NOVEL NEXT Chapter 348: Nikyu
So fast!
Saint Michael's expression shifted.
This guy… Just a moment ago, he was still dozens of meters away—then the next instant, he appeared right in front of him!
Almost like teleportation!
"Die!"
A hoarse, low voice rang out. The fist wrapped in what looked like boiling Armament Haki tore through the air and slammed hard into the Celestial Dragon's pale, handsome face.
Boom!!
The force of the punch detonated in the air with rings of white shockwaves. Saint Michael shot back like a cannonball, sent flying hundreds of meters before crashing straight into a distant mountain.
Dust surged. Dirt rained down in torrents. A deep, muffled rumble rolled from the ground beneath their feet.
The sudden turn of events left all the World Government guards frozen on the spot.
Silence.
A deathly silence.
The soldiers and agents, still gripping their cold blades and rifles, stared blankly ahead, completely stunned.
The great leader of the God's Knights, the noble Saint Michael… had just been blown away?
They looked at the tall figure standing there, panting heavily—like a giant upright bear—and couldn't believe their eyes.
"A Freedom Fighters officer..."
"Bartholomew Kuma!"
"How did he get here so suddenly?"
"Was our course and coordinates leaked?!"
"…"
While the soldiers stood in shocked confusion, Ginny's eyes widened, turning red as hot tears welled up instantly. She shouted with a voice full of joy and disbelief:
"Kuma!!"
She tried to run toward him, but cold blades and rifle barrels were already pressed against her back and head.
Kuma turned around. That usually blank face now showed a trace of urgency.
"Ginny, I'm sorry... I came too late."
His voice was hoarse, and the smile on his face carried both bitterness and guilt. His fists were clenched tight.
Tears streamed down Ginny's face, but she shook her head with a smile.
"I knew you'd come!"
Kuma forced a smile. In his once calm, gentle eyes now burned an unspoken fury.
That damned Celestial Dragon… had dared to lay a hand on Ginny!
"…I have to admit, I didn't expect you to develop the Nikyu Nikyu no Mi so well. I underestimated you."
A faint voice drifted from the ruins of the distant mountains—Saint Michael's voice, still calm and tinged with amusement.
"This world really is full of surprises."
Kuma and Ginny's expressions shifted. As if facing a deadly threat, they turned and stared warily in the direction of the voice.
Smoke billowed. Amid the swirling dust, a tall, slender figure slowly emerged from the rubble, faintly visible through the distortions of air and debris.
He was still alive!?
And judging by his posture and breathing, he didn't even seem seriously hurt!
Kuma's heart sank.
A deep sense of dread surged through him, just like the day back on Philseque Island in the North Blue—now known as Godfall Island.
Ginny, who was intimately familiar with Kuma's power, was even more stunned.
"Kuma… you didn't use your Devil Fruit ability just now?"
Kuma shook his head, voice low and strained.
"His Haki is too strong. It overpowered the ability of the Nikyu Nikyu no Mi."
The Freedom Fighters were no longer the underfunded, poorly equipped rebel group they once were. They had become a true military force—one that had engaged in high-level warfare and continued to grow stronger.
Kuma and the others had also matured, gaining deep knowledge, intelligence, and battlefield experience. Their understanding of Haki and Devil Fruit powers had improved drastically.
Among the three main Devil Fruit types, each had its strengths and weaknesses, and none were inherently superior.
But without question, the Paramecia class was the most unique among them—and Kuma's Nikyu Nikyu no Mi, with its eerie, rule-bending power, was especially so.
Even intangible things like pain or fatigue could be expelled by the abilities of the Nikyu Nikyu no Mi.
But the fruit wasn't invincible.
If the target possessed strong enough Haki and actively used it to resist, the Devil Fruit's effects could be nullified.
And clearly, the Haki of the man before him had already surpassed the limits of what Kuma's powers could affect.
Tap... tap... tap...
Footsteps approached, calm and unhurried. Saint Michael finally emerged fully from the swirling haze.
Aside from a few specks of dust, his handsome face was untouched.
"Bartholomew Kuma, remnant of the Buccaneer Race—you look quite surprised."
Saint Michael pulled out a pristine white handkerchief and gently wiped the dirt from his face.
"The Nikyu Nikyu no Mi was one of the prizes in the God Valley Hunting Tournament. I took it from my private vault and was planning to give it to that red-haired brat from the Figarland family."
"I never imagined that a filthy slave like you would end up with it."
"That's why I know better than anyone... exactly what the Nikyu Nikyu no Mi can do."
The red-haired brat from the Figarland family...
At those words, a shadow flickered in both Kuma and Ginny's eyes.
A fierce, arrogant figure flashed through their minds.
Back during the God Valley incident, a young elite Celestial Dragon slaughtered his way through the tournament, claiming the championship with ease. To the countless slaves back then, he was the embodiment of terror.
He was known as the "Champion of God Valley."
The current Vice Commander of the God's Knights—Figarland Garling!
Based on intelligence gathered by the Freedom Fighters, that disturbingly young red-haired Celestial Dragon was very likely to become the next Commander of the God's Knights.
As he spoke, Saint Michael smiled and drew the longsword at his waist.
A silver-white Western-style blade, slender and piercingly sharp.
Even a single glance made it feel as though your eyes were being stabbed by its flickering chill—stinging with a burning pain.
"Ready?"
He looked at Kuma, tilting his head slightly as he asked.
Kuma's stance shifted instantly—ready for battle.
A gust of wind erupted.
And the Celestial Dragon before him vanished.
Kuma's expression changed dramatically.
His Observation Haki—completely blind to the man's presence!
A surge of bone-deep threat crept between his brows, and Kuma raised his hands instinctively.
A flash of icy light tore through the air, slashing down viciously!
Rip!
The black gloves on Kuma's hands were instantly shredded into fragments.
The Western sword sank deep into the soft flesh of his palms—but no blood spilled out, as though the blade's force had been completely absorbed by that cushiony pink paw.
Blocked!
Ginny's eyes lit up.
But the next second—
A smile curled at the corners of Michael's mouth.
Zzzzzzz!!
A jagged burst of black and red lightning suddenly erupted from the blade, roaring like a dragon as it detonated against Kuma's palm.
Sssk!
The sound of flesh being torn rang out.
Ginny's expression froze, drained of color.
A spray of blood burst from Kuma's hands—hands no one had ever managed to injure.