"...Um, thank you."
Usopp looked up and thanked Lina and Nami, who stood beside him.
He'd thought he was done for. After all, their opponent was a pirate with a 16-million-Berry bounty.
He might have run his mouth all the time, but he knew exactly how little he could back it up.
He hadn't expected these people—Luffy, Lina, and the others—to be willing to cross the infamous Kuro for them, even though they'd only met that very day.
"You've got it wrong."
Lina worked the bolt of her gun and glanced at Usopp and Kaya, who were sitting on the ground.
"First, we came looking for Kuro. That has nothing to do with you."
"Second, there's a ship here."
Lina took a drag on her cigarette, paused, then added, "You could call it a deal. We beat Kuro, and the ship goes to us."
Kaya looked at the man in front of her. His expression was lazy and indifferent, and she couldn't tell whether he'd truly helped them out of kindness or simply wanted her family's ship.
But as long as they could get through the crisis in front of them, she didn't care if he had ulterior motives.
After all, he'd just saved her and Usopp's lives. At least the outcome was good.
"I understand. Thank you again for saving us."
Kaya was much more tactful than Usopp. She knew that even if they had ulterior motives, she had no choice.
Lina flashed a grin. "Hey, Luffy! We've got our ship sorted out too!"
"Shishishi! Then we've got even more reason to give this guy a good beating."
Luffy grinned at Kuro, cracked his knuckles, and charged.
Zoro followed close behind, and Lina didn't hesitate either. She sent both devils charging in at once.
The clang of clashing blades rang out again and again, and sparks occasionally flashed through the air.
"These guys are all more ridiculous than the last."
Kuro was gritting his teeth so hard they nearly cracked. Feeling the force of the Ten Blades in his hands, he was secretly alarmed.
"Each of the four of them is at least as strong as I am on their own. How could a pirate crew this strong have gone completely unheard of?"
It wasn't Kuro's fault. This was only their second day at sea.
They'd caused a commotion at Branch 153 just yesterday, then arrived at Syrup Village first thing this morning.
Even with the best information network, Kuro couldn't have learned about them that quickly.
After only a few exchanges, Kuro was completely suppressed.
Then, with no warning, Luffy landed a heavy punch in his stomach.
Kuro clutched his belly, and the Chainsaw Devil slashed open a gash in his back.
"Ah!"
A wave of intense pain struck him. Kuro gritted his teeth and forced himself to endure it, then pushed off with his feet and used Silent Step to put some distance between them.
Cold sweat kept beading on his forehead and running down his face. A dark glint flashed in Kuro's eyes.
"...I have no choice but to use that move."
Shya Death was Kuro's strongest technique, an advanced form of Silent Step.
He moved so fast that even he couldn't see what he was going to hit. Once he started, he wouldn't stop until he ran out of stamina, and he wouldn't care whether he killed friend or foe.
Kuro raised a hand and nudged his glasses with his palm. He crossed his arms, and the Ten Blades flashed with a cold gleam.
"Shya Death!"
The next instant, Kuro vanished from sight. A gust swept across the lawn—a murderous wind, sharp as a blade!
"So fast!"
"I can't see him at all!" Luffy and Zoro exclaimed, shocked by his speed.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Several deep slashes suddenly appeared in the ground, then in the wall and tree trunks.
There was no warning, no pattern to follow.
"Hey, let's get away from here!" Lina's brows knitted together, her expression turning serious.
She wrapped one arm around her neck and held the other over her chest, protecting her vital spots as she backed away.·
Usopp grabbed Kaya and fled.
Nami had already had the sense to hide. She'd seen how strong the others were. If they couldn't win, she'd only get in the way.
"Clang—"
Suddenly, sparks flew from the blade in the Blade Devil's hand, and its leg was inexplicably slashed several times.
"Luffy! You two fall back and let them take the hits!"
Lina shouted to the two in the middle of the field. Shya Death was a technique whose speed rivaled "Shave."
They couldn't track Kuro yet, so all they could do was gamble.
They could gamble on Kuro running out of stamina first, or on grabbing him when he landed a hit. Then it would come down to whether his blade struck a vital spot.
But with Lina's two undead creatures there, things were much simpler.
They could just have them take the hits!
Undead didn't have anything like a life to lose. If they broke, they could be repaired. It only cost a little stamina.
"Got it!"
Luffy and Zoro promptly backed off. This wasn't some formal duel; they weren't stupid enough to stand around waiting to be slashed.
On the field, the Blade Devil and Chainsaw Devil faced Kuro head-on and raised their arms.
They didn't move even when they were struck across the back.
Then, in the next instant, several slash marks appeared on the Chainsaw Devil's chest. The two "people" reacted immediately, swinging the blade and saw in their hands with all their might.
"Ah!!!"
A scream rang out, and a spray of blood burst into the air. By sheer luck, the Blade Devil had landed a slash.
Kuro stumbled in midair, then crashed to the ground and rolled several times.
"My arm!!!"
Kuro clenched his teeth and stared at his empty right sleeve, trembling from the intense pain.
The Blade Devil and Chainsaw Devil blurred, their weapons held across their chests as they shot forward just above the ground.
Watching the two figures fly toward him, Kuro instead felt a sense of relief. He knew his life had reached its end.
"...Is it over?"
Kuro's expression darkened. He no longer had the strength to dodge.
"...This is why I hate this life."
"Every day, I'm either on edge, waiting for some powerful enemy to come after me, or being pestered nonstop by a bunch of insignificant fools."
"...What a pain."
"If only I'd known."
"I should've just stayed the way I was."
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Blood spurted out.
Kuro's vision gradually blurred. His body, no longer able to hold him up, pitched forward and collapsed face-first onto the blood-red lawn.
Kuro's death stirred no emotion in Lina.
There were plenty of ways to live a quiet life. He could even have hidden in Kaya's house for the rest of his life without any problem. In the end, he'd simply been greedy.
Every choice came with a cost, and Kuro had failed. That was all.
"Is he dead?"
"Yeah. He's dead."
Lina answered Usopp, walked over, and collected information from Kuro's body.
Kuro's legs had explosive power. Lina could make up for his weak defense with her own abilities.
His strength was lacking too, but with a weapon, he'd still be useful for offense in the early stages.
Lina had high expectations for him.
Before long, Kaya's guards came out to clean up. The group was invited into the mansion.
Led by the butler Merry, they entered through the front doors, walked down a corridor, and arrived at the reception room.
The room was incredibly spacious. A huge round coffee table stood in the middle, surrounded by luxurious leather sofas. An exquisite crystal chandelier hung overhead, and patterned tiles covered the floor.
Lina leaned back on the sofa and surveyed the room. Expensive works of art filled it; there were at least ten paintings alone.
It was no wonder Kuro had coveted her family's wealth. The contents of this one reception room could have bought him several heads.
"I knew her family was rich, but I had no idea it was this extravagant."
Lina thought it over. Looks like I'll have to squeeze a little more out of them. I bet they've got plenty of good wine and cigarettes stashed away.
For Kaya's health, I should do my best to help her get rid of that stuff.
What? You're saying I'm shameless?
Yeah, that's me. No denying it!
Nami was shedding silent tears. All those valuable treasures were right in front of her, and she couldn't take any of them.
Maybe I could just steal a few things. Just a few.
No, I promised I'd only go after pirates.
But they did save someone's life, after all. Taking a few things wouldn't be unreasonable.
No, Nami. How would that be any different from being a pirate?
But I am a pirate!
Nami was arguing with herself, and Lina could barely keep from laughing.
"Why don't you all stay for a meal today?"
Kaya came in from outside, smiling warmly. "Later, I'll take you to see the ship. Merry designed it himself a long time ago."
"This trip really has been rewarding."
Lina leaned back on the sofa and took a satisfied drag on her cigarette.
Before you continue