All I Wanted Was a Bath

Whether Buggy liked it or not, the situation in Loguetown was gradually becoming clear.

Number Five Backstreet.

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

Krieg, one of their main fighting forces, had already been beaten unconscious by Smoker and lay off to one side.

Elsewhere, the heavily injured Kuro had broken free from Lynn's grasp amid the earlier chaos and fled deeper into the streets.

At the same time, Lynn Barek was right on his heels!

Kuro caught a glimpse of Clown Buggy from the corner of his eye, and his anger flared even hotter.

That bastard had rejected his alliance proposal, claiming he did not want to work with the World Government. Looking at things now, he had most likely turned around and partnered with Lynn Barek instead!

The silver-haired man beside him was probably his subordinate.

"Clown, you think you can scheme against me?" Kuro shouted an order at the surrounding pirates. "Kill those three, or none of us will end well!"

The pirates were still shocked by Krieg's defeat, but Kuro's words immediately snapped them out of it.

Though they did not know exactly who their captain had allied himself with, anyone capable of obtaining such precious Seastone weapons had to be an extraordinary figure.

Pirates who had spent years scraping by at the bottom understood this well. Working with people at that level was one thing if they succeeded, but if they failed, none of them would meet a good end!

They had to kill those three as soon as possible!

However, Lynn had left far too deep a psychological shadow on the pirates. They did not dare lay a hand on him, instinctively fixing their eyes instead on Smoker and Buggy, who had suddenly appeared.

"H-Hey, you're a Marine?"

Buggy's eyes widened as his mind descended into complete chaos.

Just what kind of trouble had those bastards Kuro and Krieg dragged him into?!

But no matter what, the two thousand pirates eyeing them like prey had already surrounded them with Seastone weapons in hand.

"Kill them! Get them!"

At the command, the pirates rushed forward in a swarm.

Buggy used the power of the Chop-Chop Fruit while Smoker swung the iron staff in his hand. Back to back, the two worked together against the enemy!

Barely dodging the sharp Seastone blades with his ability, Buggy felt like crying without tears.

"All I wanted was a bath..."

Deep within Number Five Street.

Lynn threw several consecutive punches, knocking aside the pirates who had gathered the courage to block his path, then charged straight at Kuro.

Krieg had already fallen. As long as he defeated Kuro and found Makino, who had been hidden away, the remaining rabble would collapse without a fight.

Then, with those small-fry pirates busy fleeing for their lives, Lynn would have time to deal with the owner of that dangerous killing intent.

Kuro had already pushed the speed of Silent Step to its limit, yet he still could not shake Lynn behind him. He could only watch as Lynn drew closer and closer.

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

Lynn did not want to slow down, so he stomped fiercely on the ground ahead, using the recoil to shift his direction and continue the pursuit.

Hearing the thunderous crash behind him, cold sweat beaded across Kuro's forehead.

He absolutely could not let Lynn catch him!

He was Kuro of a Hundred Plans. He still had one final trump card left, as long as he could reach that place!

Bursting through a door, Kuro roared into the room, "Jango, bring that woman out! And contact the people at Foosha Village. Use those villagers as hostages!"

Inside, Jango, who had been guarding Makino, felt his heart sink when he heard Kuro's words.

Since Captain Kuro had come here himself, the battle at the front must have gone terribly. Otherwise, he would never have resorted to such a desperate measure as hostages.

"Even the four-thousand-man Pirate Alliance lost?"

Jango lowered the brim of his hat, turned around, and brought out the bound Makino along with a Den Den Mushi.

Kuro's face was dark, and his mood had sunk to the absolute bottom.

Using hostages to threaten Lynn was truly the stupidest and least reliable plan.

After all, Kuro did not understand Lynn's personality. He had no idea whether Lynn would compromise in the face of hostage threats or deal with Kuro in an even more brutal manner.

But Kuro could no longer afford such concerns. That monstrous man was right behind him. As long as there was even the slightest hope, he had to gamble on it!

Yet just as Jango prepared to hand Makino and the Den Den Mushi over to Kuro, a fist covered in frost suddenly appeared before his eyes.

Lynn, within the Icebound Domain, had actually leaped up and rushed into the room before Kuro could!

Bang!

Jango took the punch head-on and was sent flying backward.

Lynn seized Makino in passing, then blasted through the wall in front of him with another punch, taking her onto the abandoned street next door.

At the sight of Lynn, Makino's pent-up emotions finally erupted. Beyond her fear, she was even more worried about the residents of Foosha Village.

Crying, she said, "Lynn, I'm so scared. They still have people in Foosha Village!"

After untying Makino's ropes, Lynn rubbed the girl's head and grinned. "Don't worry. There's a very reliable group handling things over in Foosha Village."

Kuro had just picked up the Den Den Mushi, intending to contact the pirates in Foosha Village and have them threaten Lynn with the villagers to ensure his own safety.

Yet the Den Den Mushi rang for a long time, and no one answered.

They moved fast, Lynn thought. Just as expected of the new generation of Marine elites.

"Jango? Jango! What's going on? Answer me!"

Kuro gritted his teeth and saw that Jango had been punched into the wall by Lynn, his fate unknown. There was no way he could answer.

At that sight, Kuro, who had lost every last trump card, finally broke down inside.

Of the four-thousand-strong Pirate Alliance, Lynn Barek had taken down nearly two thousand men by himself. Even if the rest had not been held back by the suddenly appearing Buggy and his subordinates, they could never have been Lynn's match.

The Seastone weapons obtained from the World Government were useless!

And the most important Seastone bullet had been wasted by that idiot Krieg on who knew whom!

As for the hostages, Makino had been rescued, while the people in Foosha Village could not be contacted. Something must have happened there as well.

"I lost?"

Kuro stared at Lynn, a crazed expression spreading across his face. "Impossible! I won't lose! I can use both the World Government and JOKER. Can anyone else do that?!"

Lynn looked in Kuro's direction and slowly said, "You're finally willing to reveal your true face?"

Then Lynn had Makino leave first and run toward the western port of Loguetown. If she encountered danger, she was to seek help from the crowd. There were Revolutionary Army members there, so it was relatively safe.

Kuro ignored Makino as she left. He picked up a knife from the ground and pushed up his glasses with his palm, trying to drive away the fear in his heart with a roar.

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

Lynn continued looking in Kuro's direction and said, "What, you want to fight me too?"

Only then did Kuro notice something strange. Lynn did not seem to be speaking to him.

Suddenly, a low voice sounded behind Kuro.

"Mm, don't misunderstand."

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

"Who?!"

Before Kuro could turn around, a black Bamboo Staff had already swept toward him.

With a bang, Kuro was sent flying by the Bamboo Staff. He slammed into a distant wall with a scream, then fell to the ground, his fate unknown.

As for Lynn, his eyes were fixed tightly on the wielder of that black Bamboo Staff.

The owner of that ever-present killing intent had finally revealed himself.

The Donquixote Family's highest-ranking officer—Ghost Bamboo Vergo!