"Nami, were you calling me just now?"
"And what's up with Luffy? Why did he run off?"
At that moment, Zoro suddenly appeared behind Nami, also puzzled as he watched Luffy vanish into the distance.
"Huh?! When did you show up?!"
"No—more importantly, where did you get lost this time, you idiot swordsman?!"
"We've been fighting over here for a while already!"
Nami jabbed Zoro's shoulder hard with her finger, venting all her pent-up anger from earlier—originally meant for Luffy—straight onto him.
She now understood why Luffy had left so calmly.
Obviously, he had already seen that Zoro was back.
"Tch, so I was just a little late. What's the big deal?"
Zoro clicked his tongue and turned to face the Black Cat Pirates.
"Looks like most of them have already been taken down."
"C'mon Nami, let's finish the rest off and go see how Luffy and Genrou are doing."
With that, Zoro drew his three swords and walked toward the remaining pirates.
"Seriously… except for Genrou, not one of you is dependable."
"Sigh… if only Genrou were the one standing guard here."
Nami sighed wearily and followed behind Zoro with her magic cards at the ready.
"I-I'm helping too!"
Usopp took a deep breath, pulled out his last few explosive arrows, and—with his Teiō Enjin (Emperor Engine) sound effects in full swing—strode up to Nami and Zoro.
With the three working together, the Black Cat Pirates were quickly whittled down until only Jango, Buchi, and Sham were still standing.
And even that wasn't thanks to their strength—
It was only because Zoro and Nami had focused on the others first.
Thus, the task of finishing off Jango's group naturally fell to Usopp.
"D-Damn it, why's this guy so slippery?! We're supposed to be faster—how is he outrunning us?!"
Sham panted, hands on his knees, glaring at the wily Usopp ahead.
"This is so weird. When he's coming toward us, he's slow, but once he turns around to run—he's like twice as fast!"
Buchi was also gasping for breath, warily watching Zoro and Nami out of the corner of his eye.
Jango, too, had his full attention on the two casually observing pirates.
Usopp might be slippery—but Zoro and Nami were downright terrifying in combat.
"Yo, Usopp, need help?"
"Hurry it up. I want to go get some sake after this."
Zoro slung one sword over his shoulder and grinned.
By now, he'd learned from Nami that Luffy had run off to eat meat.
Naturally, he was thinking of heading to a bar himself.
"Heh, nah, I got this. I think I can wear them out."
Usopp chuckled slyly, internally calculating which ammo type to use on Jango and the others next.
Even though he'd run out of explosive arrows, he wasn't worried.
This battle had already proven that they couldn't catch him.
That "Run Away Dash B-Key" ability might sound dumb, but it's seriously useful.
Only works when I'm running away, but hey—King's ability's finally showing some value.
He launched three stink eggs at Jango, Buchi, and Sham.
The foul odor instantly enraged Buchi and Sham.
They ignored the lurking Zoro and Nami and instead leapt toward Usopp.
"Heheheh, come catch me if you can~!"
Usopp retreated gleefully, turning tail and sprinting away just before they could grab him.
After a few such exchanges, Buchi and Sham were completely worn out—while Usopp was still fresh.
"Stop, Sham, Buchi."
Jango appeared beside them, placing a hand on their shoulders.
His eyes swept over Usopp, Zoro, and Nami.
"I admit it—we completely underestimated the strength of this village."
"You're stronger than us right now."
"But I suggest you stop getting involved with this place."
"Run while you still can. If Captain Kuro gets here, none of you will survive!"
At that, Zoro and Nami smirked faintly, while Usopp laughed out loud.
"Hahahaha! You still think Kuro's coming?"
"Our strongest crew member's over at the mansion."
"I'd say by now, Kuro's already been defeated by Vice-Captain Genrou! Bwahaha!"
Jango frowned deeply.
"Long-nose, I suggest you stop joking."
"Captain Kuro might've let you live once, but that doesn't mean he will again."
Jango shook his head, clearly trying to talk Usopp down.
But just then—a voice cut him off.
"He's right. You'd be wise not to keep waiting on Kuro."
With that, Genrou descended from the sky, carrying both Kuro and Kaya.
Upon landing, he casually tossed Kuro's body at Jango, Buchi, and Sham's feet.
"Kaya? What are you doing here?"
Usopp ran up in surprise.
"Sorry, Usopp. I misunderstood you."
"I asked Genrou-san to bring me—I wanted to see for myself what was happening."
Kaya smiled apologetically, then turned to Nami and Zoro with gratitude.
She had seen them—along with Luffy—fighting the pirates to protect the village.
She was deeply thankful.
On the other side—
Buchi and Sham's faces turned ashen when they saw Kuro's miserable state.
Without waiting for Jango's orders, the two immediately turned and fled toward their ship at the dock.
"IDIOTS! DON'T PANIC!"
Jango yelled after them, trying to stop their retreat.
Zoro and Nami were hard enough to deal with—
Now with Genrou, who had beaten Kuro, standing here as well, escape was basically impossible.
Acting on their own would only make things worse.
But his warnings fell on deaf ears.
"Oi, oi… running away like that? That's kinda disrespectful, don't you think?"
Genrou sighed and raised his right arm—
A small hand crossbow emerged at his wrist.
"The Inori no Yumi (Bow of Prayer)?!"
Usopp's eyes went wide—he instantly recognized the weapon.
Genrou gave a quick glance at Jango, who stood frozen and drenched in cold sweat, then aimed the crossbow at Buchi and Sham.
Two arrows shot out in a flash—each piercing one of their legs.
With their legs pierced and the arrows laced in deadly poison, the two could only scream in agony as they collapsed.
"Jango, right?"
Genrou gently ran his hand along the Inori no Yumi, then looked back at Jango.
"You were smart not to move."
"So I didn't shoot you."
"You should be grateful. The poison on these arrows… isn't something pirates like you can afford to touch."
"Once hit, you'll only die in slow, excruciating pain—just like those two."
As he spoke, Genrou raised the bow again and pointed it at Buchi and Sham.
"So, let's help them out of their misery. Don't you think?"
He smiled at Jango, then turned to Buchi and Sham.
"To be the first to taste this weapon's power… in a way, you're lucky."
"Now then—disappear, you two."
Inori no Yumi!
As Genrou invoked its true name, magical energy surged over the weapon.
A brilliant green glow flew from the bow, gently sweeping over Buchi and Sham's bodies.
Jango, trying to suppress his fear, could only watch as the two began to swell grotesquely—and then violently explode.
Terror overtook Jango's heart.
…
Meanwhile—
"Nami-san? What's wrong?"
Kaya looked confused as Nami suddenly walked in front of her, turned her around, and shielded her from the sight behind.
"It's nothing!"
Nami glanced over her shoulder at the gory aftermath, then took a deep breath and put on a warm smile again.
"I heard you're pretty wealthy, Kaya-san. Seeing how much work I did today…"
"Would you mind… paying me a little reward?"
Nami flashed an "OK" gesture and stuck her tongue out playfully.
…
(End of Chapter)
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