"How... how do you know it took me over four years to practice the Silent Step?" Kuro asked, utterly shocked that Tom had learned his technique in an instant. Hearing Tom state the exact time he had spent mastering it filled Kuro with even greater disbelief. He couldn't fathom how Tom knew these secrets.
"I don't have to answer you!" Tom threw a punch at Kuro, who dodged it.
"Those abnormal eyes of yours... it's because of a Devil Fruit, isn't it?" Kuro said, using the Silent Step to circle behind Tom, then thrusting both sets of claw blades toward his back.
"Knowing that won't help you! All you need to know is that you're about to get beaten to a pulp and then sent flying!" Tom shifted his footing, also using the Silent Step to evade Kuro's attack, appearing at his side.
Kuro saw a blur before his eyes, and then Tom vanished from his sight. By the time he reacted and turned, Tom drove a knee hard into his stomach.
"ARGH!!" Kuro doubled over like a shrimp, crying out in pain from the blow to his gut.
"You always look down on Usopp, calling him a useless liar. But there's one thing where he far surpasses you. The day he surpasses you completely is inevitable! And you, who can't even see that, have the nerve to spout such nonsense!"
Tom gave Kuro no chance to recover. While he was still bent over, Tom threw a powerful punch into his left cheek, sending him flying through the air.
BOOM!
Kuro, struck on the left cheek, flew diagonally upward to the left, crashing into the rocky wall at the very top of the slope and taking a large chunk out of it.
THUD!
Kuro landed flat on his back. His left cheek was swollen, but his expression as he lay there was strangely calm. Staring at the blue sky, the intense killing intent in his eyes, visible beneath his now lens-less glasses, could no longer be hidden.
"Am I dreaming?"
"Captain Kuro is being beaten without being able to fight back..."
"Who is that guy? How does he know Captain Kuro's signature Silent Step?"
"Did you see his eyes? They look like a demon's... so scary!"
The pirates below the slope gasped in shock as they saw Kuro sent flying by a single punch. Seeing Tom's eerie, dark crimson eyes, like bloody moons, filled them with fear. They never dreamed that Captain Kuro, who they saw as invincible, could be so completely dominated, reduced to just taking hits.
Jango, who had been cooperating with the hypnotized Buchi to fight Zoro, happened to see the moment Tom punched Kuro away. His heart lurched, and he suddenly remembered Tom's words from earlier.
'You can say that to me because you don't know how hard my fists are!'
That was Tom's retort when Jango had spoken of Kuro's fearsomeness. At the time, Jango thought Tom was just an ignorant kid who didn't know his place. He never expected Tom to actually have the strength to back it up. His fists really were hard!
Zoro, seizing the moment Jango's attention was on Kuro, put distance between himself and the frenzied Buchi, preparing to counterattack.
Hypnotized by Jango, Buchi's strength was several times greater than normal—he could shatter the ground with a single stomp. With this monstrous power and Jango's support, Zoro hadn't been able to finish him quickly.
But now, without Jango's interference, Zoro saw a perfect chance to end it.
"The Usopp Pirates, move out!"
"You villain, prepare yourself!"
"Evildoer, face judgment!"
Just as Tom was walking toward Kuro, three children burst from the trees. Wielding a small shovel, a wooden stick, and a little iron pot, they began whacking the prone Kuro.
"Beat up the bad guy!"
"Nasty pirate, threatening our village's peace!"
"And bullying our Captain! We won't forgive you!"
The children were, of course, Onionhead, Pepperhead, and Carrothcad. They had followed Kaya, witnessed the truth, and were boiling with indignation at Kuro's actions. Seeing him lying motionless, they ran out with their pitiful "weapons," using all their strength to pummel him.
"What are those brats doing?!"
"They'll make Captain Kuro furious!"
The pirates below went pale with horror, watching the children assault Kuro. Jango also looked terrified. Knowing Kuro well, he understood that if Kuro lost his temper, they would all suffer for it.
"You've already lost to me once. Don't get in the way again!" Zoro said, a sword in his mouth and the other two held in a crossed stance. His deep black eyes were razor-sharp, his aura peaking like a ferocious beast's. "Oni Giri!"
With a single move, Zoro cut down the portly Buchi, leaving him unable to rise. A deep X-shaped scar was carved into his chest.
By the time Jango thought to help Buchi, it was too late. Alone, and feeling the terrifying pressure from Zoro, he didn't dare make a move.
"What are you kids doing here? Run away!" Usopp yelled, shocked to see the three children here. This was no place for them. Attacking Kuro? They could get killed in an instant.
"Captain, we won't run! You're fighting here, so we'll stay and help!"
"Yeah! We'll fight the bad guys too!"
"Running would ruin the good name of the Usopp Pirates!"
The three children declared their resolve firmly to the fallen Usopp.
As they spoke, Kuro, lying behind them, stood up in one swift motion. He pushed up the frameless glasses on his nose with his palm.
"WAAAHHHH!" The kids turned around, saw Kuro's cold sidelong glance, and nearly jumped out of their skins, screaming in terror.
Seeing the children in danger, Usopp struggled to rise. "Stop! I won't let you hurt them!"
"Oh? You can still move? You'd be safer lying down. Do you really think you can stop me from killing them?" Kuro said, looking at Usopp, who could barely stand, and sneering.
"Even if I can't win, I'll protect them! They're members of the Usopp Pirates! I'm the Captain of the Usopp Pirates! I'm a brave warrior of the sea! I won't let you hurt the people of this village!" Usopp declared, his voice firm even as he slumped weakly to the ground from his injuries.
"Ha! Look at the useless fool, still spouting nonsense."
"This is hilarious. I bet he's about to cry."
The pirates below laughed mockingly at the sight of the mortally wounded Usopp talking about protecting the village.
CRASH!
Tom picked up a large rock that had fallen from the cliff earlier and hurled it down at the jeering pirates. It landed right in front of them, silencing them instantly.
"Whoever laughs next, I'll kill them!" Tom's dark crimson gaze swept over them. The pirates felt as if a demon were staring at them, a chill running down their spines. No one laughed now.
Kuro ignored the children, walking right past them. He glanced at the fallen Usopp, then fixed his阴沉 (dark) gaze on Tom. "You say I'm inferior to that bragging liar? You say I'll be surpassed by this low-life pirate's son? That's not a funny joke at all!"
Kuro moved toward Usopp, intending to kick him aside, but Tom blocked with his own foot.
"You still don't get it?" Tom said. As he spoke, Kuro used the Silent Step to appear behind Tom, planning to use the reach of his claw blades to attack from a few steps away. That way, if Tom dodged and counterattacked, Kuro believed he'd have enough time to react.
But this time, Tom didn't dodge at all. He spun around rapidly, his left foot taking a large step forward. He let the claw blades slash his arm and drove a ferocious punch straight into Kuro's face.
As blood flew from Tom's arm, Kuro was sent flying downward again. His already flattened, bruised nose gushed fresh red blood.
"He punched the bad guy away with one hit! He's so strong!"
"I want to be strong like him, and be able to brag like our Captain."
"His hand is bleeding... Doesn't it hurt?"
The three children, having seen Tom punch Kuro away up close, looked at each other, their faces gradually lighting up with excitement.
"Mister, beat up that bad guy good!" Onionhead, Carrothcad, and Pepperhead stood behind Tom, cheering him on with shining eyes, completely unaware of their own danger.
"You three! Get away from here now if you don't want to die!" Tom's face darkened as he turned and roared at them. These kids had no sense of danger. Was it because they'd joined the Usopp Pirates?
This mister is as scary as that hag-witch lady. Our Captain is much nicer.
The three children fell silent simultaneously, the same thought crossing their minds.
"Ever since you got tired of being hunted by the Marines three years ago, abandoned your identity as a pirate, and came to this village to be a butler, you've been far inferior to Usopp," Tom said, now that the kids were quiet, addressing Kuro who had landed heavily among the pirates below. "A coward who fled the sea like you has no right to compare yourself to Usopp, who found the courage to fight you even though he was weaker!!!"
"The courage you possess, compared to Usopp's, is the courage of a mouse. You're the real coward!"
Tom's words彻底激怒了 (enraged) Kuro completely. He stood up, kicking aside the crew members around him, veins bulging on his forehead. "You say that I, Captain Kuro of a Hundred Plans, am inferior to a liar who plays pretend pirate games with little children?!"
"The one playing pretend pirate games is you!" Tom said, walking slowly down the slope toward Kuro. "As a pirate who gained some fame, being targeted by the Marines is perfectly normal, isn't it? But you got annoyed by the pursuit and fled back from the sea. How is that different from a child throwing a tantrum and quitting a game when they face a little setback?"
"A pirate knows they might die at the hands of the Marines. Isn't that the most basic觉悟 (awareness) a pirate should have? You, who don't even understand that, have the nerve to call Usopp's father a low-life pirate. I don't think you have any idea what a real pirate is! Even if you played at being a pirate on the sea for a few years, you can't hide the fact that you're a coward!"
When Tom said this, Kuro finally lost all composure and roared at him, "I'll kill you!"
"A half-hearted fake like you, who's afraid of the sea? You think you can kill me?" Tom curled a finger, beckoning Kuro from below. "Go ahead and try. The one who ends up flying through the air will be you! My adventure is just beginning. I won't lose to a weakling like you!"
Kuro didn't respond. His face had turned极其阴沉 (extremely dark). The pirates around him felt the change and fell dead silent, not daring to speak.
"Um... can you help Usopp? He's too badly hurt. Several ribs are broken, maybe even a lung is injured. If he doesn't get treatment soon, he'll die," Kaya said after checking Usopp's wounds, her already pale face now utterly colorless.
Remembering how Kuro had brutally kicked Usopp's back and chest repeatedly, worsening his already critical condition, and the dozen deep gashes from the claw blades... it was a miracle he was still alive.
"I can still fight," Usopp whispered from the pool of blood, enduring the pain.
"You've done more than enough, Usopp. Just rest now," Tom said truthfully. If Usopp hadn't grabbed Kuro's leg, causing that momentary loss of balance, rescuing Kaya would have been much harder.
Seeing Usopp covered in blood, some of his wounds already beginning to fester, Tom called to Zoro, who was approaching. "Zoro, take Usopp back first. He's dying."
"What? The Captain is dying?!" The three children panicked, clutching their heads and running around in circles.
"So this brave warrior of the sea has finally reached his end?" Usopp said, joining in the panic and putting on a dramatic 'about to die' act.
"Too bad the Captain's still sleeping, or he could help you. You'll be fine handling them alone, right?" Zoro said, hoisting Usopp over his shoulder. Noticing Tom's unusual eyes, he added the question.
"Let him sleep peacefully down there. I'll wake our Captain up when I'm done with them," Tom said, noticing Kuro standing motionless below with his head down. "Where's Nami?"
"Don't know. Probably sneaking onto their ship to steal stuff," Zoro replied.
Tom felt a wave of exasperation. That woman, her thief's nature never changes. Even now she's thinking about stealing treasure.
"I'm so useless. If it weren't for me, the two of you could have handled them easily," Usopp said, his face covered in blood and grime, his voice full of apology.
"You're overthinking it. Even without you being involved, he wouldn't have let me help. He's enough on his own. Let me take you back to recover," Zoro said, nodding to Tom before walking off with Usopp over his shoulder. Kaya and the three children hurried after them.
Tom thought he heard Zoro say something to Usopp, and Usopp's reply: "I want to become a brave warrior of the sea. If I cried while bleeding, wouldn't that be too pathetic?"
"Jango! Go after them! Make sure Kaya writes that will as planned, then kill her! If you haven't finished this by the time I've killed this man, you can die too!" Kuro ordered Jango beside him. Then he took a few steps forward, looking at Tom. "You don't have long to live."
"Captain Kuro... are you going to use that move?"
"The one that wiped out an entire Marine warship?"
"Please don't! We'll die too!"
The pirates behind Kuro turned pale as they saw him let his arms hang loose and begin swinging them forward in alternating arcs.
"Are you just going to stand there, Jango? Do you dare disobey me?" Kuro said, glancing coldly at Jango.
"No one's getting past me. Show me whatever trick you've got," Tom said. When he saw Kuro's past earlier, he had learned that Kuro possessed an even faster movement technique than the Silent Step. He just didn't know how fast it would be.
Jango, pressured by Kuro's gaze, pulled his hat low, gritted his teeth, and started up the slope after Zoro's group.
In truth, Jango knew that with Zoro there, killing Kaya was almost impossible. And with Tom blocking the way, even getting past was questionable.
SWOOSH!
After Kuro took a few steps with his arms swinging loosely, he completely vanished from Tom's sight.
Whoa! Fast!
Tom was startled. Kuro's current speed was several times faster than his Silent Step. Tom couldn't even track his movement.
If Kuro used the Silent Step, Tom's reflexes could keep up. But this? Keeping up with this speed would be very difficult.
SHINK! SHINK!
In moments, dozens of deep gouges appeared on the rocky walls around Tom and at his feet—marks left by Kuro's claw blades as they scraped the ground and stone.
"You insolent brat! Daring to insult me again and again! I'll cut you into pieces and let you die in extreme agony!" Kuro's voice echoed ethereally, seeming to come from all directions, proof of his incredible speed.
RIP! TEAR!
Soon, Tom, who had been standing still, had several deep cuts appear on his body from Kuro's blades. Blood began to soak through the bandages wrapped around him.
"You idiot! What are you just standing there for? Fight back!" Nami, having finished looting the Black Cat Pirates' ship and now standing on its prow, saw Tom alone on the slope. She watched as wounds inexplicably appeared on his body, growing in number. In a panic, she yelled at him.
"Woman, stop screaming over every little thing. I'm still standing, aren't I?" Tom glanced toward Nami and muttered, "Really... I was going to wait until we left here to use my new weapon. Looks like I have to use it now. That guy's speed is more troublesome than I thought."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
T/N :
Support me and Access 25 chapters in Advance on my P@treon: [email protected]/GodFic