"Um... thank you."
Usopp looked up and thanked Reiner and Nami beside him.
He had thought he was as good as dead. After all, the other side was a great pirate with a 16-million-berry bounty.
Though he usually spouted endless tall tales, he knew exactly what he was capable of.
He had never expected Luffy, Reiner, and the others to be willing to offend Kuro, once infamous for his vicious reputation, for their sake despite having met them only that day.
"You misunderstood."
Reiner pulled back the bolt on his gun and glanced at Usopp and the other two sitting on the ground.
"First, we came for Kuro, not because of you. Second, there's a ship here."
After a pause, he added, "Let's call it a deal. Once we defeat Kuro, the ship is ours."
Kaya looked at the man before her. His expression was lazy and indifferent, and she could not tell whether he was genuinely helping them or merely after her family's ship.
Still, as long as they could get through the crisis before them, it did not matter even if he had ulterior motives.
After all, he had just saved her and Usopp's lives. At the very least, the outcome was good.
"I understand. Thank you again for saving us."
Kaya was far more tactful than Usopp. She knew that even if they had bad intentions, she had no room to refuse.
Reiner grinned. "Hey, Luffy! Our ship is settled too!"
"Hehehe! Then we should beat the crap out of this guy even more!"
Luffy grinned at Kuro, cracking his knuckles as he charged forward.
Zoro followed close behind, while Reiner hesitated no longer and controlled the two devils to swarm forward.
The clash of blades rang out again and again, sparks bursting through the air from time to time.
"These guys are more absurd than the last."
Kuro was nearly grinding his teeth to pieces. Feeling the force transmitted through the Ten Blades in his hands, he was secretly horrified.
"Each of these four has strength no weaker than mine on their own. How could such a powerful pirate crew have no reputation at all?"
It was not really Kuro's fault. This was only their second day at sea.
They had just caused trouble at the 153rd Branch yesterday, then arrived at Syrup Village early that morning.
No matter how well-informed Kuro was, he could not possibly have heard about them that quickly.
After only a few exchanges, Kuro was thoroughly suppressed.
Then, without warning, Luffy's fist slammed heavily into his abdomen.
Kuro clutched his stomach, only for the Chainsaw Devil to carve a gash into his back with another strike.
"Ah!"
Intense pain surged through him. Kuro gritted his teeth and endured it, pushing off with his feet and using Silent Walk to pull away.
Cold sweat kept seeping from his forehead and sliding down his face as a dark look flashed through Kuro's eyes.
"...I can only use that move."
Shatter Dead, Kuro's strongest technique and an advanced form of Silent Walk.
Its speed was so great that even he could not see what he would cut. Once activated, it would not stop until either his enemy died or his stamina ran out.
Kuro raised a hand and pushed up his glasses with his palm. Crossing his arms, the Ten Blades flashed with icy light.
"Shatter Dead!"
In the next instant, Kuro vanished from where he stood. A wild gale swept across the lawn, a murderous wind as sharp as blades!
"So fast!"
"I can't see him at all!" Luffy and Zoro were stunned by his speed.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Several deep claw marks suddenly appeared in the ground, then in the walls and tree trunks.
There was no warning and no pattern to follow.
"Hey, let's get away from here first!" Reiner frowned, his expression turning grave.
With one arm around her neck and the other shielding her chest, Kaya protected her vital points as she backed away.
Usopp pulled Kaya away.
Nami had already wisely hidden herself. She had seen what they were capable of, and if even they could not win, she would only get in the way.
Clang—
Suddenly, sparks burst from the Sword Devil's blade, and several slashes inexplicably appeared on its leg.
"Luffy! Zoro! Fall back and let those two take the hits!"
Reiner shouted to the two in the field. Shatter Dead was a technique whose speed rivaled Shave.
At present, they had no way to catch sight of their opponent. They could only gamble!
Gamble that Kuro would run out of stamina first, or seize him when he was struck. That depended on whether the blow hit somewhere vital.
But with Reiner's two Undead Creatures, things became much simpler.
They could just have them take the attacks head-on!
The undead had no real concept of life. If they broke, they could simply be repaired. It only cost a bit of stamina.
"Got it!"
Luffy and Zoro decisively retreated. This was not a formal duel, and they were not idiots who would stand around waiting to be cut down.
The Sword Devil and Chainsaw Devil faced each other on the field, both raising their arms.
Even as their backs were slashed, they did not move an inch.
Then, in the next moment, several blade marks suddenly appeared across the Chainsaw Devil's chest. The two figures reacted instantly, bringing their sword and saw down with all their strength.
"Ah!!!"
A scream rang out as a spray of blood burst into the air. The Sword Devil had luckily managed to cut Kuro.
Kuro stumbled in the midst of his high-speed movement, crashing to the ground and rolling several times.
"My hand!!!"
Kuro gritted his teeth and stared at his empty right arm. The searing pain made him tremble uncontrollably.
The Sword Devil and Chainsaw Devil flickered forward, their sword and saw held across their chests as they shot low over the ground.
Watching the two figures rush toward him, Kuro instead let out a sigh 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.
"...That's why I hate this kind of life."
"Every day, either worrying about some powerful enemy coming after me or being constantly harassed by a bunch of ants."
"...How annoying."
"If I had known..."
"I might as well have just kept living like this."
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Blood sprayed out.
Kuro's vision gradually blurred. His body, no longer able to support itself, toppled forward onto the crimson grass.
Reiner felt no ripples in his heart over Kuro's death.
There were countless ways to live a peaceful life. Even hiding in Kaya's home forever would not have been so bad. In the end, Kuro had simply been greedy.
Every choice had its price. Kuro had failed. That was all.
"Is he dead?"
"Yeah. Completely dead."
Reiner answered Usopp, then stepped forward to collect Kuro's physical information.
Kuro's legs had excellent explosive power, while Reiner's ability could make up for his frailty.
His strength was somewhat lacking too, but with weapons, his attack power would still be sufficient in the early stages.
Reiner had high expectations for him.
Soon, Kaya's guards came out to clean up the mess, and the group was invited into the mansion as guests.
Led by the butler Merry, they entered through the gates, passed down a corridor, and arrived in the reception hall.
The reception hall was incredibly spacious. A massive round tea table stood in the center, surrounded by luxurious leather sofas. Above hung an exquisite crystal chandelier, while patterned tiles covered the floor.
Reiner leaned back on the sofa and surveyed the room. Expensive artworks filled the place, with no fewer than ten paintings hanging on the walls alone.
No wonder Kuro had been tempted. Everything in this reception hall combined was worth several bounties on his head.
"I knew her family was rich, but I didn't know it was this ridiculous."
Reiner pondered inwardly. It seemed he needed to squeeze out a little more. Her family surely had plenty of fine liquor and cigarettes stored away.
For Kaya's health, he should help her take as much of that stuff away as possible.
What, you say I'm shameless?
That's right. It's me!
Nami was currently shedding silent tears. So many valuable treasures lay right in front of her, yet she could not take any of them.
"Maybe I should steal a few. Just a few."
"No. I promised I'd only target pirates."
"No, no, no. We did save her life, after all. Taking a few things wouldn't be excessive."
"No, Nami. How would that make you any different from a pirate?"
"But I am a pirate!"
Nami was currently arguing with herself, and Reiner could barely keep from laughing.
"Please stay for dinner today, everyone."
Kaya walked in from outside, wearing a gentle smile. "Later, I'll show you the ship. Merry designed it himself."
"This trip really has been full of gains." Reiner leaned back on the sofa with satisfaction.
Before you continue