The pirates' screams continued to be heard on the ice surface. Body parts were scattered everywhere, blood spurted, even accompanied by chewing sounds that made hair stand on end.
"How could the Marines have so many Devil Fruit power users!"
A famous pirate from the East Blue moved both his hands. Each hand wore very sharp and long steel claws. Behind his glasses, cruel light flashed.
Kuro, captain of the Black Cat Pirates. He had very high intelligence. His coming this time was to seek opportunities to obtain what he wanted.
Originally he just wanted to monitor the situation; seeing the large number of pirates had made him calm, especially when seeing pirates successfully suppress the Marines at the start.
However, this reversal of situation truly shocked him. The Marines somehow could summon so many Devil Fruit users, as if a heavenly army descending. The majority of pirates from the ordinary four seas weren't their match.
"Pirates... all must die!"
A Tiger-type Devil Fruit user whose body was covered in strange patterns charged from the side. Accompanied by a sharp fishy smell, his sharp claws aimed right at Kuro's head.
"Looking for death!"
Kuro stood still in place. Suddenly his body swayed and disappeared, only leaving a gentle breeze.
"Huh?"
The attacker charged through empty air and froze in place.
*SLASH!*
Behind him, ten sharp claws suddenly attacked, instantly slashing his body and splitting it in two. Blood flowed soaking the ice.
"How... possible!" That tiger fruit user didn't die instantly due to the influence of the Devil Fruit Lineage Factor.
He stared wide-eyed at Kuro who suddenly appeared behind him with an incredulous face, while his body slowly returned to normal form.
Kuro stood expressionless, raising his wrist to adjust his glasses position, and said coldly: "Only have power but no brain, not even proficient in basic fighting techniques. You're just sending your life away."
His words were true. Those sent for these Artificial Devil Fruit experiments were mostly low-level soldiers. Vegapunk had explained that the forced injection method of Lineage Factors had side effects that were too great, so the Marines didn't allow high-ranking officers to become experimental subjects. These soldiers who weren't proficient in fighting only relied on ability and killing instinct; before experts, they were just bait.
"Can't continue like this, I must leave the battlefield!"
Kuro narrowed his eyes, then used his silent step (Nukite) to move quickly toward the battlefield's edge, heading toward Whitebeard and company's position. He came only to seek profit, not to sacrifice his life.
Suddenly, as he almost approached the Moby Dick, a giant Crocodile-type Devil Fruit user attacked from behind. He opened his wide mouth, producing terrifying suction, intending to swallow Kuro alive.
"Damn it—!"
Kuro's expression changed drastically.
His ten fingers stabbed into the ice to resist his momentum, but his body began to lift due to that suction.
This crocodile fruit user was clearly different from "the idiot" before. His ability was very strong, his suction so tremendous that although Kuro was already trying to grip the ice, he was still slowly dragged toward that large mouth.
"I'm finished!" Kuro felt desperate and almost gave up.
Suddenly, he realized with horror that beside him, someone had been standing there since who knows when.
That person stared at him while smiling, carrying a black cat. Though his face wasn't covered, Kuro couldn't see his facial features clearly, as if the light around that person's face was distorted and disturbing his vision.
"Need help?" the newcomer asked.
"Coming at the right time!" In a life and death situation, Kuro didn't care anymore.
With his cruel nature, he released one hand and thrust his claw into that person's chest, intending to throw him into the crocodile's mouth behind so he could survive.
However, that person didn't move at all. Kuro's claw seemed to pass through distorted space and only grasped air.
"I'm done!" Kuro's heart went cold.
Releasing one hand made him unable to resist the suction anymore; he instantly lifted from the ice surface and shot toward the crocodile's mouth.
"Really a person with bad personality..." the newcomer said flatly.
He just waved his hand lightly. Suddenly, the crocodile that opened its mouth wide had its body swell drastically and explode instantly into a pile of flesh. The suction disappeared, and Kuro fell hard on the ice with a soft thud.
However, he didn't feel pain. He was just frozen staring at that person. The sunlight reflecting from the ice made that figure look increasingly mysterious and tall, as if there was a halo shining behind him.
"Who are you?" Kuro asked.
That person answered with another question: "Do you desire power, wealth, and authority?"
Kuro was stunned, then nodded without hesitation: "Of course!"
"Good!" That person stroked the black cat in his arms and said softly: "Your brain is quite useful. Work for me, and I'll give you everything you want. Any problems?"
Kuro stood up, staring at that person full of doubt while glancing around. He just realized that the space around the two of them seemed isolated; others couldn't see what was happening here and couldn't step into this area.
Very strange.
After a long silence, Kuro narrowed his eyes and nodded: "As long as you can give me what I want, working for you isn't a problem."
"Good!" That person nodded. He opened his palm, revealing a fruit with strange mysterious patterns, then threw it. "Eat it, and you'll have everything you dream of!"
Kuro caught that fruit, examining it suspiciously: "This... a Devil Fruit?"
That person answered: "Copy-Copy Fruit (Copy Copy no Mi), Paramecia type. You can imitate 100% of your opponent's abilities and techniques."
Kuro was startled, then very shocked. "You mean, the opponent's fruit ability, including Haki, can all be copied?"
That person nodded: "As long as you touch your opponent, you can copy them. The details of the ability depend on how you develop it. I've given you the seed of growth; don't disappoint me!"
While speaking, he pressed one finger to Kuro's forehead.
Instantly, terrifying power swept through Kuro's entire body. He knelt in pain, his body trembling violently, sweat the size of corn kernels pouring down. His body seemed to be undergoing terrifying transformation, his bones cracking loudly.
Several minutes later, that pain disappeared. Kuro rose again, feeling his body filled with power he had never felt before. This power even gave him the illusion he could face an Admiral.
"Very strong feeling..." Kuro was momentarily carried away, but he quickly regained awareness and found that person had disappeared. Only the strange fruit in his hand proved it all wasn't a dream.
"Who exactly is that person? And what does he want from me?" Kuro thought hard, but he soon put that fruit in his mouth and swallowed it whole.
Though the taste was very disgusting, for the sake of power, he finished it until an understanding emerged in his mind.
"Silent Step... no, this is one of the Marines' Rokushiki—Soru!"
Kuro's body disappeared from its place and appeared near a Marine soldier who was an Artificial Devil Fruit user massacring pirates.
His claw swung. That soldier's body instantly cut into a pile of flesh without sound. Kuro's strength increased many times over.
"Copy!"
Kuro's body suddenly changed; his body was covered by a layer of pitch-black scales that wrapped his entire body including his eyelids, protecting him very tightly.
"It really works!" Kuro was very excited.
His eyes instinctively glanced toward Sengoku's group sitting near the port.
"That's right... Gold List... if I can kill people on the Gold List, I can enter the rankings and get those rewards!"
His heart blazed. But the next second, he was startled as if realizing something terrifying.
"Mysterious person... carrying a black cat... Gold List's First Rank!"
Cold sweat soaked his entire body until his clothes were drenched.
"That mysterious person earlier, could he be the Gold List's First Rank?!"
"Why did he seek me out? What's his purpose? Why did he leave without explaining anything?" Kuro couldn't understand. He looked around, but didn't find that person's trace again.
"First Rank appeared on this battlefield... terrifying. If he interferes, no one can stop him. But instead he came to me..."
Kuro wracked his brain but didn't understand; finally he chose to stop thinking about it.
Perhaps he didn't yet meet that person's criteria. If so, he had to do his task first. Gold List ranking... he had to get it!
His gaze immediately focused on Smoker who was fighting in the distance.
Marine Colonel Smoker, 93rd rank on the Gold List, Smoke-Smoke Fruit user. He was the perfect target!
Kuro grinned cruelly, stomped the ice surface, and shot quickly toward Smoker's direction.
"Huh?" Smoker who had just defeated a pirate sensed approaching danger. He turned and saw a shadowy figure moving very quickly.
"Smoker..." Kuro stood before Smoker while smiling, stretching his ten fingers that gleamed coldly. "Do you want to die?"