He's in One Piece, but he's also part of the Phantom Troupe.

Chapter 166 I'm Waiting for You, Akainu

North of Auction Hall No. 1, at the vital passage leading to the port.

This place has long been turned into a true scorched earth by Franklin's volleyball storm and Pedro Lev's battle dance.

However, as the smoke cleared, a stern-faced and composed vice admiral, Momonga, led a new batch of fearless naval elites to regroup in front of the ruins, facing off against the brigade's two "scavengers" from afar.

Franklin stopped firing and lowered his arms, but his fingertips still held a terrifying amount of Nen energy.

Pelolev stopped dancing and stood still, as if the dance of fire and explosions just now was an illusion.

The flying squirrel drew his sword, pointing the tip at the two men, his voice steady and powerful: "Evil must be eradicated. Your path of violence ends here."

Franklin's massive frame leaned forward slightly, his voice low and rumbling like thunder: "Purge? With yourselves—?"

Lev's lips, beneath the peeling bandages, seemed to twitch slightly, as if a war song was about to begin.

The edge of a relatively intact warehouse area near Zone 50.

Pakunoda and Shalnark have successfully reunited with Machi, Nami, Shizuku, and Robin.

"Target spotted! Remnants of the Phantom Troupe!" a loud shout rang out.

Immediately afterwards, a fat but unusually agile figure descended from the sky and landed heavily in front of everyone. It was Sentomaru, wearing a navy coat and carrying a huge double-edged axe!

Behind him, several Pacifista PX series amphibious assault rifles, their eyes glowing red and locked on their target, moved with heavy steps, closing in from different directions and blocking all his path.

"You're surrounded!" Sentomaru shouted. "Just surrender obediently, and you'll suffer less!"

Paknoda's eyes turned cold, and her fingers silently rested on the hilt of the gun at her waist.

The swordsman's fingers traced the antenna hidden in his sleeve, a playful smile on his face: "A pacifist, huh? I wonder if my 'carrying the fate of others' will have any effect on these metal lumps?"

Machi silently took a step forward, her fingertips revealing faint lines of thought, and her body gradually turned into sand.

Little Droplet lifted the bulging-eyed fish, while Robin crossed his arms.

Area 20, the dimly lit warehouse that just finished its "live broadcast".

Kuroro stood alone in the center of the warehouse.

The spotlights were off, and only a few rays of sunlight pierced through the hole, barely illuminating his calm figure and the dark bloodstains at his feet that were not yet completely dry. The distant sounds of artillery fire, explosions, and shouts of battle seemed like distant background noise.

He seemed to be waiting for something, his posture calm and even a little leisurely.

He looked down at his wrist.

"It was three minutes slower than I expected."

Kuroro raised his head, looking at the rickety warehouse door, and his signature gentle yet aloof smile returned to his lips. "It seems that Lord Akainu's efficiency, or rather—punctuality—in handling miscellaneous tasks still needs improvement."

"boom-!!"

The moment he finished speaking, the heavy warehouse door, along with the surrounding walls, was blasted open by a scorching, violently powerful high-temperature lava fist, leaving a huge hole with crimson magma flowing along its edges!

A wave of scorching heat, carrying the scent of sulfur, swept in, ruffling Kuroro's black hair and the hem of his clothes.

Amidst the smoke and the flickering light of lava, a figure as tall as an iron tower, draped in a "justice" coat, with a face as hard as rock, stepped into the melting and solidifying ground.

With each step, a charred footprint radiating intense heat was left on the ground, and the temperature in the air rose sharply.

A naval admiral, a ruthless and merciless man who upholds absolute justice, "Akainu" Sakazuki.

His arrogant, sharp eyes, filled with absolute will and destructive power, were like volcanoes locking onto their prey, firmly fixed on Kuroro.

As far as the eye can see, it seems as if even the air itself is about to ignite.

"Kuroro Lucilfer—" Akainu's voice was deep, like molten lava rolling in the earth's core, filled with undisguised killing intent and contempt, "I don't know if you're truly ignorant of your own limitations, or if your arrogance has reached the point of insanity—"

He stopped and stood facing Kuroro from a distance of more than ten meters.

The magma flowed and condensed slowly on his right arm as if it were alive, radiating a suffocating heat and oppressive feeling.

"So—he's left here all alone." Akainu's lips curled into a chillingly cold smile. "Is he aware he has nowhere to escape and is preparing to accept his death? Or—"

His gaze suddenly sharpened, like a deadly blade drawn from its sheath: "Do you really think you can pull any tricks on me all by yourself?"

Akainu slowly raised his fist, now completely dark red and dripping with molten lava, and pointed it at Chrollo, his voice like a final judgment: "Have you thought about it—how did you die?"

Faced with this terrifying power and death declaration that would make even the most vicious pirates on the sea tremble with fear, Kuroro's smile remained unchanged, even appearing more profound.

He gently patted non-existent dust off his black coat, his movements elegant and composed.

"Death?" Kuroro repeated softly, as if savoring the word, then shook his head. "Lord Akainu, you seem to have misunderstood something."

He raised his eyes, and in those dark, night-like eyes, he saw the molten lava light surging around Akainu, as well as an almost arrogant calm and confidence.

"I'm not staying here to wait to die—"

Kuroro tilted his head slightly, his tone carrying an enigmatic playfulness: "It's not so much to personally inspect the goods—to see just how much a commander, one of the World Government's top combat forces, really is..."

The moment the words left his mouth, a loud "buzz—!" echoed.

A terrifying aura, completely different yet equally vast and boundless, filled with a will to plunder and control, suddenly erupted from Kuroro's body!

The black psychic energy surged out like a tangible tide, instantly filling the entire warehouse space, and collided violently with Akainu's scorching and violent magma aura!

There was no earth-shattering explosion, but the collision of the auras of two top-tier experts caused the entire warehouse to groan under immense pressure, cracks spread wildly across the walls, and dust fell in abundance!

Akainu's eyes suddenly narrowed, and he clenched his magma fist even tighter, the intense heat distorting the surrounding air.

Before Kuroro, a transparent blue book had quietly floated.

The pages moved on their own without any wind, and various strange lights seemed to flow around them.

The smile on his face remained, but his eyes had completely transformed into the coldness and focus of a hunter.

"Then————"

Chrollo's voice rang out clearly amidst the clash between Nen and magma: "Let's begin."