The battle was over. The Black Cat Pirates had lost 30 men, with 10 seriously injured and another 20 barely able to move.
Ninety-five percent of those injuries had been inflicted by their former captain—Captain Kuro.
The remaining damage had been caused by Luffy.
Can Yue's side had suffered the following losses: one lightly injured man, Luffy, who had stepped on nails and was currently still asleep.
One dog had suffered superficial scratches from Captain Kuro. Due to his physique, Chouchou had basically recovered.
One person, Nami, had been injured after falling because of lust and was still grumbling nonstop.
It looked like an intense battle, but from beginning to end, it had taken less than fifteen minutes.
So it was still the vibrant hour of sunrise.
Bright sunlight poured over the land of Syrup Village.
To the unaware villagers, today's sunrise was as gentle and full of life as ever.
But to the Black Cat Pirates, the sunrise was exceptionally glaring—and dark.
Every surviving pirate had been tied together with ropes by Usopp and Zoro, forming a circle.
In the very center were Captain Kuro, already vacant-eyed and unable to speak, and the hypnotist Jango, so desperate that he was laughing at himself.
Of the Cat-man Brothers, the fat one had escaped Captain Kuro's indiscriminate slaughter thanks to his fat, while the skinny one had already breathed his last.
Now, the entire Black Cat Pirates crew faced judgment.
That judgment would determine whether they lived or died.
They waited and waited. Five minutes passed, and the entire scene was eerily quiet. The only sound was Luffy snoring in his sleep, making things incredibly awkward.
"Is the person in charge still not planning to wake up?" Zoro complained, his mouth twitching as he clenched his fist and walked toward where Luffy was sleeping.
Nami, standing nearby, had reached the end of her patience too. She swung her fist at the unconscious Luffy.
After a series of clanging, crackling blows, Luffy finally woke up with a face swollen like a pig's.
"Huh? It's morning already?"
Luffy spoke groggily. Naturally, the result was another heavy punch from Nami.
Once Luffy had pulled himself together, he looked over the scene and listened to Zoro's explanation, finally understanding what had happened.
Now, it was time for him to make a decision.
Luffy turned to Can Yue and asked, "What do you think, Can Yue?"
Can Yue replied calmly, "You're the captain."
At a critical moment like this, neither Can Yue, Zoro, nor Nami acted on their own.
Because Luffy was the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates. Even if he was not particularly reliable, he had to make the decision when it mattered.
Luffy adjusted his straw hat, then looked seriously at Captain Kuro, Jango, and the others before speaking.
"After we leave, have Kaya hand them over to the Marines."
So they hid the Black Cat Pirates in a corner by the cliff, then headed back toward Kaya's house.
Inside Kaya's villa.
After Kaya and Usopp thanked Can Yue and the others.
Everyone sat around a table, eating the breakfast prepared by the butler Merry.
Luffy brought up the idea of finding a ship.
As expected, Kaya and Merry gave Can Yue, Luffy, and the others the sailboat Merry had built as a gift of thanks.
They decided to leave before noon, so they would not run into the Marines who would soon arrive and cause unnecessary trouble.
At the shore of Syrup Village, a light sailboat with a sheep's head figurehead was docked.
Standing beneath the ship were Can Yue, Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Chouchou—four people and one dog—as well as Kaya and her butler, Merry.
Merry was explaining the ship's functions and how to use it to Can Yue and the others.
This ship was called the Going Merry. It was a light rudder sailboat, thirteen meters long with a main mast eleven meters high.
There were gun deck cabins at both the bow and stern, rooms for storing weapons. The whole ship was equipped with four cannons.
The boys' room was beneath the mast, while the girls' room was beneath the stern gun deck cabin.
There was a bathroom and toilet at the stern.
The Going Merry also had a water-pumping system that could supply daily washing needs and generate electricity.
There was a dining room above deck, which could be used for cooking, meetings, and more.
It could be said that though the sparrow was small, it had all the vital organs.
Perhaps because he had spent too much time on those small boats that could only carry people, even Can Yue was very satisfied with the Going Merry.
Still, Can Yue was somewhat resistant to the idea of so many men having to squeeze into one room.
Just as everyone was preparing to board and leave, they saw a skinny figure in the distance carrying a huge bundle, rolling toward them like a snowball.
Upon closer inspection, it was naturally Usopp, who had already decided to sail out and become a pirate.
After working together with Can Yue and the others and experiencing the appeal of pirates firsthand, Usopp had decided to go to sea himself and follow in his father's footsteps.
So his original intention in coming here was to bid farewell to Can Yue, Luffy, and the others, then sail out alone.
Just as Usopp stood on the beach, ready to wave goodbye to everyone aboard the ship, Luffy suddenly spoke.
"What are you still doing down there? Get on board already. We're partners now!"
Zoro also leaned against the side, smiling as he invited Usopp aboard.
Usopp was shocked by this sudden development, then overwhelmed with joy.
Just like that, the Straw Hat Pirates grew from four people and one dog to five people and one dog.
After Can Yue and the others sailed the Going Merry away from Syrup Village, the Marines arrived shortly afterward.
When the Marines saw the Black Cat Pirates tied into a ball, especially when they saw Captain Kuro's lifeless eyes, they all widened their eyes.
They clearly remembered that Captain Kuro had been executed by Captain Morgan three years ago.
The Marine Colonel in charge of this mission asked Kaya, "Who defeated them?"
Kaya steadied herself and said, "A very unusual group of pirates."
"Pirates? Did they do anything bad to you?"
"No. After they defeated the pirates who were preparing to massacre our village, they left. I don't know the specific reason either."
"Please tell me their names or what they looked like." The Marine Colonel questioned her according to protocol.
After thinking for a moment, Kaya replied, "I don't know them. From far away, all I remember are their distinguishing features: silver hair, a straw hat, and three swords."
Hearing that, the Marine Colonel suddenly recalled the three pirates he had seen in Shells Town.
Then he said to Kaya, "I think I probably know who they were."
"If it was them, then they really would do something like helping civilians."
The Marine Colonel smiled faintly, then had his subordinates bring every member of the Black Cat Pirates aboard the warship before sailing away.
On the way back, one of his subordinates asked, "How should we report this?"
The Marine Colonel replied, "The Black Cat Pirates suffered a shipwreck and were captured by us by chance."
"Yes!"
After giving the conclusion, the Marine Colonel stared up at the sky and fell into reminiscence.
"The Straw Hat Pirates helped us end Morgan's tyranny, defeated Buggy, the ruler of the East Blue, and now they've crushed that cunning, deceitful Captain Kuro so thoroughly that he has no confidence left."
"You truly are a strange group of pirates."
As the Marine Colonel murmured to himself, he recalled the three people from Can Yue's group whom he had encountered in Shells Town a week ago.
This Marine Colonel was one of the Marines Can Yue and the others had met in Shells Town.
He had once been the Lieutenant Colonel under Morgan. Because Morgan had been removed from office and the townspeople had praised him, he had earned a promotion.
"I sincerely thank you, Straw Hat Pirates!
For the sake of your smooth journey to sea, I'll help conceal the information this time. The next time we meet, we'll be enemies.
But speaking for myself, I truly look forward to seeing what kind of legendary stories you create next."
With that, the Marine Colonel turned and walked toward the cabin.
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