"STOP RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE IF YOU DON'T WANT HIM DEAD!" Kuro shouted at Lucen.
"No, don't, Klahadore!" Kaya shouted.
"Klahadore… there's no need for you to call me that now, Miss Kaya." Kuro gave her a smirk.
"This bastard… if you're a man, fight me!" Luffy shouted.
"Fight? If I'm not wrong, you did say 'you are pirates too,' so I assume you are pirates, huh." Kuro said, a cunning thought flashing in his mind.
"How about this—you guys help me take over this mansion?" Kuro said with a smile. "The plan's simple. You kill that guy and the kids." He pointed at Usopp and his crew.
"After that, I forcefully get the document signed from that girl, declaring this whole property and wealth as mine. Then you guys kill her… then this butler." He tightened his grip around Merry, who struggled to breathe.
"In exchange, you can take half the wealth. How about it?" Kuro offered, sure they would accept—because that's how pirates are.
Though he also had another plan: to kill them through trickery after using them for now.
"Ah… hha…" Usopp looked at Luffy and the others with wide eyes. Even though their meeting was not long, he believed they were all kind people… so they wouldn't accept, right? RIGHT?
Zoro looked at Luffy with crossed arms, whereas Nami was shaking with anger. At side, Lucen was looking at his feet, lightly tapping one against the ground.
Luffy's face wasn't clearly visible to everyone because his straw hat blocked it. Kuro looked at Luffy in surprise—judging by Nami and Zoro's reaction, he knew this guy was the captain.
'That pretty boy isn't the captain?' Kuro was a smart man. The moment he realized this, his caution rose to the limit. He was ready to use his technique to run… not because he was scared, of course. He couldn't be—after all, even if they were tough, they were just a bunch of kids.
He planned to get his claws if they rejected him, then bring his crew to attact toghter.
Everyone's eyes were glued on Luffy, who finally lifted his hat with his hand. His sharp eyes glared forward as he said angrily, "HELL NO!"
"What?!" Even though Kuro was ready to be rejected, he was still a bit stunned. Luffy's rejection was too direct, without even a hint of doubt or greed.
"What kind of pirate are you?" Kuro angrily demanded. Half the wealth of Kaya was a lot of money—he had already been very generous. Even the overlords of East Blue would have been interested.
"What kind, you say? … I AM GONNA BE THE KING OF PIRATES!!" Luffy shouted loudly, causing everyone to watch him with amazement and open mouths—except his own crew, of course.
"This idiot." Nami smiled. Even though it was an extremely silly answer, the thought it conveyed was deep as the sea.[1]
Zoro smirked upon hearing Luffy's answer.
"King of Pirates? … I see. You're one of those fools. Then it means you are no pirates." Kuro understood Luffy's implication. His grip around Merry tightened.
"I was hoping to resolve it as peacefully as possible, but it seems like it's not possible… it seems I have to change… MY PLAN!" Kuro said. But thinking about how long he had planned this, he just couldn't restrain himself.
"MERRY, NOOO!!!" Kaya shouted, her eyes wide open, big tears dropping down her face.
Piiman, Ninjin, and Tamanegi hugged each other, watching everything with fearful eyes. Usopp tried to stand, but his legs refused to obey him. His eyes were bloodshot as he watched with a helpless expression.
Zoro unsheathed his sword. Luffy glared with wide, angry eyes as he formed a fist with one hand, spinning it.
Kuro smiled evilly as he watched Merry desperately try to escape, though he wasn't careless—his legs were rapidly tapping the ground.
"Not good… he's using that thing again." Nami said helplessly. If only she had the Wind God Fan in her hand. Before coming here, she had given it back to Lucen—carrying a leaf nearly half her own size was very unladylike…
WHOOSHING—
A fast wind blew past Nami, Luffy, and Zoro—straight toward Kuro.
"GOT YOU, FUCKER!"
Kuro's smile faded, replaced with shock and horror. A hand that kept growing larger in his vision grabbed his face tightly. His grip on Merry loosened. Kuro's head slammed into the ground, creating a hole. Dust particles filled the air.
Lucen straightened his back, cleaning the dust off his hand.
"Heheh, it seems I still need some practice," Lucen laughed.
Zoro and Luffy's mouths almost dropped in shock.
"He moved so fast… much faster than before," Nami mumbled in disbelief.
Cough, cough
Merry coughed as he held his neck. Kaya snapped out of her shock when she heard it, jumping out of the window and running toward him.
"Merry… Merry… sob… sob…" She lifted his head into her lap.
"Miss Kaya, calm cough down… yo-you sho-shouldn't be so worked up," Merry said weakly.
Usopp finally stood up, wobbling, blood dripping down from his head.
"Haa… haa…" Kuro suddenly started laughing lightly. Everyone turned to look at him.
"You think you can stop me?" He lifted his bloody head up from the hole.
"My plan is already ruined, but it's okay." He wobbly stood up.
"This guy is stubborn," Nami said with irritation.
"I just have to kill you all… and everyone in THIS VILLAGE! HAHAHAH!" Kuro laughed like a madman.
"MY CREW IS ALREADY NEAR THIS ISLAND! YOU CAN SAY GOODBYE TO EVERYONE HERE! HAHAHA!" Kuro shouted like he had lost all reason—but it wasn't truly the case. He was just trying to find an opening to escape for now.
Afterward, he would get his weapon. Then he would kill every single one of them.
"WHAT?!" Kaya, Merry, Usopp, and his crew looked at Kuro with horror. Meanwhile, Luffy, Lucen, and Nami glared at him angrily, gritting their teeth. Zoro's sharp, cold eyes rested on him, his hand gripping his sword.
'Now's my chance.' While everyone was emotionally distracted, Kuro began using his Pussyfoot technique.
Zoro noticed it, unsheathed his sword, and charged at Kuro. He launched a slash—but his blade cut through nothing.
"WHAT THE—?!" Zoro's eyes widened.
Kuro's image had faded—it was only an afterimage that Zoro attacked. Everyone finally realized.
"DAMN IT, THAT BASTARD ESCAPED!" Luffy shouted angrily.
"Hmm… I can't use it instantly," Lucen muttered, looking down at his feet. At the last moment, he had wanted to use that technique, but it required rapidly tapping the ground.
To Be Continued
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A/N-
Sorry for vanshing like that I realllllly mean it. I try to update a chapter every alternate day.
[1] Luffy answered Kuro's question by indirectly that he is a pirate that follow dream.