The Mage's Battle

Zango's falsifying of orders wasn't just for an easy escape; such betrayal was a major taboo on pirate ships, and he wouldn't be welcomed anywhere.

Besides, as vast as the East Blue is, it still has an end.

As long as Kuro was alive, there was always a possibility of being caught.

Rather than living in constant fear, terrified of being caught and tortured by Kuro one day, Zango, from a human perspective, would naturally choose to eliminate the threat permanently.

Slash...!

The blade pierced through flesh. Kuro's speed far surpassed ordinary humans, and under Silent Step, not even an afterimage could be seen.

By the time Sam came to his senses, the cold steel was churning his insides, extinguishing his life.

"C-Captain?"

Even in death, Sam didn't understand why Kuro was killing him, his eyes filled with confusion.

At this point, shouldn't he be dealing with the enemy first?

However, he made a common mistake: prioritizing the enemy... only if Kuro needed him!

Different people had different ways of relieving stress, and their methods varied according to their status.

Kuro's usual method of relieving stress was, as expected, adjusting his glasses—a habitual gesture to focus his attention and clear his mind.

But under the dual rage debuffs of being toyed with by Lowett and Zango's betrayal, he needed to kill someone to calm down.

And there were only two people present to choose from...

Thump...!

Dropping Sam's lifeless corpse, Kuro noticed Lowett's playful gaze. He pushed his glasses up with his palm and said calmly.

"You, don't seem to be in a position to watch the show, do you?"

Since he had prepared an escape boat in advance, Zango clearly hadn't considered Lowett a true threat.

His troublesome nature only became apparent after both sides engaged in battle.

Destroying the ship, or even setting explosives to trap himself on a deserted island, meant that a large Navy force would arrive soon.

Kuro guessed correctly.

A few minutes earlier, as Zango fled, in the warship's command room.

"Colonel, someone reported that Second Lieutenant Lowett killed Doctor Sheldon. Now his family, along with many residents, are causing a disturbance at the branch, demanding we hand over the killer!"

On the other end of the Den Den Mushi, Lieutenant Colonel Klimans, who was on duty, wiped sweat from his brow. Glancing out the window at the agitated crowd below, he quickly said.

Such an uproar clearly indicated that the informant had obtained some decisive evidence.

The kind that could twist black into white.

"What did you say?!"

Morgan's pupils contracted. Suppressing his inner joy, he widened his eyes.

"Second Lieutenant Lowett killed Doctor Sheldon?"

Morgan remembered Doctor Sheldon; he was the one who operated on his shattered jaw. However, after his personality changed drastically, he felt little emotion at the news of the doctor's sudden death from a heart attack.

But the good(?) news didn't end there.

"Not only that!"

Lieutenant Colonel Klimans hesitated for a moment and said, "They also said... they said..."

"Said what?!"

Morgan's face was full of anger as he reached for his axe.

"They said Second Lieutenant Lowett is actually a member of the Black Cat Pirates, and had joined Kuro's crew long before Colonel Skinner arrested him!"

What did that mean?

Klimans' voice was loud, and the Den Den Mushi relayed it faithfully, so everyone in the office, including Jordi, heard this statement.

They couldn't understand why such a baseless slander would be made.

Yes, slander!

Anyone could see it was untrue with a little thought. As a wanted criminal the higher-ups had repeatedly ordered to be apprehended, Navy informants had monitored Lowett's every move for a month before his supposed arrest, so it was undoubtedly slander.

But since it was being brought up, there must be some intention behind it.

Were they afraid Morgan wouldn't take it seriously?

Lieutenant Colonel Jordi shook his head.

Just then, Lieutenant Colonel Klimans swallowed and delivered the latter half of his sentence: "...and that the 'Hundred Plans' Kuro we arrested was just a decoy, a play they staged so Lowett could infiltrate the Navy."

Boom!

A single stone stirred a thousand waves.

In the small cabin, everyone was stunned by this statement.

The 'Hundred Plans' Kuro we arrested was fake?!

Lieutenant Colonel Jordi's pupils contracted.

Yes, it all made sense now.

Although their appearances and heights were almost identical, no one could prove that the person they arrested was the genuine "Hundred Plans" Kuro!

Those who knew the truth had all died in that massacre.

Only Lowett remained, and...

Morgan!

Looking up, Morgan stared blankly ahead, cold sweat continuously soaking through his back and drenching his clothes.

As a hypnotist, Zango knew better than anyone where Morgan's "weak spot" lay.

"Arrest," "Kuro," "Decoy."

These three words were the keys to breaking the hypnotic effect!

Morgan now remembered everything, recalling everything that had happened that day, his own powerlessness at the time, and also remembering that in that newly formed memory... Lowett had never existed!

Combining this with subsequent events, Morgan suddenly realized.

He himself was a pawn!

A pawn Kuro used to escape, a pawn Lowett used to deceive!

Both pirates had achieved their unspeakable goals through him.

They had toyed with him.

There was anger, but at this moment, Morgan felt more fear!

If this matter were exposed, he, Morgan, would surely die!

However, his state gave Lieutenant Colonel Jordi more ideas. He exchanged a look with Major Aiden and shook his head.

In their eyes, the truth was likely as the informant claimed: Kuro was fake.

Thinking about it now, how could someone as strong as "Hundred Plans" be so easily tricked into killing all the members of Branch 153, including Branch Chief Skinner?

Morgan must have known that the arrested Kuro was problematic, or perhaps he had a deal with him, deliberately concealing the truth for his own future.

And Lowett, even if not an accomplice, must have reached some... unspeakable agreement with him.

"We have to set out now and resolve this hidden danger, don't we?"

Jordi pondered silently.

With this matter exposed now, it seemed entirely related to Morgan treating Lowett as a disposable piece.

Perhaps Lowett had deliberately leaked it, leading to a mutual destruction.

It was nothing more than a dog-eat-dog situation.

But no matter what the truth was, Morgan would not allow Lowett to live; he would definitely "question" him thoroughly.

It was better if he didn't resist arrest, but it didn't matter if he did.

Swords have no eyes; it would be understandable if he accidentally killed him during the arrest, wouldn't it?

The Hundred-Forged Great Axe slammed heavily onto the tabletop, emitting a loud bang.

Morgan's eyes were red, his lips trembling with agitation.

"Absurd!!"

He declared.

"Are these accusations worthy of the fallen brothers, worthy of Captain Skinner?!"

"I... I'm sorry!!"

Morgan ignored him and put down the receiver.

"Pass my order, the entire army will turn around!!"

"I'm going to find Lowett and get some answers!!"

Jordi and Aiden heard this and stood at attention, saluting.

"Yes!"

So Kuro's guess was very accurate; Lowett indeed wasn't qualified to just watch.

The warship's speed far surpassed that of the lifeboats. In at most an hour, once the main Navy force arrived, they would be carpet-bombed and have no escape.

"Well, I underestimated him."

Lowett, not bothered by being exposed, covered his forehead with a self-mocking expression.

Oda really is just a manga artist...

Look, besides Morgan and a cunning figure like Kuro, even the less conspicuous Zango is not simple!

He manipulated everything from behind the scenes the entire time.

Compared to what he had planned, he himself, Kuro, and Morgan had all become pawns.

Small figures have their own ways of living, and small figures have their own shining points.

Not born noble, not like a wrinkled old man at birth.

"But..."

"You know I have this kind of strength, why didn't you act on the spot and kill Morgan?"

Kuro's eyes were heavy.

Did this mean there was no intention to cooperate?

"To survive in this sea, everyone has to decide their own position... Ordinary people have several paths to choose from, but I don't."

Lowett said, "Ever since I got involved in this mess, I knew there was only one path left for me..."

"Pirate!!"

Kuro understood. He took a step forward, his body slowly crouching, his cat claws raised in front of him, one high and one low.

"Do you want to be famous?"

Kuro is hard to find, but Branch 153 is easy to find. It's simple priority logic.

Lowett nodded, "Yes."

"Since I can't decide on my opponent, I might as well decide on my teammate."

The biggest trouble at the start of this game wasn't the severed arm, but this... pirate identity!

After speaking, he raised his eyes and looked at Kuro, who was wearing a black casual suit, and said.

"Don't worry, Zango will definitely die. Maybe you two will have a chance to meet again."

This is a lie!

Kuro shook his head, "You are too confident."

Silent Step · Spoon!

"Oh?"

His five fingers, from his left cheek to his Adam's apple, drew streaks of blood. Blood foam filled the gaps between his fingernails. The pain stimulated Lowett's eyes, causing a red glint to flash, and brutality began to rise.

"Then let me show you, the battle of a Mage!"

Chapter Four's title, "Chapter Four, A Reply from Marine Headquarters," was blocked and changed to "Chapter Four, Aokiji's Thoughts" to appear.

Chapter Twelve, "Chapter Twelve, All's Fair in War," was blocked and changed to "Chapter Twelve, Schemes" to appear.

...Finally found the reason.

Those who understand will understand. The big tree belongs to the innocent who died from an unknown AOE.

Vomiting blood frantically.