Chapter 31: We Are Partners!
On the northern slope, the atmosphere was tense as drawn swords.
Usopp pointed at the bespectacled man wearing terrifying cat claws on his hands, his voice trembling with anger and fear. "It's him! Kaya's butler, Klahadore! He really is the 'Hundred Plans' Kuro!"
"So you're Kuro!"
Luffy clenched her small fists, her large eyes blazing with fury. "I'm going to punch you flying, you scumbag who abandoned your comrades!"
However, her gaze then shifted to Jango standing beside Kuro, her face showing pure confusion:
"Huh? Jango? Why are you standing with him? Don't tell me... you've already forgiven him?"
She seemed to have completely forgotten the complicated situation about Kuro forcibly retaking control of the Black Cat Pirates that Ralph and Nami had explained earlier.
"Idiot!"
Zoro sighed helplessly, his three swords already drawn as he assumed a battle stance.
"What did you even listen to during the strategy meeting just now? This isn't about forgiveness—he's completely submitted to Kuro!"
"How could that be?"
Luffy looked even more puzzled. She turned to Kuro and asked the most direct question:
"Don't tell me... you're not planning to kill them anymore?"
This naive yet straightforward question pierced through Jango's barely maintained composure like a sharp blade.
How could he not know that Kuro would inevitably eliminate them afterward? But he was even more afraid of being crushed like an ant by Kuro right now!
He nervously glanced at Kuro beside him, terrified that these words might anger the beast.
"Shut up! Straw Hat girl! What nonsense are you talking about!"
Jango shouted at Luffy with false bravado, trying to cover up his fear. "Lord Kuro has been magnanimous, forgiving our previous offenses! We should be grateful!"
"Huh? I don't get it..." Luffy scratched her head, looking completely bewildered.
In that moment of her distraction, Jango decisively pulled out his hypnotic chakram, holding it before him and beginning a rhythmic pendulum motion.
"Look here!" Jango's voice carried hypnotic power. "When I say one, two, Jango! You'll fall asleep! One, two... Jango!"
"Lufia, watch out!" Zoro had heard about Luffy being hypnotized before and quickly shouted to warn her.
However, it was already too late.
"Thud!"
Luffy's eyes closed, and she fell straight to the ground, once again sinking into deep sleep, even emitting soft snores.
Usopp was so frightened by this bizarre scene that he retreated two steps, his face pale.
He had heard the enemy had a hypnotist, but never imagined the hypnosis could be this terrifying. He felt a wave of relief, grateful that Zoro's shout had drawn his attention earlier, preventing him from looking at the swinging ring blade.
But then, something happened that left them stunned.
Jango, who had performed the hypnosis, swayed a couple of times himself, his eyes becoming dazed before he too fell to the ground with a "thump"—he had actually hypnotized himself!
Zoro and Usopp:
What kind of nonsense is this?
"Worthless!"
Kuro's icy voice cut through the air. He mercilessly kicked Jango in the kidney. The intense pain instantly woke Jango, who let out a cry of agony.
"Haven't you fixed that habit after all these years?"
Kuro's tone was full of disgust and impatience. "Hurry up and deal with these two small fries! Do you want to make me angry?"
Jango scrambled to his feet, sweating profusely. "Yes! Yes!"
Zoro and Usopp quickly exchanged a glance.
The key to dealing with this hypnotist was to avoid looking at his pendulum!
However, Jango clearly understood his own weakness. With a flick of his wrist, the sharp ring blade whistled through the air like a disc of death, spinning rapidly toward Zoro and Usopp!
Wrist action!
"Watch out!" Zoro reacted instantly, shoving the still-dazed Usopp aside.
"Swish!"
The ring blade grazed past them, cleanly slicing through several trees as thick as bowls behind them, leaving mirror-smooth cuts!
Both stared at the fallen trees with chilled hearts. This chakram wasn't just a hypnotic tool—it was a devastating ranged weapon!
Staring at Jango meant falling under his hypnosis;
Not staring meant being unable to predict his elusive ring blade attacks!
Usopp panicked, his hands trembling as he gripped his slingshot.
"Hesitation means defeat!"
Zoro growled, his eyes sharp as an eagle's, charging forward abruptly. "When you're lost and don't know what to do... just swing your sword!"
Seeing Zoro charge, Jango immediately raised his ring blade again, attempting to activate hypnosis.
At this critical moment!
"Lead Star!"
Usopp fought back his fear, pulled his slingshot taut, and fired a hardened mud pellet. With a sharp "crack," it struck the rope controlling Jango's ring blade with precision.
"Ah!" Jango cried out in pain, his hypnotic movements instantly disrupted.
And Zoro's slash had already arrived!
"Three Sword Style: Oni Giri!"
Three fierce sword lights roared like demons, covering the area where Kuro and Jango stood!
Yet, when the sword flashes faded, they had cut nothing but air!
Kuro's figure moved like a ghost, narrowly evading the attack with ease while grabbing Jango by the collar, reappearing several meters away.
"Useless trash!" Kuro threw Jango to the ground, his tone icy. "If not for your hypnosis being somewhat useful, I'd kill you right now!"
He pointed toward the slope leading to the village and commanded, "Now, get to the mansion immediately and handle the will and that young lady! I'll deal with these two."
Adjusting his glasses, he made no attempt to conceal his killing intent. "If I don't see the will when I arrive at the mansion... you're dead!"
"Yes! Yes! I'm going right now!" Jango scrambled away as if granted a pardon, rushing headlong up the slope.
"Stop! I won't let you harm Kaya!" Usopp endured his pain, raised his slingshot, and aimed at Jango's retreating figure.
However, Jango, experienced in combat, easily dodged the attack. With a backhand swing, his ring blade swept past like a venomous snake, leaving a deep, bone-exposing gash on Usopp's shoulder!
"Argh!" Usopp cried out, stumbling backward.
Seizing the opportunity, Jango accelerated, his figure quickly disappearing into the woods at the top of the slope.
Zoro turned to intercept Jango, but Kuro's form blocked his path like a wall.
"Defeated lackey, your opponent is me." Kuro's voice dripped with undisguised mockery.
Zoro's single eye burned with unyielding flame, his three swords steadily pointed at Kuro. "This time... I won't lose again!"
The two launched their attacks almost simultaneously! Kuro's figure remained as swift as a phantom, his Cat Claws gleaming with a deadly chill as they slashed toward Zoro!
But this time, the expected scene of blood and gore did not materialize!
"Clang!"
A sharp metallic clang rang out! Zoro crossed his two swords, barely managing to block Kuro's Cat Claws!
Though forced back half a step by the immense force, his freshly bandaged chest wound seeping blood again, he had indeed blocked it!
Zoro gritted his teeth, sweat trickling down his temple. "I won't be taken down by the same move twice!"
He sharply turned his head, shouting at Usopp, who was clutching his shoulder wound, face pale, "Long-nose! Don't just stand there! Use your method to wake that idiot captain up!"
Usopp watched Zoro desperately holding off Kuro, then remembered the fleeing Jango and Kaya in critical danger. Trembling, he pulled a special ammunition from his small bag.
"Sorry... Straw Hat Girl!" Usopp aimed at Luffy, sleeping soundly on the ground, and fired!
"Stink Bomb Star!"
A projectile emitting an intense, foul stench burst open with a "smack" right on Luffy's face.
"Uwah! So stinky! What is that?!"
Luffy was instantly jolted awake by the indescribable stench, springing up like a carp leaping from water. She frantically waved her hands to dispel the smell while searching for the culprit. "Usopp! Why did you hit me with a stink bomb?! Huh? You're injured? Who did it?!"
Kuro watched as the situation instantly shifted from one against two to one against three, yet his cold face showed no trace of fear. Instead, he seemed to find it amusing.
"Hmph, I didn't expect that lying waste to be so tenacious."
He adjusted his glasses with the base of his palm. "Fine... Then I'll take care of all three of you at once!"
With that, he struck a strange pose.
He slightly lowered his head, arms hanging naturally, the ten blades of his Cat Claws pointing downward like a relaxed cat's claws. His entire aura became elusive, as if merging with the surroundings.
"Shakushi."
The next moment, his figure... completely vanished!
Zoro instantly raised his three swords in front of him, every muscle tensed. He sensed an intangible yet overwhelmingly dense killing intent permeating the air around him, like countless fine needles pricking his skin.
Luffy and Usopp widened their eyes, completely unable to spot Kuro's trace.
Then, an anomaly occurred!
Five deep, beast-like claw marks abruptly appeared on the hard rock wall beside them!
"Shrrrip!"
As if invisible blades were slashing through the air!
"It's that guy's attack! He's still here! We just can't see him!" Usopp cried out in terror.
No sooner had he spoken than—
"Thud—!"
Five bloody gashes burst open on Usopp's body. He was sent flying back as if struck by an invisible force, screaming as he crashed heavily to the ground!
"Usopp!" Luffy exclaimed.
But the next second, she too was attacked! Five identical bloody gashes appeared on her body. The searing pain made her grunt, but relying on her robust physique and strong willpower, she stubbornly kept her footing, warily scanning her surroundings, trying to catch any trace of Kuro.
"Dammit! That was my future crewmate!" Luffy stared at Usopp lying unconscious on the ground, her rage burning fiercely.
Just then, Zoro—who had been intently sensing his surroundings—discerned clues from the chaotic yet pervasive claw marks covering the rock walls and ground.
"So he pushes his speed to the extreme until even he can't control it precisely... then launches indiscriminate area attacks?" Zoro understood.
For some reason, this technique reminded him of Ralph, who also enjoyed creating chaos among crowds with high-speed movements.
Both were speed-types who liked employing tricks... but there was one fundamental difference.
That guy Ralph would never abandon and exploit his comrades without hesitation like Kuro did.
He had his own bottom line.
As a pirate... this guy Kuro was nowhere near Ralph's level!
Comparisons are cruel.
"Lufia!"
Zoro suddenly shouted, "Don't be intimidated by his speed! He's far slower than Ralph! Grab him and knock him flying! You can do that, right?!"
Hearing this, Luffy's eyes lit up, her face breaking into a confident smile: "Of course!"
At that moment, five claw marks mysteriously appeared on a nearby rock.
Almost simultaneously, guided by combat intuition, Zoro abruptly swung his swords to block his left side!
Sparks flew!
An invisible slash was precisely blocked by Zoro! Though only for an instant, the ultra-fast figure indeed showed an almost imperceptible hesitation due to this block!
"Now!" Zoro roared!
Luffy's combat instincts fully awakened!
She didn't need to see—relying purely on the opening Zoro created and her own attack intuition, her rubber arm shot out like a coiled spring!
"Gomu Gomu no Pistol!"
"Bang!"
"Urgh!" Kuro grunted as he was forcibly knocked out of his high-speed movement, staggering back several steps before steadying himself, his face filled with shock and disbelief.
He was not only physically stunned but mentally shaken to the core.
His proud ultimate technique "Shakushi"—honed through countless life-and-death battles—had actually been seen through.
These guys... were definitely not ordinary pirates!
Will I... lose?
No way!
My perfect three-year plan! How could it be ruined by these random fools!
His absolute confidence in fighting one against three began to waver slightly.
But this hesitation immediately transformed into even more frenzied killing intent!
Kuro's eyes turned vicious as his figure vanished again.
However, this time he didn't target Zoro or Luffy—his objective was Usopp, who lay temporarily immobilized on the ground!
You like playing heroes?
You care about comrades?
Then I'll show you... how these so-called "comrades" are your greatest weakness!
When Luffy threw another punch to stop Kuro, she was shocked to discover that Kuro had lifted the unconscious Usopp like a shield, placing him directly in her fist's path!
Luffy quickly retracted her strength in fright, her rubber fist stopping perilously close to Usopp's nose.
At the very moment she pulled back, Kuro's Cat Claws shot out like a venomous snake, leaving five fresh bloody gashes on her body!
Zoro wanted to step forward to assist, but Kuro once again used Usopp as a human shield, forcing Zoro to hold back, unable to swing his sword. Seizing Zoro's moment of hesitation,
Kuro's Cat Claws slashed across, adding new wounds to Zoro's body.
"...U...sopp..."
Usopp, who had been used as a shield and was covered in wounds, regained a sliver of consciousness amidst the excruciating pain. Seeing Zoro and Lufia forced into a passive position because of him, tears mixed with blood streamed down his face.
"It's all because of me... that things have turned out like this..."
"Don't talk nonsense!"
Luffy climbed up from the ground, wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth, and shouted loudly, "We're comrades fighting together!"
"Comrades?"
Kuro held Usopp as if he were a lifeless tool, a look of contempt and mockery on his face.
"What a useful 'comrade' indeed!"
Meanwhile, at the southern slope.
The battle had already ended.
Ralph stood alone at the top of the slope, with the Black Cat Pirates' lackeys lying scattered haphazardly at his feet.
The continuous use of Soru and Sky Step for efficient crowd clearing had drained Ralph's stamina significantly. His breathing was slightly labored, and fine beads of sweat covered his forehead.
He had to hurry to the northern shore for support!
However, this time was different from when he had exhausted his stamina before.
Ralph took a deep breath and pulled out a glittering gold coin from his pocket.
He gently tossed the coin into the air. It tumbled, reflecting the dazzling sunlight, tracing a graceful arc.
His eyes closely followed the coin, his pupils mirroring the shimmering light, as he whispered in a voice only he could hear:
"Watch this coin... The moment it falls back into my hand, my stamina... will be completely restored!"
This was another application of [Hypnosis (Beginner)]—self-hypnosis! Through intense psychological suggestion, he could temporarily push his body's potential, achieving rapid stamina recovery!
The coin fell into his palm, and Ralph clenched it tightly!
The fatigue receded like a tide, and strength flooded back into his body!
Though he knew this was only a temporary overdraft, it was enough to handle the current situation!
A sharp glint flashed in Ralph's eyes, leaving no room for hesitation.
"Soru!"
His figure seemed to merge with the wind, instantly vanishing from the southern shore and racing at top speed toward the northern battlefield!
...You must hold on! No accidents can happen!
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