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Damn it!
Are these guys insane!?
Kuro's eyes darkened as he watched Zoro already poised to attack.
But what infuriated him even more…
The enemy wasn't even giving him a chance to refute anything—as if they had already decided his guilt.
As a pirate who had survived countless battles, Kuro could tell one thing for certain—
The fighting spirit in Zoro's eyes wasn't fake.
At any moment, he could strike with his swords.
It's over.
At that moment, Kuro fully understood.
These people didn't care about logic or excuses. They trusted their instincts and acted on them without hesitation.
And it made sense...
A man who could debut with a 50,000,000 bounty wasn't someone who needed to second-guess himself.
'But I'm not like them!'
If he continued to play the role of the patient butler, all that awaited him was the sharp pain of blades cutting into his flesh.
"...Three years."
Suddenly, Kuro spoke.
"Three years of effort..."
"Every single day, I had to wear this fake, gentle smile—pretending to be someone I'm not!"
"In order to be the perfect butler, I spent my days tending to a sick girl, playing along with the expectations of others!"
As if breaking free from invisible chains, Kuro grabbed his collar and pulled—loosening it forcefully.
And when he lifted his head again…
The elegant, soft-spoken butler was gone.
What remained was a man with a twisted, ruthless, and sinister expression.
"You have no idea how I've lived these past three years!"
"I could have killed every single person here in an instant... and claimed everything for myself!"
"And now…"
Kuro's face contorted with rage, his voice rising to a furious roar.
"All of it—wasted!"
"Because of you damn pirates!!!"
Up by the window, Kaya watched, frozen in shock.
The man she had trusted—her kind and gentle butler—now looked like a complete stranger.
Her face paled, her body suddenly weak, and she collapsed to the floor.
Her trembling hands instinctively clung to the edge of the window.
"Miss Kaya!"
Usopp, who had been watching over her, immediately shouted in concern.
But before anyone could react—
Peng!
Kuro slammed his foot into the ground.
A cloud of dust and sand burst into the air, creating a thick yellow curtain that obscured his figure.
And when the dust finally settled—
He was gone.
"He probably ran to get his weapons," Red remarked, narrowing his eyes.
"A guy like him would definitely have them stashed somewhere in the villa."
"But just to be safe—Luffy, take Usopp and protect Miss Kaya."
"Got it!"
Luffy responded instantly.
Before Usopp could even process what was happening, Luffy's arms stretched out, wrapping around Usopp's body.
With his free hand, he grabbed a sturdy tree branch—
Whoosh!
With a powerful pull, the two of them shot straight through Kaya's window.
Crash!
Glass shattered as they landed inside.
"Miss Kaya!"
The moment they hit the floor, Usopp didn't even wait for Luffy to retract his arm—he rushed to Kaya's side, helping her up with concern.
"Usopp…"
Tears streamed down Kaya's face as she looked at him, her expression full of despair.
Everything had happened too fast.
Just minutes ago, she had been laughing and chatting with Klahadore—
And in the blink of an eye, he had become Kuro, the pirate.
If Kuro had simply been an ordinary pirate, she might not have felt this heartbroken.
But hearing that he had planned to murder everyone and steal her family's wealth…
It shattered the last bit of trust she had in him.
Her heart couldn't take it.
"Don't be afraid, Miss Kaya."
Usopp held her hands firmly, his voice warm and reassuring.
"I, Captain Usopp, am here for you!"
He could feel the pain and fear in her heart.
This time—his words weren't a lie.
Meanwhile…
As the dust from Kuro's escape settled, Zoro and Red exchanged glances.
Then, without a word, they stepped forward—
Heading straight into Kaya's villa.
Luffy's high bounty had undoubtedly changed the way people treated them.
In the original timeline, Kuro probably wouldn't have taken Luffy and his crew seriously.
But now, with such a staggering bounty, there was no guarantee that Kuro wouldn't consider fleeing instead of fighting.
To be safe, Red decided to take the initiative.
Passing by the still-stunned Merry, he and Zoro strode directly into the villa.
Just as they expected—Kuro didn't reveal himself.
The entire villa staff, frightened by the commotion outside, had hidden themselves away.
Apart from the sound of Kaya's quiet sobbing upstairs, the building was eerily silent.
"You're not running away… so you plan to use the darkness and the terrain to launch a sneak attack?"
Red instantly saw through Kuro's strategy.
Since Kuro had decided to stay hidden, Red had no choice but to sweep through the villa alongside Zoro.
The two started from the ground floor, searching room by room.
Along the way, their presence sent the terrified maids and staff scurrying even deeper into hiding.
Then, as they opened the door to a storage room on the second floor—
Shing—!!
A glint of cold steel flashed from the darkness, a silent ambush aimed at their backs.
Zoro's instincts flared.
Even without Observation Haki, his beast-like intuition sensed the danger.
In an instant, he spun around, his Wado Ichimonji slicing through the air in a sharp counterattack!
Clang!
The sharp ring of metal clashing against metal echoed through the quiet villa.
Zoro grinned.
"Oi, is the game of hide-and-seek finally over?"
With just a single blade, he had blocked all ten of Kuro's razor-sharp claws.
In the dimly lit room, sparks crackled from their weapons, briefly illuminating Kuro's shocked face.
Red, now fully aware of Kuro's location, calmly reached for the light switch.
Click!
Bright white light flooded the room—fully exposing Kuro's figure.
Red's expression remained calm, unfazed by the reveal.
"So, you were here all along."
Without hesitation, he shut the warehouse door behind them, dusted off a chair, and sat down.
"Zoro, I'll leave him to you. Let's make this quick."
"Roger that!"
Zoro grinned, his muscles tensing as he swung both his swords straight at Kuro!
"Damn you!!!"
"Don't get cocky, brats!"
Kuro, realizing he was being completely ignored, roared in fury.
With a burst of speed, he retreated just beyond Zoro's attack range, his feet moving with calculated precision.
"So fast!"
Zoro's eyes widened slightly, unable to immediately close the gap.
Then—
Whoosh!
With an almost imperceptible movement, Kuro's figure blurred and vanished, becoming a dark shadow streaking toward Red.
"Stealth Foot!"
"It worked!"
A cruel smile curled across Kuro's lips as he closed in at high speed.
From the moment Red had exposed his identity, Kuro had already decided—
This brat dies first!
And now, with Red so arrogantly letting his guard down, Kuro was certain his next move would be fatal.
Shing!
His ten-bladed claws glinted in the light, slashing directly at Red's neck.
But then—
Clang!
A loud metallic clash rang out.
The spray of blood Kuro expected never came.
Instead—there was a sudden burst of sparks.
The impact sent sharp embers flying, stinging Kuro's face.
His eyes widened in pure disbelief as he stared at Red's untouched neck.
His blades had landed—but they had left only a few faint white marks on Red's skin.
"Huh? Why'd you go for me?"
Red, who hadn't even registered Kuro's attack at first, lazily reached up and rubbed the back of his neck.
As he casually wiped his skin—
The white marks vanished instantly.
"This… this is impossible!?"
"I hit you!!!"
Kuro's voice cracked with fear.
But Red simply stretched, standing up lazily.
Before Kuro could react, Red grabbed him by the collar with a single hand.
"Who said that just because you hit me, I'd take damage?"
Red smirked, looking down at Kuro with amusement.
This so-called "master strategist" might have been impressive in the East Blue—
But compared to the monsters roaming the world, he was nothing more than a frog at the bottom of a well.
And with the Boulder Badge's enhanced rock-solid defense, Kuro's attacks didn't even tickle.
Even before Red had set sail, Kuro's level wouldn't have been enough to harm him.
Now?
His attacks were nothing more than a light scratch.
"Really now… Didn't I tell you that Zoro was your opponent?"
"You two have your fight—don't bother me again."
With that, Red effortlessly swung his arm—
Slamming Kuro straight into the opposite wall.
BOOM!
The impact shook the room, sending dust and debris flying.
But—
The physical pain from the throw was nothing compared to the crushing humiliation Kuro felt.
He struggled to his feet, his hands trembling.
As he looked at Red in shock, his lips quivered.
"H-How…?"
"How is this possible!?"
"Why… why is it… like this!?"