Second Floor of the Mansion.
Cold sweat had already broken out on Kuro's forehead.
After just a few exchanges, he was certain—
This woman... is extremely dangerous.
Especially that strange ability of hers. If not for his exceptional speed, he would have been caught off guard already.
That must be... a Devil Fruit power.
Kuro was no ordinary pirate. According to the original story, before he faked his death and escaped, he was relentlessly pursued by the World Government, bounty hunters, and the Navy.
Assassination attempts, ambushes, daily life-and-death struggles—he endured all of them.
And yet, despite it all, no one had been able to catch him for the longest time.
Not just because of his cunning, but because of his true strength.
As for being defeated by Luffy...
Well, that was clearly just plot armor.
After all, even Oda himself once said that Kuro's intelligence was second only to Benn Beckman's, and his self-created technique Shakushi was comparable in speed to Soru, one of the Navy's Rokushiki moves.
Would someone like that really lose to early-stage Luffy?
Highly unlikely—unless the story needed him to lose.
And that's exactly why, despite Hina's attempt to end the fight quickly, they were now at a stalemate.
In fact, Kuro was uniquely well-suited to counter her Bind-Bind Fruit. His speed was simply too fast.
The Bind-Bind Fruit required a short setup time to activate. And even more time if she wanted to fully restrain an opponent.
If the enemy was fast enough, they could dodge before the cages fully formed.
Until Hina developed more advanced techniques with her fruit, her current abilities weren't enough to contain someone like Kuro.
So for now, she had no choice but to rely on pure hand-to-hand combat to suppress him.
It may have looked like a tie,
But the situation was actually unfavorable for Kuro.
His signature technique Shakushi—
couldn't be unleashed in such a confined space.
What he had been using so far was only the basic Silent Step.
He needed to get outside—fast.
Resolved, Kuro activated Silent Step and instantly dashed toward the shattered window.
The sudden burst of movement, combined with his sheer speed, caught Hina off guard.
But just as Kuro reached the window and prepared to leap out—
A loud gunshot echoed.
A 13mm armor-piercing round blasted through the floor of the third story and shot straight at Kuro.
The next moment, Kuro leapt out the window...
But his left arm—
Was left behind, still hanging from the second-floor window frame.
---
Outside the Mansion.
Kuro landed with a thud, clutching his bleeding left arm, face twisted in pain.
Blood poured down like rain.
Merry immediately rushed to his side, worry etched across his face.
More than twenty marines stationed outside also surged forward, surrounding them both.
"Klahadore, what the hell is going on?!"
A calm voice cut through the tension.
"Captain of the Black Cat Pirates, 'Thousand Plans' Kuro, bounty: 16 million Berries," Luo Lan stated flatly. "A year ago, he faked his death and came to Syrup Village. He murdered Kaya's parents, made it look like an illness, and planned to kill Kaya next to inherit their wealth."
Kuro remained silent.
By this point, Luo Lan and Hina had already stepped outside.
Merry turned to them, shocked.
"Captain Kuro...? But he was arrested and executed a year ago!"
Indeed, Kuro was infamous in the East Blue for his ruthlessness. His capture and execution were heavily publicized.
Everyone knew about it.
"The man who died was just a poor soul hypnotized into believing he was Kuro," Lorlan explained. "The real Kuro snuck into this village... and played the long game."
"No... that's impossible..." Merry murmured, stumbling back, face pale.
Kuro's expression darkened as he clutched his bleeding arm.
This mission had gone horribly wrong.
That woman wasn't the only threat—the man was also no ordinary marine.
Kuro had no idea what weapon he'd used, but to shoot through a floor and still have enough force to shatter his arm?
What kind of monsters were these two?
His gaze shifted to Luo Lan's empty hands.
And yet...
Not far away, Hina formed a black spear from thin air, swirling it into a flourish before pointing it at Kuro.
Luo Lan hadn't drawn his weapon yet—
But he was ready to.
As for Kuro, even wounded, he was not about to go down without a fight.
Though he had lost an arm, Shakushi could still be used.
Its area of effect would be reduced—
But not its lethality.
"Stop!!!"
Suddenly, the mansion doors burst open.
Kaya came running out from inside, gasping for breath. She had run from the third floor down to the front yard in record time—a heavy burden on her frail body.
"Klahadore! Tell me they're lying!" she shouted.
"You didn't kill my parents, right?"
"You're not some pirate called Kuro, right?!"
"Tell me!!!"
Her final words were nearly screamed.
To her, Klahadore and Merry were family—the only people she had left after her parents' deaths.
And now someone was telling her that Klahadore had been a pirate all along, and her parents' murderer?
She couldn't accept it.
If she had to choose who to believe—
She would always believe Klahadore.
Just one word from him.
Just say, "They're lying."
That would be enough.
But the words never came.
Instead, Kuro chuckled darkly.
"You're still so naïve, Kaya."
"Yes—I'm 'Thousand Plans' Kuro."
"And just like they said, I came here to escape my pirate life. To kill your parents, steal your fortune, and live out my days in peace, respected by all."
Boom.
His confession exploded in Kaya's mind like thunder.
"No... no, this can't be true!"
"Nothing's impossible," Kuro muttered. "Shakushi."
With a low growl, his body vanished.
"Everyone, scatter!!" Luo Lan barked.
Hina vanished in a blur of Soru, shielding Merry.
The other marines spread out instinctively.
Shakushi.
A technique Luo Lan hated dealing with.
Silent Step was manageable. It was precise and detectable with Observation Haki.
But Shakushi—
Even Kuro didn't know who he would strike.
And ironically—
Just as Kuro's speed countered the Bind-Bind Fruit...
The Bind-Bind Fruit also countered Shakushi.
"Hina!"
"I got it—Feathered Cage Array!!"
From her hand, a massive ring of black iron bars erupted, plunging into the ground around the entire courtyard.
Unlike before, they didn't close in.
Instead, they formed a high, solid boundary.
The next second—
Kuro slammed straight into one of the bars.
And was forced to a halt.
---
Currently at chapter 230 on Ko-Fi
https:// ko-fi.com/sami27