Bang—!
"Well—!"
Usopp was knocked to the ground by a pirate swinging a massive stone hammer.
"Did you think you could hold us off?" the pirate sneered, towering over him.
"Let's go, Captain Kuro is still waiting for us!" the man shouted to the others.
Usopp gritted his teeth through the pain and grabbed the pirate's ankle.
"Don't leave!"
Bang! Bang!
The pirate kicked Usopp twice in the head. "Let go, you little brat!"
Then he raised his stone hammer high, ready to smash him.
Bang—!
"Uh—!"
Before the hammer could come down, Nami darted in and smacked the pirate away, knocking him to the ground.
"You woman—!"
Bang—Thud!
Another pirate rushed Nami with a knife. She blocked, but he kicked her hard, sending her tumbling into the grass.
"It hurts!" Nami groaned, clutching her side.
"You two don't know how to live or die. In this case, you should—"
"Boys, ignore them and head for the village!" another pirate barked.
"Have you forgotten this is Captain Kuro's plan? If we mess up, we're dead!"
"Do you understand? You idiots!"
Just as the pirate was about to say he'd kill the two of them, Jango's voice called from the bottom of the slope.
Da-da-da—
The pirates ignored Usopp and Nami, charging toward the village.
Whoosh—Bang—!
"Ugh—!"
Out of nowhere, a figure slammed into the charging pirates, sending them flying back down the slope—right over Usopp's head.
"What's going on, Captain Jango?" one pirate groaned.
"We didn't hear anything about someone like this in the village!"
The dazed pirates looked accusingly at Jango, as if to say, 'You should've warned us!'
Nami pushed herself up, eyes narrowing.
"Finally… you're here."
Zoro rested the back of his sword against his neck.
"What were those weaklings just now?"
"Who knows? It's still not enough for me to vent my anger!" Luffy panted—he was exhausted from running from the village.
Lock stepped out from behind Zoro, combing his hair lazily.
"Don't be so dismissive, Zoro. To ordinary people, they're dangerous enough. They can't stand up to us."
Zoro snapped at Nami.
"Nami! How dare you use me and Lock as stepping stones!"
Lock gently patted Zoro's shoulder.
"Alright, alright. Didn't I tell you not to get angry?"
"…Fine. Since you said so." Zoro let out a slow breath and calmed down.
Then Lock turned to Nami.
"But next time, can you stay put for a moment? If you'd waited a second longer, all three of us would've arrived together—and you wouldn't be lying in the dirt."
"Sorry~ I know~ I won't do it again~" Nami said, clasping her hands apologetically.
Luffy yelled at Usopp.
"Usopp! You idiot! Why didn't you tell me which way north was before you ran off?!"
Outside the mansion —
"It's so slow," Klahadore muttered impatiently, sitting on the steps.
He stood, shoving his hands into his pockets, eyes narrowing with malice.
"How dare you take this long? Since you've forgotten your place… I'll kill you all."
Carrying a small bag, he began walking toward the coast.
Back on the slope, Usopp looked from the pile of groaning pirates to Luffy's group.
"Are you guys always this strong?"
Luffy pressed his straw hat down with one hand, fist clenched in the other.
"Hey! What's this 'north' nonsense? How should I know where it is?!"
"You were the one who ran off first, all confident!" Usopp shot back.
Luffy paused, realizing that… yeah, that was true.
"…I just roughly knew."
At the bottom of the slope, Jango glanced up at the sun.
"It's already morning… Captain Kuro's getting impatient." A shiver ran down his spine.
Clapping his hands, he called out,
"Hey! Don't tell me you were beaten by just two little brats!"
The pirates staggered back to their feet.
"Listen up! We don't have time to waste here. If the enemy's strong, then we'll be stronger!"
He swung the hypnotic ring in his hand.
"Focus on the ring! When I say 'One, two, Jango!' your wounds will heal and your strength will multiply!"
"What's he doing?" Luffy asked.
Nami rolled her eyes.
"Hypnosis. He thinks he can make them stronger with it. Idiot."
"Stronger… stronger…" Luffy muttered, his eyes glued to the swinging ring.
"One, two, Jango!"
Ooooooooh—!
The pirates suddenly straightened, energy surging through them.
Boom—!
Rumble—!
One pirate punched the nearby cliff wall—four or five meters high—and shattered a huge chunk of it.
Zoro's eyes widened.
"He broke the cliff… that's some power."
Nami's voice dropped to a whisper.
"Hypnosis… worked?"
"If one of them can do that, what about all of them?" Usopp stammered.
"Don't panic. Luffy's here. If he can't handle it, I'll take over," Zoro said.
"Go! Defeat anyone in your way!" Jango ordered.
The pirates charged, eyes blazing, straight toward Lock and the others.
Da-da-da—