Shooting Kuro

Three days later, the ship arrived at Tang Peach Town.

Zhou Qi did not even disembark. He merely took a distant look, snapped a photo with his phone, then opened a Space Gate and returned to Loguetown with Tashigi.

Then they followed another ship toward Shimotsuki Village.

Tashigi was somewhat baffled by his actions, but she was a qualified first mate. She rarely asked questions, and whenever there was no work for her to do, she buried herself in sword practice.

Tashigi had not started learning swordsmanship particularly young either. She only began at fifteen, and when she first met Zoro, he completely crushed her. Yet two years later, her combat ability had become quite formidable. She was probably already at the level of a swordsman.

This was probably the legendary case of diligence making up for shortcomings.

Zhou Qi joined her sword training as well. He picked up a wooden sword and practiced Suburi with Tashigi every day.

He used a wooden sword, while Tashigi used a real one. Yet he could only manage thirty swings, whereas Tashigi could do more than a thousand.

Still, he had discovered a difference in this world. On Earth, after exhausting oneself once, one would need at least half an hour of rest to recover. But in the One Piece World, it only took a little over ten minutes.

And if one ate this world's food, recovery was even faster!

Zhou Qi suspected that this world might possess Spiritual Energy or something similar. As a result, even people who did not train could grow stronger than professionally trained athletes on Earth simply by breathing normally as they grew up.

The fish and other creatures in this world also grew up in an environment filled with Spiritual Energy, so they stored it within their bodies. That was why their meat had such powerful fatigue-relieving effects.

If that was the case, then the meat of the Lord of the Coast was definitely more effective than ordinary fish, while Sea King meat was even better than the Lord of the Coast's meat.

Unfortunately, neither he nor Tashigi currently had the strength to hunt Sea Kings. They could only make do with ordinary fish for now.

"Forty-five, forty-six, forty-seven, forty-eight... ptooey, I can't keep going!"

Zhou Qi collapsed weakly onto the ground, panting heavily as he grabbed some tea and poured it into his mouth.

"Hehe..." Tashigi watched from the side with amusement in her eyes. At first, she had thought Zhou Qi was joking when he said he had never trained. She had not expected him to actually be this weak...

What did forty-five Suburi swings even mean? Even a teenager who had studied the sword for half a year should not be at such a level, right?

"What are you laughing at? I think I'm doing fine. The day before yesterday, I could only do thirty swings. Today, I did forty-five. I've become fifty percent stronger in two days! If I can improve like this every day, I won't need many years before I can arm-wrestle Garp!"

"Your foundation is simply too poor!" Tashigi said. "When I first started practicing swordsmanship, I improved quickly too. But now, it takes a long time before I can feel any improvement..."

"Is that so..." Zhou Qi nodded, deep in thought. "Could it be that your training environment is too comfortable?"

"What?" Tashigi froze and asked.

"Human cells possess incredibly strong adaptability and growth potential. No matter how harsh the environment is, they can rapidly adapt through constant renewal and iteration!" Zhou Qi said. "When you first began training, your cells had to change from a comfortable state into one that demanded great strength and speed, so naturally you improved quickly. But now? Your body is already strong, and it can easily complete your daily training!"

"Then your body will think it has already adapted to the harsh external environment, so it will stop growing stronger!"

"Huh?" Tashigi blinked. "I-Is that how it works?"

"Of course it is. Didn't you know? Those swordsmanship experts do not just practice Suburi with swords. They directly use barbells weighing hundreds of kilograms, or even several tons, precisely to place greater pressure on their bodies!" Zhou Qi said.

He was not talking about anyone else. He meant Zoro from the Straw Hat crew.

"I see!" Tashigi nodded. She had only practiced by following a basic swordsmanship manual by herself. No one had been able to guide her, so she had no idea when she might have gone astray.

She had not expected to receive some guidance from Zhou Qi.

"I'll go try it right away..." Tashigi said.

"No rush, no rush. Aren't we going to visit a Great Swordsman? Why not have him tailor a training plan specifically for you?" Zhou Qi said. "I was only speaking casually. What if I'm wrong? What if you get injured from training and I end up making a huge mistake..."

"It isn't that serious!" Tashigi hurriedly shook her head. "You are very knowledgeable, and thanks to you, the food I've eaten these past few days has been far better than anything I ate over the past few years. I even feel like I've become a little stronger!"

"Stop calling me sir all the time. It makes us sound so distant..." Zhou Qi quickly said. "We'll be together for a long time. If you're this polite all the time, it'll feel strange. Just call me Zhou Qi!"

"This..." Tashigi paused, then nodded. She had not felt any airs from Zhou Qi, and being around him was quite comfortable.

"Then I'll call you Qi-kun..."

She did not know that Zhou Qi had lived in an environment where simps were everywhere. Influenced by what he saw and heard, he naturally would not make women feel uncomfortable.

But having a good personality alone was useless. They would dislike you for being ugly, boring, poor, lacking ambition, not caring enough about family, not being generous enough, and so on...

Compared to girls like that, Tashigi was instantly made to seem like a true fairy.

Of course, Zhou Qi was talking about people online. The girls he had met in real life were all fairly normal. As for why he had never dated...

That was because Zhou Qi was not worthy.

"M-My lord!" A startled cry suddenly rose from below. "Pirates!"

"Pirates? Where?" Zhou Qi immediately pulled out his binoculars excitedly. His were civilian-grade, but they were still far clearer than what a merchant ship's lookout could see. With a quick sweep, he spotted a pirate ship flying a skull flag, its sails fully raised as it approached them!

Come to think of it, that skull was rather artistic. Wasn't it a cat?

"Let me see!" Tashigi hurriedly said.

Zhou Qi handed her the binoculars and watched her face turn pale. "It's the Black Cat Pirates! Their captain is Captain 'Hundred Plans' Kuro, with a bounty of sixteen million Berries. Their vice captain is Jango, with a bounty of nine million Berries. Crew member Buchii has a bounty of seven million, and crew member Sham has a bounty of seven million!"

"This is a major pirate crew with a combined bounty of nearly forty million Berries!" Tashigi hurriedly turned around. "I'm no match for pirates like these. Quick, get Lord Smoker here!"

"Kuro?" Zhou Qi immediately pulled out his phone and opened a Space Gate crack to connect to Wi-Fi.

It really was inconvenient not having a phone on him, but many apps had permission to activate the camera, so Zhou Qi had come up with a solution.

He bought a phone case and covered both the front and rear cameras. He also kept Bluetooth earphones connected at all times, ensuring that the phone's microphone could not pick up sounds from the One Piece World.

That way, there would be no problem using it. And since it was connected to his room's Wi-Fi, the IP address still showed his home.

"Oh, so he infiltrated Kaya's household for three years. That means he won't infiltrate Tannis's household until next year. He really is still a pirate right now..."

Kuro was quite a talent. Not only had he created a technique similar to Soru, but he had also successfully gotten hired as Kaya's butler.

A butler was a skilled profession. Without exceptional ability, it was impossible to bluff one's way through it!

If Robin did not exist, Kuro would actually be a decent recruitment target. But compared to Robin, Kuro was nothing.

And once he thought about how Kuro would infiltrate Kaya's household, Zhou Qi frowned. She was his subordinate's daughter. How could he let Kuro sneak in?

He had no intention of recruiting him, and leaving him alive would only disgust Zhou Qi. Better to kill him!

"Quick, Lord Zhou Qi! They haven't come close yet, we still have time!" Tashigi said anxiously.

"But that's forty million Berries. If we call Smoker over, won't we lose our share?" Zhou Qi asked.

Tashigi nearly cried. "At a time like this, you're still thinking about the bounty? We can't possibly deal with a pirate crew like this!"

"You do have a clear understanding of your own abilities, unlike some people I know. They charge ahead without caring whether they actually have the strength. It would be one thing if they were protagonists, but many of them aren't!" Zhou Qi shook his head and pulled out a pistol.

It was a Glock 19, chambered in 9mm with a seventeen-round magazine.

Because of its safety, power, and magazine capacity, this gun was extremely popular among law enforcement, civilians, and criminals. When American police emptied their magazines while facing Black people, they generally used Glocks.

Since it was so widespread, firearm blueprints were not hard to get. There were plenty online. This was what he had Old Wang make for him.

"You actually have a gun?" Tashigi was somewhat surprised. After thinking about it, though, she felt it was normal. After all, having a gun in this world was not a big deal.

Besides, Zhou Qi did not look poor. Wealthy people had even more ways to get firearms.

Some people even carried more than one. Daddy, who traveled with a child, could carry a whole body full of guns.

But people here preferred revolvers. She had never seen such a strange-looking gun before.

"Even if you have a gun, that's Kuro, with a bounty of sixteen million Berries! How can a single pistol possibly deal with him?" Tashigi was already beginning to regret it. Hadn't he said he would summon Smoker whenever he encountered pirates? How had things turned out like this?

"Trust me, Tashigi. I won't joke around with my own life!" Zhou Qi said seriously.

He could stand behind others for a while, but he could not stand behind others forever. Some enemies would have to be faced by himself sooner or later.

This was only Kuro, a perfect opportunity to train himself. If he needed Smoker to deal with even Kuro, then how would he fight Crocodile in the future? How would he fight Bruno?

One was a Shichibukai, while the other was a spy under the World Government. Smoker would not help him!

Seeing Zhou Qi's calm expression, Tashigi somehow gained a little confidence as well.

Right. He might not have much combat ability, but he was still a Devil Fruit User. He should... still have some chance of winning, right?

Zhou Qi silently watched as the Black Cat Pirates' ship drew closer, checking the gun in his hand to make sure it would not jam later.

Kuro's ship was fast. Before long, it caught up with the merchant vessel, and then more than a dozen grappling hooks attached to ropes were thrown over.

Kuro took the lead, running across the ropes in just a few steps. He had planned to start slaughtering everyone, but after landing, he discovered that no one had tried to stop him.

The crew stood far away, leaving a man and a woman exposed before him.

"Oh? Have you given up resisting?" Kuro looked at the man and woman before him, pushing up his glasses with his wrist as a cold gleam flashed in his eyes. "If so, hand over every valuable thing on this ship!"

"No!" Zhou Qi said firmly.

"Nani?" Kuro paused, narrowing his eyes at Zhou Qi.

"The thing I love most in life is saying no to self-righteous people!" Zhou Qi raised his gun and aimed it at Kuro. "You've been a pirate for so many years. You must have earned quite a bit of money, right? Where have you hidden it? Hand it over, and I'll spare your life!"

"Oho, is that what gave you confidence?" Kuro laughed.

"Wow, so you're some young master!" Jango came over as well. He wore pink heart-shaped glasses, a flamboyant purple shirt, and held a pendant in his hand. His whole appearance was carefree and frivolous!

Behind him, the Kuro Pirates' other two fighters, Buchii and Sham, jumped down as well.

But seeing that their captain seemed to be in the mood to play, they simply watched silently from the side.

Zhou Qi smiled. "Actually, I'm rather curious. How could anyone be willing to take in a pirate like Jango? Someone who can hypnotize people should be killed on sight, shouldn't he?"

Or had Hina been hypnotized by Jango?

"Hm?" Kuro paused, then immediately narrowed his eyes.

He already had a grand plan that relied on Jango's hypnotic ability, and he had been preparing to put it into action after this job. He had not expected someone to recognize how special Jango's ability was?

Since this person might expose his plan, he had to be eliminated!

Kuro smiled faintly, extended the claws on his hand, and vanished!

"Soru!"

He had seen the gun in Zhou Qi's hand, but he did not take it seriously. With his Soru, Zhou Qi could not even see his shadow. How could he possibly hit him?

"Ha!" Tashigi hurriedly drew her sword. This was the first time she had faced a pirate with a bounty of sixteen million Berries, and cold sweat unconsciously beaded across her face.

She had no confidence, but as a Marine, she had to stand before the civilians!

"Let me do it!" Since Zhou Qi was unwilling to open a Space Gate, there was no point saying anything more now. They had no choice but to face him.

Then she saw Zhou Qi move his finger and pull the trigger.

"He missed!" Tashigi's heart clenched. She could not see Kuro's exact position, but she knew he was to the side. Yet that shot had clearly been fired straight ahead!

It still had to be up to me—huh?

She abruptly turned her head and saw a bullet appear out of nowhere, then bore directly into Kuro's temple at a speed of three hundred and fifty meters per second.

Kuro fell in response.

"Hiss! That recoil!"

Zhou Qi's hand hurt a little. The Glock 19 did not have much recoil, but Zhou Qi was too weak. He hurriedly placed his empty left hand on the grip as well, holding the gun with both hands.

He had not fired randomly. This shooting technique was called the C.A.R.S. Shooting Technique, its full name the Central Axis Heavy Lock System. It was a technique developed specifically for close-range pistol combat.

But he had only learned the gun-holding stance. He left the aiming to the Space Gate.

"And you lot!" Without moving the gun muzzle that pointed at empty air, Zhou Qi pulled the trigger again, firing three consecutive shots.

The next second, Jango, Buchii, and Sham fell as well...

The pirates who had jumped aboard behind the four of them froze on the spot!

"Ah..." Tashigi stared at the scene in amazement and immediately understood how Zhou Qi had done it.

He opened Space Gates at the muzzle, leading to the four men's temples, allowing the bullets to avoid their normal trajectories.

How could one defend against bullets that traveled through space?

Kuro was fast, but Zhou Qi had memorized his appearance. That meant a Space Gate would definitely open beside him. Unless he could move faster than bullets or his forehead could withstand them, death was his only possible outcome.

Clearly, Soru was not faster than bullets.

There was actually such a method?

"This is called villains dying because they talk too much!" Zhou Qi looked at the corpses on the ground and shook his head. "If he had started fighting the moment he boarded, he might have been able to hurt me. But he just had to chat with me first..."

He was rather curious. Didn't ordinary people vomit after killing someone?

Looking at the bloodstains on the ground, he did not feel nauseated at all.

Perhaps it was because he had mentally prepared himself, or perhaps it was because he knew the people he had killed were scum rather than ordinary people. Naturally, he did not feel any inexplicable guilt.

"This..." Tashigi thought about it seriously. Pirates who immediately started fighting upon meeting someone were indeed quite rare. The pirates she had encountered usually spat out some threats first, then were either killed or captured by Smoker...

She had no idea why that was...

"Now you can call Smoker!" Zhou Qi lowered his gun. There were still a few Black Cat Pirates lackeys left, but they were already scared out of their wits, so there was no need to use his gun again.

After all, he did not have many bullets left. Until he found a way to buy weapons, he had to conserve them...