The Dagger Revealed: Solo Kill Black Cat

"Heh heh,"

Facing Kuro, the bespectacled man with ten blades attached to his hands, who was willing to 'sacrifice teammates to ascend', Roman merely feigned surprise.

"So, the bag you were carrying was full of weapons, not Belly~~ It seems you don't care about your young lady's safety at all."

The dagger in Roman's hand had already left the neck of the delicate young girl named Kaya. Now that they had 'torn their masks off', there was no need to continue the act.

"Oh my, Captain Kuro."

Roman took a step forward, shielding Kaya, who was still 'tied' to the chair behind him.

"With that murderous aura you're giving off, do you intend to kill everyone here?"

"Of course."

With things having reached this point, Captain Kuro, who had been disguised as a butler, no longer had any reason to hide. While the others were still in shock, he readily admitted it.

"Today, everyone here will die."

"Merry!"

A delicate cry broke the silence. It was Roman who had removed the paper strip from Miss Kaya's mouth.

"Klahadore, how could you—"

"Seeing this, you still don't understand, Miss?"

However, the man with glasses, whose ten fingers were extended with blade-like weapons, responded coldly.

"My name is Kuro, not Klahadore."

"B-but... if you wanted money, all the money in the house is yours..."

"No, you're mistaken."

Because he had weapons called 'Ten Blades' on his hands, Kuro could only push his glasses with his palms.

"It's not just money I want,"

"But also a 'peaceful gentleman's life'."

"Although there was a slight accident, it doesn't matter, Miss."

"After I kill these meddling fools, I'll have Sango hypnotize you into signing a will stating that 'my assets are to be inherited by Klahadore'—that is, me."

The man opposite him laid out his plan directly, unconcerned by the surprise, disappointment, and disbelief on everyone's faces.

"Then I'll kill you, Miss."

"And blame these 'tragedies' on these foreign pirates. Of course, Usopp, as an 'accomplice', will also..."

"Enough!!!"

Rustle

The paper strips binding Kaya turned into actual paper and slid off, and the young girl raised the item in her hand:

A short-barreled flintlock gun.

"Stop talking, Klahadore."

The muzzle was aimed at the man who had once accompanied her through laughter and tears, who had cared for her, and whom she regarded as family.

"I didn't want to believe it... but:"

"Please leave here, or I'll shoot!"

"It seems you've become stronger too, Miss."

"Three years. Do you know how I've spent these three years?"

"Caring for you, a bratty little girl every day, staying up all night when you were sick, serving you hand and foot..."

"Captain Kuro, once feared by countless people, endured all this subservience." After recounting his past 'hardships', the man named Kuro exuded an overwhelming killing intent!

"All for the purpose of killing you!"

Snap

The short-barreled flintlock gun fell to the ground, and the girl named Kaya lowered her head, tears falling like pearls from a broken string!

"You scoundrel—!"

Usopp angrily took a step forward but was stopped by a hand.

"You have other things to do," Roman, who had stopped Usopp, tilted his head towards the weeping Kaya behind him, giving an expression that said, 'Why aren't you going to comfort her quickly?'

"As for the fight, leave it to me."

Roman walked towards Captain Kuro. "After all, this was my 'idea', so it's only right that I finish it."

"Roman, what about us?"

Luffy, who had been 'watching the show' from the side, shouted in dissatisfaction.

"There's only one enemy, not enough to go around~~"

"Ten Blades? That's some shady stuff, not real swordsmanship."

"Go Roman!"

"You guys,"

Veins bulging on his forehead, Kuro was enraged by these "arrogant" young men and women before him.

How dare these newcomers not take me seriously...

"What do you think you're doing to me, Captain Kuro?"

Clang!

Amidst a spray of sparks, Roman and Captain Kuro's figures both gave a sudden 'tremor'! Nami was so startled she pulled off her decorative eye patch.

So fast!

If not for their positions and the direction of their weapons—she wouldn't have even registered it. The two, who were several meters apart just moments ago, had already clashed once.

"No need to rush,"

Roman tossed something behind him casually. A white paper crane landed in front of Luffy and the other two, then slowly began to fly.

"Luffy, your business has arrived."

"The 'paper crane' I released spotted a cat-shaped ship flying a pirate flag on the northern coast."

"It seems our Captain Kuro has invited other 'helpers'," Roman pointed in the direction the paper crane was flying. "Luffy, Zoro, Nami, the enemies on that ship are yours."

"Alright, leave it to me!"

"Hmph, I've already polished my saber several times~~"

"Why is even I..."

"The treasure on that ship is all yours."

With that one sentence, Nami, who was suddenly energized, grabbed Luffy and Zoro, the two unwilling laborers, and they sped north following the flying paper crane.

"Well then, Captain Kuro."

Roman looked at the 'Hundred Plans' Kuro, who had remained motionless.

"It seems you have quite a bit of confidence in your subordinates, but..."

"I've never had confidence in those good-for-nothings," however, the man opposite him simply adjusted his glasses with his palm.

"I only have confidence in my own strength."

"Even if they fail in the end,"

"I can kill them all."

Facing Captain Kuro, whose calmness contained an infinite killing intent, Roman simply smiled slightly.

"Coincidentally, I too—"

Whoosh!

Captain Kuro's body suddenly blurred, and he silently 'melted' into the air. Roman, whose hands held two cutlasses made of paper, also moved at extreme speed, his entire body becoming an indistinguishable blur.

Whoosh!!

In the eyes of Usopp and Kaya beside them, they could only vaguely see two rapidly spinning figures, completely blurred into an indistinguishable mass, entangled together. Threads of light moved through the air, incredibly slow, yet seemingly incredibly fast!

Those were clearly afterimages created by the extremely fast swings of blades. Every time such a 'light' swept past, the ground, trees, and rocks! Anything blocking their path was silently cut apart.

Both of them fought speed with speed, sweeping across the battlefield like a gust of wind! Only then followed:

Clang, clang, clang, clang! A series of impact sounds, with sparks flying everywhere, like thousands of fireflies suddenly dancing in the clearing of this forest.

Crack crack crack!!

Countless cracks suddenly appeared from all directions, covering the entire battlefield! It was as if a dozen swordsmen had just fought there, with traces of cutting and slashing everywhere. Trees slowly fell around them, along with fallen leaves that had turned to fragments in mid-air.

Then, the two reappeared, standing four meters apart, their backs to each other. On the ground between them, there were black strips of cloth and blood everywhere, clearly indicating the victor of this battle!

"You—"

Kuro, whose black suit was torn everywhere, turned around. Bloodstains began to spread across his white shirt beneath the suit. He stared at Roman, who had also turned, with a grim expression, his throat bobbing.

"Devil Fruit."

"That's right," Roman casually twirled the cutlasses in his hands, shaking off the blood.

"Don't talk about unfairness,"

The previous exchange of blows, theoretically, should have been a draw. However:

"Devil Fruit abilities are also my strength, and I don't want to hear any crazy talk about me 'taking off my armor' before fighting."

Paper Dance - Iron Armor

An opponent like Captain Kuro, with extremely high speed but not much outstanding destructive power, might be good at dealing with weaker opponents. But when facing someone like Roman with high defense, he would be completely countered! He could only chip away at him the whole time...

"Hoo, looks like I'll have to use that move."

The captain named Kuro lowered his head, spreading his arms. However:

In truth, he no longer held much hope of defeating Roman. The move he was about to unleash left him far too exposed… He could only gamble on whether his stamina would give out first, or if his opponent's defense would crumble.

"Spoon!"

Whoosh—

With his decision made to unleash his ultimate move, his entire body immediately…

"He… he's gone??"

Usopp rubbed his eyes and looked at the opposite side again, even scanning the surroundings, but:

"Ro… Roman, did Captain Kuro run away?"

"Run?"

Roman gestured to the area around them.

"If you call this running, then yes—"

Slice!

A large tree, with a sharp crack, suddenly slid slowly to the side! Its trunk now bore four smooth cut surfaces as if from nowhere.

"What… what is this…"

Slice! Slice! Slice!

Trees, the ground, even the ruins from their previous battle now bore 'wounds' that appeared out of thin air! It looked as if invisible blades had passed through—

That captain named Kuro was nearby, attacking!

It was just that his speed was too great, so fast that even Roman could only catch glimpses of 'afterimages'. To everyone else, he had completely 'vanished'! It was indeed a sharp skill, but:

"What a shame,"

He could develop a move similar to the Marines' Rokushiki 'Soru' through self-training, yet he feared the sea and strong enemies, choosing to hide here to live out the rest of his life. Even so, he couldn't let go of his inexplicable pride and greed.

However, judging by the way he was attacking randomly, he probably couldn't control it…

?!

As Roman was fully sensing the opponent, he suddenly felt a 'wind' sweep past him! And in the opponent's path…

Damn it, Miss Kaya!

With a thought, the 'chair' behind the frail girl immediately flew and spread out like a living creature, about to cover the girl and form a defense. But:

Gasp!!

Blood splattered! Drops of crimson landed on the face of the girl named Kaya, making her pupils tremble.

"Uso… Usopp…"

At the critical moment, it was unknown how the boy named Usopp had sensed the enemy, who had moved faster than the human eye could track, heading towards Kaya at high speed. In any case, he lunged forward, shielding the frail girl with his own body!

"It's… it's just a small injury…"

Blood sprayed from his entire back, yet facing the girl in his arms, the long-nosed Usopp still managed a strained smile and chose to tell a 'lie'.

Well done.

Roman, who had almost 'crashed', first let out a sigh of relief, then his gaze sharpened.

I'm done playing—

Snap,

He clapped his hands together, and sheets of paper, which had been prepared long ago, floated up from nowhere.

"Paper Dance - Crimson Leaf Hunt."

Puff!!!

At Roman's command, a large expanse of scarlet suddenly splashed through the air! Dyeing the white papers red, and:

Pieces of flesh scattered on the ground!

"As expected, this kind of all-out high-speed movement is most afraid of 'brake failure'."

If the opponent had chosen to fight Roman properly, it would have taken more effort.

But since he unleashed such an uncontrollable 'ultimate move', Roman directly activated the prepared 'environmental skill'. All he needed to do was to lay out sharp 'papers' in the air and wait for the opponent to charge into them!

As for the result:

The hundreds of pieces of 'Captain Kuro' on the ground were the clearest example.

"Speed that cannot be controlled freely is merely a death knell."