Battle of a Trapped Beast! The End!

Hearing Victor's arrogant declaration, veins bulged on Kuro's forehead, his face twisting like that of a demon.

"You damned..."

But Victor clearly had no interest in listening to the wails of a defeated dog.

"Body Flicker."

The air trembled as Victor's figure vanished instantly. When he reappeared, he was already standing right in front of Kuro.

Kuro's eyes widened instantly.

That move again!

Fortunately, he had been prepared. His remaining right hand suddenly swung up, the sharp five-bladed cat claw slicing through the air as it slashed toward Victor's head.

"Die!!"

Facing this desperate strike, Victor merely revealed a mocking smile.

"With only one arm left, how dare you try to take me head-on?"

Clang!

Victor swung his sword one-handed, easily blocking Kuro's cat claw.

Then he twisted his wrist, chakra erupting as he forcefully knocked it aside.

"What?!"

Having lost his left arm and his balance, Kuro instantly felt a tremendous force strike him.

His remaining right arm was violently knocked away, leaving his entire torso wide open!

Victor's gaze turned icy as the muscles in his right leg tensed, seizing that fleeting opening.

Then, with an incomparably vicious kick, he struck the unhealed sword wound on Kuro's chest.

Bang!!

"Argh!!!"

Kuro let out a miserable scream, his mouth gaping and his eyes bulging as he spat out a mouthful of sour fluid mixed with blood.

The tremendous impact left him unable to remain standing on the deck.

His body flew backward like a rag doll, sailing over the railing and crashing brutally onto the beach below.

Bang!

Sand and dust rose into the air.

"Captain!!"

"Captain Kuro!!"

Several pirates nearby who had been tangling with Luffy immediately panicked and rushed over to Kuro, helping him up.

Then they raised their heads and glared furiously at Victor, who stood at the bow looking down on them from above.

"You bastard! Why did you strike our captain so viciously?!"

"You demon!!"

Hearing those accusations as though they were the victims, Victor tilted his head slightly, a puzzled expression appearing on his face.

"Huh? I'm killing you. What does that have to do with you?"

Snake—Ram—Monkey—Boar—Horse—Tiger.

Before his words had even faded, Victor did not stop. Instead, his hands flew through a series of seals.

Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!!

Whoosh—!!

Victor showed no mercy.

A massive fireball carrying surging waves of heat burst from his mouth once more, mercilessly blasting toward Kuro and the pirates huddled together below.

"No!!"

"Ah!!"

Firelight reflected in the terrified eyes of the pirates.

Just then, Kuro, who had been barely clinging to life at the center, suddenly moved.

Looking at the massive fireball rushing toward him, a vicious glint flashed through his eyes.

"Get over here!!"

Kuro exerted force with his right hand and yanked the nearest pirate beside him over, holding him firmly in front of himself.

"Cap... Captain?!" The pirate turned around in disbelief.

Boom!!!

The huge fireball slammed into the ground, blasting across the beach as everyone was instantly swallowed by raging flames.

Heat waves rolled outward, and lingering flames scattered in all directions.

A moment later, the flames dissipated.

The pirate used as a human shield had been burned black across the back and lay atop Kuro, dead or alive unknown.

As for Kuro, hiding behind him, perhaps because he had been at the bottom, with the people around him dispersing the impact—

And with the human shield blocking most of the flames, he had miraculously suffered only superficial burns.

"Get off me!"

Kuro shoved away the subordinate on top of him, whose flesh had been burned open.

He staggered to his feet, removed the cracked glasses from the bridge of his nose, threw them to the ground, and crushed them viciously beneath his foot!

Crack.

As the glasses shattered, the last trace of reason in Kuro's heart completely broke apart.

He lowered his head, his body swaying strangely as he let out a chilling laugh.

"Heh heh... hehehe... all of you, die..."

Spoon!!

Kuro unleashed his ultimate move once more.

But this time, he no longer controlled his direction. His entire body turned into an invisible afterimage as he began moving at high speed across the beach, attacking indiscriminately.

Slash! Slash! Slash!

The sounds of blades tearing through flesh rang out one after another.

"Ah!!"

"Captain?! What are you doing?!"

"No! I'm your loyal subordinate!!"

The nearby members of the Black Cat Pirates instantly suffered disaster, their lives brutally harvested by their own captain as blood dyed the beach red.

"Whoa!"

Even Luffy, standing not far away, was cut by one of those invisible slashes. But he reacted quickly and immediately leaped backward to avoid it.

"That hurts! What's wrong with that guy? He's so fast!" Luffy cried, clutching his wound.

"Heh, has the little kitty gone mad?"

Victor stood coldly at the bow, watching Kuro frantically slaughter his own subordinates below, and gave a soft laugh.

"How ugly. Then let me end your suffering."

The Spoon that was so fast it seemed to vanish in others' eyes was fast to Victor as well, but with his One-Tomoe Sharingan, its trajectory was clearly visible.

Whoosh.

Victor leaped into the air and descended from above, jumping straight into the carnage below.

"Die!!"

Seeing Victor's figure, Kuro, consumed by madness, had an even fiercer red glow in his eyes.

His speed erupted once again, his movements becoming even more brutal as he charged directly at Victor.

At that moment, Victor seemed to be trapped inside a room of blades coming at him from all directions.

Yet no matter where Kuro's attacks came from—whether a sneak attack from behind or a sweeping strike from the side—

"Too slow."

"Is this your limit?"

Victor moved as though taking a leisurely stroll, always swinging his sword at precisely the right moment to block, or shifting aside to evade the deadly cat claws.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Sparks continuously bloomed in the night.

"Why?! Why can't I hit you!!"

Kuro's attacks became more brutal and chaotic, every swing splattering his own blood like a dying beast.

"Because you're too weak."

Victor said coldly.

The next second, he seized the opportunity and swung with all his strength, directly knocking aside Kuro's attack and throwing him completely off balance.

"It's over."

A savage smile appeared on Victor's face. He raised the long blade in his hand high, then slashed without hesitation at Kuro's remaining right hand.

Splat!

A crisp sound of bone breaking rang out.

Kuro's right hand, along with the cat claw he had been so proud of, flew high into the air before falling onto the beach.

"Ugh... ah..."

Having lost both arms, Kuro fell limply to his knees.

He raised his head and looked at Victor. The madness in his eyes had completely vanished, leaving only endless terror and emptiness.

"You... who are you..."

Slash.

Victor did not answer.

He merely turned his wrist, and a cold flash streaked past.

One stroke took his head.

Kuro's head rolled to the ground, those eyes still wide open.

"Phew..."

Victor flicked the blood from his sword. A few drops of warm blood stained his face, but he did not wipe them away.

The red glow in his eyes gradually faded, leaving only cold indifference.

He knew perfectly well that in this cruel world of pirates, mercy toward one's enemies was cruelty toward oneself.

If he had been the loser today, Kuro's methods would only have been a hundred, a thousand times crueler than his.

Compared to that, giving him a quick death was practically merciful.

Mm, I'm such a great guy.

Thinking this, Victor's smiling expression returned.

Not far away.

Jango, who had just struggled awake from unconsciousness, opened his eyes and saw his invincible captain being beheaded.

He froze where he stood, his eyes filled with nothing but blankness.

He muttered:

"No... no... that's impossible..."

Then he fainted yet again.

Just then, a pleasant notification sounded in Victor's mind.

[ Ding! Congratulations, Host, for changing the plot and defeating the Black Cat Pirates and their captain, Kuro. ]

[ Battle Evaluation: S (smooth and effortless, cold and decisive). ]

[ Reward: Obtained Ninja Way Points: 2000. ]

[ Reward: Physical fitness slightly increased. ]