Cabaji's Solo Performance

The Black Cat Pirates...

Buggy had some impression of this Jolly Roger. On one hand, it came from his own memories; the pirate crew led by the nine-million-berry bounty pirate Jango was quite famous in the East Blue.

On the other hand, it stemmed from his memories of the manga. The original captain, Klahadore—or rather, the butler currently residing in the hilltop villa—was a man who could effortlessly slaughter the soldiers of an entire warship, all while possessing a cunning intellect.

The Black Cat ship soon pulled into the dock, coming alongside the Big Top. It bumped into the other vessel with intentional or unintentional force, sending ripples of waves crashing outward from the two ships.

The sixty or seventy pirates on board swarmed onto the shore like dumplings dropped into a pot, crowding around the man in the center who wore heart-shaped glasses and a black cloth cap.

The man let out a weary yawn before picking up a circular saw suspended by a rope.

"Listen up, I'm going to say 'one, two, Jango,' and then I'll be wide awake!"

Jango swung the circular saw, his hypnotic tool, back and forth in front of him. "One, two, Jango!"

He shook his head and retracted the saw.

With his head slightly bowed, one hand pressed against his black cap and the other resting on his abdomen, he swayed his body rhythmically. He hummed a light, jaunty tune, his feet sliding backward as if he were walking in space.

After circling in place, he snapped his fingers. "Perfect!"

"Hey, do it again, do it again!" Shuma stood dumbfounded, his hands raised high in excitement, looking exactly like a die-hard fan meeting a beloved idol.

Jango tapped his right toe on the ground, bent his knee slightly forward, and locked his gaze onto Shuma with his outstretched hand. Like someone struck by lightning, he struck an incredibly flamboyant pose. "You're a guy who knows how to appreciate talent. I like you, kid!"

A sharp-featured pirate to the side said impatiently, "Captain, don't waste time. Give the order to finish this! Otherwise, we're going to cause a scene!"

Jango's expression suddenly turned serious. "You're right... If we provoke that man's anger, there won't be a place for us to stand in this ocean. Let's make this quick."

"We were planning on leaving, but you just had to come and look for trouble..."

Buggy looked at the seventy or eighty pirates stirring before him, then glanced at his own "weak" lineup: one Cannibal Tribe member, one acrobatic swordsman, and twelve bottom-tier pirates...

No matter how he looked at it... his side was going to win.

"Captain Buggy, leave it to me." Cabaji looked at the beast tamer who had disappeared after receiving orders from Buggy earlier. Suppressing his doubts, he stepped forward valiantly.

"Even if you hadn't said anything, I would have left it to you anyway." Buggy shrugged nonchalantly.

They were just small fry. The only person on this island who could pose even a hint of a threat to him was Klahadore. The fact that he could kill the soldiers of a warship meant his strength was quite impressive, and his leg speed was even greater than his raw power. Buggy wondered which was faster: the man's unique "Silent Step" or the "Shave" he was currently capable of using.

"Brothers, this bastard actually looks down on us! Let's butcher him!"

The pirates of the Black Cat crew raised their weapons, their expressions fierce, and charged toward Cabaji.

"Return to the void..."

Cabaji took a deep breath and closed his eyes. His feet made a rhythmic clack-clack sound against the ground, like wooden clogs on pavement, as he walked slowly forward.

The pirates rushed at him one after another, swinging their broadswords horizontally or vertically, raining down merciless blows in an attempt to poke holes in the arrogant bastard or hack him into pieces.

Cabaji walked slowly through the crowd as if strolling through a bustling city district, surrounded by the chatter and laughter of tourists, yet he walked with the loneliness of a wandering samurai who didn't belong in the mortal world.

When he opened his eyes again, his body had already passed through the pirate horde. The tip of his Great Grade Sword was aimed at the opening of its scabbard, and he sheathed it with a gentle, fluid motion.

"His body just now... Ah!!"

The pirate who spoke suddenly let out a heart-wrenching scream. A sharp, violent pain erupted from his chest, causing him to collapse to the ground, unable to stand.

"What's going on..." Another pirate stood dumbfounded before vomiting a mouthful of blood and falling backward.

A numbness washed over all the pirates, and a sense of absurdity surged in their hearts.

Clang!!

Cabaji held the hilt with a reverse grip, the blade fully sheathed with a crisp metallic click. He lifted his head slightly, his voice low and somber: "Underworld Union!"

In an instant, a spray of vibrant blood erupted from the bodies of seventy or eighty pirates simultaneously. Some slumped forward powerlessly, while others collapsed sideways without a shred of consciousness.

The sheer number of falling bodies kicked up a cloud of dust that swirled across the beach.

Cabaji's sword technique reminded Buggy of a certain national guard unit in the West Blue. This surprise-attack force was famous for their fast, lethal sword strikes. Because their speed was so great, victims wouldn't even feel the pain at the moment of the strike; it was only when their body movements pulled at the wounds that they realized they had been cut.

The most famous technique in that unit was the "Humming Three-Step"—humming a tune, taking three steps, and at the moment the sword was sheathed, the enemy would suffer a fatal blow.

Cabaji must have been using "Paper Art" to sense the flow of air around him to dodge attacks, and when he struck, he masked the presence of his Great Grade Sword while simultaneously suppressing the enemy's perception of pain.

By triggering the "false pain" in the enemies at the moment he sheathed his blade—while the pain wasn't physically amplified, the psychological illusion was often more effective than the real thing—he had achieved something with the same effect as the Humming Three-Step.

It seemed he had put in a lot of hard work during his training over the past year.

Cabaji turned back slowly. The cool, dashing posture he had maintained crumbled the moment he flashed a smug, somewhat idiotic grin.

He gave himself a thumbs-up, looking like he was showing off. "Captain Buggy, how was that? Was it cool?"

His white teeth flashed brilliantly in the morning sun.

Buggy, who had actually been about to applaud, silently lowered his hands...

Jango, who had also been watching, turned pale. Sweat dripped from his chin onto the ground. "That's incredible, that bastard swordsman... If Captain Kuro sees this, he'll kill every single one of us!"

Just then, a call-and-response echoed from the ship.

"Hey, hey, Buchi, this is a disaster!"

"What is it?!"

"It looks like everyone was taken out by one guy!"

"That's truly dangerous!"

Hearing those voices, the panicked look on Jango's face eased. "That's right, I still have my trump card."