An overwhelming strength he had no way to resist!
Kuro had never met a man like this.
When faced with the choice of "surrender or die," his first reaction was sheer bewilderment.
Defeat had come too quickly.
So quickly that he had no time to react.
"Wait..."
Drenched in sweat, Kuro raised his hand. It was the only thing he could do now.
"Could I..."
"Surrender or die?"
Norton pressed down on Kuro's head, cutting him off. His voice grew deeper, like the whisper of the Grim Reaper.
At the same time, Kuro felt the hand gripping his head exert even more force!
His head felt as though it were about to split open.
Kuro knew that if he did not beg for mercy now, he would die!
With the shadow of death truly hanging over him, he cast aside all dignity and pride.
"I want to live! I want to live!"
"Good." Norton grinned. "Sanosuke! Bring him to my room!"
Norton released his grip, and Kuro's taut nerves suddenly relaxed. It felt as though he had gone to death's door and come back.
By the time he climbed off the deck, panting, drenched in sweat, and dragging his exhausted body, Norton had already entered the cabin.
Staring at Norton's retreating back, Kuro broke out in a cold sweat.
From beginning to end, he had been defeated without even seeing this man's face!
"Move. King wants you in the captain's cabin," Sanosuke said coldly, holding the Kunai against Kuro's back.
"His name is King?" Kuro asked between labored breaths as he walked.
"No, but King told us to call him that."
After that brief exchange, Kuro was pushed into a room with a red carpet covering the floor and gold and gemstones piled in a corner.
Directly opposite him, behind a broad desk, a handsome silver-haired man watched him with perfect composure.
"'Hundred Plans' Kuro, starting today, you're my subordinate! And so is your pirate crew!" Norton said.
Kuro knew there was probably no room for negotiation. The man before him was simply laying down the law, his tone allowing no argument.
At that moment, thoughts churned through Kuro's mind.
There's no getting around surrendering. If I refuse, I'll die. Even if I want to find a chance to escape, I have to stay alive first.
I need to find a way to secure favorable terms!
Norton saw through Kuro's little schemes, but he did not call him out. Getting a clever man like Kuro to submit willingly would be difficult.
All he needed to do was tie Kuro to his side for now. Once they shared common interests, they would no longer be able to part ways.
"You can call me King!" Norton extended a hand toward Kuro. "I've heard your story. You long for a peaceful life, don't you?"
Kuro froze, a trace of astonishment appearing on his face. They had never met before, so how did this man know him so well?
Had Jango sold me out?
"Yes, I long for a peaceful life." After a moment, Kuro recovered and nodded. "If possible, I'd prefer not to serve in a combat role."
"Granted!" Norton grinned. "Once we enter the Grand Line, you can stay by my side as a secretary and manage my fleet!"
"But until then, you'll put your fighting strength at my disposal!"
"Not only that, I can give you the peaceful life you've always dreamed of! Wealth, peace-follow me, and you'll have them all!"
"But if you try to escape..."
Norton's smile turned sinister. "I'll kill you immediately!"
A chill ran through Kuro. His instincts told him there was not a word of exaggeration in Norton's threat!
That chilling killing intent could not be faked.
"...Understood, King." Kuro lowered his head slightly in submission.
"All right, go out and inform your men. You won't be returning to your ship. Stay aboard the White Pearl." Norton waved him away.
When Kuro emerged from the captain's cabin, it felt as though he had entered another world. With the shadow of death no longer hanging over him, even the air seemed fresher.
Aboard the Black Cat Pirates' ship, the fight was already over. Jango and the Nyaban Brothers had all been defeated by Zoro.
The remaining pirates were surrounding Zoro and attacking him.
"Enough! All of you, stop!" Kuro pressed a hand to his face, his expression icy.
A bunch of useless fools. They couldn't even deal with a single swordsman!
"Captain Kuro!!"
Seeing Kuro return, the pirates shuddered violently.
Everyone knew how cruel Kuro was. Seeing that they had failed him, he might well kill them!
"This Three-Sword Style swordsman is just too strong! Even the Nyaban Brothers were defeated..." The pirates hurried to explain.
"Enough! I don't want excuses!" With a dark expression, Kuro pointed at the White Pearl. "From now on, follow that ship! Don't even think about escaping!"
"Wh... why?"
Kuro adjusted his glasses. "I was defeated by a man aboard that ship called King. I'm his subordinate now, and so are all of you."
"Don't even think about running! He's even more terrifying than I am! Don't drag me down with you!"
More terrifying than Captain Kuro? The Black Cat Pirates exchanged disbelieving looks.
The next few days were mostly a dull stretch of sailing.
Aside from the foul weather that appeared almost every few hours, the journey could be described as very peaceful.
At least, that was how things were aboard the White Pearl.
The Black Cat Pirates' ship following behind the White Pearl was another matter.
The Black Cat Pirates had never thought the sea could be so dangerous.
Rain hammered against the portholes, but the White Pearl's dining room remained perfectly calm.
Norton speared a piece of fish with his fork but did not put it in his mouth for a long while.
"Having food like this aboard a ship is already pretty good," Funing said, eating small spoonfuls of her pastry.
"These cooks keep making the same dozen or so dishes. There's barely any variety. I'm sick of them all," Norton said with a sigh.
To be honest, after all these days, Norton had tried every dish the Cooking Corps knew how to make.
Though they were a team of cooks who served nobles, their repertoire was only so large. Limited by their ingredients and experience, they could not make anything that felt new to Norton.
"Having enough to eat is already pretty good." Nami patted Norton's thigh. "Don't be so picky! I'll make you some marmalade tonight."
"No." Norton shook his head. "Marmalade is nice, but I get sick of it if I eat too much. It's too sweet."
"Besides, I'm not being picky. As King, shouldn't I enjoy myself a little?"
Why else do you think I wanted to become king?
"I really wish I could send these cooks to New Oriental for training!" Norton lamented.
"New Oriental? What's that? A cooking school?" Zoro asked curiously.
"More or less..."
Norton did not explain further. He took a sip of wine, then suddenly looked at Kuro, who was cutting his fish.
"Hey, Kuro, think of something!"
Kuro wiped his mouth with a napkin. Over the past few days, he had more or less adjusted to his new role and life aboard the White Pearl.
With no Marines bothering him, life was quite pleasant.
"King, as far as I know, there's a 'floating restaurant' in the Sambas Sea. It's the most famous restaurant in the East Blue. Many wealthy and influential people go there on the strength of its reputation, just to taste the head chef's cooking."
"If you'd like a change of pace, perhaps we could take a look."