The Apocalypse slowly pulled away from the island. At the firm insistence of the crew, Wayne decided they would sail the rest of the way on the sea. After all, the destination wasn't far.
"Kuro," Wayne said, pointing toward the bow of the ship, "just what were you thinking when you came up with that statue?"
To be fair, the statue did look quite impressive cast in solid gold, several tons heavy by the look of it. But it was a bit… flashy.
Kuro adjusted his glasses with a composed hand and replied, "Boss, it was a joint suggestion from Daniel and me. We figured only a statue of such nobility and grandeur could match the greatness of someone like you. We smelted the gold we brought back from Skypiea and spent the entire month in Water 7 polishing it to perfection. I handled the finishing touches myself…"
There was a hint of pride in Kuro's voice he clearly expected praise. Wayne, however, smacked his own forehead. Good grief, this guy actually said that out loud?
The statue didn't even look like him!
How off was it, exactly? Remember how Sanji's first wanted poster looked nothing like him? Yeah that kind of difference.
Still, Wayne let it slide. It was a heartfelt gesture, after all.
He grabbed an apple from the fruit platter, took a bite, and casually tossed the lucky coin in his hand, trying to keep calm.
Suddenly, the Apocalypse rocked slightly beneath his feet.
"Hm?" Wayne turned around, surprised.
A crew member ran over in a panic. "Captain! We're under attack! A pirate ship just appeared at our nine o'clock. It's heading straight for us I've never seen the flag before."
"Huh? Who's the fool picking a fight now?"
Kuro frowned. Sure, plenty of pirates in the New World resorted to raiding, but very few were dumb enough to target a Warlord of the Sea. These guys clearly hadn't recognized them.
Kuro clasped his hands together and said confidently, "Boss, allow me to deal with this lot."
Wayne nodded. "Go."
If it was some no-name pirate crew, Kuro and a small squad should be more than enough. After all, Kuro wasn't weak anymore.
In fact, he was brimming with excitement. Ever since he'd joined the crew, he hadn't had a real chance to show his skills most of his time had been spent getting beaten up during training. Finally, this was his moment to shine in front of the boss.
Kuro walked to the bow, cracking his knuckles as he eyed the distant pirate ship. He took a deep breath and shouted:
"Identify yourselves! We are—"
Before he could finish, a massive cannonball slammed into the ocean right in front of the Apocalypse, drenching Kuro in a blast of seawater.
Soaked head to toe, Kuro's face darkened with fury. He turned to the crew behind him and growled, "Bring us alongside. I want to see which idiot just signed their own death warrant!"
As the two ships drew closer, a thin, wiry pirate on the enemy deck shouted, "We're the Black Cat Pirates! I'm Captain Locke! Hand over your treasure and maybe I'll let you die quickly!"
"Black Cat Pirates?" Kuro muttered, a flicker of confusion flashing through his eyes.
Then it hit him.
That was his old crew's name!
And the guy's name was Locke? So he even stole that?
Kuro's expression twisted with rage. Without hesitation, he leapt up onto the railing and activated Geppo, dashing through the air. In seconds, he was high above the Black Cat Pirates' ship.
Glaring down at Locke, Kuro's voice was ice-cold.
"Steal my crew's name, fine. But you've got the nerve to steal my name too?"
"Rankyaku!"
A sharp, crescent-shaped shockwave shot from Kuro's leg, slicing clean through the enemy ship's mast and sending the pirate flag crashing to the deck.
Kuro narrowed his eyes. "Even the flag looks like ours. Unbelievable."
The enemy crew stared in stunned silence. One pirate muttered to Locke, "Boss… he can fly. I think we picked the wrong fight."
Locke narrowed his eyes. "Yeah… I figured that much. But this is the New World. Weaklings don't survive here. And we've taken down plenty of tough ones before."
"But if that's all he's got, it won't be enough!"
With that, Locke sprang into the air, meeting Kuro head-on. Their eyes locked as sparks flew between them and then the fight began.
Back on the Apocalypse, Wayne munched on his apple, watching the skirmish unfold with a slight frown.
There was something odd about this pirate crew.
He turned to Parker. "Buffalo, take some men and back up Kuro. Be careful this enemy seems a little different."
Buffalo nodded, rounding up most of the crew and heading toward the Black Cat Pirates' ship.
Wayne, meanwhile, leaned back comfortably at the bow, casually spectating the battle like he was watching a show.
Robin walked up beside him, her brow furrowed. "Boss, aren't you going to step in yourself?"
Wayne shook his head. "If I step in every time, what's the point of having a crew? They need experience and this Locke guy doesn't seem like your average small fry. Perfect chance to let Kuro and the others train."
Wayne's Observation Haki had already picked up several strong presences aboard the enemy ship. That captain, Locke, in particular Wayne sensed he hadn't shown his full strength yet. Judging by their numbers and combat aura, this wasn't some nameless backwater crew.
Sure enough, with Buffalo and the others joining the fray, Kuro's pressure eased considerably.
Buffalo activated his Devil Fruit powers his body expanded rapidly, his muscles swelling in size as horns sprouted from his head.
This was his beastman form.
In this state, his strength, speed, and durability increased drastically. Each swing of his arm sent shockwaves across the deck, forcing the Black Cat Pirates to keep their distance.
"Boss," Robin reported, putting down a Den Den Mushi, "it's confirmed. That crew is the Black Cat Pirates a New World gang that specializes in robbing other pirate crews. Their bounty's not high, but there are reports they once took down a pirate worth three hundred million."
Wayne's eyes narrowed slightly.
"I see... Golia, Robin head over and assist. Be careful. That Locke guy's hiding something."
—————————————————————————————————————————————————
Love the story? Show your support and unlock early access to new chapters by joining me on Patreon!
[email protected]/yanxx
Change @ to a.