The morning after Kuro's defeat, Luffy and Zoro's bodies were still wrapped in bandages in various places. Despite this, their spirits remained unbroken. While most villagers were still asleep, Peter had been awake since dawn.
He remembered the story's plot—Kuro's subordinates were supposed to arrive on the island around the same time as the Straw Hat crew. However, due to Peter's presence, the Straw Hats had arrived at least a day earlier. That meant the Black Cat Pirates would likely arrive today if nothing had gone wrong.
He slipped out of Kaya's mansion quietly and made his way to the high cliffs on the eastern side of the island. Based on Usopp's stories, there were two coves on the island.
One was commonly used by villagers for traveling to other islands or fishing, while the other was at the back of the island—where they had moored their ship yesterday. Peter suspected the Black Cat Pirates would appear there, just as in the original story.
From the steep cliff where Usopp had ambushed them before, Peter hid among the thick bushes. From this vantage point, he could see the vast waters around Syrup Village. And sure enough—hidden behind a secluded rock formation was a pirate ship flying the Black Cat flag.
"Just as I suspected," Peter murmured. Kuro's crew had come to retrieve their captain as planned.
Acting quickly, Peter used his ability and in an instant found himself back in the village. He found Usopp inspecting the preparations for the Going Merry.
"Usopp, gather the others! There are still some rats hiding around!" Peter said urgently.
Soon after, in Kaya's living room, Peter explained the situation to the entire crew. "They're hiding in the Northern Coral Cove. I estimate about thirty of them, including Kuro's first mate—Jango, the hypnotist."
Luffy tightened his bandages. "Then let's take them all down!"
Zoro already had his hand on his sword's hilt. "Perfect timing. Yesterday's fight was unsatisfying. I hope they're strong enough."
...
Since Peter wanted to conserve his energy for the fight, he didn't teleport everyone. They all followed Usopp through a secret path to the hidden cove. From the cliff top, they could see the Black Cat Pirates' ship moored peacefully below.
"Here's the plan," Peter whispered. "I'll teleport onto the ship first and cause some chaos. Attack from land when they panic."
Before anyone could protest, Peter vanished and reappeared on the ship's deck. Using the swordsmanship Zoro had taught him over the past few days, he began attacking the unsuspecting crew members.
*Slash*
Peter cut down an unwary pirate on the deck. With a simple slash, blood sprayed from the unfortunate man's neck.
Chaos erupted. Surprised pirates came pouring out from the cabins. Right then, Luffy, Zoro, Usopp, and Nami attacked from above.
An intense battle ensued. Usopp used his slingshot with impressive precision, while Nami threw rocks from the cliff to disrupt the enemy formation.
The pirates, annoyed by the two, grew furious, but the cliff was too high and steep—they could only move as far away from it as possible.
Luffy and Zoro, though still injured, fought with amazing courage. Luffy smashed dozens of pirates with his rubber arms, showing no signs of strain.
Meanwhile, Zoro faced a slightly tougher situation, though still within his capabilities. He fought the Meowban Brothers with his three swords.
Peter used his teleportation strategically, appearing and disappearing among the pirates, cutting them down with his still-amateur but deadly sword skills.
Just as the battle seemed one-sided and pirates fell one by one, a strange sound came from the ship's stern. "Hypnotize... Hypnotize... You are all hungry cats!"
Jango, the first mate, appeared with a swinging pendulum in his hand. Some crew members affected by his hypnosis suddenly changed behavior, attacking with maddened, cat-like movements.
"Be careful!" Peter shouted from afar. "Don't look at the pendulum!"
But the warning came too late. Luffy, the idiot, was already fixated on Jango's pendulum. His eyes turned fierce as he charged at the pirates like a madman.
"This idiot!!!" Zoro, Nami, Usopp, and Peter complained simultaneously.
"Hahaha, kill all these intruders before Captain Kuro arrives and kills us!" Jango then turned his attention to Luffy, ready to strike him with his oddly-shaped sharp pendulum.
Peter suddenly appeared behind him, aiming for Jango's neck while he was distracted. However, Jango suddenly spun around, swinging his pendulum backward as if he had anticipated this attack.
*Swish*
The pendulum made a sound as if cutting through the air, but Peter had already vanished from the spot.
"Tch, what kind of weird ability does this kid have? So troublesome." Now Peter stood far from the battle area, panting heavily. Cold sweat covered his forehead, and his heart pounded like a war drum.
"Huff...huff...That was close...Jango set a trap for me. I'm still too careless." Peter tried to calm himself. He watched as Luffy nearly finished off the small fry while Zoro continued his fierce fight with the Meowban Brothers, though he still had the upper hand.
Peter didn't immediately seek out Jango for a rematch. He knew his combat experience was limited. So he devised a strategy in his mind—the most effective way to use his teleportation in battle.
As he saw the situation improving with the defeat of the Black Cat Pirates, Peter knew the battle was nearing its end. He didn't want to leave his first real opponent to Zoro and Luffy.
After formulating a quick plan, he vanished again and reappeared in front of Jango, who remained vigilant against him.
True enough, the moment Peter appeared before him, Jango immediately swung his pendulum to strike. The weapon once again cut through the air, as if ready to slice through anything in its path.
But that was exactly what Peter wanted. As the attack came, Peter vanished once more and appeared behind Jango, his left hand holding the scabbard and his right hand gripping the sword's hilt.
This was the quick-draw technique Zoro had taught him during their spare time.
*Crisp*
With a swift slash, Jango's neck sprayed blood—a clearly fatal wound. Peter didn't linger on the strike and immediately moved away, observing Jango's condition.
"You... damn brat!" Jango grunted weakly before collapsing to the ground, blood still flowing from his neck.
The sun shone brighter, bringing warmth to the cold beach. The Straw Hat crew stood among the wrecked pirate ship and the defeated pirates. Most of the pirates had been killed by Peter and Zoro, while the rest lay unconscious, their bodies covered in wounds.
"We... did it," Usopp panted.
Peter collapsed to the ground but was immediately supported by Zoro. "Your swordsmanship still sucks," Zoro said dismissively. "But your teleportation ability is truly terrifying," he added, his tone turning serious at the end.
Nami stared at Luffy who was still hypnotized, she then marched over to Luffy, who was still snarling and trying to fight imaginary enemies. With a long-suffering sigh, she drew back her fist.
"WAKE UP, YOU IDIOT!" she yelled, and delivered a powerful, money-conscious punch straight to the top of his head.
Luffy's eyes instantly swirled back to normal. He blinked, looking around at the defeated pirates and his fuming navigator. "Huh? What happened? Did I miss the meat?" he asked, completely oblivious.
Usopp sighed in relief from the sidelines. Zoro just sheathed his swords with a quiet "Tch," a slight smirk on his face. Another crisis was over, and their strange, chaotic family was, for the moment, intact.