"Aren't they on the same side? What's going on here?"
Luffy stared in shock as more and more of the pirates ahead collapsed, bloodied and defeated.
"Captain Kuro, stop! Why are you attacking us too?"
"We're your crew! Captain Kuro!"
The pirates on the slope panicked as they saw their comrades being slashed down by Kuro, one after another, their blood staining the ground. They screamed for him to stop—voices filled with confusion and anguish.
These pirates had come to fight for Kuro, only to be betrayed. Shock turned into heartbreak and rage. Even if they were ruthless criminals, being cut down by their own captain was a cruel betrayal. No one would pity them, but their fury was real.
"Don't call me Captain Kuro anymore. I spent three years trying to abandon that name."
Kuro's voice was cold and chilling. In a blink, he cut down several more pirates.
"That bastard... After hypnosis, not only is he ignoring pain, but he's also much faster. This is going to be a problem."
Alex sat on the ground, unable to track Kuro's high-speed movements. He'd at least been able to sense him before—but now, Kuro moved so fast he vanished entirely from his senses.
Next to him, Nami had done a quick job wrapping his wounds. She tried several times to convince him to leave, but she knew he wouldn't listen. This man was never one to back down.
Alex's wounds weren't as severe as back in Orange Town, but they were numerous. Even Nami was disturbed by how brutal they looked.
Clang! Clink! Clang! Clink!
The sounds of metal hitting the ground echoed constantly. From the slope, sparks flew where Kuro's cat-claw blades scraped the earth—proof of his terrifying speed.
"Kuro! This wasn't the deal! How could you attack your own men?!"
Jango was furious watching his comrades fall. When Kuro asked to be hypnotized earlier, he'd been shocked. Three years ago, back when Kuro was still captain of the Black Cat Pirates, he'd never once allowed Jango to hypnotize him. He was too cautious for that.
But now, Kuro had been brutalized by Alex, both physically and emotionally. Alex's words had hit him harder than the punches. Being called a coward who couldn't even face his past—that stung.
Kuro's family had been slaughtered by pirates. As a child, he'd been left to suffer, wandering without purpose. Deep inside, he hated pirates. That's why he looked down on Usopp—for being a pirate's son.
And yet, despite his hatred, he used piracy as a tool. He even led a pirate crew, all for the sake of one day living peacefully again.
That contradiction burned at his soul.
Alex's brutal truth hit him hard—Kuro hadn't really changed. He'd clung to his pirate habits all these years. No matter how he tried to escape it, he was still a pirate.
When Alex beat him down and exposed that truth, Kuro lost it. Before falling unconscious, he begged Jango to hypnotize him. His rage had overtaken all reason.
Three years ago, Kuro devised a plan to steal Kaya's fortune. And now, three years later, it was being ruined—by other pirates no less. He succeeded and failed by pirates alike.
It infuriated him. Kuro felt like his entire life had been ruined by piracy.
Now, all he wanted was to kill everyone here—leave no one alive!
"Shut your mouths. I'll finish every last one of you. And Jango—you're next!"
Kuro slashed down two more pirates as he said this, eyes wild.
"You're joking, right?! Kuro?!"
Jango paled. In that moment, he deeply regretted hypnotizing Kuro. At the time, Kuro was nearly unconscious—he'd lost to Alex. But somehow, he'd grabbed Jango's leg and screamed for hypnosis. Jango hadn't thought it through—he just obeyed.
Now? The entire crew was paying for it.
"Captain Kuro, please stop!"
"We can still go after the village! Your plan can still work!"
The pirates could barely see Kuro, let alone touch him. Fear twisted their faces. Despair spread fast.
"Don't worry. My plan won't fail. I never intended to let any of you live once it was done."
Kuro's icy confession shattered whatever hope they had left.
"You're insane. I've never seen a worse pirate crew."
Luffy muttered as sparks burst beside his feet.
"Hmph. Pirates? They're just wild dogs banded together," Kuro sneered, still a blur. "Crew are pawns. Their lives rest in the captain's hand. No matter the cost—my plan must not fail. They exist to be sacrificed."
Even as he spoke, Kuro continued slashing through his own crew, each strike nearly fatal.
"Captain Kuro! Please!"
"We'll do anything! Just stop this!"
Their pleas only earned them more wounds.
"Just let me hypnotize that woman like your plan says! She'll write the will—we don't need to kill anyone else!"
Desperate, Jango looked up the slope toward Alex and Nami. Gritting his teeth, he charged.
"Out of the way, kid! Or I'll kill you!"
Though Jango had once feared Alex after taking a powerful punch, now he had no choice. His crew's lives were on the line.
"You're barely better than that garbage captain. But I'm not in the mood to waste time with you."
Alex stood, grabbing the fishing rod nearby.
When Jango threw his spinning ring blade, Alex deflected it with the rod. Then he extended it, flicking the hook forward—snagging the back of Jango's collar.
With a heave, Alex flung Jango behind him into the forest. A loud thud echoed, followed by a chorus of birds fleeing the trees.
He wasn't being merciful. He just didn't have the strength left to fight Jango. Right now, Kuro was the real threat.
Besides, even if Jango did head for Syrup Village—Zoro was there. He could handle it.
"You damn butler! Show yourself!"
Down below, Luffy watched Kuro mercilessly slice through pirate after pirate. Even their cries for mercy only made Kuro attack harder.
"You and that fishing rod guy—I'll deal with both of you!"
Kuro hissed. His claws had already cut into Luffy several times.
"This is all your fault. Because of you, my men are suffering."
Even after hypnosis, Kuro seemed to be able to control his targets better now—his attacks more precise and deadly.
By now, nearly the entire Black Cat crew lay on the ground, drenched in blood, moaning in pain.
"What do your comrades mean to you?!"
Luffy had had enough. Kuro's cold disregard for his own crew ignited a fire in him.
"Urgh!!"
Hearing Luffy's furious roar, Alex's pupils turned blood red. His heart pounded. Strength returned to his exhausted limbs.
Nami saw it too—his eyes changing again. Those dark crimson irises locked on Kuro.
He was ready to go all out again.
"So fast… I can't even tell where he is…"
Luffy stood still, trying to find Kuro. He had attacked multiple times, but Luffy couldn't pinpoint him.
Before hypnosis, he might have managed. But now, all he could see were blurs—afterimages left behind.
He tried attacking the scratches Kuro's claws left in the ground, but he was always too slow. Blood now stained Luffy's red vest, but he kept going.
"Why are you all standing in my way?! Why do you keep ruining my plans?!"
Kuro's voice was trembling with rage. How could Luffy and Alex—both injured—still fight him like nothing happened?
"You can't beat me! I'll never lose to a pirate who abandoned his name and ran from the sea! I'm going to be King of the Pirates!"
Luffy's right arm stretched behind him like a whip. "My ambition… is far bigger than yours!"
-------------------------
Support me so I can keep bringing you more chapters! Your comments, reviews, and power stones mean a lot.
To Access 40+ Advance chapters head over to Patreon:
patreon .com / Samorash
~~Do leave a comment!