The Black Cat's Finale

"...Thank you. Thank you all."

Usopp looked up and thanked Lina and Nami, who were beside him.

He thought he was dead for sure, after all, his opponents were pirates with a bounty of 16 million Berries.

Even though he usually talked big, he knew his own limits.

He hadn't expected Luffy, Lina, and the others, whom he had only met that day, to be willing to offend the notoriously fierce Kuro for them.

"You've misunderstood."

Lina pulled back the bolt of his gun and glanced at Usopp and Kaya, who were sitting on the ground.

"First of all, we came looking for Kuro, and it has nothing to do with you."

"Secondly, there's a ship here."

Lina took a drag from his cigarette, paused, and then continued, "Let's just call it a trade. After we defeat Kuro, you give us the ship."

Kaya looked at the man before her, his expression lazy and indifferent. She couldn't tell if he was genuinely kind-hearted or just after her family's ship.

However, as long as they could overcome the current crisis, it didn't matter if he had ulterior motives.

After all, he had 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 perceptive than Usopp. She knew that even if the man had ill intentions, she had no other choice.

Lina grinned, "Hey Luffy! We've got our ship sorted too!"

"Heeheehee, then we should definitely beat this guy up even harder."

Luffy grinned as he stared at Kuro, rubbing his fists together and charging forward.

Zoro followed closely behind, and Lina didn't hesitate either, controlling his two devils to swarm forward.

The clanging of clashing blades echoed continuously, and sparks occasionally flew through the air.

"These guys, each one is more outrageous than the last."

Kuro's teeth were almost grinding to dust. He felt the force transmitted through his 'Ten Blades' and was secretly shocked:

"These four people, each of them individually possesses strength not inferior to mine. How could a pirate crew this strong have no news about them whatsoever?"

It wasn't Kuro's fault. It was only their second day out at sea.

They had just caused trouble at Branch 153 yesterday and arrived at Syrup Village first thing this morning.

No matter how well-informed Kuro was, he wouldn't have known this quickly.

The two sides had only exchanged a few blows before Kuro was completely suppressed.

Suddenly, caught off guard, Kuro was hit hard in the abdomen by a punch from Luffy.

Kuro clutched his stomach, and then a cut was opened on his back by a strike from the Chainsaw Devil.

"Ah!"

A sharp pain struck him. Kuro gritted his teeth, enduring the pain, and exerted force with his feet, using Silent Step to create distance.

Cold sweat continuously seeped from his forehead, trickling down his face. A sinister glint flashed in Kuro's eyes.

"...I have no choice but to use that move."

Shya Death, Kuro's strongest technique, an advanced form of Silent Step.

It was so fast that even he couldn't see what he would hit. Once activated, it was a fight to the death, only stopping when his stamina was completely depleted.

Kuro raised his hand and adjusted his glasses with his palm. He crossed his arms, and the Ten Blades flashed with a chilling cold light.

"Shya Death!"

The next moment, Kuro's figure disappeared from his spot. A fierce wind swept across the lawn, a killing wind as sharp as a blade!

"So fast!"

"I can't see him at all!" Luffy and Zoro were astonished by the opponent's speed.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Several deep claw marks were suddenly carved into the ground, then the walls, and tree trunks.

Without warning, without any discernible pattern.

"Hey, let's get out of this area first!" Lina's brows furrowed, his expression grim.

He hugged his neck with one arm and protected his chest with the other, retreating while guarding his vital points.

Usopp pulled Kaya away to escape.

Nami had wisely hidden long ago. After all, she had witnessed their combat prowess. If even they couldn't win, she would only be a hindrance.

Clang--

Suddenly, the blade in the Blade Devil's hand sparked, and his leg was inexplicably cut several times.

"Luffy! You guys fall back and let those two handle it!"

Lina shouted to the two people in the arena. Shya Death was a move that could rival 'Silent Step' in terms of speed.

As they were now, they couldn't grasp the opponent's abilities and could only gamble!

They gambled that Kuro's stamina would run out first, or that they could seize the opportunity to grab the opponent when they were cut, which depended on whether this strike would hit a vital spot.

However, with Lina's two undead creatures, things became much simpler.

They would directly have them tank the hits!

Undead had no concept of life. If they broke, they could be repaired; it was just a matter of expending some stamina.

"Got it!"

Luffy and Zoro decisively retreated. This wasn't a formal duel, and the two wouldn't foolishly wait to be cut.

The Blade Devil and the Chainsaw Devil faced each other head-on, raising their hands directly.

They remained motionless even as their backs were struck.

Until the next moment, several blade marks suddenly appeared on the Chainsaw Devil's chest. The two 'people' reacted instantly, swinging the blade-saws in their hands down fiercely.

"Ah!!!"

A scream rang out, and a splash of blood erupted from nowhere. The Blade Devil had luckily landed a blow on the opponent.

Kuro, moving at high speed, stumbled and fell heavily to the ground, rolling several times.

"My hand!!!"

Kuro gritted his teeth and looked at his empty right arm. The intense pain made him tremble uncontrollably.

The Blade Devil and the Chainsaw Devil flickered, their blade-saws held horizontally across their chests as they shot out low to the ground.

Seeing the two figures flying towards him, Kuro actually let out a sigh of relief. He knew his life had reached its end.

"...Is it over?"

Kuro's expression was dejected. He no longer had the strength to dodge.

"...That's why I hate this kind of life."

"Every day, I'm either on edge, wondering if some strong person will come looking for me, or being constantly harassed by a bunch of ants."

"...So annoying."

"If only I had known."

"It would have been better to just live like this."

Screech! Screech! Screech!

Blood splattered.

Kuro's vision gradually blurred. His body, unable to support itself, tilted forward, collapsing onto the scarlet lawn.

Lina felt no emotion at Kuro's death.

There were plenty of ways to live a peaceful life; he could have even hidden at Kaya's house for a lifetime. In the end, he was still greedy.

Every choice had its cost, and Kuro had failed, nothing more.

"Is he dead?"

"Yeah, completely dead."

Lina responded to Usopp and stepped forward to collect Kuro's physical information.

The opponent's leg explosiveness was excellent; his brittle defense could be compensated for by his abilities.

His strength was also a bit lacking, but when using weapons, his attack power was sufficient in the early stages.

Lina had high expectations for him.

Soon, the guards from Kaya's house came out to clean up, and they were invited into the mansion as guests.

Led by the butler, Merry, they entered through the main gate, passed through a long corridor, and arrived at the reception room.

The reception room was incredibly spacious, with a large round coffee table in the center, surrounded by luxurious leather sofas. Above it hung an exquisite crystal chandelier, and the floor was covered in patterned tiles.

Lina leaned back on the sofa, surveying the entire room. Valuable artworks were displayed everywhere; there were no less than ten paintings alone.

No wonder Kuro was covetous. The combined value of everything in this reception room alone was enough to buy him several bounties.

"I knew her family was rich, but I didn't expect it to be this extravagant."

Lina mused, thinking he should extort a bit more. They probably had plenty of good wine and cigarettes stored away.

For Kaya's health, he had to help her take these things away.

What, you say I'm shameless?

Yes, it's me, exactly!

Nami was currently shedding tears sadly. So many valuable treasures were right before her eyes, yet she couldn't take them.

"Maybe I should steal a few items, just a few."

"No, I promised I would only target pirates."

"No, no, no, after all, you saved my life, so asking for a few things isn't too much."

"No, Nami, what's the difference between you and a pirate?"

"But I am a pirate!"

Nami was arguing with herself, which made Lina want to laugh.

"Everyone, please stay for a meal today."

Kaya walked in from outside the door with a gentle smile. "Later, I'll show you the ship. Merry designed it with his own hands."

"This trip has truly been fruitful."

Lina leaned back on the sofa, contentedly taking a puff of his cigarette.