Captain Kuro Exposed

Kuro, the former captain of the Black Cat Pirates, was injured three years ago and rescued by Kaya's parents, only to repay kindness with cruelty by murdering them. Now, to seize the Kaya family fortune, he has disguised himself as a kindly butler.

~

At present, Can Yue and the others, led by the three children, had already arrived at the Kaya family villa.

They happened upon a scene where Usopp was being mocked and driven away by Kaya's butler, Klahadore—who was, in fact, Captain Kuro of the Black Cat Pirates.

Because the 'butler' had insulted Usopp's father, Yasopp, calling him a worthless pirate who abandoned his wife and child, Usopp angrily punched him to the ground.

The conflict escalated, and when matters developed to the point where this 'butler' ordered everyone to leave, the situation began to shift.

~

"All of you, leave this villa immediately! We do not welcome pirates here!"

The 'butler' Klahadore barked at everyone present.

Luffy, Zoro, and the others understood the butler's behavior—ordinary residents naturally disliked pirates.

But Chouchou suddenly started barking at the butler.

Upon seeing Chouchou, the 'butler' recoiled a few steps with a look of disgust and shouted loudly.

"What are the security guards doing, letting such a filthy mutt into the garden? Someone, get it out of here at once!"

Hearing the butler's orders, several servants had no choice but to come and drive Chouchou away.

They knew well that this 'butler' particularly hated dogs, though no one knew the exact reason.

Just as the servants approached Chouchou, the dog let out a furious roar, its body instantly swelling into a massive white hound five meters long and three meters tall.

A terrifying Demonic Aura radiated from its body, scaring the servants so badly they fled in panic.

"A monster!"

Even Kaya was terrified, hiding behind Usopp, whose legs were trembling.

Luffy, Zoro, and Nami had long seen Chouchou's canine demon form, so they weren't afraid.

A moment later, only Can Yue and his four companions plus the dog, the 'butler' Captain Kuro, Usopp, and Miss Kaya remained on the scene.

Captain Kuro adjusted his glasses with an upward palm gesture, composed himself, and forcibly suppressed his discomfort at facing a dog as he continued to feign concern toward Kaya.

"Miss, don't be afraid. Come over to me."

Zoro suddenly sensed something was off. This butler was supposedly just an ordinary person; seeing Chouchou in such a massive canine demon form for the first time, he should not have been so calm.

Moreover, Zoro detected a murderous intent from Captain Kuro directed at Chouchou.

After all, Zoro was skilled at sensing killing intent—it was a combat instinct honed through long training as a swordsman.

'This butler isn't scared at all; instead, he wants to kill Chouchou.'

Thinking this, Zoro turned to Luffy and said.

"Luffy, this butler is suspicious."

"Ah, he shows no fear—too calm." Luffy also sensed something was wrong, having undergone all sorts of brutal training under Garp since childhood and encountered many wild beasts.

Even he, encountering a giant hound radiating such terrifying aura for the first time years ago, would not have been as calm as that butler.

Calmness came from strength, yet a butler who could be knocked down by Usopp's punch had the composure to face Chouchou—utterly abnormal.

Can Yue roughly understood why Chouchou was so hostile toward Captain Kuro; he himself had felt the urge to kill this man reeking of cat-like energy the moment he saw him.

Though reluctant to admit it, Can Yue currently possessed the instincts of a canine demon, loathing anything related to cats.

Chouchou naturally felt the same.

'Still, Chouchou's actions save me the trouble of forcing this butler to reveal himself.'

'Then, let's give him another push.'

With that thought, Can Yue spoke a single sentence.

"The way you push up your glasses reminds me of someone. Captain Kuro of the Black Cat Pirates—executed by the Navy three years ago."

At these words, Captain Kuro's entire body tensed, sweat dripping from his forehead.

The atmosphere on the scene grew even stranger.

Though Captain Kuro's reaction was subtle, Zoro and Usopp both noticed his change.

As for Luffy, he couldn't see such fine details, but he roughly understood Can Yue's meaning.

Luffy and Zoro both realized that this butler was most likely the Captain Kuro who had 'died' three years ago.

Upon hearing Can Yue's words, Usopp quickly fell into thought. As someone who frequently followed pirate news, the name Captain Kuro was far from unfamiliar to him.

Moreover, the timing of Captain Kuro's 'execution' coincided suspiciously with Klahadore's arrival at the Kaya household.

Combined with this man's reaction, it was far too suspicious.

'Whether he is or isn't, I have to protect Kaya.'

At this moment, Usopp steeled himself and stepped in front of Kaya. At the same time, still under the terrifying influence of Chouchou's presence, his legs were trembling.

A short time passed, and the 'butler' had returned to a calm state.

He smiled and told Kaya not to believe the words of Can Yue and the others.

But Kaya fell into hesitation, because she was also a very sensitive person who paid close attention to details; the 'butler's' reaction just now had already made her suspicious.

Can Yue knew that dragging things out like this was no solution, so he spoke directly to Chouchou.

"Move!"

Chouchou did not hesitate, leaping up instantly and swinging a claw toward the 'butler'.

The butler was certain that if he were hit by that claw, he would basically be dead.

'This beast is going for the kill without mercy. I have no choice but to expose myself.'

With that thought, Captain Kuro, still playing the kindly old man, had his survival instincts kick in. He used his super-high-speed movement, instantly distancing himself from Can Yue and the others.

This terrifying speed, barely visible to the naked eye, immediately startled everyone present.

Luffy asked Usopp, "Was this butler always this strong before?"

"Of course not, the guy was faking it."

Usopp directly confirmed his own suspicion. He had just punched the butler earlier, and if the butler had been moving at that speed, there was no way he could have landed the hit.

Seeing the butler's skill, even Kaya could no longer comfort herself into continuing to trust this 'kind' butler.

"Kuro, can you explain your actions just now?" Kaya asked him.

Captain Kuro realized he was basically caught red-handed, but the problem now wasn't explaining himself to Kaya—it was how to handle the current situation.

While thinking, he was also dodging Chouchou's attacks.

Based on Kuro's observation, the giant dog had immense strength, easily capable of shredding boulders, but it was slower than him. He was confident he could defeat this big dog.

But behind the big dog were three men, none of whom seemed simple.

'To be safe, I'll retreat for now. Then find some more help to make sure everything goes smoothly.'

'Kaya's fortune can only be mine!'

With that thought, Captain Kuro revealed a sinister smile, then rapidly moved his feet, using his signature 'Silent Step', and vanished from the scene.

Zoro looked at Can Yue and asked, "Not chasing him?"

Can Yue smiled slightly and replied, "He'll come back. There will still be a fight later, so I'll leave it to you all."

Luffy didn't overthink it. Since Can Yue said this Kuro would come back to cause trouble, then he definitely would.

Then he let out a loud laugh, "Haha, no problem. I just want to test out the results of my recent training too."

"Good, and let Chouchou keep fighting for a while."

Can Yue added.

Luffy immediately agreed. He also wanted to get to know Chouchou better.