"I'll take these pirates!"
Just as Eric triumphantly tied up Jango and the two Meowban Brothers, Victor Shaw tossed a heavy sack of Berries in his direction.
The bag hit the deck with a soft thump neatly stacked and tightly bound.
Ten million Berries.
Each bill was in high-denomination notes ten thousand Berries each. Only ten neat stacks.
"No problem! No problem at all!" Eric grinned ear to ear.
He scooped up the money without hesitation.
After all, Jango's bounty was only nine million Berries, and the Meowban Brothers were worth a combined seven million. He was already ahead.
And true to form, greedy Eric didn't offer to split the reward with Van Auger.
He kept it all for himself.
Van Auger said nothing. He simply glanced at Eric, calm and indifferent.
But the mood shifted the moment Eric noticed something strange
Zango and the Meowban Brothers were being fitted with slave collars.
Suddenly, he felt the weight of Victor's and Van Auger's eyes on him.
Something cold trickled down the back of his neck.
A chill.
…
With the Black Cat Pirates secured, the three royal battleships now joined by the pirate ship flying a Goa Kingdom flag set course for Syrup Village.
Not long after they left the scene
A burst of chaos erupted in the air behind them.
BOOM!
The cannonballs and wind blades that Victor had previously banished in the middle of combat suddenly reappeared, bursting from the sky and crashing into the sea.
A massive explosion followed, stirring up waves and spraying seawater into the air.
The scene was surreal.
Even the sea trembled at the power of Victor's Time Banishment.
…
Syrup Village.
Four warships sailed into the peaceful little port, their towering masts casting long shadows over the coastline.
Victor, who had spent most of the journey quietly cultivating, finally stood and disembarked.
He intended to confront Kuro of a Hundred Plans in person the pirate known for the stealth technique Silent Step.
"Wait, His Majesty is getting involved himself?"
"Man, that means I'm missing out on a big one," Eric muttered with regret. "Kuro's bounty is sixteen million Berries…"
Still, he was secretly eager.
He wanted to see how strong this King of Goa truly was.
A pirate like Kuro with a bounty of sixteen million was considered elite in the East Blue.
If Victor could take him down without breaking a sweat, then his strength might far exceed even Eric's worst fears.
"Kuro's bounty was canceled long ago," Van Auger said quietly, slinging his rifle over his shoulder.
He watched Eric with cold eyes.
This fool still hadn't realized it he was already marked.
Van Auger was certain:
If Eric refused to officially join Victor's command, he'd be collared just like the others.
Victor Shaw didn't tolerate defiance.
If you weren't obedient, you'd be enslaved.
If you resisted?
You'd be banished.
…
Meanwhile, in Syrup Village, Usopp and the children spotted the warships arriving.
They immediately turned and sprinted back to Kaya's mansion.
"Oh no! Oh no!"
"There's an army landing in the village!"
Victor, flanked by his elite escort, began marching calmly through the town.
The rest of the Goa Royal Guard had already fanned out, sealing off the entire village.
Usopp sprinted through the village, waving his arms and yelling in a panic, startling the peaceful townsfolk along the way.
"An army's landing in the village!! Run!!"
One annoyed villager scowled at him.
"It's not pirates, you fool it's an army. What're you screaming for?"
Usopp skidded to a halt mid-run.
"Oh… right. Not pirates. So why am I panicking?"
Then he froze.
His eyes widened in horror.
"Wait NO! Onion Head! Hide the pirate flag!!"
He shouted frantically at one of his little "subordinates."
That's right.
In Syrup Village, he was known as the legendary Captain Usopp, commander of the fearsome Usopp Pirates, who supposedly commanded eight thousand men.
But now?
Now he was wondering if those soldiers were actually here for him.
A cold sweat ran down his back.
No way… They're not here to arrest me… are they?
…
Meanwhile, at the entrance of Kaya's mansion, a tall, gloomy figure stepped out.
It was the butler Klahadore.
Or rather Kuro of a Hundred Plans, hiding under a false name.
He scowled as he watched Usopp yell his way through the village.
That lying, long-nosed brat again… always pestering Kaya.
Could he have sensed something?
But the moment Kuro saw the figures following Usopp his face changed drastically.
He knew those silhouettes.
Even from this distance, he recognized Whirlwind Eric and Van Auger.
Two of the most notorious bounty hunters in the entire East Blue.
Especially Eric that lunatic.
"Damn it! Who sold me out?!"
"Was it Zango and those useless fools?!"
Kuro's eyes darkened.
He turned on his heel and bolted, retreating into the mansion like a shadow.
For over a year, he had hidden here in Syrup Village, biding his time, waiting to steal Kaya's family fortune and disappear cleanly.
He had faked his death, erased his pirate identity, and vanished from the Marine's radar.
Everything had gone according to plan.
Until now.
And it's them the bounty hunters! Already here!
This can't be a coincidence.
Zango… you traitor. If you really betrayed me, I swear I'll slice you into a thousand pieces!
Whirlwind Eric was a hunter feared by every pirate in the East Blue especially those near the Grand Line.
Even someone like Kuro, known for his precision and ruthlessness, had no confidence facing someone like Eric in direct combat.
And that didn't even factor in Van Auger a sniper whose bullets never missed.
Kuro knew this was no time to hesitate.
He moved swiftly, retreating into the mansion's interior like a shadow melting into darkness.
…
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three sharp gunshots rang out.
Van Auger had already taken position and pulled the trigger.
"Don't move, Kuro~"
The calm, mocking drawl of the sniper drifted through the wind as the battle officially began.
Just like in the future war at Marineford, Van Auger was once again the first to pull the trigger three cold shots, two to the chest, one to the head.
Even the King of Hell would shake his head at that kind of precision.
"Damn it!!"
Kuro formerly known as Klock narrowly dodged the first volley, but not without consequence.
A bloody streak opened on his shoulder.
"Don't kill me! Don't kill me!!"
Usopp, who had been watching in horror, immediately threw himself to the ground, covering his head, shaking like a leaf.
The whizzing bullets had flown so close they stirred the hairs on his neck.
He broke out in a cold sweat.
His pants felt... uncomfortably warm.
This so-called sniper, known for playing with a slingshot, had now discovered something terrifying
He was absolutely terrified of real guns.
Am I gonna die? Is this it for me?!
But the soldiers, bounty hunters, and the King himself completely ignored Usopp, stepping past him toward the mansion.
...
Inside, Kuro stumbled back to his quarters, blood trailing behind him.
Gritting his teeth, he threw open a hidden panel and retrieved a black bundle.
Ten curved blades glinted as he slid them onto each finger his infamous Ten Blades.
"You all must die!!"
His breathing was ragged, his eyes bloodshot.
He wasn't running anymore.
He would fight to the death.
If I can just get close to that damned sniper he's dead.
And then
Silent Step!
The technique that had once allowed him to slaughter an entire ship of Marines without a single sound.
Kuro's body flickered into shadow, vanishing from sight.
Like a phantom, he lunged toward Van Auger, the most dangerous target.
But…
Neither Van Auger nor Eric flinched.
They just turned to look at Victor Shaw.
The King stood at the center of the room, his arms folded, eyes calm.
"Silent Step, huh?" Victor Shaw murmured.
"But you've already stepped into my domain."
The moment the words left his mouth
Kuro's body vanished.
His afterimage disappeared, swallowed by an unseen force.
...
Not even Kuro of a Hundred Plans could escape exile?!
Eric shuddered slightly.
More than ever, he feared Victor Shaw's ability.
If this guy ever gets pissed at me… I'll disappear. Just like that. Without a trace.
He didn't want to vanish from this world.
Ever.
...
Victor Shaw took his time.
With elegance, he drew a gleaming, gold-plated flintlock pistol, engraved with the Celestial Dragon crest.
He raised it into the air aiming nowhere and pulled the trigger.
"Bang!"
And just like that
Kuro reappeared.
Right in front of everyone.
Pfft!
A shot struck his thigh dead-on, and he collapsed with a strangled gasp.
"The Celestial Dragons' imperial flintlock… Not bad, right?" Victor Shaw asked, blowing away the smoke.
Van Auger inspected the shot with a calm eye.
"More than five times stronger than standard-market flintlocks."
"Special powder. Imperial-grade bullets. Only the Celestial Dragons get this stuff."
...
"Impossible… You actually hit me…" Kuro groaned.
His face was pale, his eyes wide with disbelief.
"Even in Silent Step... even with my speed…"
He remembered clearly.
That warship he had massacred.
Not a single Marine had touched him.
He was faster than bullets back then.
"Don't believe it?" Victor Shaw asked casually.
He raised the pistol again.
"Here's another."
"Bang!"
Kuro flinched, trying to phase out
Too late.
Pfft!
Another shot slammed into his other leg.
"AAAAH!!!"
Kuro screamed, collapsing to the floor, both legs useless.
His body trembled from pain and humiliation.
Why… why can't I dodge?!
Have I really regressed that much?!
More than a year hiding in Syrup Village, pretending to be a mild-mannered butler…
Had it really made him so weak?
So slow?
...
Chapter End.