A Double Agent for Baroque and Donquixote

A small wooden boat approached without a sound.

Aboard it, Kuro glanced at the crescent moon in the sky, his heart as still as an old well. (See image.)

He deftly pushed up his glasses with the base of his Cat Claws, then fixed his gaze on the warship ahead.

Compared with the oversized ships built by the local tyrant colonels of the East Blue branches as they competed to outdo one another, Twitch's ship looked downright shabby—

At least, if one disregarded its seastone base.

But Kuro, a country bumpkin from the East Blue, didn't recognize the material.

All he knew was that it was a junior officer's ship, and that was enough.

"Which lucky fellow gets the credit for capturing 'Hundred Plans' Kuro?"

A cruel smile spread across Kuro's face.

Swish!

With a light push off the edge of the boat, he leaped onto the warship's deck.

Suddenly, a faint light made Kuro frown.

By the dim moonlight, Kuro saw a man sitting at the bow of Nezumi's ship.

He held a fishing rod in one hand and a Den Den Mushi upside down in the other.

The faint light was coming from the Den Den Mushi's belly.

Kuro could just make out the fisherman grinning foolishly at the Den Den Mushi.

"It's a little strange, but I'll kill him too!"

"Silent Step!"

Kuro pushed lightly off with both feet and sprang forward at high speed, like a cat.

"Die!"

The ten blades of his Cat Claws came down on the strange fisherman's back. Before they even seemed to touch him, the man pitched forward and fell into the water.

"Something's wrong!"

"Why didn't I hear a splash?"

"Are you looking for me?"

Kuro spun around, and beads of sweat immediately appeared on his forehead.

The fisherman had somehow appeared behind him, completely unharmed.

And Kuro hadn't been able to follow his movements at all.

He was faster than Kuro's Silent Step!

Kuro instinctively wanted to swing his Cat Claws again.

But as "Hundred Plans" Kuro, he wasn't a mindless pirate.

"You're not a Marine? Who are you?" Kuro asked in a low voice.

"Me?"

Ma Qiao pointed at the emblem on his chest. "You don't even recognize this? What a backwater bumpkin!"

"An emblem?"

Kuro looked closely in the moonlight and saw that there was indeed a symbol on the chest of Ma Qiao's jacket.

It was a skull and crossed swords with purple wings. (See image.)

Kuro drew a sharp breath.

"You're with Baroque Works!"

Kuro was indeed a backwater bumpkin from the East Blue, but he happened to recognize the symbol.

As a criminal organization, Baroque Works made most of its money selling arms, besides hunting pirates.

Because of the natural barriers formed by the Calm Belt and Reverse Mountain, craftsmanship on the Grand Line far surpassed that of the four seas, and its weapons were even more exceptional.

Every pirate crew in the East Blue with a little ambition was a Baroque Works customer.

Of course, only major customers like Don Krieg dealt directly with Baroque Works officers.

Small and medium-sized crews like the cash-strapped Black Cat Pirates merely bought a few weapons here and there through middlemen.

Even so, Kuro knew very well how powerful Baroque Works was.

It was a vast organization that even Don Krieg, the overlord of the East Blue, didn't dare offend.

"That's right! Wherever I go, I make no secret of my name. I am the famous senior agent of both Baroque Works and the great Donquixote Family, Galdino, codename Mr. 3!" (See image.)

The fisherman then displayed another emblem on the lining of his jacket—a clown-like skull!

It was the Donquixote Family's emblem.

Kuro truly had no idea what the Donquixote Family did.

He really wasn't familiar with affairs in the wider world.

But the man's status as a senior Baroque Works agent alone was enough to leave Kuro struggling to breathe.

Kuro swallowed and realized the situation had slipped completely out of his control.

A trick?

That was Kuro's first thought.

But then a ball of flame appeared out of nowhere in the fisherman's palm (Ignite), and he said with a sinister chuckle, "I ate the Wax-Wax Fruit and became a candle man. If you want to be burned to ashes, go ahead and try!"

With that, the fisherman casually waved his hand, and the flame melted through the Cat Claws on Kuro's hand, even though they were made of steel forged a hundred times!

What incredible heat!

How terrifying!

Sure enough, this was the power of a Wax-Wax Fruit user!

Kuro no longer doubted him. He hurriedly put down his remaining Cat Claws to show his submission.

He understood that he couldn't possibly defeat a senior agent of a Grand Line criminal organization.

The other man held the knife; he was the meat.

Schemes were far too feeble in the face of absolute power!

Fortunately, the senior agent Galdino didn't seem to mean him any harm:

"Very good. You're smart. Don't worry, I'm not interested in what you came here to do. We can even work together to capture the owner of this warship."

"Work together?"

Kuro frowned and asked in puzzlement, "Lord Galdino, with your strength, couldn't you take care of a mere junior officer's ship with a wave of your hand?"

"Fool!"

'Galdino' sneered. "You think this is just an ordinary lieutenant's warship? This ship belongs to a nephew of Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral Momonga!"

"Headquarters? Vice Admiral?"

Kuro was scared witless.

Both his legs were shaking.

Heaven have mercy.

He was just a country pirate with a bounty of sixteen million Beli!

What had he done to deserve getting mixed up with a big shot like a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral?!

Kuro wanted to turn around and flee immediately, but when he thought of 'Galdino's' movements, so fast they were like teleportation, and his terrifying Devil Fruit flames, he could only abandon the idea.

Then 'Galdino' revealed his plan.

"Don't worry. That Vice Admiral Momonga's nephew, Lieutenant Nezumi, isn't very strong. The problem is that Momonga assigned his junior a personal bodyguard, and this bodyguard has the potential to become an Admiral!

"Something came up with my assistant at the last minute, so I thought I'd have to postpone this mission. I didn't expect anyone else to dare set their sights on the Rat-Rat Treasure.

"In a moment, I'll cause a commotion and draw the bodyguard away. Your job is to capture Nezumi and take him to Loguetown, where our people will be waiting for you!

"Once it's done, you'll get half the Rat-Rat Treasure!"

"Oh, right!"

'Galdino' seemed to remember something. He pulled a strange Den Den Mushi from inside his jacket and tossed it into Kuro's arms.

"Use this to contact me after we split up. Remember, you'll definitely get half the Rat-Rat Treasure!"

With that, 'Galdino' vanished into the vast darkness once more.

Watching that uncanny movement technique a second time, Kuro swallowed, even more wary than before.

Meanwhile.

Ma Qiao appeared in the cabin and gulped down a whole barrel of seawater.

Flash's cooldown was way too damn long!

All that talking had left his mouth dry!

A fisherman never goes home empty-handed!