Kuro of a Hundred Plans

A few days later.

On a sailboat, two figures were locked in a fierce, continuous exchange. The sound of blades clashing rang out incessantly, sparks flew, and waves of air surged outward.

"Clang!"

"Basic Technique: Mountain-Splitting Strike!"

Daddy raised his Sandai Kitetsu high and brought it crashing down toward Zoro, but it was blocked by the crossed Wado Ichimonji and Yubashiri. A brilliant spray of sparks erupted; both men were filled with fighting spirit, neither willing to concede!

"Big Brother Daddy, Big Brother Zoro, it's time to eat! We'll arrive at Syrup Village by this afternoon!"

Yosaku and Johnny brought out the food. They were now responsible for cooking and handling the sails, serving these two big shots!

Daddy had originally intended to head straight for the Buggy Pirates stationed in Orange Town to find Buggy the Clown, but he noticed on the nautical chart that they would pass by Syrup Village along the way.

Daddy wanted to see this Kuro of a Hundred Plans, who was rumored to have an intellect second only to Ben Beckman!

Daddy wanted to recruit the man; if that proved impossible, he would simply slaughter him!

He would make him a ghost under the Sandai Kitetsu, adding a touch of malice to this Cursed Blade!

Without the ambition to grow stronger, even the greatest intelligence was useless!

Daddy only needed crew members who followed orders and possessed great strength!

Zoro was just such a pure swordsman; most of the time, he wouldn't ask about reasons or moral alignments.

In his eyes, there was only the choice to cut or not to cut.

If it was an enemy, he would cut them down, regardless of whether they were pirates or marines!

Furthermore, he would unconditionally trust and uphold the dignity of his captain.

This was the best kind of crew member in Daddy's eyes.

"Daddy, it's a deal! If the enemy is a swordsman, you have to leave them to me!"

Zoro said as he shoveled meat into his mouth, then took a satisfying swig of wine. These past few days had been the most comfortable time he'd had since getting lost and setting out to sea; he didn't have to consider anything, only focus on fighting and naming his new techniques!

"We'll see how I feel."

Daddy raised an eyebrow and smiled casually. He wouldn't agree to any absolute conditions, nor would he satisfy every demand of his crew. He was neither a good person nor a nanny.

"You bastard!"

Zoro cursed under his breath, took another unhappy swig of wine, and went back to continue his physical training.

One day, he would slice through Daddy's turtle shell!

For now, Zoro made breaking through Daddy's defensive barrier his intermediate goal. In his eyes, if he couldn't even cut through that, he had no right to challenge the World's Greatest Swordsman.

He had to keep getting stronger until there was nothing he couldn't cut, cleaving through every obstacle in his path!

Over the last two days, Daddy's basic swordsmanship had also improved significantly. Zoro's swordsmanship was strong and solid, with many points worth learning.

Daddy wouldn't pass up any opportunity to grow stronger, so he had sparred with Zoro for two days to patch up his own flaws and weaknesses.

Daddy would also exchange ideas with Zoro regarding the cultivation methods of a master swordsman and the concept of sword intent, even briefly explaining the Two-Color Haki, preparing to train hard in that direction with him!

As the sailboat entered the port of Syrup Village, the villagers on the island warily judged the nature of the ship, wondering if it was a merchant vessel or a pirate ship.

However, seeing that the sailboat flew no pirate flag and carried no fierce-looking, blade-wielding pirates, they lowered their guard slightly.

A brown-skinned boy with a long nose, accompanied by a few children, came to "inspect" these outsiders, spouting nonsense to his little followers and bragging about his own strength!

Daddy ignored Usopp; he didn't need kind-hearted or cowardly crew members, nor did he need some "desperate situations rely on the marksman" kind of broken buff!

What he needed were powerful crew members who would obey orders and charge into battle without hesitation, never asking for reasons!

He led Zoro directly onto the island, heading toward the most opulent mansion, leaving Yosaku and Johnny behind to watch the ship!

"Hey, who are you people? Where are you going? Don't you know that Syrup Village is the territory of Captain Usopp!"

Usopp pulled out a slingshot and said with a mysterious, serious expression, while his three followers cheered and waved flags on the sidelines.

Daddy and Zoro walked straight past Usopp, continuing forward and completely ignoring the weakling.

"Hey! I am Captain Usopp, who commands eight thousand men! How dare you ignore me!"

Usopp said angrily, but he didn't dare to make a move. Watching the direction they were heading, he felt these strangers might be looking for Kaya, and he needed to go report it immediately.

Zoro glanced back, and the look alone made Usopp break into a cold sweat, his legs trembling so hard he couldn't even speak.

By the time he recovered, the two outsiders had already vanished from sight. He gritted his teeth and immediately ran toward Kaya's mansion, feeling that these two were ill-intentioned, like cold-blooded murderers!

Before long, Daddy and Zoro arrived at the gate of the wealthy residence.

"Daddy, if there's an enemy, let me go first!"

Zoro said calmly; he needed to defeat opponents to grow stronger and walk the path of the supreme master swordsman.

"Fine! This Kuro is very fast, just keep an eye out. Don't get cut; I don't have time to heal you!"

Daddy smiled faintly. Just as he finished speaking, a servant with sheep-like hair and horns opened the gate.

"Hello, may I ask what you are here for?"

Merry, dressed in a suit, asked with polite gentleness, while simultaneously observing the identities of these two strangers!

"Hey, Sheep-Head, are you a Devil Fruit user too? But you aren't who we're looking for. Tell Kuro to come out; I'm the pirate hunter here to defeat him."

Zoro was incredibly blunt and got straight to the point, his eyes fixed only on his opponent. According to Daddy, Kuro of a Hundred Plans, with a bounty of 16 million berries, was hiding inside this mansion.

"Mr. Pirate Hunter, we don't have anyone named Kuro here. Are you sure you haven't made a mistake?"

Upon hearing the title of pirate hunter, Merry wasn't quite as terrified anymore; he had been most afraid that they would label them as pirates. However, what did they mean by a Devil Fruit user?

"Your butler is the pirate Captain Kuro. He should be going by the name Klahadore now. You'd better be careful about your young lady's safety!"

Daddy said indifferently. He had only just realized that this guy's sheep head didn't look like a headpiece—could he be a Mink Tribe hybrid? Or perhaps a user of the Sheep-Sheep Fruit?

"What??"

Merry was shocked and turned pale. He had never imagined that the kind-faced butler Klahadore could be a pirate.

Just then, the butler Klahadore walked out with a cold expression, glaring icily at the two pirate hunters.

"You really are like persistent ghosts!!"

Kuro looked at the two strangers with a gloomy face. Two years ago, to escape the relentless pursuit of the Navy and pirate hunters, he had orchestrated his own fake death and even managed to get his bounty canceled.

He never expected to be tracked down now. Where exactly had things gone wrong?

Could it be that his first mate, Jango, had betrayed him?

With his high intellect, Kuro immediately considered the most likely possibility.