Scheming!

As long as Lowett publicly agreed, right and wrong would be entirely up to Morgan to decide.

Failure was inconsequential, but betrayal... even better!

What a perfect Rengoku Ukiyo-e!

"None of them are simple!"

Under the azure sky, Lowett gazed at the boundless ocean ahead, his face showing no trace of anger at being treated as a disposable pawn.

He recalled Morgan finding him before their departure, telling him this mission was his chance to prove himself and that he should seize it.

Lowett couldn't help but sigh, thinking that those who treat others as fools are the truly foolish ones.

He had already prepared himself to be discarded.

This was what it meant to have a heart!

There was no better way to solve a problem than by eliminating the person who caused it.

Otherwise, for a matter as critical as the survival of the branch, they would at least have sent a seasoned officer like Vice Captain Jordi, whose strength was clearly superior to the "Triangle Spellbreaker," to ensure their peace of mind.

Yet, he had chosen himself...

Morgan, Kuro – two seemingly insignificant characters from the original story – left him in awe, proving with facts that...

Oda is just a manga artist; what does he know about the Pirate King!

The character archetypes in manga were too absolute; when they appeared alive and breathing in reality, they became truly "real."

"What a pity..."

Lowett murmured softly. A soldier he had handpicked stood beside him, startled, and asked, "Lieutenant, what did you say?"

"No, nothing."

He glanced back at the soldier and then sat on the edge of the lifeboat, tilting his head back and squinting his eyes.

"Let's do it."

Do it?

Do what? What do it? Do what hand?

"Huh?!"

Just as the soldier was puzzled, the lifeboat trembled slightly. Facing away from the ocean, he didn't notice a hand with corpse spots silently press against the edge of the small boat as he slowly surfaced.

As the Zombie Puppet's head emerged from the water, the pupil of another soldier in front of him, who had noticed this scene, contracted sharply. Fear immediately took over his body, causing him to involuntarily open his mouth and gasp dryly like a fish out of water.

"Vi... Vice Captain..."

Then he saw Vice Captain Alva, who had been dead for nearly a month and whom he had personally witnessed being buried, silently climb onto the boat and retrieve a dagger from his mouth.

Water dripped from his wet hair down his eyeballs, but he didn't blink at all. He slowly brought the dagger to less than a centimeter from the soldier's throat.

Wait, if that's what's happening on his side... what about me?!

The soldier was suddenly startled.

Drip...

Cold liquid dripped onto the skin of his head, and feeling that chill, infinite fear instantly crawled up his spine and filled his entire body.

His eyes widened to their limit as if unwilling to close, syllables forming in his throat.

Squelch!!

"Hk..."

Then they dissolved into powerless gasps, the light in his eyes fading.

The rusty, cold dagger sliced through his trachea and carotid artery, causing blood to gush out uncontrollably.

Enemies whose throats were slit or who were stabbed wouldn't scream dramatically and fall backward like in TV shows.

As a Necromancer, Lowett had experimented countless times.

"You couldn't even tell the change in the boat's weight when we switched lifeboats? What can I say about you people?"

Even a fisherman could judge their catch by the waterline; for soldiers at sea to lack such basic skills...

In his dying vision, Second Lieutenant Lowett watched him with a gaze that wasn't cold, but rather held the compassion one might show to livestock being slaughtered.

"In your next life, try not to be in the Navy."

Squelch...!

Squelch! Chk!

Hand met blade, the undead bled. The broken blade transformed into Death's scythe at this moment, ruthlessly harvesting lives, making blood dance, and revealing death.

When the last of the leaky hisses faded, the small boat returned to silence.

The bottom of the boat was already soaked in blood, and stepping on it made a "squish-squish" sound, like walking in a pool of slime.

Lowett quietly raised his head. A Zombie Puppet came to his side, holding a Den Den Mushi.

"Which one?"

"Roar!"

The zombie shook its head and swayed like a foolish kid playing in the mud at the village entrance. It raised its arm, pointed at a corpse, and let out a roar.

"Tsk, even though they've already discarded me, they still can't rest easy and sent someone to monitor me... Hell is empty, and all the devils are here!"

Although Den Den Mushi were well-known communication tools, they weren't cheap. Modifying wild Den Den Mushi was a skill passed down through generations for countless people.

To hoard such a precious item for himself instead of handing it over to him, the leader, was malicious!

"A true gentleman," Lowett mused.

"Perfect, I need some... spellcasting materials."

Splash!

The zombies jumped back into the seawater one by one, swimming to the underside of the small boat. They supported the boat, and the boat carried Lowett forward.

East Blue, a lawless zone, on an uninhabited island.

Zango, the current captain of the Black Cat Pirates, endured the humid, stuffy forest and the bites of mosquitoes, crouching in the bushes.

Beside him, a crewmate slapped his own face, and a smear of blood appeared on his hand.

"Captain, will he come?"

It had been half the day already.

"He will definitely come, and only he will come."

Zango's chin rested on the dirt. Behind his pink floral sunglasses, his eyes were serious and confident. "Don't forget that after he left that day, Doctor Sheldon directly took his own life... Where there's one, there will be another. He knows he can't hide it from everyone."

"But won't this put him back on the Navy's radar? What's his motive?"

Recalling what he saw that day, the pirate shivered.

They were accustomed to death, but seeing someone put on a gentle smile, take an overdose of medicine, sit in a lounge chair, and wait for their life to end...

This way of dying was beyond his comprehension!

Even on a hot summer day, it made him feel like he was falling into an ice cellar, his hands and feet growing cold.

It made him think of the old captain who had gone into hiding, "Hundred Plans" Kuro.

Only he possessed such terrifying deterrence.

But the problem was, if Triangle Spellbreaker and Kuro were the same type of person, and they were targeted by the Navy again, what would be the point?

No one knew the answer.

Rustle, rustle...

The sound of leaves rustling came from beside him. Zango turned his head and saw a pirate who had been keeping watch on the hillside approaching.

"Cap... Captain, he's here!"

"He's finally here?!"

Zango's spirits lifted.

He reached for his binoculars but suddenly noticed the pirate's expression was off. His pupils constricted, his lips were pale, and he was drenched in cold sweat, clearly quite startled.

"What happened?"

Zango asked with a frown.

"Blood... so much blood!"

The pirate looked terrified, recalling the scene he saw through the binoculars. "Only one small boat is coming. The Marines on board have been killed, and there's blood everywhere."

It was too late to say anything now; the small boat had already appeared within sight.

Corpses were piled up like a small mountain in the middle of the boat. Red liquid continuously flowed over their clothes and skin. And their target, Lowett, stood in front of the boat full of corpses, looking towards them.

"This is..."

Zango's pupils contracted as he thought of a possibility.

The next second, a black coat cut through the air and appeared at the edge of the beach.

"Captain Kuro!"

Seeing the familiar tall figure and the skull epaulets, Zango's heart leaped.

This was not part of the plan!

If Kuro didn't fight Lowett, how would he deal with his backup plan?

Rustle...

Splash!

The small boat hit the beach and rocked gently.

Under the scorching sun, the mountain of corpses brought no warmth to their hearts. But Kuro didn't seem to care about the scene. Behind his elegant glasses, his eyes held a playful glint, and the corners of his mouth curled into a smile.

"You've come."

Lowett said, "I've arrived."

Kuro said, "You shouldn't have come."

Lowett said, "But I must."

After the nonsensical conversation between outsiders, Kuro's eyes darted around, and he raised his hand, pushing up his glasses with his palm.

"Your existence isn't valuable enough for me to take a risk."

The words of concern were finally spoken.

Zango gritted his teeth.

Is this it? Are we going to cooperate?!

A mere Triangle Spellbreaker with a bounty of one million naturally had no right to converse with the Great Pirate Kuro as an equal, let alone form an alliance, but...

His current identity was Navy Ensign!

The Black Cat Pirates had always been constantly on the run. Their biggest problem was the lack of an intelligence source within the Navy. Every time, they would encounter enemies only to realize something was wrong.

Consider this:

What if one day they had their own intelligence source within the Navy?

Combined with the vast wealth Kuro was about to scheme for and his personal strength...

Krieg?

Arlong?

Among the famous Great Pirates in the East Blue, who would be Kuro's match?!

At that time, breaking out of the East Blue and aiming for the Pirate King wouldn't be impossible.

The primary prerequisite was to have a stable, reliable, and trustworthy intelligence source.

Could there be a more perfect target than Lowett?

The answer was obvious.

"Is that so?"

Kuro tried to see a hint of nervousness on Lowett's face, but he was unsuccessful.

Lowett wanted to push down his glasses, but he was also unsuccessful.

"If my position isn't enough, I'll make up for it with merit... If someone makes a mistake and vacates a position at this time, that would be even better."

Hearing this, a fierce glint flashed in Kuro's eyes, and he shook his head.

"As I said, you're not worth the risk for me."

Yes, that's it! Let the negotiation fail!

Zango clenched his fists and silently cheered himself on, as if anyone would think he was worried about Kuro.

Lowett said, "No more talking?"

Kuro said, "No more talking."

"Unless..."

A faint smile appeared at the corner of Kuro's mouth. "You do one thing for me."

"What is it?"

"Kill someone!"

The atmosphere in the room froze.

Lowett's eyes darted around, and he understood what the other party meant.

So.

Your real name is Hundred Plans · Nation Thief · Kuro?

Lowett said, "It sounds simple..."

Kuro chuckled lightly, "Doesn't it?"

"Daga, kotowaru!"

Kuro's confident smile froze on his face. In the stunned silence, Lowett, his eyes hidden by his hair, said in a deep voice, "One of the things I, Lowett, love most is telling those who think they are stronger than me: 'NO'!"

The negotiation had finally failed!!!

Zango was instantly ecstatic.

But at this moment, a sharp whistling sound swept past his ear, carrying a chilling stench of decay, heading straight for his heart.

"Watch out, someone's attacking!"

"It's... it's undead! We've been cursed!"

"Help! Don't come near...!"

The shouts from behind instantly flooded Kuro with an endless sense of shame, causing him to tremble all over.

He slowly lowered his left hand, which was holding his glasses, his pupils shrinking to a single point as his killing intent surged.

"You... want to die!!!"

At this, Lowett grinned.

"All's fair in war, Neko-chan..."

It hurts not to be recommended!