Cabaji's Solo Performance

The Black Cat Pirates...

Buggy had some impression of that skull flag. For one thing, it came from his own memories: it belonged to the pirate crew led by Jango, a pirate with a 9-million-berry bounty. They were fairly well-known in the East Blue.

For another, it came from his memories of the manga. Their former captain, Klahadore the Thousand Plans—now the butler at the mansion on the hill—was a man who had easily killed the soldiers aboard a warship. He was also quite cunning.

The Black Cat ship soon pulled in alongside the Big Top, deliberately—or perhaps not—bumping into it. Waves surged around both ships.

The sixty or seventy pirates aboard jumped ashore like dumplings dropping into a pot, gathering on either side of the man at their center, who wore heart-shaped glasses and a black cloth cap.

The man let out a weary yawn, then picked up a circular saw hanging from a rope.

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

Jango held the circular saw—the prop he used for hypnosis—in front of him and rocked it back and forth. "One, two, Jango!"

Then he shook his head and put the saw away.

With his head slightly bowed, one hand pressed against his black cap and the other resting on his stomach, he swayed his body to a jaunty rhythm. Humming a light tune, he moonwalked backward as if walking through space.

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

"Hey, do it again! Do it again!" Shuma stared in amazement and raised both hands excitedly, like a die-hard fan who'd just met his favorite idol.

Jango pointed his right toe at the ground, bent his knee slightly forward, and turned his gaze toward Shuma along with his outstretched hand. He struck an outrageously flashy pose as if jolted by electricity. "You've got an eye for greatness. I like you, kid!"

The sharp-faced pirate beside him spoke impatiently. "Captain, stop wasting time and give the order to settle this! We'll cause a commotion if we wait any longer!"

Jango's expression suddenly turned serious. "You're right... If we provoke that man, there won't be anywhere in these seas we can set foot. Let's finish this quickly."

"We were just about to leave, and they had to come looking for trouble..."

Buggy looked at the seventy or eighty pirates itching for a fight, then at his own "pitiful" lineup: one Cannibal Tribe member, one acrobatic swordsman, and twelve second-rate pirates...

By any measure... his side was going to win.

"Captain Buggy, leave this to me." Cabaji had noticed the animal tamer, who had disappeared after Buggy gave him an assignment. He set aside his doubts and stepped forward eagerly.

"Even if you hadn't said so, I would've left it to you." Buggy shrugged nonchalantly.

They were just a bunch of grunts. The only person on this island who could pose even the slightest threat to him was Klahadore the Thousand Plans. The fact that he could kill the soldiers aboard a warship showed that he was strong, and his leg speed was even more impressive than his strength. Buggy wondered whether Klahadore's signature moves, "Silent Step" and "Scoop," were faster than the "Shave" he could use at present.

"Brothers, this bastard thinks he can look down on us! Let's kill him!"

The Black Cat Pirates raised their weapons, their faces alight with fury, and rushed toward Cabaji.

"Return to nothingness..."

Cabaji took a deep breath and closed his eyes. His sandals made a dry clacking sound against the ground as he slowly walked forward.

Pirates charged at him one after another. Their swords came down without mercy, slashing horizontally or vertically, intent on punching holes through the arrogant bastard or cutting him into pieces.

Cabaji strolled through the crowd as if walking through a busy shopping district. The tourists around him chatted and laughed amid the bustle, while he walked alone, like a wandering samurai who didn't belong in the mortal world...

When he opened his eyes again, he had already passed through the crowd. The tip of the Great Grade Sword in his hand was aligned with the opening of its sheath, and he slid it back in gently.

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

The pirate was still speaking when he suddenly let out a bloodcurdling scream. A violent pain erupted in his chest, and he collapsed to the ground, unable to stay on his feet.

"What happened..." Another pirate stared in disbelief, then suddenly spewed blood from his mouth and fell backward.

Every pirate's body went numb. An absurd feeling crept into their hearts.

Clang!!

Cabaji gripped the hilt in a reverse hold. The sword was fully sheathed, and the blade struck the scabbard with a clear ring. He raised his head slightly and spoke in a low, ominous voice. "Underworld Union!"

In an instant, vivid sprays of blood burst from the bodies of seventy or eighty pirates. Some crumpled forward, while others toppled sideways, unconscious.

The sheer number of them sent sand billowing across the entire beach, swirling through the air.

Cabaji's sword technique reminded Buggy of a royal guard unit in a country in the West Blue. This elite ambush squad was famous for its lightning-fast sword strikes. The instant a blade struck, it moved so quickly that its victim couldn't feel any pain. Often, they only realized they'd been wounded when their movements tugged at the injury.

The most famous sword technique in the squad was Humming Three-Step. The swordsman hummed a little tune, took three steps, and, at the instant he sheathed his sword, his enemies suffered fatal wounds.

Cabaji had probably used Paper Art to sense the movements of the air around him and dodge the enemy's attacks. When he struck, he concealed the presence of his Great Grade Sword and dulled his opponents' awareness of pain.

When he finally sheathed his sword, he triggered the "false pain" in his enemies' bodies. The pain didn't actually grow stronger, but an illusion was often more effective than real pain. It was remarkably similar to Humming Three-Step.

It seemed Cabaji had put a great deal of effort into his training over the past year.

Cabaji slowly turned around. The carefree, uninhibited air about him came crashing down the moment he flashed a smug, slightly idiotic grin.

He gave himself a thumbs-up, wearing a playful expression. "Captain Buggy, what do you think? Wasn't that cool?"

His pearly white teeth flashed brightly in the morning sun.

Buggy had been about to applaud, but he silently lowered his hands before they could meet...

Jango, who had been watching too, turned pale. Sweat trickled from his temple and dripped off his chin onto the ground. "That swordsman's incredible... If Captain Kuro saw him acting like that, he'd kill every last one of us!"

Just then, voices called back and forth from the ship.

"Hey, Buchi, this is bad!"

"What is it?!"

"It looks like everyone's been taken out by one person!"

"That's really dangerous!"

Hearing this, Jango's panic eased. "Right, I still have my trump card."