The morning sun hadn't even broken through the mist when chaos erupted on the slope leading to Kaya's mansion.
The clash between the Straw Hats and the Black Cat Pirates began with a thunderous roar—dozens of pirates charging up the slope, blades gleaming, bloodlust in their eyes.
Zoro stood tall at the front, blades drawn, his gaze locked ahead.
"They're coming," he muttered, tightening his grip.
Luffy stretched his arms, cracking his knuckles with a grin. "Time to smash some cats."
Usopp trembled beside them, hands fumbling with his slingshot. "O-One step at a time, right?"
Nami stood further back, a staff in hand and sweat on her brow. "This wasn't what I signed up for…"
Behind the treeline, hidden in the shadows, Haru crouched silently, his arms folded, watching. His presence went unnoticed by both sides. He had no intention of revealing himself unless absolutely necessary.
His mission was to observe.
Letting his eyes follow every movement, Haru mapped the battlefield in his mind—counted every step, measured every blade's angle.
The Black Cat Pirates crashed into Zoro first, led by the acrobatic brothers Siam and Butchie. They somersaulted through the air with clawed gauntlets, descending upon Zoro like twin panthers.
Zoro grinned and spun, steel flashing.
"Three-Sword Style: Tiger Hunt!"
The clash sent dust flying as sparks exploded from the meeting of blades. Zoro met both brothers head-on, parrying their dual strikes in one fluid motion.
"Not bad," Butchie said, grinning.
"Let's see you handle both of us at once," Siam added.
They broke apart and began circling him like jackals.
Meanwhile, Luffy was dealing with the bulk of the pirates. One rushed at him with a massive axe.
"Gum-Gum Pistol!" Luffy's arm whipped forward like a cannon, striking the man square in the jaw and sending him flying into the treetops.
A group of five pirates tried to overwhelm him at once—slashing with cutlasses, stabbing with spears.
"Gum-Gum Whip!" Luffy's leg stretched out and swept them all off their feet in one motion, like bowling pins.
Usopp, from a vantage point, fired pebbles and explosives with his slingshot, yelling bravely between shots. "That's right! Fear the great Captain Usopp!"
Nami ducked and weaved through the battlefield, swiping coin purses from unconscious pirates, occasionally cracking one over the head with her staff when they got too close.
But none of them noticed Haru slip away into the forest, silent as wind.
Onboard the Black Cat Pirates' Ship
Haru slipped aboard the enemy vessel, his footsteps silent, his aura so faint even the ship's wooden floor didn't creak beneath him. He descended below deck, where the stale air reeked of damp salt and oil.
He moved through the darkened hall until he found a modest chest—filled with stolen treasure.
He claimed it without hesitation.
Then… the diary.
When he opened it and found the page that mentioned The Eyes, Haru's blood ran cold.
Gale.
The name burned like poison in his memory.
He closed the diary, tucked it away, and turned back toward the battlefield.
Back on the Slope – Kuro Enters the Battle
Suddenly, the air shifted. Even Haru, returning to the trees, could feel it.
Kuro had arrived.
His steps were silent. His figure, calm and refined. He adjusted his glasses with his palms—his fingers hidden beneath glinting, feline-shaped claws.
"Pathetic," Kuro said, his voice like silk over steel. "So much noise… for nothing."
He moved—and it was as if the wind itself screamed.
One moment he stood beside his crew. The next, he was behind a pirate, his claws driven through the man's back.
"You were in my way," he said coldly, shaking the blood off.
Zoro narrowed his eyes. "This guy… moves like lightning."
"Captain Kuro," Siam gasped. "They're—"
"Useless," Kuro snapped. "All of you."
Then he vanished again—blurring across the battlefield, claws slashing in arcs. Luffy blocked one swipe with his arm, only to be flung back into a tree.
Zoro charged him.
"Don't think you're fast enough to run from me!"
Their blades clashed—Zoro's swords grating against Kuro's claws in a screech of metal.
But Kuro didn't engage for long. He vanished again, leaving Zoro to spin, searching.
"He's using a shaving technique," Haru muttered from the shadows, watching with narrowed eyes. "But not refined… it's more like… wild slaughter."
Then, Kuro appeared behind Kaya.
His claws poised.
"Time to end this charade."
But he never reached her.
CLANG!
A blade met his claws—but it wasn't Zoro's.
It was Haru's.
He didn't unsheathe his sword. He used the sheath itself to block the strike.
Kuro's eyes widened. "You… Who are you?"
"Doesn't matter," Haru said coolly. "But you're not touching her."
With one sweep of his sheath, Haru sent Kuro skidding backward, boots digging into the earth.
He didn't pursue. Instead, he stood protectively between Kaya and the pirate captain.
"Luffy," Haru said over his shoulder. "He's yours."
Luffy grinned through the bruise on his jaw.
"About time."
Luffy vs. Kuro
Kuro charged at Luffy, claws whirling like spinning death.
"Gum-Gum Balloon!"
Luffy puffed up like a human shield, absorbing the hit. Kuro bounced off, stumbling.
Luffy snapped back.
"Gum-Gum Bell!" he roared, headbutting Kuro so hard it shattered the pirate's glasses and sent him flying down the slope.
Kuro tried to stand, panting, furious. "I am… Captain Kuro! I will not—!"
"Gum-Gum Axe!"
Luffy's leg came crashing down like a hammer, flattening Kuro into the earth.
The slope trembled. A long silence followed.
The pirates groaned in defeat around them.
Then—a flare fired from the trees.
The remaining Black Cat Pirates, bruised but conscious, surged up and grabbed Kuro, dragging him away.
"Let's retreat! We're not ready for this!"
"No!" Kuro screamed, but he was too weak.
They vanished into the sea
Aftermath
Nami blinked. "They… got away?"
Zoro spat blood. "Let 'em. That bastard won't recover soon."
Usopp cheered. "We won!"
Kaya stood stunned. "You… you saved the village."
Luffy laughed. "Yup!"
Haru remained silent. He handed the treasure he had taken from the ship to Nami, who grinned like a child.
"You're my new favorite," she said teasingly.
He offered only a faint smile.
As the others celebrated and Kaya thanked them, Haru turned his back to the group, one hand slipping inside his coat to feel the diary hidden beneath his shirt.
The Eyes were still alive.
Still moving.
And Gale was at the center.
He didn't tell anyone—not yet.
But his path was becoming clearer.
Let me know when you're ready for the Baratie Arc, or if you'd like a sparring match between Zoro and Haru before that!