A Decisive Battle Ahead of Schedule

The night was dark, and the sea wind howled.

By the cliffs along Syrup Village's coast.

A staggering figure finally escaped back to the encampment on shore.

The intense pain left Kuro unable to support his own weight any longer.

He dropped heavily to his knees at the edge of the cliff and exhausted all his strength to roar at the hidden pirate ship below:

"Jango—!!"

That shrill roar instantly shattered the silence along the coast.

On the Bezan Black below, several pirates on night watch immediately rushed out.

They looked toward the source of the sound in confusion. Under the faint moonlight, what they saw made their eyes widen in terror.

Captain Kuro, who had always been unmatched in cunning and terrifying in strength in their hearts.

Was now covered in blood. Most horrifying of all—his left arm was completely gone, severed at the root!

"Is that... Captain Ku... Kuro?!"

"Invincible Captain Kuro actually..."

The deck erupted in an uproar.

"Shut up, all of you!"

At a lazy yet panicked shout, Jango, the hypnotist wearing heart-shaped sunglasses, hurried out of the cabin.

When he saw the miserable scene atop the cliff, his jaw nearly hit the floor.

He did not dare waste a second and immediately led several trusted men up the cliff.

"Captain! Wh... what happened? Your hand?!"

Jango supported the swaying Kuro and asked in horror.

"Enough nonsense!"

Kuro's face was twisted, his eyes so gloomy they seemed ready to drip water.

He angrily shoved Jango. "Get the doctor to stop the bleeding first! Hurry!!"

"Yes! Yes! Hey, you lot! Carry the captain back! Be careful!"

Several pirates hurriedly carried Kuro back onto the pirate ship and gently laid him on the large soft bed in the captain's cabin.

Soon, the ship's doctor rushed in, drenched in sweat and carrying a medicine box.

"Hey! Treat the captain, now!" Jango roared.

"Yes, Lord Jango! I'll treat him immediately!"

The doctor dropped to his knees beside the bed and, with trembling hands, cut away the strips of cloth Kuro had used to temporarily bind the stump.

When the bloody, mangled broken bone was exposed to the air—

"Argh!!!"

Kuro could not help letting out a suppressed roar. Veins bulged across his forehead, and cold sweat instantly soaked the bedsheets.

He clenched his teeth tightly and forced himself not to pass out.

"Captain... wh... what exactly happened?" Jango watched with his heart pounding. "Could it be... Marine Headquarters has sent someone?"

Kuro took several deep breaths to ease the piercing pain, then said through gritted teeth:

"A few pirates came today... I was ambushed by that Red Eye brat among them. And... that bastard knows my identity..."

"What?!"

At those words, everyone in the room stared with their mouths wide open in shock.

What kind of vicious great pirate could have injured Kuro this badly?

Jango's eyes widened as he drew in a sharp breath.

"He knows your true identity? How is that possible? That plan was flawless!"

By then, the doctor had begun stitching the wound. Kuro's entire body trembled with pain, but the killing intent in his eyes only grew stronger.

"In any case, the infiltration plan has completely failed."

Madness glinted in Kuro's eyes, and his voice sounded like that of a rabid beast.

"If that's the case! Then we'll settle everything the pirate way!"

Jango wiped away cold sweat and hesitantly glanced at the darkness outside the window.

"I understand, Captain. But it's the middle of the night...

"Most of the brothers are resting. How about we follow the original plan and launch the assault at dawn..."

"No! Now! Immediately!!"

Kuro abruptly turned his head. His bloodshot eyes locked onto Jango, frightening him into taking two steps back.

"Gather the Cat Brothers! And every member of the Black Cat Pirates! I want to attack right now!"

"I'll slaughter everyone in that village, along with those damn brats! Leave none alive! Then all the village's treasure will be ours!"

Feeling the tangible killing intent radiating from his captain, Jango immediately stood at attention and saluted.

"Yes!! Captain Kuro! I'll gather everyone at once!"

"Captain Kuro! We'll avenge you!"

"Kill them all!!"

"Hahaha! Leave no one alive!"

The pirate ship was instantly filled with bloodthirsty fervor.

Meanwhile, at the villa on the hilltop.

Kaya's room was brightly lit, packed with people.

After some intense "friendly" physical exchanges with the villa guards.

Luffy and the others had finally convinced them that they meant no harm, while also exposing Kuro's true identity.

Merry, the butler with the same hairstyle as a sheep, was holding a warm towel and anxiously wiping the cold sweat from the unconscious Kaya's face.

"I never expected this..."

Merry looked at his pale-faced mistress, his voice trembling. "That Krahador... was actually a vicious great pirate.

"He infiltrated this place for three years. He was probably after Miss Kaya's family fortune as well."

"Hmph, I knew that bespectacled butler wasn't a good person!"

Usopp stood off to the side with his arms crossed. Though his face was full of worry, he sounded quite proud. "My instincts are incredibly accurate!"

"Now isn't the time for that."

Nami frowned deeply and said anxiously, "We need to worry about more than just him.

"If that guy is the captain, then the Black Cat Pirates may be lying in wait near the village. If their main force attacks, that'll be the real danger."

At those words, Victor, who had been leaning against the wall with his eyes closed, opened them.

He nodded and said with a smile:

"Impressive, Nami. You guessed right. The Black Cat Pirates are beneath the cliffs on the North Coast."

"W-what?!"

Nami instantly bristled. She rushed up to Victor and grabbed his collar. "You knew?! Why didn't you tell us sooner?!"

Only after shouting did she realize there was a patient in the room. She quickly covered her mouth and shot Victor a furious glare.

Zoro held Wado Ichimonji in his arms and calmly analyzed the situation.

"If Kuro makes it back, he definitely won't let this go.

"For the treasure, and to conceal his secret and get revenge, he'll order his pirates to massacre this place immediately."

"Nom nom..."

Luffy was still chewing on the bone-in meat he had swiped from the kitchen as he spoke indistinctly.

"Ah, so that means we're going to fight, right?"

"That's right."

Victor added, the smile on his face widening. "A wounded beast is at its craziest."

"With his plan exposed and his body badly injured, Kuro has already gone mad. They'll attack immediately, probably within the next hour or two."

"How could this happen..."

Merry turned pale in shock, and the towel in his hand fell to the floor. "What do we do... I'll call the nearest Marine branch right away..."

As he spoke, he hurriedly reached for the Transponder Snail on the bedside table.

Smack.

A slender hand pressed down on Merry's wrist.

Merry looked up and met Victor's smiling eyes.

"Butler Merry, by the time the Marines arrive, the battle will already be over. The village may even be reduced to ashes."

Victor's tone was calm and confident.

"We'll handle this for you. In exchange—give us that large ship. How about it?"

"Ah! Right! A big ship! A big ship!"

The moment he heard "big ship," Luffy jumped up excitedly, his eyes sparkling.

"What are you so happy about?! That's a full pirate crew! Their captain has a bounty of sixteen million Beli!" Nami snapped.

"Hmph, we don't have another choice." Zoro's hand tightened around his sword hilt, and a battle-hungry smile curled his lips.

"Hey! Are you even listening to me?! Those are the Black Cat Pirates!" Nami said anxiously.

Merry looked at the calm Red Eye boy before him.

Then he looked at Luffy and Zoro, who were noisy but showed no fear. After hesitating for a moment, he finally nodded firmly.

"Fine! As long as Miss Kaya and the village are protected, what's one ship? As long as you can win!"

"Alright!!"

Luffy shouted, swallowing the last bite of meat. "Deal! Let's go now!"

"Butler Merry."

Victor released his hand and began arranging their strategy.

"Immediately send people to notify the villagers. Bring everyone up to this high ground to take shelter.

"As for the fighting, leave it to us. We'll intercept them by the coast."

Merry wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his gaze turning firm. "All right, I understand! I'll send the guards to notify everyone right away!"

"Um... I'm coming too!!"

Just as everyone was preparing to leave, a determined voice rang out.

Usopp gripped his slingshot tightly. Though his legs were shaking, he shouted loudly:

"Even though I hate this! Even though I'm scared! This is the village where I grew up! I'm going to protect it too!!"