I Just Want to Take a Bath

Regardless of whether Buggy was willing or not, the situation in Loguetown was gradually becoming clearer.

Number Five Backstreet.

Smoker and Buggy stood back-to-back, facing nearly two thousand pirates armed with Seastone weapons.

Captain Krieg, one of the main combatants, had already been beaten unconscious by Smoker and lay to the side.

On the other side, the heavily injured Kuro had broken free from Linley's grasp during the commotion and fled deeper into the street.

Meanwhile, Lynn Barek was hot on his heels!

Kuro caught sight of the Clown Buggy out of the corner of his eye, and his anger intensified.

This guy had refused his alliance invitation, claiming he didn't want to cooperate with the World Government. Now, it seemed he had probably turned around and partnered with Lynn Barek!

The person with silver-white hair next to him was likely his subordinate.

"Clown, how dare you scheme against me?" Kuro loudly ordered the surrounding pirates, "Kill those three, or none of us will have a good end!"

The pirates were still reeling from Krieg's defeat, but upon hearing Kuro's words, they immediately reacted.

Although they didn't know who their captain had allied with, the fact that he had obtained such valuable Seastone weapons meant he must be an incredibly important figure.

Pirates who had spent years in the underworld knew that cooperating with someone of that caliber meant success or utter ruin. If they failed, none of them would escape unscathed!

They had to eliminate those three as quickly as possible!

However, the psychological impact Linley had left on the pirates was too great. They didn't dare to attack Linley and instinctively focused their attention on the suddenly appearing Smoker and Buggy.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, are you a Marine?"

Buggy's eyes widened, his mind in utter chaos.

What kind of trouble had those scoundrels Kuro and Krieg dragged this great me into!

But no matter what, the two thousand menacing pirates, armed with Seastone weapons, had surrounded them.

"Take them down, charge!"

At the command, the pirates swarmed forward.

Buggy, using the power of the Chop-Chop Fruit, and Smoker, swinging his iron pipe, stood back-to-back, cooperating to fight their enemies!

Barely dodging the sharp Seastone blades with his ability, Buggy was already on the verge of tears.

"I just wanted to take a bath..."

Deep within Street Five.

Linley punched away the pirates who had mustered the courage to block him, charging towards Kuro.

Krieg was defeated. If he could defeat Kuro next and find Makino, who was hidden away, the remaining rabble would collapse without a fight.

By then, all the minor pirates would be busy fleeing, and Linley would have time to deal with the owner of that dangerous killing intent.

Kuro had pushed the speed of his Silent Step to its limit, but he still couldn't shake off Linley behind him, only watching as Linley got closer and closer.

Suddenly, Kuro made a sharp turn and rushed into an alley at the street corner.

Linley didn't want to slow down, so he stomped hard on the ground ahead, using the recoil to adjust his direction and continue the pursuit.

Hearing the loud noise behind him, cold sweat broke out on Kuro's forehead.

He absolutely couldn't be caught!

He was Captain Kuro, the "Hundred Plans" Kuro, and he still had one last trump card. As long as he could reach that place!

Kuro burst through a door and roared into the room, "Jango, bring that woman out, and contact those people in Windmill Village. Use those villagers as hostages!"

Inside the house, Jango, who was guarding Makino, heard Kuro's words, and his heart sank.

Since Captain Kuro had come here, it meant the battle on the front lines was not optimistic, otherwise, he wouldn't resort to such a desperate measure as "hostages."

"Has the four-thousand-strong Pirate Alliance been defeated?"

Jango pulled down the brim of his hat, turned, and went inside, bringing out the bound Makino and a Den Den Mushi.

Kuro's face was grim, his mood at its lowest.

Using hostages to threaten Linley was the most foolish and unstable strategy.

After all, Kuro didn't understand Linley's personality. He had no idea whether Linley would compromise when faced with a hostage threat or react in an even more brutal manner towards Kuro.

But the current situation left Kuro no room for hesitation. After all, that monstrous man was right behind him. He had to take any chance he could get!

However, just as Jango was about to hand Makino and the Den Den Mushi to Kuro, a fist coated in frost suddenly appeared before his eyes.

Linley, within the Icebound Domain, had leaped forward and, beating Kuro to it, rushed into the room!

Bang!

Jango was hit squarely by the punch and sent flying backward.

Linley pulled Makino away, then punched through the wall in front of him, bringing her to the abandoned street next door.

Seeing Linley, Makino's pent-up emotions finally erupted. Besides fear, she was more worried about the residents of Windmill Village.

She cried as she spoke, "Linley, I'm so scared, they still have people in Windmill Village!"

After untying Makino, Linley rubbed the girl's head and grinned, "Don't worry, there are some very reliable people handling things over in Windmill Village."

Kuro happened to pick up the Den Den Mushi at that moment, intending to contact the pirates in Windmill Village and have them use the villagers to threaten Linley, ensuring his own safety.

However, the Den Den Mushi rang for a long time, but no one answered.

"They're really fast," Linley thought. "Truly worthy of being the elites of the new generation of Marines."

"Jango? Jango! What's going on, answer me!"

Kuro gritted his teeth, finding Jango completely embedded in the wall by Linley's punch, his life or death unknown, making it impossible for him to answer.

Seeing this, Kuro, having lost all his trump cards, finally broke down.

Linley Barek had single-handedly defeated nearly two thousand of the four-thousand-strong Pirate Alliance. Even if the remaining pirates weren't stopped by Buggy and his subordinates who appeared out of nowhere, they were no match for Linley.

The Seastone weapons obtained from the World Government were useless!

The crucial Seastone bullet had been used by that idiot Krieg on someone else!

As for the hostages, Makino had been rescued, and the people in Windmill Village couldn't be contacted, meaning there must have been a problem there too.

"I lost?"

Kuro looked at Linley, his face contorted with madness, "Impossible! I won't lose. I can manipulate the World Government and even [JOKER]. Can anyone else do that!"

Linley looked in Kuro's direction and slowly said, "Are you finally willing to show your true colors?"

Afterward, Linley told Makino to leave first and run towards the west port of Loguetown. If she encountered danger, she should seek help from the crowd. The Revolutionary Army was there, and it was safer.

Kuro ignored the departing Makino, picked up a knife from the ground, and pushed his glasses up with his palm, attempting to roar away the fear in his heart:

"Linley Barek, as long as I can kill you, I haven't lost!"

Linley continued to look in Kuro's direction and asked, "What, are you going to fight me too?"

It was then that Kuro noticed something strange. Linley's target didn't seem to be him.

Suddenly, a low voice echoed from behind Kuro.

"Hmm, don't misunderstand."

The voice slowly said, "I just want to beat you to death."

"Who!"

Before Kuro could even turn around, a black bamboo staff swept towards him.

With a "bang," Kuro was sent flying by the staff, crashing into a distant wall with a scream before falling to the ground, his life or death unknown.

As for Linley, his gaze was fixed on the user of the black bamboo staff.

The owner of that persistent killing intent had finally revealed himself.

The highest executive of the Donquixote Family—[Ghost Bamboo] Vergo!