The Black Cat Pirates froze.
Not because of fear.
Because the air itself had changed.
Captain Kuro stood at the base of the slope, glasses glinting faintly in the morning light, his posture perfectly straight. Around him, his crew hesitated—men who had slaughtered villages without blinking now unable to take another step.
Jango was pale.
"T-they're monsters…" he whispered. "Captain… those kids—"
Kuro raised a hand.
Silence fell instantly.
He looked up the slope.
At the straw hat.
At the boy standing casually, hands in his pockets, expression almost bored.
For a brief moment—just a moment—Kuro felt something dangerously close to irritation.
"So," Kuro said coolly, his voice carrying easily. "You're the one who's been meddling."
Luffy tilted his head.
"I guess so."
That simple answer made Kuro's lips twitch.
"How unfortunate," Kuro continued. "Three years. Three years of perfect planning. Fake deaths. Clean records. A peaceful life."
He adjusted his glasses.
"And now a child ruins it."
Zoro stepped forward, blades humming faintly.
"Say that again."
Kuro ignored him.
His eyes never left Luffy.
"Why?" Kuro asked. "Why interfere? This island means nothing to you."
Luffy didn't answer immediately.
He glanced sideways.
At Usopp—standing stiff, fists clenched, eyes locked on the man who had almost murdered the girl he cared about.
At Nami—silent, sharp-eyed, watching the situation with an intensity that spoke of old wounds.
At Zoro—relaxed, confident, ready.
Then Luffy looked back at Kuro.
"Because you picked the wrong island."
That was all he said.
Kuro laughed.
A sharp, humorless sound.
"Brave words. But bravery is meaningless against speed."
In a blink, Kuro vanished.
Usopp gasped.
Zoro's eyes widened.
Nami didn't even see him move.
But Luffy did.
The air screamed as Kuro appeared behind him, claws flashing.
Too fast.
Too precise.
The blades passed straight through Luffy's neck.
Usopp screamed.
Zoro shouted his name.
Nami's breath caught in her throat.
Luffy's head separated cleanly from his body.
It fell.
And turned into lightning.
Blue sparks exploded outward as Luffy's body dissolved, reforming in a flash a few steps away—whole, untouched, unimpressed.
Silence.
Kuro stared.
"…Logia," he muttered.
Luffy yawned.
"Is that all?"
Something cracked inside Kuro.
He lunged again.
And again.
And again.
Blades tore through lightning, slicing afterimages, tearing apart thunder that reformed instantly. Every attack should have killed. Every attack failed.
"You're fast," Luffy said casually, stepping forward between strikes. "For East Blue."
Kuro snarled.
"I was the fastest man on the seas!"
"Were," Luffy corrected.
Then he moved.
Kuro felt it before he saw it.
Pressure.
Like the world folding inward.
Luffy appeared in front of him, fist buried in Kuro's stomach.
The impact stole the air from his lungs.
Kuro dropped to his knees, gagging.
"How…?" he wheezed.
Luffy leaned down slightly.
"You ran away," he said. "That's why you lost."
Kuro screamed and swung wildly.
Luffy let the blades pass through him again.
Then—
Lightning exploded.
Luffy vanished upward.
The next instant, his foot came down.
Lightning-speed.
The kick caught Kuro under the chin.
The sound wasn't loud.
It was final.
Kuro's body launched skyward, twisting unnaturally.
Before gravity could claim him, Luffy was already there—appearing beside him in a crack of thunder.
Another kick.
Midair.
Faster than sound.
Kuro slammed into the ground.
The earth erupted.
A crater spread outward five meters wide, stone pulverized, dust rolling across the slope like smoke from a cannon.
Silence followed.
When the dust settled, Kuro lay broken.
Ribs pierced his chest.
Neck twisted wrong.
Leg bent backward.
Captain Kuro did not move.
Usopp stared.
Nami couldn't breathe.
Zoro whistled softly.
"…Damn."
A pirate's voice trembled from behind.
"He… he did all that with one kick…"
Luffy turned.
His eyes were cold.
"I suggest you leave," he said calmly. "Take your hypnotist and disappear."
No one argued.
The Black Cat Pirates fled.
Aftermath
Kaya stood trembling, tears streaking her face.
Luffy approached her, voice softer now.
"Breakfast?"
She nodded.
The sky rumbled.
A small thundercloud descended, enveloping Kuro's body.
When it lifted—
Nothing remained.
"What body?" Luffy said lightly.
Departure
Five days later, the Going Merry gleamed.
Repairs finished.
Cannons replaced.
Wood reinforced.
Usopp ran downhill screaming.
Zoro stopped him.
Luffy grinned.
"So," Luffy said, leaning on the railing. "Joining?"
"I'll be your sniper!"
"Good enough."