Just as Zoro and Usopp broke out in cold sweat and watched in despair as Luffy was about to be cut down.
A golden-green Light Whip suddenly appeared, instantly sending Captain Kuro flying more than ten meters before he crashed straight into the enormous cat head at the bow of his pirate ship.
Can Yue appeared at the top of the slope.
Seeing this, Zoro immediately breathed a sigh of relief. He stopped running toward Luffy and instead confronted Jango and the Cat-man Brothers on the beach.
Usopp was stunned by Can Yue's move.
The attack launched from the top of the slope had been a full hundred meters away from where Luffy had stood moments ago.
Who exactly is that white-haired guy? That terrifying strength—he sent Captain Kuro flying from so far away in a single hit.
Usopp looked at Can Yue and swallowed hard.
Jango and the Cat-man Brothers were equally shocked. In such a tiny village, aside from that Rubber Human, another Devil Fruit User had appeared.
But the three of them were only shocked. They were not worried about Captain Kuro's safety at all, because they knew exactly how strong their captain was.
Sure enough, Captain Kuro slowly slid down from the cat head onto the beach and landed steadily on his feet.
His black suit and white shirt had been shredded by Can Yue's Time Whip, bloodstains marking his chest. Yet his body had not been corroded by Can Yue's poison.
The reason was simple: Can Yue had no intention of killing him personally. He planned to leave him for Chouchou to practice on, so he had not used any poison.
Otherwise, Jango and the Cat-man Brothers' confidence would have become nothing but a joke.
Captain Kuro wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, which he had coughed up from internal injuries, and fixed his gaze on Can Yue above the slope. He looked calm on the surface, but inside, he was panicking badly.
He had not noticed that Light Whip attack at all. There had been no way for him to dodge it.
If that white-haired man attacked him again, he had no confidence whatsoever in winning.
He had felt this powerless sensation in battle three years ago, when the East Blue overlord—Clown Buggy—had nearly killed him.
It was after barely escaping with his life that he decided to fabricate news that Marine Colonel Morgan had captured and executed him.
As long as the world believed he was dead, he could completely become an ordinary man and live a normal life.
No. I have to obtain a peaceful life. I can't keep drifting like this.
Thinking of all his efforts over the past three years, Captain Kuro clenched his teeth and decided to fight with everything he had.
How could he possibly be willing to give up just like that?
There can't possibly be someone as terrifying as Buggy still in this East Blue.
I must have been too focused on the Straw Hat Kid and failed to notice the white-haired man's attack. It seems my battle instincts have dulled over the past three years. I have to concentrate from now on.
Captain Kuro came up with the most reasonable explanation. Whether he was comforting himself or truly believed it, no one knew.
He readjusted himself, pushed up his glasses with their shattered lenses, and entered a fighting stance.
On the other side, Zoro had already clashed with the Cat-man Brothers. They were incredibly fast, and their attacking techniques seemed to have been developed by studying how cats fought.
Their style emphasized swift grabbing and scratching.
But Zoro was in excellent condition, his stamina and focus both at their peak.
He quickly suppressed the Cat-man Brothers. Even with Jango interfering from the side, it could not undermine Zoro's advantage.
Having successfully convinced himself, Captain Kuro looked up. Besides Can Yue, that dog capable of transforming was also there.
He sensed that charging up there was extremely risky, but for the sake of a peaceful life, he had no choice but to try.
Captain Kuro ordered all the underlings who could still move to charge up the slope. He followed close behind and used the technique he was best at—Silent Step.
This footwork was like that of a feline, making no sound at all while moving. Combined with his speed, Captain Kuro was confident he could kill with a single blow.
As long as I take out the white-haired man, I can deal with that big dog in peace.
Silence, concealment, using his underlings to draw attention before launching a sneak attack—he was like a hunter lurking in the darkness: sinister, cunning, and bloodthirsty.
Usopp, Nami, and Kaya watched over forty vicious pirates howl as they charged toward them. Lacking even the courage to resist, they all hid behind Can Yue.
Can Yue sighed helplessly and grabbed Luffy by one foot, swinging him around.
The sleeping Luffy stretched by the momentum and struck the incoming pirates like a long whip. With a single swing, he sent nearly half the cannon fodder flying.
At that moment, Can Yue's eyes shifted slightly. He turned and kicked to the side.
Captain Kuro thought his attack had succeeded, only for the sudden kick to slam into his abdomen.
"Pwah!" Captain Kuro spat out a mouthful of blood. His body bent like a shrimp as he was kicked back onto the beach again, kicking up a cloud of sand.
Jango, who had been interfering with Zoro's battle, saw this scene and nearly popped his eyes out.
No matter how he explained it, what he had just witnessed meant that Captain Kuro—the man who represented slaughter and strength in his eyes—had been utterly crushed by the white-haired man above the slope.
Jango was suddenly lost. He felt as if he had been tricked into a dead end.
Ignoring the Cat-man Brothers, who were already about to lose to Zoro, he leaned against the pirate ship alone and stared blankly at the battlefield.
After withdrawing from the fight, Jango looked over the entire battlefield and broke out in a cold sweat.
His Black Cat Pirates, facing Can Yue and the others, were instead like mice being toyed with by cats, merely struggling before death.
They're completely at ease while we're desperately struggling. Heh. The black cats have become the mice now.
Jango was utterly despairing. He knew there was nothing he could do. If he was a mouse about to be torn apart by a wild cat, he might as well face death calmly. At least that would preserve a little dignity.
Can Yue looked at Captain Kuro, who had gotten back up again, and spoke to Chouchou.
"You handle him!"
Chouchou howled and transformed into a five-meter-long giant dog again, charging toward Captain Kuro below.
Captain Kuro could not spare any attention for his injuries. He immediately used his speed to tangle with Chouchou.
Captain Kuro was utterly shocked. How was this big dog's speed completely different from when they had first encountered each other?
Kuro could now barely avoid Chouchou's attacks.
Even after Captain Kuro entered his Silent Step state, Chouchou could still easily pinpoint his location with its sense of smell and respond accordingly.
"Hahahaha, Captain Kuro has actually fallen so low as to become a dog's plaything."
Leaning against the pirate ship, Jango watched the battle with a bitter smile, overwhelmed by despair.
As an outsider, he became even more certain that his side was doomed to lose.
"Before I die, it's only reasonable that I find out who they are."
Perhaps heaven had heard the wish of a dying man. At that very moment, a News Coo arrived at this remote little village, passing directly over Jango's head.
Its beak loosened, and newspapers fluttered down.
Seeing this, Jango smiled in relief. "I can even read the news before I die."
But when he picked up a newspaper and scanned its contents, his pupils immediately widened. His breathing became ragged, and he could barely catch his breath.
A glaring headline filled the East Blue section of the newspaper: Straw Hat Pirates Defeat Buggy Pirates.
Beneath the headline were pictures of Can Yue, Luffy, and the others.
The newspaper also contained their Bounty Posters.
Before you continue