Dawn came quietly to Gecko Island.
Too quietly.
The sky was pale blue, streaked faintly with pink, and the sea below the cliffs breathed in slow, steady rhythms. It should have been peaceful. It should have felt safe.
Luffy woke before the sun fully rose.
He didn't stretch. He didn't yawn.
His eyes opened, already alert.
Something was wrong.
He left the inn without waking anyone, his sandals barely making a sound on the wooden floor. The village was still asleep, doors closed, windows dark. Only the wind moved, brushing against hanging signs and empty streets.
Luffy walked.
Not aimlessly.
Instinctively.
His feet carried him south, toward the cliffs overlooking the coast. He stopped beneath a crooked tree growing stubbornly from stone, its roots clinging to the earth like a man refusing to let go.
Luffy sat down, leaned back against the trunk, and stared at the sky.
For a few moments, everything was still.
Then—
Voices.
Low. Careful. Measured.
Luffy's eyes sharpened.
He stood, moved to the cliff's edge, and lowered himself slowly until only his eyes crested the rock.
Below, on the shoreline, two figures stood apart from the sleeping village.
One wore a strange outfit, rings dangling from his arms, his posture loose and lazy.
The other—
Luffy smiled.
"So that's it…"
"Is everything ready?" the butler asked coolly.
The strange man—Jango—flopped down on a rock. "Relax. Everything's on schedule."
Jango grinned. "Don't worry… Captain Kuro."
Luffy's smile widened, slow and sharp.
Captain Kuro.
Of course.
"So that's why you felt familiar," Luffy thought. "You ran instead of dying."
"Don't call me that," Kuro snapped. "That name is dead."
Jango rolled his eyes. "Fine, fine. Whatever helps you sleep."
Kuro adjusted his glasses, pushing them up the bridge of his nose—a gesture so precise it looked rehearsed.
"Miss Kaya must die in an accident," he said calmly. "Before that, you will hypnotize her into writing a will. All assets transferred to her loyal butler."
Jango chuckled. "You really planned everything, huh?"
"I planned to disappear," Kuro replied. "A quiet life. No bounty. No pursuit."
He paused.
"There is… a complication."
Jango raised a brow. "Oh?"
"A boy," Kuro said. "Straw hat. Pirate. Connected to a Yonko."
Jango stiffened.
"A Yonko?"
"He shouldn't interfere," Kuro continued. "But if he does… I'll handle him."
Luffy leaned back from the edge.
The puzzle had clicked into place.
Captain Kuro of a Thousand Plans.
Still planning.
Still killing.
Still hiding.
Luffy stood.
"I guess I'll break that plan," he murmured.
---
The Truth No One Believes
By the time Luffy returned to the inn, everyone was awake.
Usopp was already pacing.
Luffy said nothing. He simply told them what he'd heard.
The silence afterward was heavy.
Usopp bolted.
"I have to tell Kaya!" he shouted, sprinting out the door.
Luffy watched him go, expression unreadable.
"He won't believe him," Nami said quietly.
"He will," Luffy replied. "Eventually."
Zoro leaned back in his chair. "So what's the move, Captain?"
Luffy poured himself a drink.
"I owe Shanks," he said flatly. "And I don't let debts rot."
---
The North Coast
The next morning, they waited.
Dawn painted the sea gold.
The Black Cat Pirates arrived like a stain spreading across the water.
Dozens of men poured onto the beach, weapons raised.
Then—
They stopped.
Luffy stood at the top of the slope, hands in his pockets.
Zoro smiled.
Usopp shook.
Nami swallowed.
Jango saw the straw hat.
And nearly screamed.
"T-that brat!" Jango stammered. "Captain said—!"
"Attack!" Jango shrieked. "Before he gets mad!"
The pirates charged.
Zoro moved.
Steel flashed.
Men fell.
Usopp stared, eyes shining.
Then—
"Sham! Buchi!"
Two figures rushed forward.
Zoro's swords were knocked away.
Luffy's eyes narrowed.
"Nami. Usopp."
They froze.
"Get his swords."
They ran.
Jango intercepted them, ring spinning.
Hypnosis—
Crack.
Lightning snapped.
Jango dropped.
Zoro reclaimed his blades.
Then—
The air shifted.
Kuro appeared.
Fast.
Too fast.
Luffy smiled.