"I don't believe it!"
Kuro clenched his teeth, swallowed the blood rising in his throat, and activated the Death Walk once more. His entire body vanished into a blur, dissolving into the air like a phantom.
The technique known as Shaving was fast—he'd fought opponents who could keep up with its speed before.
But his Dealk Walk was something else entirely.
To achieve such exaggerated speed, Kuro had sacrificed perception and control. In return, he gained a wild, uncontrollable blitz—more than twice as fast as Shaving.
"Humans can't keep up with this speed!"
His voice echoed across the battlefield.
Once again, his clawed blades slashed indiscriminately through the air. From mast to railing, everything in sight was torn apart in the blink of an eye.
Fueled by rage, Kuro moved even faster—three times faster than before.
But in his blurred vision, the figure standing in the center of the deck remained unmoved. As steady as a mountain, his mere presence exuded a crushing pressure.
"You won't die if you don't land a hit on me."
"I will!" Kuro snarled, baring his fangs. He raised his arms to shield his face, claws flaring out to the sides. The air hissed as his blades sliced through it.
"DIE!"
The words had barely left his lips when he launched himself toward Gawain like a comet.
His vision, clouded and distorted, still managed to find those eyes—calm and devoid of emotion.
He actually saw him!
The realization sent a jolt of terror through Kuro's body.
Then, Gawain's cold voice whispered into his ear—no louder than a breath, yet unshakably clear.
"Kuro... the upper limit of humanity is far greater than you imagine."
The words landed like a hammer.
A silver-white light bloomed in Kuro's field of vision, and he realized, with dread, that Gawain had simply placed his sword directly in Kuro's path.
But in his Death Walk state, Kuro had almost no control over his movements. He could only sense his enemy's location and vaguely steer himself.
This distance—he couldn't dodge it!
He was going to be cut in half.
In that instant, memories flashed before him—of the bodies he had torn apart, of the captain he had killed to seize command.
Perhaps... he had always known this day would come.
And now, at the end of it all, Kuro realized something else—he was tired.
Tired of being a pirate.
But pirates don't grow old. They only die.
"Tch—!"
The impact came.
But the icy chill of death never arrived.
Instead, a large, calloused hand with defined joints pressed against his chest.
"Cough!"
Kuro coughed up blood. Though he had been spared from being sliced in two, the sudden stop—at such velocity—was like being struck by a cannonball.
He could feel at least five ribs broken. His lungs burned. Every breath felt like fire.
Clang.
A long sword rested on his shoulder. The blade, chipped and bent from the clash, looked barely functional—but the man holding it radiated an aura that demanded awe.
"The East Blue is too small... for either of us," Gawain said calmly.
"Become my deputy, Kuro."
He meant every word.
It wasn't just about power—Gawain genuinely wanted Kuro to join him.
Even ignoring potential, Kuro's intellect alone was enough reason. He was one of the sharpest minds Gawain had encountered—a strategist of the highest class.
Then came the system window, visible only to Gawain:
[Name – Kuro]
[Potential – Bronze]
[Rating – Black Iron]
Note: "Exceptional footwork talent. Physical attributes slightly lag behind. However, Black Iron is not his limit."
Yes.
Other than himself, Kuro was the only one Gawain had seen with the potential to surpass the Black Iron rank.
According to system standards, a Bronze-tier individual raised to their peak could rival a Navy officer—or become a pirate with a bounty exceeding 100 million Berries. Kuro could easily serve as a high-ranking member in a major crew.
And Gawain was particularly interested in his Death Walk.
Some compared it to the Navy's Six Styles—specifically Shaving—but Gawain disagreed. They weren't even the same category.
If he had to describe it, Shaving was akin to teleporting—short bursts of extreme acceleration via rapid footwork.
Death Walk, by contrast, maintained continuous high-speed movement. It had far more destructive potential, but also a glaring flaw: it was uncontrollable.
This flaw reminded Gawain of Cavendish's second persona—Hakuba.
Both achieved blinding speed that ordinary people couldn't match, but both came with severe limitations.
Still, Gawain believed that Death Walk's ceiling was higher.
After all, if one could fix the perception issue during high-speed movement, Death Walk's weaknesses could be completely eliminated.
And Gawain just so happened to know how.
"Heh..."
Kuro chuckled weakly, his face betraying a mix of exhaustion and relief.
"So this is how I go, huh...? What a pathetic end~"
"Hahahahahaha—!"
His hoarse laughter echoed over the sea.
The members of the Black Cat Pirates, who had barely survived, crept back onto the deck.
But what they saw was far from what they expected.
Kuro—half-kneeling, bloodied—had accepted defeat with a smile.
Gawain stood before him, his expression unreadable, tinged only with faint regret.
"He cracked the Death Walk? No way! How could anyone keep up with that speed?"
Sham fired off questions, struggling to process what had just happened. Were it not for the pain from his wounds, he might've thought it a hallucination.
Yet there Kuro was, motionless on the deck. No illusions. No tricks.
"Knight Gawain... I've heard of him before. He only had an 8-million bounty. How is he this strong?" Buchi muttered, slowly rising to his feet.
A sudden breeze swept across the sea, sending a stray bounty poster fluttering against Buchi's face.
He grabbed it and glanced at it casually—only for his hands to start shaking uncontrollably.
"F-F-F-F-F-Forty-eight million!?"
"What do you mean, forty-eight million?"
Sam leaned in, eyes scanning the poster. He glanced back at the man standing tall in the distance.
A chill raced down his spine.
"Knight Gawain. Bounty... 48 million Berries? Wasn't Arlong the highest in the East Blue? When did this guy show up!?"
"I..."
But then Gawain's gaze swept toward them.
The Cat Brothers instantly raised their hands in surrender, abandoning their cat-claw weapons to appear as harmless as possible.
"We surrender!"
"Captain Gawain, we have influence in the East Blue! We can be useful to you!"
Gawain didn't answer. Instead, he turned to Kuro and said coldly:
"That hypnotist, Jango, has already surrendered. He gave up your entire crew's information."
"Kuro... you have no cards left to play."