Flames and smoke swirled, then dispersed. Several fireballs fell from the sky, slamming into the ground and scaring nearby Marines so badly that some collapsed on the spot.
From within the smoke, a figure slowly emerged.
"Escaped, huh."
Smoker frowned as he looked at the burning flames and the now-vanished figure.
"What's that man doing here?"
Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates—Portgas D. Ace.
Smoker had no particular interest in him—it was just a coincidence they ran into each other. As a Marine, he was simply doing his duty.
"Captain Smoker!"
Tashigi rushed over from behind.
"Tashigi, where's Kuro?" Smoker asked, glancing at her.
Tashigi shook her head.
"I didn't see Mr. Kuro or the others."
"Tch. Tell the Marines to keep searching. While looking for Straw Hats and Ace, if you spot Kuro, have him return. This isn't the time to be goofing off. Why else did I bring him here? If he'd been here just now, Ace wouldn't have gotten away!"
.
..
...
"Achoo!"
In an alley, Kuro suddenly sneezed.
"Huh? Even a monster like you catches colds?" Lida looked at him curiously.
"Don't joke—maybe someone's thinking about me. Like a gentle, modest, understanding big sister who eats very little." Kuro rubbed his nose and chuckled.
"Hmph! No woman like that would fall for a lazy guy like you." Lida stuck out her tongue.
Kuro just shrugged and kept wandering around the city.
"I'm starving. Let's hit one more group, then eat."
Lida started whining.
"Would a million Berries be enough to feed you? Besides, we still need some capital. There's a famous casino in Alabasta—Rainbase. We need some money to hit it big," Kuro said.
"I don't care! I can't take it anymore. One last search—if we don't find anything, we're going back."
Eager to get food, Lida's eyes flashed red as she activated her full Observation Haki, covering the entire city.
"Got it! That way—there are 20 to 30 people in that direction!"
She smiled and dashed off at full speed.
"Can't be helped…"
Kuro sighed and followed.
(***)
In an alley, Luffy laughed.
"Hahaha! Thanks, Ace!"
Ace, leaning against the wall, gave a small smile.
"You're still as energetic as ever."
Around them, a group of people lay defeated on the ground.
"Ahahaha, I'm just happy!"
Luffy and Ace walked side by side, ignoring the remaining enemies, heading toward the port.
Just then, a small figure suddenly ran past them, pointing ahead excitedly.
"They're right here, Kuro! Right here!"
Then she stopped and stared at the two men in front of her.
"A kid?"
Ace glanced at her, smiled, and reached out to pat Lida's head.
"Run along home, kid. It's dangerous here."
To him, she looked like she had just wandered in and was probably terrified by all the weapons around.
Lida also looked the part—frozen in place, staring blankly at Ace.
Ace's hand touched her head—
Instantly, his body went limp, and he collapsed to his knees.
"You—"
BAM!
A foot slammed into his face, sending him flying.
"Ace!"
Luffy cried out, shocked. His arm stretched toward Lida.
"What did you do to Ace~!"
As he touched Lida's arm, his own body weakened.
"Ah… so tired… no strength…"
Lida didn't even look. She brushed off her head, moved Luffy's hand aside, and said:
"Who said you could touch my head? And isn't this Straw Hat?"
She remembered the scene in Loguetown, at the execution platform.
That had left quite an impression.
Just then, Kuro turned the corner and immediately frowned when he saw the scene.
Ace? Luffy?
Two huge headaches.
Lida could only sense the number of people through her Observation Haki.
And Kuro had forgotten to turn his on, so he hadn't sensed any strong ones—otherwise, they'd already be eating by now, not dealing with this.
"Straw Hat!"
From behind, Klahadore shouted, veins bulging,
"Finally! Let's settle things from Syrup Village!"
"You've got a grudge with him? Let's capture him, then. His bounty's only 30 million," Lida said, looking at the now-limp Luffy.
Kuro knocked her on the head.
"When did you get so cocky? 'Only' 30 million?"
"Oww…"
Lida pouted, rubbing her head.
"Didn't you say we'd only catch the average? East Blue's average is 3 million. On the Grand Line it's 30 million."
"What a pain…"
Kuro slapped his forehead, but began to think.
Let them go?
He probably should. He couldn't afford to provoke either of them.
But then again… he'd been cautious for ten years, and yet as soon as Luffy set out to sea, Kuro had been forced to leave the East Blue too. All his planning—gone in a flash.
It made him believe in fate a little.
"If I catch Luffy now, before he stirs up trouble, he'll just be thrown in prison. With Garp, he might even get out. Even if he doesn't, he won't be executed. So if I catch him now, the sea might finally calm down. And I can finally live in peace."
The tides of a new era?
What does that have to do with someone who just wants to live quietly?
Kuro's eyes narrowed, gleaming with danger.
"Maybe it's worth a shot…"
He slowly reached for his sword.
"Fire Fist!"
A massive fireball shot toward them.
Lida instantly transformed into her adult form, crossing her arms in Armament Haki to shield Kuro.
The flames exploded on her arms, scattering into a wall of fire that obscured everyone's vision.
"Flames?!"
Lida flinched, sensing something.
"They ran!"
"Mm."
Kuro drew Kashu, and with a single swing, the wind pressure extinguished the fire.
There was no trace of Ace or Luffy left.
"Tch. They ran… fine, let them."
Kuro smacked his lips and gave up on the idea.
Less trouble that way.
"Logia…"
Lida, catching on, narrowed her eyes.
"Flames… that Logia seems familiar…"
"That was the Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates—Portgas D. Ace," Kuro said.
Lida's eyes went wide.
"That super rookie from two years ago? 'Fire Fist' Ace?!"
"D-did I cause trouble? What if Ace holds a grudge? If he comes after me, Whitebeard will too!"
She looked like she was about to cry.
Being from the Grand Line, she knew just how terrifying Whitebeard was.
Kuro originally thought this was a hassle too—but seeing Lida's frightened face, he laughed and patted her head.
"You're someone I recruited. I promised to keep you safe, and I will. If he doesn't come, great. If he does… we'll just capture him!"
Just because Kuro hated trouble didn't mean he'd run from a fight.
If it came to that—
He'd just start the Summit War a little early.
Kuro's idea was doomed from the start—Ace never came back after running off.
Well, that's probably for the best. Only an idiot would go against Whitebeard.
After confiscating the money and belongings from the people those two had beaten up, Kuro and the others left.
Lida had been a little worried earlier. She had fled to the East Blue because the Grand Line was too scary. Honestly, she'd grown really comfortable being around Kuro all this time—so much so that she'd become dependent on him.
But the moment she thought of Whitebeard, her expression darkened.
"Kuro, will you really protect me? I eat a lot, and I'm not exactly easy to deal with... Maybe I should just head back to the East Blue. Being alone isn't so bad."
While they walked, Lida suddenly said this.
Her gaze lingered on Kuro with a hint of longing buried deep inside.
She wouldn't be surprised if Kuro agreed. It wouldn't be the first time something like that had happened.
She was used to it by now.
At the very least, she didn't want to be a burden to him.
"What are you thinking about?"
Kuro sighed. "I'm a Marine. Even if you're not one now, you haven't committed any crimes, which makes you a civilian. Isn't it a Marine's duty to protect civilians?"
Lida pursed her lips, nodded firmly, took a deep breath, and suddenly said seriously, "I believe you. But if you betray me, I won't forgive you!"
"Damn kid, what kind of nonsense is that? Forgive or not—shouldn't you be thinking about stuff kids your age should be thinking about?"
In his previous life, eighteen was an age of innocence and carefreeness. But in this world, it wasn't unusual for people to be risking their lives as pirates by sixteen or seventeen.
It was messed up.
Like a fatherly figure, Kuro ruffled Lida's hair roughly, then jogged ahead.
"Kuro!"
Lida shouted angrily, waving her fists as she chased after him.
Klahadore watched the two messing around, pushed up his glasses, and smiled slightly before following them.
This kind of life wasn't bad. At least it was better than being a pirate—less to worry about.
On the way, they stopped at a pawn shop and exchanged the gold and silver jewelry those "kind donors" had contributed. Kuro bought Lida some snacks to tide her over. That's when they ran into some Marines who had been looking for them and were summoned back.
Smoker sat on a broken wall, gazing out at the sea. After a long silence, he said, "Princess Vivi is mixed up with the Straw Hats. What do you think, Kuro?"
"There's definitely something fishy going on," Kuro said.
"Speak normally," Smoker snapped.
"How would I know?" Kuro rolled his eyes.
"Crocodile…"
Smoker puffed on his cigar and said slowly, "He's the only pirate in this country. If the Straw Hats are here, he must be their target. Once we find Crocodile, everything will become clear."
Then why are you asking me?
Kuro twitched the corner of his mouth. "Look, he's a Warlord. He's supposed to be on our side. Why are you picking a fight with him?"
That's a Warlord of the Sea—they're nothing but trouble. Kuro wanted no part of that. He didn't even want to see the guy's face.
Just running into Mihawk had been enough of a headache. Another one? He might as well be dead.
"I don't like the Warlords. No matter what they are now, pirates are still pirates. And that man... he's a schemer. If he's been holed up in one country for so long, it can't be for anything good."
Smoker stood up. "We're going to Rainbase. I want to know the truth."
Kuro shrugged and said nothing.
Smoker gave him a surprised glance. "I thought you'd object."
"I'm a Marine. If it involves pirates, I'll deal with it," Kuro said righteously.
In reality, he just wanted to gamble in Rainbase and make some quick cash. He'd throw on a disguise, use Observation Haki to clean up at the tables, then disappear. No one would recognize him.
So the group set out for Rainbase. As soon as they arrived, Kuro slipped away.
This time, he brought no one. Even though he had reassured Lida earlier, she had clearly started getting cocky and was bound to cause trouble.
Trouble? Not on his watch.
Just to be safe, he took no one with him. He even handed Kashu to Klahadore—after all, the sword came from Baroque Works. If someone recognized it, that'd be a problem.
He changed into a suit, put on sunglasses and a fake mustache, and wore the gold chain and watch he had intentionally looted earlier.
Even his walk changed—hands in pockets, wide swaggering steps like Doflamingo.
He looked exactly like an arrogant nouveau riche thug.
In this getup, even his parents from his past life wouldn't recognize him—and if they did, they'd probably disown him.
Kuro went off to gamble, while Smoker and the others began investigating Rainbase.
(***)
Inside a hidden office in the casino, a woman dressed in a sexy white outfit and a small white hat smiled slightly at the man sitting across from her.
"Interesting Straw Hats and Vivi came here. What's strange is that Smoker is here too."
"Smoker…"
Crocodile puffed on his cigar and said coldly, "He's always hated me. Ignore him. The Warlords work with the government. If he keeps pestering us, we'll just make sure he meets an unfortunate end. Don't you think so, Nico Robin?"
"I thought we agreed you wouldn't call me that," Robin chuckled. "That said, there's a troublesome one we need to keep an eye on."
She smiled. "His name is Klahadore. I heard it, and even used my powers to check. That man has a sword on his waist. That sword used to belong to our Mr. 11. I heard he was captured by the Marines, so it's probably him—the man even Mihawk praised as someone who could challenge him."
"Klahadore?"
Crocodile's face darkened. "I've heard of him. He's a Marine. But wasn't he in the East Blue?"
"A man like that ending up in the Grand Line isn't strange at all," Robin said.
"He's trouble…"
Crocodile knew Mihawk's strength. Even though he wasn't afraid, if someone Mihawk had praised showed up to interfere, it would be a massive pain.
"The plan is about to begin. We can't afford any mistakes. If the Marines really get in our way, I'll deal with them myself."
Crocodile stood up, eyes narrowing, voice cold. "Even if we have to give up Rainbase, it'll be worth it."
"Achoo!"
Klahadore sneezed and looked around in confusion. "Who's talking about me?"
"This is so boring! Kuro went off to have fun without me," Lida pouted, kicking pebbles out of boredom.
Tashigi was busy directing the Marines to search different sectors for Straw Hat. Smoker had chased after them earlier—who knew where he'd gone?
(***)
"All in!"
Inside the casino, Kuro bet all his chips.
"Come on, all in!"
The dealer opened the dice cup and shouted.
With Observation Haki, gambling was a guaranteed win.
Kuro had never lost. But to avoid drawing attention, he only played one round at each table before moving on to a new game.
Still, since he never lost, people had started to notice and were beginning to follow him to try their luck. It annoyed Kuro quite a bit.
"That's enough. I've won almost 30 million. Time to cash out."
Just as he was about to exchange his chips and leave, a massive explosion echoed through the building.
BOOM!!!
The entire hall shook.
"An earthquake!"
Guests panicked and fled, turning the hall into chaos.
Holding his chips, Kuro looked around the now-empty casino and turned to the panicked dealer.
"So… can I keep playing?"
With everyone gone, it was the perfect time for him to really make a killing!
(*****)
If you'd like to read chapters ahead, please consider joining my Patreon: patreon.com/ANeet. Your support means a lot. Thank you!