment.

It was an extremely strong sense of presence.

"Get away!"

At that moment, Kidd barely came to his senses and suddenly shoved his friend.

He and Kira flew away at the same time.

And the next moment.
"laugh!"

The sound was still like cutting paper—but this time, it was the entire 'trial dwelling' that was being cut open.

It was at this very moment that Kidd, who had been launched into the air, finally saw clearly what was coming at him.

That was a slash!
A slash so sharp and powerful it was unbelievable.

Kidd and Killer could even clearly see the source of the slash—the menacing members of the 'Black Flag Bandits' who had been surrounding the noodle shop had vanished into thin air.

The encirclement formed by the entire 'Black Flag Bandit Gang' now clearly revealed a huge passageway.

The horror in Kidd's and Killer's hearts goes without saying.

Meanwhile...
"Qiang!"

The two old men had already completely pulled out their knives.

"Buzz!"

The two stood side by side, both brandishing their swords!

Just as mentioned before—slashing is a swordsman's 'signature card'.

Since the enemy has already sent a message, they should naturally return the favor.

"clang!"

The next moment, the slash collided with the katana in their hands.

then
"boom!"

The sound of metal clashing was deafening, and a violent shockwave surged forth instantly.

Kidd and Killer were instantly thrown away by the shockwave.

But when they landed, they ignored the pain in their bodies.

Instead, they subconsciously looked towards the center of the collision.

Then, they witnessed a scene they would never forget.

At that moment, the katana in the old man's hand was covered in flowing, ink-like ripples.

The blade also contained terrifyingly powerful slashes—which dissipated continuously as the blade trembled.

Even those stray slashes were enough to neatly slice the entire ground in half.

"Those two old men"

Kidd felt his hair stand on end, and even felt his blood freeze.

"Although I knew it for a while, I was surprised it was to this extent."

Kira's knuckles turned white from gripping the scythe so tightly.

Without a doubt, the power displayed by those two old men had surpassed their understanding of 'power'.

But what's even more incredible is...
At this moment, even though the two old men had already demonstrated this level of power.

However, the slash that their blades collided with was not directly dispersed.

Quite the opposite.

"Zizzi."

Both Kidd and Killer saw that black and red lightning flashed continuously on the slash.

It enveloped the slash, making its power seem to reach an even higher level.

As lightning crackled, the ground beneath the two elderly people began to crumble and sink.

Their bodies trembled violently, and the muscles in their arms bulged to their limit.

then
"boom!"

Their figures were actually directly cut back by this attack.

"Hey!" "Hey!"

Both of them staggered backward and landed awkwardly.

"Huhu."

They were breathing heavily, but their eyes remained fixed on the distance.

"The strength and sharpness are actually so formidable?"

"The Conqueror's Haki is this powerful?"

In such murmurs.

The two old men raised their swords together, pointing them at the figure in the distance.

"I am 'Shigezuki Jirobo'."

“I am ‘Frosty Moon and Heavenly Union’.”

They announced their names.

Those were the names of two great swordsmen who, in their youth, rivaled the previous daimyo of Wano Country, Shimotsuki Ushimaru, and whose fame resounded throughout Wano Country.

"Great swordsman—would you mind stating your name!?"

And it was precisely after their voices faded away.

From that far, far away, a voice came.

"I am a user of the 'Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Frost Moon Ryoma Form'. You may call me 'Sword God'."

(End of this chapter)