Goro

“Roar!”

The Lion Ape growled and its body swayed forward, its claws pouncing down.

Kuro frowned and flashed over to cut it again. The blade flashing with electric light cut horizontally from the Lion Ape’s chest and cut it into a big cross.

Bang!

The Lion Ape fell down again. Blood kept flowing down from its chest, dyeing its golden hair blood red.

Its chest kept rising and falling, and its body gradually shrank, turning into a ten-meter-tall Lion Ape.

Then, it got up on its hands and knees again. This time, it did not attack Kuro but prepared to jump forward to deal with the people at the rear.

Chi!

Kuro made another cut and hung diagonally on the Lion Ape’s chest, leaving another diagonal mark on the cross-shaped wound.

The Lion Ape fell.

The Lion Ape stood up again.

As soon as it took a step, it was cut down by Kuro again. This time, it drew a ‘Mi’ shape on its chest.

This time, it lay for a long time before it shakily propped itself up like a beast with a strong desire to survive, and the people in front of it were its food.

“Hey, don’t joke around. You are just a beast. Even if you are an Animal Awakened, you shouldn’t cheat like this.”

He had attacked four times. There are many zoological awakenings like this in Impel Down. Although it is a failure, the physique is also awakened. At that level, no matter how high Kuro thinks, the fact is that he has used Armament Haki and Impel Down cannot resist it.

“Roar…”

The eyes of the Lion Ape were a little blurry and it roared again. It stepped forward and shifted its gaze to the frightened people and rushed over step by step.

Chi!

Another slash and the huge body of the Lion Ape fell. Kuro held the knife and the smoke from the cigar was dense on his face.

“Why so resentful, Goro,” he whispered.

These words stunned the Lion Ape, who was about to get up again. It was stunned for a moment, and its eyes, which were originally a little absent-minded from being cut, were aroused again.

It lowered its limbs and stopped standing. It roared at Kuro, “Human!!”

“You can talk…”

Kuro raised his eyebrows and said, “It’s good that you can talk. As a human, it’s not good for you to maintain the appearance of a beast. Even if you feel wronged, you can go directly to Old K. Of course, you have to wait for me to leave. Otherwise, as a Marine, I will take care of it.”

“Humans are my hatred. You all deserve to die, everyone deserves to die!”

The Lion Ape’s eyes were red. “Killing all humans is my long-cherished wish. No matter who it is, as long as they are human, they should die!”

After saying this, its limbs rose and fell, and it clawed forward, sweeping up a cloud of dust on the ground and pouncing towards Kuro. At the same time, it flashed to the side and was about to run towards the civilians behind.

Whoosh!

The dust and gravel were swept away by Kuro’s blade, and he slashed at the Lion Ape again with golden lightning.

“If you don’t listen to me, then don’t speak human language.”

Another slash and the Lion Ape fell.

Kuro took two steps forward and stabbed the head of the Lion Ape with Autumn Water, and the blade went in deeply.

The Lion Ape trembled for a while and its body gradually stopped moving.

“I’ve already said that revenge is necessary. Why bother?”

Kuro pulled out Autumn Water and shook it. “No matter what kind of resentment you have, our positions are different. I can’t watch you slaughter civilians with my own eyes. Similarly, you probably won’t listen to me.”

On the sea, there are too many such things. No matter what difficulties this person has or what grievances he has, if his position is not equal, he will eventually turn against him. The victory is justice.

“I can’t die…”

Kuro was about to put his sword back into the sheath when he suddenly heard a murmur. His eyes widened and he looked at the Lion Ape.

The Lion Ape, whose head was clearly pierced by a knife, now opened his eyes and stared at Kuro. “I… can’t die!”

Boom!

It swept up a wave of air on the spot and actually passed Kuro and rushed towards the civilians.

Chi!

However, the body that had just arrived behind Kuro once again raised a black and gold blade light and cut it down.

This slash cut the back of the neck and reached the spine.

The Lion Ape trembled on the ground for a while, stretched out its claws and crawled forward.

“I… can’t die.”

“Hey, are you kidding?”

This time, Kuro was shocked.

He looked at the sphinx that was crawling forward. The cigar had burned to the end and he didn’t care. He murmured, “Willpower…”

It is not the degree of recovery of Animal Awakening. This degree is completely a manifestation of willpower.

It was not that its body could withstand so much damage, but that it relied on its strong willpower to hold on.

The Lion Ape’s eyes were already absent-minded. Now it crawled forward more out of instinct. Its eyes were blank, as if it was recalling something, and this memory was its motivation to move forward.

… .

“No, don’t eat me, monster, don’t eat me. Look at how thin I am, it’s not delicious at all!”

“Human… human… so… curious…”

“Lions can talk? Freak, monster!”

On the grassland, a majestic lion and a down-and-out Kabuki actor met.

… .

“What? Devil Fruit? I know. That’s a legendary thing that can give life the power of miracles. You are a lion, but when you transform, you look like an ape. Is it the fruit of an ape? No, it’s more like an ape.”

“Ha? If you want to learn to talk from me, as long as you don’t eat me, everything is easy.”

Kabuki actors call the fruit eaten by lions the ‘Ape-Human Form’.

The lion, who had just eaten the fruit and obtained wisdom and curiosity, was very interested in humans. It did not eat this thin Kabuki actor but decided to follow the first human it met and obtain its curious knowledge from him.

… .

“Come, repeat after me. Goro, Goro, this is my name.”

“Name?”

“That’s right, every intelligent life with independent thinking ability has its own name. You don’t have a name, then I will give my name to you. I am the human’s Goro, and you are the animal’s Goro. Hehe, I am too bad at acting in musicals alone. With you, it will be very impressive.”

“A musical, what is it?”

“A musical is something that can bring relaxation and laughter.”

On that day, the only thing that the Lion Ape remembered clearly was the man who was so thin that he was only skin and bones and a smile that came from the heart.

… .

“Goro, Goro, Lion Goro, you have to do this. I will ride you, and then I will pose, and you will be under my crotch. This is very impressive. What? You don’t want to? Lions are not for people to ride? Then you can ride me, I will teach you musicals, you ride me, animals ride humans, it will definitely make people laugh!”

… .

“Goro, you’ve learned well, and your posture is already quite good. If this continues, you will be able to finish your apprenticeship. Hehe, the first animal that knows musicals is born in my hands!”

… .

“Goro, I’m going to perform. You watch from outside. You haven’t finished your apprenticeship yet, and you should see how I perform.”

… .

“Goro, run! These people can’t stand it anymore and want to throw things at me!”

… .

“Why are you still so happy after being beaten up?” Shigure Goro looked at the bruised Goro in confusion.

“Well…”

The human Goro bared his teeth, and his eyes seemed to have stars in them. “Don’t you see that they are all smiling? This country has been sad for too long because of the war, and they need a smile, even if it is a smile to vent, but they will be relaxed. This is the meaning of us, the musical actors!”

“I don’t understand…” Lion Goro tilted his head. “But, if human Goro is happy, Lion Goro is very happy.”

“Hahaha, then work hard to finish your apprenticeship. In the future, I will take you with me to become the strongest Kabuki in the country!”

… .

“Goro, Funny Town is looking for me. I think they want me to perform. Look, I’m famous! Hahaha, our good days are coming!”

… .

“Goro… don’t be angry, look at them laughing, the residents are laughing, the soldiers are laughing, His Highness is also laughing, as long as people can laugh, no matter what, this is Kabuki…”

… .

Boom!

The Lion Ape raised its limbs again, and the blood on its golden fur turned into a Blood Flame Lion, and its eyes turned completely red.

“Human!!!”