Chapter 1364: The End of Youth

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Rumble…

As the black saber fell, the sky suddenly exploded. Under the dark red sky, dark clouds gathered and were brewing.

Boom!

A bolt of lightning as thick as a pillar descended from the dark clouds and headed straight for the execution platform.

“Get lost!”

Kuro glared upwards and the thunder directly exploded in midair, turning into countless electric sparks in the air and dissipating.

But this lightning also made him think and he suddenly smiled. “You are really blessed by the heavens…”

He looked at Luffy and said, “This time your father won’t help you and your grandfather won’t come. Even my ability to control the weather can’t stop the lightning from condensing. It’s amazing. I don’t know if it’s really fate or luck, but it doesn’t matter…”

“Eh? It’s luck. I don’t want luck. Let go of me, incense burner!!” Luffy was still struggling.

“What are you talking about? You are a pirate, I am Marine…”

As Kuro spoke, he moved the black saber up and looked ahead as if he was recalling something.

“Speaking of which, I actually don’t hate you. Although you are very annoying, like a fly, there are rumors and traces of you everywhere in this sea, but when I was a child… I didn’t hate you. I even fell for your story because I saw your adventure.”

“Is that so? I didn’t know I was so powerful. When you were little… Huh? Did I give birth to you when you were little?”

Luffy was puzzled. He wanted to look up, but because he was stepped on, he couldn’t look up.

“It’s a pity that people will always grow up, and no one stays the same. Real people will integrate into the rules of the world and find their own path from it, and then they will practice their dreams. This is much more advanced than people who hold dreams and act in the name of dreams. Unfortunately, you are not, and you don’t understand, although there are also simple benefits for simple people…”

Kuro looked up at the sky and whispered:

“I don’t deny that I don’t forget my original intention. After all, the will passed down from generation to generation, the changes of the times, the dreams of people, these are indeed unalterable.”

“But these will also be blocked by external forces. If you get through, you will be a hero. If you can’t get through, you are nothing. No matter how famous you are, once you die, you will only be the next Locks. But the sea will remember you. Whitebeard, Big Mom, Kaido, Red Hair, and even Tiki, and you, the sea will remember that there was once a group of pirates who almost came to the top of the sea and fought the Marines and lost…”

With that, he closed his eyes and said slowly, “For the sake of my youth, do you have any last words?”

Not counting his physical age, but only his psychological age, he was actually not young anymore. It was fine to reminisce about his youth.

This time, this straw hat kid will never be saved again.

Luffy listened to Kuro in a daze and ignored the pain in his body. He suddenly took a deep breath and shouted to the front:

“I am the man who will become the Pirate King!!!”

The loud sound even echoed in the square, causing people to stop fighting and look at the execution platform.

Whether it was Marines or pirates, they all looked shocked.

At a time like this, he still said such things…

“Monkey D. Luffy…”

Smoker bit his cigar, his eyes complicated.

As a personal position, he doesn’t hate this man, but for Marine positions …

His death was good for the sea.

“Luffy!!”

Kirby’s eyes were filled with tears. His body was unaffected and he wanted to move forward, but he was directly dragged by Beru Maybo.

“What do you want to do!”

Beirut wrapped his hands around his shoulders from behind and whispered, “Don’t joke at a time like this! No matter how good your relationship is, you can’t do this, you will die!”

“I, I…” Crowe gritted his teeth and his tears fell uncontrollably. “He’s going to die, that Luffy, that guy, he’s really going to die! He’s clearly a good person, he’s not the kind of evil pirate, why did he do this…”

“How do I know, this is the matter of the Marshal, you are not the Marshal! We are just Marines, it is our duty to destroy pirates, show your usual momentum!” Beru Membo roared in a low voice.

However, even Marines on the battlefield would not notice the actions of such a small character on the battlefield, let alone Kuro.

There are a lot of Vice-Admiral and Rear Admiral here, who will pay attention to the mental journey of several Marines.

On the execution platform, Kuro opened his eyes and said lightly, “Is this all?”

Luffy ignored him and showed a very bright smile to the Straw Hats below who were still fighting. The Den Den Mushi held by Bucky directly played in front of the world.

Four Seas, the first half of the Grand Line, New World, as long as they pay attention to this war and have channels to broadcast it live, they are all quietly watching.

East Blue’s Windmill Village, Shields Town, Frost Moon Village, West Rob Village, Cocosia Village, Maritime Restaurant Barati, Logue Town…

Whiskey Peak on Grand Line, Alabasta, Gaya Island, Water Seven, Sabaody, Dressrosa, Totland, the Country of Peace…

Everyone in the sea was watching the live broadcast of Bright Smile.

“Me…”

Luffy’s eyes narrowed with a smile and he said it with the most casual way, as if life and death were his meal.

“I’m going to die.”

At this moment, the surroundings were silent.

Everyone was shocked by his sudden smile and his casual words. They were speechless.

Even Leda looked solemn at this moment.

She did not understand why this kid was smiling so… normal when he was dying.

When people die, they will have all kinds of expressions, especially this kind of execution-like ‘preview of death’. Some people will be so desperate that they will cry, some people will repent, and some people will laugh, but there is no… flatness.

It was a more exaggerated form than generously dying. It was the calmness and magnanimity that one should have when facing life and death after having long been prepared for it, without any other emotions.

“Amazing!”

Even Kuro couldn’t help but exclaim.

Then, Autumn Water fell.

Tch…

The black blade pierced through Luffy’s neck in front of everyone’s eyes. With a soft sound, the head was disconnected from the neck and fell directly on the execution platform. The tense body also relaxed at this moment and gradually fell to the ground.

Only the straw hat on the back of his head was raised high by the wind and fell to the ground in front of him, landing in the hand of Brook, who was fighting Donald.

“Luffy…”

Brook’s mouth was wide open and the skeleton was trembling as if it couldn’t believe it. Their captain, the man they almost thought would be the Pirate King of Shanghai… is dead.

“What…” Zoro stood there in a daze, his pupils full of horror and incomprehension.

Sanji was stunned on the other side and completely forgot the fact that he was fighting with Crowe. He just looked at the execution platform and murmured, “What a joke…

“Luffy!!!”

Usopp’s face became extremely ferocious. He directly opened the big bag and shot out a few seeds that landed on the execution platform with incomparable precision. The seeds quickly produced vines and wrapped around Kuro.

“It’s fake, don’t joke, Luffy! I know, are you doing magic tricks, just like usual, you can reattach your head if you lose it. Stand up, stand up!”

Usopp pointed at the man lying on the execution platform with his head and body separated and shouted, “Stand up quickly! Aren’t you going to be the Pirate King? How can you fall here? Stop playing! Just like defeating Akainu, you stand up again and use your strongest perseverance to stand up again. Then you will defeat the enemy and we will go to sea together!!”

But no matter how he shouted, the people on the execution platform stopped moving.

“I understand, I understand…”

Usopp turned into a plea. “Are you blaming me for not being able to give you support? The role of a sniper is to support. I’m already supporting you. Stop messing around, Captain. Get up quickly and then, like before, laugh and win against the enemy. Please, hurry…”

Bear!

The burning vines were burned by a ball of fire.

In the flames, a glowing knife stretched out from the flames, and there was a faint lightning in the light.

“Light Cannon.”

Swish!

Bang!!

The rapid lightning impact directly rushed to Usopp’s chest and directly blew through his entire chest. The strong impact blew his body away and he fell to the ground like a rag.

Nami’s body trembled as she turned her head to look at the long nose that was no longer moving, her lips moving, “Usopp…”

Then she heard a flat voice around her.

“War is not a game for children. It can’t be stopped just like that.”

The flames were blown away and Kuro stood on the execution platform with the autumn water in his hand. He looked down and said in a flat voice, “This is the cruelty of the sea…”