Nagato in One Piece - Chapter 21

“This level of skill could be compared to a Kage,” Nagato thought as he engaged in combat with Lucci, evaluating the strength of the strongest CP9 agent.

If Luffy from Skypiea was akin to an elite Jonin specializing in Taijutsu, then Lucci could be considered Kage-level. Although it’s only a minor distinction, the actual difference is vast, explaining why Luffy, without using Gear Second, was no match for Lucci.

Unfortunately for Lucci, Nagato was far superior to the Five Kage. Even in a physical fight, he easily had the upper hand over Lucci.

“Life Return…”

“Paper Art Martial Form!” Unable to continue fighting with his right hand held by Nagato, Lucci used Life Return to shrink his size, pulling his middle finger free from Nagato’s grip and jumping back to regroup.

“Your defense won’t hold against this speed.” The bloodthirsty smile vanished from Lucci’s face, replaced by a stern look as he faced a formidable foe. “Finger Pistol, Spotted!”

Lucci darted toward Nagato, unleashing a flurry of Finger Pistols as fast as raindrops, creating patterns in the air like a leopard’s spots.

Facing Lucci’s sudden increase in speed, Nagato could no longer take it lightly.

His Taijutsu was only slightly superior to Lucci’s, making it impossible to fend off the attacks as casually as he did against Luffy on Skypiea. Lucci’s speed in this form posed a genuine threat.

Thus, for the first time since the battle began, Nagato moved his feet. He retreated while blocking the first wave of attacks, then synchronized his footwork, countering Lucci’s strikes with his own punches, palms, and claws, clashing repeatedly with Lucci’s leopard fists.

“That kid Lucci…” Watching from a hundred meters away, Jabra held his chin, somewhat gleefully. “Seems like he’s being suppressed.”

Jabra’s words weren’t kind. After a few minutes of fierce fighting, it was clear Lucci was being overwhelmed. His body was covered in wounds, forcing him to fight defensively, and it seemed he would soon be completely overpowered.

Unlike the unreserved Jabra, the other five agents had serious expressions. Especially Kaku, Blueno, and Kalifa, who had previously encountered Nagato and hadn’t expected him to be this strong.

Boom!

Nagato’s punch landed on Lucci’s chest, sending him flying. Kaku finally couldn’t stay still any longer. Drawing his swords, he called out, “Attack together!”

Facing the mysterious Nagato, Kaku couldn’t afford to let things get out of hand. Ignoring Lucci’s disdain for others interfering with his fights, Kaku joined the battle first.

“Four-Sword Style, Reverse Scale!”

As he ran, Kaku transformed into a giant giraffe-man, attacking Nagato from above with his four blades and legs.

A row of iron containers a hundred meters away was slashed into pieces, but Nagato had already leaped to avoid the attack. He flipped and landed behind Kaku, striking the giraffe’s long neck with his fist.

Thud!

Kaku was knocked to the ground, sliding over ten meters before he could get up.

“Tempest Kick, Wolf Pack!” Jabra, realizing the situation was serious, transformed into a three-meter-tall werewolf. He launched four slashes and followed up with his body, lunging at Nagato from behind the Tempest Kick.

Nagato, having just landed, couldn’t dodge in time. He crossed his arms in front of him, taking Jabra’s Tempest Kick head-on.

His sleeves were shredded, and his arms bore wounds. Squatting to avoid Jabra’s wolf claw, Nagato quickly stood up, driving his knee into Jabra’s stomach, and sending him flying into the air.

“Ugh…” The four spectators outside had even grimmer expressions. Blueno let out a low, bovine-like grunt.

However, Jabra quickly stood up after hitting the ground. Lucci and Kaku also approached Nagato from either side.

The three strongest CP9 members surrounded Nagato in their transformed states.

“Perfect,” Nagato said, nodding without changing his expression. He even called out to the others, “Join in as well.”

This display of disregard infuriated the seven agents. Lucci, Jabra, and Kaku attacked, while Blueno, Kumadori, Fukurou, and Kalifa moved to lock down Nagato’s position, preventing his escape.

“Iron Body, Wolf Hunt, Thousand-Handed Assault!”

“Extreme Nose Gun, Giraffe’s Thousand-Shot Barrage!”

Jabra and Kaku launched their strongest attacks, a barrage of wolf claws and cannon-like giraffe noses closing in on Nagato from the sides.

With Nagato’s lateral movement restricted, Rob Lucci, the strongest CP9 agent, was in front of him.

“Maximum Ring, Six King Gun!!!”

“Naturally…” As the three closed in, Nagato seemed trapped. However, he simply crouched, crossing his arms before him. “Out of respect for your abilities, I won’t just use Taijutsu.”

“Shinra Tensei!”

“Ugh…!”

The three attackers felt an immense, invisible force like a battleship crashing into them: an unstoppable, massive power that first shattered their attacks, then compressed their bodies, flattening them. Finally, the overwhelming force obliterated their resistance, sending them flying like cannonballs, crashing hundreds of meters away.

The four outside were also flung far away.

CP9 was utterly defeated!

The abandoned, decaying port of St. Poplar, with its steel cranes and containers, was left in chaos from the CP9 agents’ crash landings.

After a long while, the sounds of destruction ceased, and the dust settled.

“Hum…”

Nagato used Bansho Ten’in, lifting the debris burying the CP9 agents into the air and flinging it into the distant sea.

Splash!

Thousands of tons of scrap metal plunged into the ocean, sending waves high into the sky, even startling the birds above.

With the steel cleared, the CP9 agents reappeared in Nagato’s view. No one was unscathed; all were down, bleeding, struggling to rise.

“Once again, I invite you all to join the ‘Akatsuki’.”

“Now, who agrees…”

“And who opposes?!”

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