One Piece: Gawain The Knight Of The Sun

"I don't believe it!"

Kuro gritted his teeth, swallowing the blood in his mouth, and reactivated Silent Step. His form blurred into a phantom, vanishing into the air.

While his Pussyfoot Maneuver was fast, he'd met foes who could keep up.

Silent Step was different.

To achieve its extreme speed, he sacrificed his senses, trading control for indiscriminate attacks at over twice the speed of Pussyfoot Maneuver.

"No human can match this speed!" His voice echoed erratically through the air.

His claw blades struck wildly, leaving slashes on everything—masts, deck railings—in a frenzy of speed.

Fueled by rage, Kuro moved even faster than before!

Yet, in his blurred vision, the figure at the deck's center stood like a mountain, unshaken, radiating an invisible pressure just by existing.

"This strike will kill you!"

"Or I die!" Kuro snarled, arms shielding his face, claws fanned out, their edges shrieking through the air.

"Silent Step - Ghost Wail!"

As his cry landed, Kuro became a streak of light, charging Gawain. He barely lifted his head, squinting to see Gawain's emotionless eyes locked on him…

He really could see!

The thought sent a chill through Kuro. Then Gawain's calm voice cut through. "Kuro, human limits are far beyond what you imagine!"

The words fell.

A silver flash swelled in Kuro's vision. He realized Gawain had simply placed his sword in his path.

In Silent Step, Kuro had almost no control over his body, only vaguely sensing enemies and directing his course.

At this distance… he couldn't dodge!

He'd be cut in half!

Kuro recalled the gruesome fates of his past victims, yet his heart calmed. He'd foreseen this day when he killed his former captain to take his place.

Now he understood—when he grew weary of the pirate life, he'd already aged.

For a pirate, there was no growing old—only death!

"Tch—!"

The next moment, Kuro collided—not with the expected chill of being sliced, but with a firm hand pressing his chest.

"Cough!" He spat blood. Though spared from being bisected, stopping at such speed was like being hit by a cannonball.

At least five ribs snapped, his organs battered, each breath burning like fire.

Tap!

A longsword rested on Kuro's shoulder, its blade curled and chipped from the fight, yet its wielder inspired even greater awe.

"The East Blue is too small for you—and for me."

"Be my first mate, Kuro."

Gawain made his offer again, genuinely wanting this man under his command.

Beyond potential, Kuro's reputed intellect—second only to the world's best—was a top-tier asset. And his potential was no slouch.

A screen invisible to others appeared before Gawain:

Name: Kuro

Potential: Bronze

Rating: Black Iron - Exceptional talent in footwork, hindered by physical limits, but Black Iron isn't his ceiling!

Yes, Kuro was the only one Gawain had seen, besides himself, with potential beyond Black Iron.

By the system's standards, fully developed Bronze talent could reach Commodore-level in the Navy or a 100-million-Berry bounty among pirates, enough to be a key officer in a major crew.

Kuro's Silent Step intrigued Gawain.

Some compared it to the Navy's Six Powers: Razor. But to Gawain, they were incomparable.

Razor was like a flash step, relying on dozens of rapid ground stomps for explosive speed.

Silent Step maintained high speed continuously but lacked control.

It resembled Cavendish's Hakuba persona, known as Rommel's Kamaitachi, both boasting superhuman speed with distinct drawbacks. Silent Step's ceiling, however, was higher.

Solve its sensory issue, and its final flaw would vanish. Gawain knew how.

"Hah," Kuro chuckled, his face showing relief. "This is my end? How pathetic."

"Hahaha!" His hoarse laughter echoed over the sea.

The Black Cat Pirates who'd escaped returned to the deck, but the scene was the opposite of their expectations.

Kuro knelt, laughing—a defeated man accepting death.

Gawain loomed over him, a trace of regret in his eyes.

…

"Silent Step was countered? How? No one can match that speed!" Sam spat out questions, the pain of his wounds the only proof this wasn't a dream.

Seeing Kuro kneeling, his questions answered themselves.

"Knight Gawain… I heard of him. Only 8 million Berries—how is he this strong?" Buchi stood, puzzled.

A sea breeze carried a wanted poster, slapping Buchi's face. He grabbed it, glanced, and froze, stammering, "F-F-F-Forty-eight million?"

"What's forty-eight million?" Sam leaned in, seeing the number and matching the photo to Gawain, a chill running down his spine. "Knight Gawain, bounty… 48 million Berries? Wasn't Arlong the East Blue's highest? When did this monster appear?"

"I…"

Gawain's gaze swept over them.

The Nyaban Brothers raised their hands without hesitation, surrendering.

To seem non-threatening, they removed their cat-claw weapons.

"We surrender!"

"Captain Gawain, we have influence in the East Blue. We're valuable!"

Gawain didn't respond, turning to Kuro. "That hypnotist, Jango, surrendered too. He's the one who spilled your secrets."

"Kuro, you have no chance to turn this around."

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