Only This Much? Just Another Nobody by the Road!

Zoro drew the three swords from his waist in a backhand motion, clamped Wado Ichimonji between his teeth, and approached Victor with an irritated expression.

"Ah, what a pain. That bastard Luffy, there was clearly only one road, yet he still managed to run in the wrong direction."

He assumed a Three-Sword Style stance, his sharp gaze fixed on the two oddly dressed pirates blocking the way—the Cat Brothers, Buchi and Sham.

"Hey, Victor. Leave these two little kitties blocking the road to me."

Just then.

"Waaaah—!!"

The powerful sound of Luffy's scream suddenly came from behind them.

Everyone turned around to see two towering trees stretched to their limit.

Luffy hung between them, then abruptly let go with both hands.

"Gum-Gum—Slingshot!!"

"Whoosh—!!"

Luffy shot straight down the steep slope like a cannonball leaving its barrel, moving at an astonishing speed.

"Boom!!!"

With a thunderous crash, Luffy slammed into the pirate formation behind them like a falling meteor.

The enormous impact instantly sent a large group of pirates flying, and screams rose one after another.

Jango, who had only just regained consciousness and was swaying as he stood up while clutching his head, had not even figured out what was happening before he saw a red figure rapidly grow larger before his eyes.

"Huh?"

"Thud!"

Luffy's knee slammed squarely into Jango's face.

"Lord Jango!!!"

Poor Jango rolled his eyes again and was sent flying like a rag doll, froth spilling from his mouth as he completely passed out once more.

"Not that red-eyed demon!"

"Damn it! Kill that Straw Hat brat!!"

Although the Cat Brothers were agile, they had only barely avoided being caught up in Luffy's "human cannonball."

Looking at the devastation behind them, both men broke out in cold sweat.

"What kind of monsters are these people...?!"

The fat cat Sham gritted his teeth and glared viciously at Zoro. "Forget about the rear for now. That green-haired swordsman is here—teach him a lesson first!"

"Who are you calling a green-haired swordsman?!!"

Veins bulged on Zoro's forehead, and his gaze instantly became terrifying.

Before his words had even faded, the twin blades in his hands were already sweeping toward them on a fierce gust of wind.

The chaotic battlefield did not affect Victor.

His gaze passed over the brawling crowd, using the light of the flickering torches around them.

He precisely locked onto the gloomy figure at the bow of the pirate ship below—Kuro.

On the bow, Kuro seemed to sense that gaze. He raised his head and viciously met those eyes glowing with an eerie red light.

Their eyes met, and killing intent filled the air.

A smiling curve tugged at Victor's lips as he softly muttered:

"Then I'll—capture the ringleader first."

The next moment.

He took a deep breath. Chakra instantly surged through his entire body, and the muscles in his legs tensed.

"Crack!"

The ground beneath his feet instantly split apart, and Victor became a bolt of black lightning.

Ignoring everyone around him, he charged swiftly downward.

"Tch, another one looking to die..."

Sham, the fat cat who had been preparing to ambush Zoro, sharply noticed Victor's approach and instinctively tried to stop him.

"Watch me tear you—"

But before he could finish.

Victor's speeding figure had already arrived before him like a ghost.

Sham's pupils suddenly contracted, and his eyes widened.

How could he be this fast?!

Before he could react at all.

Without even sparing him a glance, Victor lifted his foot and stomped hard on that nauseating cat face!

"Bang!"

Sham's entire face instantly warped as the tremendous force drove it viciously into the ground.

His hands rose weakly, then quickly fell, never moving again.

"Sham!!" Buchi cried out in shock.

Using the force of that stomp, Victor did not slow down. Instead, he accelerated, vaulting over him and continuing forward.

"Stop, stop him!!"

Several pirates who had luckily avoided Luffy's attack looked at the red-eyed youth charging at them like a god of death. Trembling, they raised their swords and blades, trying to block him.

"You're in the way."

Victor's gaze turned icy as he flicked his wrist.

"Whoosh, whoosh!"

Two kunai sliced through the air and instantly pierced the two men's throats.

Then he lowered his body to evade a slash before sending one man flying with a sweeping kick that caved in his breastbone.

Using the momentum of his turn, he thrust out the longsword in his hand, piercing another man's heart beside him without resistance.

The last pirate blocking the way watched his companions die in an instant. He trembled violently, his legs giving out as he dropped to his knees.

"Please... don't, don't kill—"

"Pfft."

A flash of sword light cut through him. Victor casually finished him off, stepping over the corpse without looking back.

Just another nobody by the road. Not worth mentioning.

The entire battle had ended in only a few short seconds.

By then, Victor had reached the shore.

"Kill that Straw Hat brat!"

"Damn it! What kind of ability is this?!"

"Shishishi! Gum-Gum—Gatling!"

Most of the pirates on the beach below had been drawn into the chaos Luffy had created. No one noticed the grim reaper arriving here.

Victor looked at Kuro, who stood at the bow clutching his severed arm, and the smile on his face deepened.

"Kuro, I won't let you escape this time."

He abruptly stomped on the head of a pirate charging toward him, using him as a stepping stone before launching himself high into the air.

Holding his sword in both hands, his body drew taut like a fully pulled bow as he viciously cleaved down at Kuro aboard the pirate ship!

The attack was immensely powerful, carrying a tremendous howl as it tore through the air.

If it landed, the severely wounded Kuro would undoubtedly die.

"No! Don't look down on me!!!"

Kuro stared at the figure in the air and roared in rage.

As a highly intelligent great pirate, when had he ever been so despised by some brat, or forced into such a desperate situation?

But he was still Kuro of a Hundred Plans. He did not let his anger cloud his mind and take that blow head-on.

As long as I dodge it...

Kuro was about to evade when he instinctively looked up at Victor.

In that instant, he met those scarlet eyes, their tomoe spinning.

"Genjutsu: Hell Viewing Technique (Weakened Version)."

Kuro's body immediately stiffened, as if countless invisible nails had pinned his limbs in place, leaving him unable to move.

"What... kind of sorcery is this?!"

But his instinct to survive reacted with astonishing speed.

"Pfft!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Kuro used his remaining right hand to viciously pound the unhealed sword wound on his chest.

"Argh!!"

The intense pain instantly jolted his nerves, snapping him out of the genjutsu-induced stiffness.

"Silent Step!!"

At the very instant the blade was about to touch the top of his head, Kuro unleashed his high-speed movement technique.

"Whoosh!"

His figure vanished into thin air, narrowly dodging the fatal downward slash.

"Boom!"

Victor's longsword struck the deck, sending wood splinters flying.

"Die!!"

Having escaped death, Kuro instantly appeared behind and to Victor's side, his eyes filled with madness.

He raised the sharp five-bladed cat claw on his right hand and viciously slashed at Victor, whose previous momentum had already been spent.

However.

With the Sharingan, Victor had long since seen through his movement trajectory.

"Clang!!"

Victor turned, precisely blocking the ferocious strike with his longsword.

Their faces were inches apart.

Victor exerted force through his arm, chakra erupting as he easily forced the one-armed Kuro back several steps.

He casually spun his blade and smiled at the panting Kuro, his gaze falling on the other man's remaining right hand.

"Oh my, that was a quick reaction."

Though Victor's tone carried a smile, it sent chills down one's spine.

"Looks like... I'll have to cut off this hand of yours too!"