The lively banquet came to an abrupt halt.
Everyone turned to look at Kuro, then at Gawain, gradually realizing what was happening.
"Hey, Kuro, we—!"
Fat Cat Buchi opened his mouth to speak, but was quickly pulled back by Gin.
In a pirate crew, it was normal for subordinates to challenge the captain—especially someone like Kuro, who had once been a captain himself and was used to being in control.
All eyes shifted to Gawain.
"Alright,"
Gawain said with a calm smile. He slowly reached for the Seikō Masamune beside him and added,
"I'll humor you."
"Hmph."
Kuro smirked.
"That arrogance of yours is still infuriating. Let's see if you're still smiling after you lose."
He then added, with a mocking grin,
"Oh, and don't cry when you lose~"
Gawain blinked, then sighed as he recalled saying something similar last time.
"You really hold a grudge, don't you?"
A wide space was quickly cleared in the middle of the banquet area.
Food and wine were moved aside. Only the bonfire in the center remained, flickering like the growing fire in Kuro's heart.
A wave of heat washed over the area.
The two stood opposite each other, saying nothing, drawing their weapons in silence. In their eyes, there was only each other.
The air grew thick with a tense, killing aura.
Sham's forehead broke into a cold sweat. He hurriedly pulled Buchi back several steps.
Jango followed suit and stepped back beside them.
"Jango, Buchi—who do you think will win?" Sham asked.
"Of course the captain," Buchi replied without hesitation.
"Last time, Kuro was completely overpowered. He couldn't even resist."
"True," Sham nodded.
But Jango frowned slightly as he kept his eyes on Kuro.
"I'm not so sure."
"What?!" Sham stared in disbelief.
"With the captain's strength? Even if Kuro's improved, it can't be that much. I heard from our guys who fought in the Raven Harbor battle—even against a Devil Fruit user, the captain still had the upper hand. That's monstrous power."
Jango spun the ring-blade knife between his fingers and spoke with an unusual seriousness.
"I heard from Gin that Kuro awakened a power during their fight—something called Observation Haki. It greatly boosts perception. Not only can he perfectly control 'Death Walk', he's pushing it to a new level entirely."
"At that speed, if he's also maneuverable… even a monster like the captain might not be unbeatable."
The Cat Brothers went quiet.
If they had a choice, they'd always follow Gawain.
After all, everyone knew what it was like serving under Gawain—calm, steady, dependable. And what it was like under Kuro—volatile and dangerous. The kind of captain who'd sacrifice his own crew without hesitation.
"Captain won't lose."
They both thought silently.
Most of the crew felt the same.
Kuro noticed their expressions and turned to Gawain with a smirk.
"You're a popular captain," he said, "but too bad. I'll be the one winning tonight."
Then, without warning, he lunged forward.
With a stomp that shattered the stone beneath him, Kuro launched himself with explosive speed, entering Death Walk mode in an instant.
High-speed motion distorted the world around him. Sound and color blurred together. His skin stung as the air burned against him—proof of the extreme velocity.
His senses overloaded. He shut his eyes.
And then—his Observation Haki surged.
In the darkness behind closed lids, everything came into focus—every ripple of movement, every breath, every heartbeat.
And at the center of it all…
Gawain.
"I see you, Gawain!"
"The last barrier limiting my Death Walk is gone. My speed is reaching its true peak!"
"Is that so?"
Gawain responded coolly, his face unreadable—though inwardly, he hesitated.
How much strength should he use to win… without seriously hurting Kuro?
Forget it. I'll test it out first.
In the blink of an eye, Gawain thrust Seikō Masamune forward—meeting Kuro's incoming claws head-on.
Clang!
The sound of metal striking metal split the air. The force was so great that nearby onlookers instinctively covered their ears.
Kuro felt a tremendous impact reverberate through his arms. His claws trembled—and with a sickening crack, several of his blades fractured.
The next moment, he was flung like a ragdoll, crashing into a wooden building in the distance.
Boom!
A thunderous explosion rocked the area. For a moment, everyone was frozen.
"...No way."
"Was the captain always this strong?" Jango muttered, slack-jawed.
Sure, Gawain had countered Kuro's Death Walk before—but not like this. Not with such overwhelming dominance.
Yes, Kuro has gotten stronger.
But Gawain was growing even faster!
Jango felt a chill run through him.
If the strength gap between Gawain and the rest of them continued to grow... then eventually, they'd no longer be useful to him. They'd go from helpers to burdens.
And then it struck him.
Raven Harbor… is the fallback plan. The retreat Gawain prepared for us.
Even if they couldn't follow him to the Grand Line, they wouldn't have to scrape and fight just to survive in the East Blue.
He turned slowly toward the Cat Brothers.
"Hey, Buchi. Sham."
They looked at him. "Hm?"
Jango removed his signature star-shaped sunglasses, rubbed his eyes, then put them back on.
The fire flickered in front of him.
The Cat Brothers couldn't see his expression—only hear the weight in his voice.
"I get it now. Raven Harbor is the refuge Captain Gawain left for us—his ordinary crew."
"Even if we can't keep up someday, we'll still have a safe place to live."
"No matter how this fight ends... I'm with Captain Gawain. What about you?"
The two looked at each other, then grinned.
"Isn't that obvious?"
"Captain Gawain is built different!"
Off to the side, Gin silently watched the exchange.
A small smile formed on his lips.
"So…"
"Kuro."
"You've already lost—before the fight even truly began."
"No matter the result…"
"This is Captain Gawain's crew."