Kuro Was Scared Out of His Wits and Became Heavenly Court's Lowliest Accountant

"Now, who do you think was faster?"

Lei En's voice was icy, like a poisoned dagger stabbing viciously into Kuro's already shattered nerves.

Kuro lay sprawled on the ground like a dead dog, his entire body charred black and giving off the pungent stench of roasted meat.

He struggled to lift his head and looked at the young man towering over him like a demon god. Not a trace of his former viciousness or madness remained in his eyes.

All that was left was terror and despair that sank deep into his bones.

His speed had been utterly crushed.

The weapons he had taken such pride in had been melted away.

And the plot he had spent three years preparing had been seen through at a glance.

This guy wasn't human at all!

He was a monster! A demon!

Kuro's mind, which he had always considered that of a "master strategist," completely shut down before such absolute, unreasonable power.

All his ambitions, all his schemes, his longing for a peaceful life...

At that moment, Lei En mercilessly crushed them all beneath his feet!

"I... I..."

Kuro opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but all that came from his throat was a hoarse rasp like a broken bellows.

"I... I surrender!"

With a thud.

Kuro of a Hundred Plans, the man who had once given even the Marines endless headaches, suddenly went weak at the knees and dropped decisively to his knees before Lei En.

He abandoned all resistance and dignity, pressing his forehead firmly to the ground as his whole body trembled violently.

"My lord! Spare my life! I failed to recognize greatness! I was insanely audacious to offend you!"

Kuro wept bitterly, snot, tears, and blood running all over his face. There was no trace left of that elegant butler from before.

"Please! Please, just let me go! I'll never dare again! I'll get out of Syrup Village right now—no, I'll get out of East Blue!"

Watching Kuro kneel on the ground and kowtow frantically, Lei En stroked his chin.

Kill him?

That would be too wasteful.

This guy might not have been much in a fight, but his brain really worked.

Coming up with a plan like faking his death and then lying low for three whole years took a level of cunning and patience that ordinary pirates did not possess.

Besides, his Heavenly Court would definitely get richer and richer in the future.

There was the gold on Sky Island, as well as that genius navigator, the little thief cat he would recruit later...

With so much money, he needed a trustworthy—controlled—professional to manage the accounts, didn't he?

Enel was a chuunibyou, Dadi was a rough brute, Kuina was sword-obsessed, and he himself was the sort of boss who delegated everything.

The guy in front of him was practically the perfect candidate for chief financial officer, delivered right to his door!

"Want to live?"

Lei En raised an eyebrow, the corners of his lips curling into an exceptionally wicked smile.

"Sure."

The instant Kuro heard that, wild joy flashed through his eyes, and he kowtowed even harder.

"Thank you, my lord! Thank you for sparing my life!"

"Don't thank me yet."

Lei En stopped his kowtowing, pulled a small porcelain bottle from his pocket, and poured out a black pill that looked like it had been rolled from boogers.

He had made it out of mud and saliva when he was bored, specifically to scare people.

"Eat this."

Lei En tossed the "poison" in front of Kuro.

Kuro stared at the mud pill, which gave off a strange smell, and his face stiffened.

But he knew he had no room to bargain now.

Gritting his teeth, he shut his eyes and swallowed the mud pill in one gulp.

"Very good."

Lei En nodded in satisfaction and began spouting nonsense with a perfectly serious expression.

"This pill is called the One-Day Soul-Severing Pill, a special poison of my own creation. If you don't receive my exclusive antidote every month, your guts will rot through, and you'll bleed from all seven orifices before you die."

Kuro turned pale as he listened, cold sweat pouring down his face.

"Starting today, you are Heavenly Court's chief accountant."

Lei En nudged Kuro's shoulder with the tip of his shoe, his tone allowing no argument.

"I don't care how you do it. Before tonight, sort out every account in Kaya's household and complete the handover."

"Starting tomorrow, you'll stay by my side and manage the money."

"Any objections?"

"N-No! Absolutely not!"

How could Kuro possibly object? Being allowed to live was already an immense blessing.

He scrambled up from the ground and kowtowed several more times to Lei En.

"Thank you, Master... no, thank you, Boss, for giving me a new life! From this day forward, I, Kuro, will serve you like an ox or a horse and give everything for you!"

That night.

With terrifying efficiency, Kuro sorted through Kaya's vast and complicated household accounts until everything was perfectly clear.

Then he changed out of his bloodstained tailcoat and into an ordinary servant's outfit. Like the lowliest of servants, he stood obediently behind Lei En, holding a thick ledger in his hands.

The former pirate captain and future chief financial officer of Heavenly Court began his humiliating employment.

Outside the door, Usopp witnessed the entire terrifying suppression from beginning to end—a complete mismatch in dimensions.

His worldview was repeatedly refreshed, shattered, and rebuilt that day.

He finally realized how laughable and hollow his usual boasts about "eight thousand subordinates" and "defeating Sea Kings" were before truly powerful people.

As he looked at the black-clad young man, who seemed like a demon god and had casually ground a pirate worth ten million beneath his feet.

Beyond boundless fear, an inexplicable yearning quietly rose within Usopp's heart.

"Th-This... this was what the real sea was like..."

He muttered to himself, turned around in a daze, and prepared to hoist the ladder from the ground and flee this dangerous place as fast as he could.

However, the moment he turned around.

Whoosh!

A black afterimage flashed past.

Lei En's devastatingly handsome face, carrying a hint of a wicked smile, appeared before him without warning, almost pressed face-to-face with his own.

"Why were you running?"

Lei En's voice rang beside Usopp's ear like a demon's whisper.

"Long Nose, I can see you've got extraordinary bones. You're the kind of guy who can accomplish great things."