With a loud clang, Luffy held up the massive rock. Kuro's cat claws, embedded in the stone, were forcefully snapped off by Luffy, effectively destroying one of Kuro's weapons.
He then swung the boulder, smashing Kuro and leaving his head bloody and battered.
The two had already been locked in combat for some time.
Luffy's lip had been cut open.
Kuro hadn't expected that in a single day, two people would be able to counter his Silent Step technique.
Meanwhile, Zoro and Usopp were still dealing with the formidable "directionally challenged" opponent... The Black Cat Pirates, unable to believe Kuro had actually been struck, immediately started cheering him on.
"Take him down! Captain Kuro... Sir!"
"Kill the rubber man!"
Kuro stood back up. He didn't feel motivated by their encouragement; rather, he felt sickened. When did he ever need the cheers of such people? It was an utter disgrace for them to witness him in this condition.
"Shut up!"
"In a moment, I'll kill all of you. Jango is no exception, of course."
Kuro had never intended to let the Black Cat Pirates leave. All he wanted was stability, and anyone who knew his true identity as Captain Kuro had to perish.
"Are you saying that! From the very beginning when you formulated this plan, you intended to kill every single one of us!"
The members of the Black Cat Pirates could hardly believe their ears.
Luffy curled his lip. "Are you all idiots? What a wretched pirate crew."
"Wretched?"
"This is what a true pirate crew is like!"
"Subordinates are merely the captain's pawns! Their life and death are mine to decide! All they need to do is charge into the village and die for the sake of my plan!!"
In Kuro's eyes, nothing was more important than his plan.
But this statement struck a nerve with Luffy.
Luffy was just like Roger. Roger would once destroy an entire Marine base simply because they spoke ill of his comrades.
And Luffy was the type of person who would directly confront the World Government for his crewmates. The World Government flag? He'd burn it without hesitation!
Bai Yun couldn't help but interject. "You say that subordinates die for the captain."
"But you don't even allow them to call you Captain anymore. What exactly are you now? What right do you have to ask them to die for you, or for your plan?"
Kuro was speechless.
"Hahaha, that's my Bai Yun. This guy really can't argue back."
"Exactly! Exactly! What are you now? Why should we die for you?"
The Black Cat Pirates immediately turned against him. If he intended for them to die, who would be crazy enough to fight for him?
Veins bulged on Kuro's forehead from rage, and Luffy pressed his attack further.
"Furthermore, even if you had hundreds of subordinates, you still wouldn't be as good as Usopp."
Being compared to someone he considered trash—and told he was inferior—Kuro was almost driven insane with fury.
Kuro instantly flashed forward, attempting to land a strike on Bai Yun, but Bai Yun made no move to dodge. He trusted Luffy implicitly.
Just as Kuro's form reappeared, Luffy, without turning his body, threw a punch backward, landing squarely on Kuro's neck. As Bai Yun smiled, Kuro was sent flying to the left, crashing back onto the top of the slope.
Luffy and Bai Yun smiled and answered simultaneously what Kuro lacked compared to Usopp.
"It's character." x2
Luffy put his hands on his hips. "You don't understand what a real pirate is!"
Kuro touched his forehead. "Heh, so I've been insulted. Since you insist on knowing what a real pirate is, then I shall let you experience the true terror of piracy."
Kuro stood up, his arms hanging naturally at his sides, and his body began to sway slightly from side to side.
The Black Cat Pirates recognized this technique, and seeing Kuro move like this, terror instantly gripped their hearts and faces.
"It's Shakushi!"
"He's going to use Shakushi!"
"That range is going to drag us into it!"
"He really meant it when he said he'd kill us!!"
"Run!!"
The crew immediately turned tail and fled, but their speed was no match for Kuro's.
"Shakushi!"
Kuro's figure flashed once more. This time, even Luffy couldn't track his movements.
Bai Yun could only barely make out an afterimage.
Just as Luffy wondered where Kuro had gone, screams and wails erupted from the fleeing Black Cat Pirates down the slope.
Kuro remained invisible. It was as if the wind itself was slicing through the waists of the men one by one, sending blood splattering everywhere.
"How is he over there!"
Luffy quickly spun around to look.
Watching man after man collapse, Luffy exploded with rage and bellowed.
"What do you treat your comrades as!"
"Get out here!"
...Over on Zoro and Usopp's side.
Halfway through their fight, they were surprised to find the three little kids from Usopp's Pirate Crew blocking Jango's path.
"You damned brats!!"
In the next instant, Jango's spinning ring was about to strike Onion.
From 500 meters away, Usopp launched a Fire Bird Star, which struck Jango squarely in the back... Returning now to the slope.
Bai Yun coughed twice. "Don't panic, Luffy."
"I'll be the bait."
Bai Yun smiled and immediately shouted loudly.
"Kuro! No, let's just call you Laughable instead."
"You are inferior to Usopp, and you always will be."
"And your plan—the plan you spent three years developing—will ultimately vanish into thin air!"
...
A/N: The journey continues! If you're eager to read far ahead and support this story, consider joining the Eternal Phoenix community. You can find me on Patreon by searching for "Eternal_Phoenix".
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