"They're supposed to be on the same side. What's going on?" Luffy said, bewildered as he watched more and more of the pirates nearby fall.
"Captain Kuro, stop! Why are you attacking us too?"
"We're your crew, Captain Kuro!"
The pirates below the slope watched in horror as their comrades were cut down one by one, collapsing in pools of blood. Their pleas for Kuro to stop grew increasingly desperate and pitiful.
These pirates had come here to fight for Kuro, only to have him turn on them. Beyond shock, they felt deep resentment and anger. Though they were scoundrels who had done many evil deeds, being betrayed by their own, especially their captain, still filled them with rage and sorrow. Not that anyone pitied them.
"Stop calling me Captain Kuro! I've spent three years trying to shed that name!" Kuro's voice was icy. In the blink of an eye, he cut down several more pirates, leaving them severely wounded.
"That bastard. After being hypnotized, he's not only ignoring his injuries, but he's also much faster. This is bad," Tom muttered, sitting on the ground. He couldn't track Kuro's movements at all now. Before, he could at least sense a general direction. Now, he truly had no idea where Kuro was.
Nami, having finished basic bandaging on Tom's wounds, wanted to urge him to leave several times. But she knew he'd never listen. The wounds Tom had suffered here, while not as severe as in Orange Town, were numerous enough to be shocking to her.
CLANG! SCRAPE! CLANG!
The sound of metal striking stone was constant. From the top of the slope, Tom could even see occasional sparks flying from the ground where Kuro's claw blades scraped it, a testament to his incredible speed.
"Kuro, this wasn't the deal! How can you attack your own men?!" Jango roared, furious at seeing his crew attacked. He had been shocked when Kuro earlier demanded to be hypnotized.
Three years ago, when Kuro was captain, he had never allowed Jango to hypnotize him. Partly because enemies back then didn't require it, but also due to Kuro's inherently cautious nature; he wouldn't risk being under someone else's control.
But this time, Tom had truly beaten Kuro badly. Tom's words had also struck a deep nerve, making Kuro feel a level of humiliation he'd never experienced. Especially Tom's accusation that he couldn't face his own past had infuriated him.
Kuro's family had been destroyed by pirates; his parents killed. His childhood was one of hardship and wandering. He hated pirates to his core, which was why he looked down on Usopp—a pirate's son.
Yet despite his contempt, to regain the life he desired, Kuro had used pirates and even become a captain himself. This was the greatest contradiction in his heart: loathing pirates while being unable to escape the fact he was one. He wanted to shed his past self entirely and start anew.
But Tom's words had made him realize something: even if he denied being a pirate in his heart, for three years he had clung to a pirate's habits. To put it bluntly, old habits die hard.
As he was punched away by Tom, with his psychological scars laid bare, Kuro couldn't accept it. Before losing consciousness, in a fit of rage that had stripped him of reason, he had desperately ordered Jango to hypnotize him.
Three years ago, as a pirate, Kuro devised the plan to steal Kaya's fortune. Now, three years later, his plan was thwarted by other pirates. It could be said he succeeded because of pirates and failed because of pirates. This only fueled his resentment further. He felt his entire life had been ruined by pirates.
So Kuro went berserk. Now, he just wanted to kill everyone here. Leave no one alive!
"All of you, shut up! I'll deal with you all soon! And you too, Jango!" As Kuro spoke, two more pirates fell to his blades.
"You can't be serious, Kuro!" Jango's face paled. He suddenly regretted hypnotizing Kuro.
Back then, Kuro had been on death's door, moments from passing out. He had truly been defeated by Tom. When Jango rushed over, the beaten, scar-covered Kuro had somehow found the strength to grab Jango's ankle, desperately demanding to be hypnotized.
Seeing Kuro in such a wretched state for the first time, Jango hadn't thought it through and complied.
He never expected that hypnotizing Kuro would trap him and doom the rest of the Black Cat Pirates.
"Captain Kuro, please, that's enough!"
"We can still attack the village! Your plan can still succeed!"
Facing Kuro's relentless assault, unable to even see him, the pirates grew increasingly terrified.
"Don't worry. My plan will not fail. From the moment I conceived it three years ago, I never intended for any of you to leave here alive," Kuro stated coldly, plunging the pirates into despair.
"You guys are crazy. I've never seen a lamer pirate crew," Luffy said. As he spoke, sparks suddenly flew up from the ground at his feet.
"Hmph. A pirate crew is just a pack of wild dogs gathered together," Kuro's voice echoed, still moving at high speed. "Crewmates are a captain's loyal pawns. Their lives are in the captain's hands. No matter the obstacle, my plan absolutely will not fail! They just need to sacrifice themselves according to my plan!"
While speaking to Luffy, Kuro never revealed himself, continuing to cut down his own men without mercy, often incapacitating them with a single strike.
"Captain Kuro, we beg you, stop!"
"We'll do anything! Please, not like this!"
Their pleas were met with more of their comrades being cut down.
"Kuro! If I hypnotize that girl and get the will written per your plan, that's enough, right?! Stop attacking them!" Jango yelled desperately, watching his men fall one after another into pools of blood. He glanced at Tom and Nami atop the slope, gritted his teeth, and charged upward.
"You! Get out of my way, or I'll kill you!" Jango had been badly hurt by Tom's earlier punch. In truth, seeing Tom defeat Kuro had filled him with fear. But for his crew's sake, he was prepared to risk it all.
"You're only slightly better than that trash captain. But you're the one who needs to get lost. I don't have time to play with you!" Tom saw Jango charging desperately, sharpened rings in hand. He grabbed his fishing rod, which was stuck in the ground beside him, and stood up.
As Jango threw the rings, Tom used the rod to bat them away. Then he extended the rod, gave it a flick, and the hook flew out to catch Jango by the back of his collar.
Tom gripped the rod with both hands, lifted it, and hurled Jango backward into the forest behind them.
THUD!
Jango landed deep in the woods, startling birds from their perches.
It wasn't that Tom was letting Jango off easily. His physical condition was very poor; he barely had the strength to fight. He just needed to get Jango as far away as possible so he wouldn't interfere. The most important thing now was figuring out how to deal with Kuro, whose power had increased significantly under hypnosis. Tom was clear on that. He needed to save his strength for Kuro.
Besides, even if Jango made it into Syrup Village, Zoro was there. He'd handle Jango in no time. Satisfied, Tom dismissed Jango from his mind.
"You stinking butler! Show yourself!" Luffy yelled from below. Seeing Kuro cold-bloodedly cutting down his own men, and attacking even more fiercely after their pleas, filling the air with screams and moans, filled Luffy with rage.
"You're with that fishing rod kid. I'll take care of both of you properly!" Kuro said. As he spoke, his claw blades left several cuts on Luffy's body.
"It's because of your interference that my poor, half-dead crew are suffering like this!" Kuro attacked Luffy while speaking. Hypnotized, and using a 'Shakushi' that was faster than usual, he seemed able to control his targets freely now.
Nearly all the Black Cat Pirates had been cut down, lying in their own blood, crying out in pain.
"What do you take your crewmates for?!" Luffy was truly furious, incensed by how easily Kuro trampled on his crew's lives.
"GRRRR!!!"
Hearing Luffy's roar, Tom's eyes, which had returned to normal, began turning crimson again. He felt his blood boil, and a surge of power welled up from within, returning some strength to his exhausted body.
Nami saw Tom's eyes change color again, his dark crimson gaze fixed intently on Luffy's location, and knew he was about to fight with everything he had.
"He's so fast! I can't tell where he is at all. This is tough," Luffy said, standing still. Kuro had attacked him several times, but he still couldn't pinpoint his location. If Kuro hadn't been hypnotized and powered up, Luffy could have tracked him. But now, he could only see faint afterimages.
Luffy attacked several times along the gouges Kuro's high-speed movement left on the ground, but his own attack speed couldn't catch up. By now, Luffy was covered in wounds from Kuro's claws, blood soaking his red vest. But he didn't stop attacking.
"Why are you all opposing me? Why are you all getting in the way of my plan?!" Kuro's voice was full of rage. In his view, both Luffy and Tom, despite their many wounds—wounds that would have felled a normal person—were still fighting him as if nothing were wrong. How could he not be angry?
"You can't beat me! How could I possibly lose to a pirate who abandoned his own name and fled the sea?! I'm the man who's going to be King of the Pirates!" Luffy shouted, stretching his right arm out behind him. "When it comes to ambition, mine is way bigger than yours!"
Kuro, who had been about to attack from behind, saw Luffy's sweeping arm and changed direction. "A pirate talking about ambition? Dreaming of being King of the Pirates? Don't make me laugh!"
"This is bad. I need to help him," Tom thought from above. Seeing Luffy attack repeatedly without hitting Kuro, and having fought Luffy all-out himself, Tom knew Luffy's capabilities well. With Kuro's speed now nearly fifty percent faster than his original 'Shakushi,' it would be extremely difficult for Luffy to catch him.
"Your foot is swollen terribly! How are you going to help him? Listen to me, come back to the village with me. We can find Zoro to help. Wouldn't that work?" Nami had seen Tom's sprained foot; it was badly swollen. Just moving it probably hurt terribly. How could he possibly help anyone?
"You want me to turn tail and run? I'd rather die here!" Tom saw Luffy try several times to grab the attacking Kuro, only for Kuro to dodge and leave more cuts on Luffy. While those wounds weren't fatal to Luffy, if he kept taking hits passively, anyone would lose.
Running back to the village and bringing Zoro would take at least seven minutes—and that was if Tom's foot were fine. Now, with it sprained, he couldn't run fast. Most importantly, Tom didn't think Kuro would let him escape. If he started running toward the village, Kuro's current speed would let him catch up anytime. So why run? Better to stay and help Luffy finish Kuro off.
Plus, Tom didn't want to find Zoro and see his surprised expression, then hear him say coolly, "What's wrong with you two? Can't handle one enemy? And you told me you could handle it alone."
That, above all, meant Tom couldn't back down. This was a matter of a man's dignity and pride.
Tom planted the fishing rod diagonally into the ground. Under Nami's puzzled gaze, he extended the rod. In moments, clinging to the ever-lengthening rod, Tom was suspended in mid-air above the middle of the slope.
Then he retracted the rod to about twenty centimeters—its shortest length—and reeled in the line and hook.
Nami watched, dumbfounded. The rod that had just extended so far was now small enough to hide easily.
Kuro's speed is too high. First, we need to limit his movement to a confined area to have a chance to hit him. Let's lure him onto this slope.
Tom quickly decided on a plan and prepared to act.
"Kuro, you loser. I'm right here. If you've got the guts, come and try to attack me!" After shortening the rod, Tom dropped from his high point. Landing on his feet sent pain shooting through his sprained right foot, but he endured it, taunting Kuro below, who was still moving at high speed and attacking Luffy.
"You idiot! What are you trying to do?" Nami couldn't understand what was in Tom's head. Knowing Kuro was stronger now and that Tom could barely stand, why provoke him? Was he trying to get killed?
"Shut up, woman. Just watch." As Tom spoke, he heard Kuro's low voice. "If you're in such a hurry to die, I'll kill you first!"
"He's coming your way! Be careful!" Luffy yelled, seeing deep gouges appear on the slope leading up to Tom.
"Perfect!" Tom held the fishing rod horizontally with his left hand. "Behold my new weapon! The Fishing Rod!"
"Also known as... the As-You-Will Gold-Banded Staff!" As he spoke, Tom rapidly extended the rod in his hand.
In the blink of an eye, the rod extended over ten meters, embedding itself into the rock walls on either side of the slope. Tom's left hand quickly released the rod, and he pushed off hard with his left foot, leaping to the side.
"What's that? A freely extending pole? That's just like me!" Luffy said, his eyes sparkling as he saw the rod extend so far. As a rubber man, he understood the benefits of stretching freely better than anyone.
CLANG!
"ARGHHH!!!"
Kuro was moving fast. The rod suddenly extending horizontally across the slope blocked his path. Unable to stop in time, Kuro slammed into the rod with tremendous force. It felt like being cut in half at the waist. The massive impact made him cough up blood uncontrollably.
Despite Kuro coughing blood from the collision, the rod stuck horizontally between the slopes remained perfectly straight, not bending an inch.
At that moment, Kuro was draped over the rod like laundry, his arms dangling toward the ground, swaying back and forth.
"Luffy! Let's finish him on this slope!" Tom yelled, grabbing the rod to retract it. But Kuro, hanging on the rod, suddenly let out a cry and thrust his claw blade at Tom beside him.
Damn! He's coughing up blood from the impact and still has the strength to attack me?!
Tom hastily crouched, dodging the attack. With his left hand still on the rod, he began shortening it. But Kuro persisted, raising his other claw blade to slash down at Tom from above.
Crap! Can't dodge!
Crouching with an injured foot, Tom couldn't evade the fierce attack in time.
Just as Tom thought he'd be hit, Nami stepped in front of him, holding her staff horizontally. "I told you not to act recklessly!"
Nami's wooden staff was no match for Kuro's sharp claw blade. It was cut in half instantly, and blood sprayed from her right shoulder.
"Nami!" Tom's heart lurched seeing Nami's shoulder cut. A surge of violent emotion welled up inside him. As he shortened the rod, he used it to fling Kuro, who was still hooked on it, away.
"You're not going to die from this, are you?" Tom asked, steadying the swaying Nami. Her face was deathly pale; Kuro's slash must have been serious.
"I'm not that easy to kill. This is all the help I can give. The rest is up to you two. But... is that really a fishing rod?" Nami pressed her hand to the wound on her shoulder, breathing slightly heavily. To keep Tom from worrying, she forced a smile and changed the subject.
"Of course it's a fishing rod. But not an ordinary one. It's designed specifically for catching giant Sea Kings," Tom said, relieved to see she was holding up. The violent surge of emotion quickly subsided. He pulled her behind him, motioning for her to stay back.
"Sea Kings... can be caught?!" Nami, stepping back, was completely dumbfounded. The pain from her shoulder wound seemed to lessen momentarily.
"Who knows? Maybe it's a rich person's hobby. I don't get it either," Tom said, rapidly extending the rod again. He had taken it from Kaya's house, and her family was wealthy. He was just making conversation, though he had read the instructions that indeed stated it was designed for catching giant Sea Kings.
As Tom flung him downward, Kuro's mind flashed back three years, to when Kaya's father was still alive, shortly after he became butler.
"Klahadore, you know? I've loved fishing since I was a boy. I always dreamed of one day catching a Sea King with my own hands. What an achievement that would be. I even had a custom-made, top-quality fishing set ordered all the way from the West Blue for it. Pity I never got the chance to use it."
"If you have the heart for it, your wish will come true, sir."
"Hahaha! With little Kaya around, I'm afraid that dream will remain just a dream."
That was the conversation three years ago. Back then, Kuro never dreamed that the fishing rod specially ordered by Kaya's father would become such a massive problem for him.
Was my plan doomed to fail from the moment it began three years ago?
As he fell back to the ground, this thought crossed Kuro's mind. Then his expression grew even more ferocious. "You're all damned! My plan is perfect! It cannot fail! All of you, DIE!"
SWOOSH!
Kuro used 'Shakushi' again. Simultaneously, Luffy below and Tom on the slope launched fierce attacks against him.
"Gum-Gum Gatling!" Luffy unleashed a barrage of punches at the seemingly empty slope, his fists raining down like bullets toward where Kuro had vanished.
"Rod Style: Staff Strike for Two Dogs!" Tom gripped the rod, now extended to fifteen meters, angled it downward, and began violently sweeping it side to side across the slope.
Kuro, moving at high speed on the slope, was in a bad spot. At his current speed, he could have dodged attacks from either Luffy or Tom alone. But with them attacking from above and below in a pincer formation, he had nowhere to go. The slope limited his movement area. Faced with their relentless, unending assault, Kuro was truly helpless.
Moreover, Luffy and Tom attacked in perfect coordination: Luffy's fists aimed for Kuro's upper body, Tom's staff swept at his lower body. Under such an attack, if Kuro could still dodge, it would be a miracle!
Luffy's punches were extremely fast, creating over a hundred afterimages. Tom's silver-gray staff, sweeping side to side rapidly, reflected the sunlight, creating a dazzling, shimmering effect on the ground like light on water.
SMASH! BOOM! THUD!
Luffy's fists and Tom's staff struck Kuro again and again, making his body convulse and his head spin. He could no longer maintain his high-speed movement. Their fists and staff occasionally struck the cliff walls on either side of the slope.
"My... plan..." The barely recognizable Kuro weakly uttered these words. Then, with a deafening ROAR, the cliff walls on both sides of the slope completely collapsed under the ferocious onslaught of Luffy and Tom's attacks...
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T/N :
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