Stunned and half-paralyzed by the electricity, and on the verge of losing his combat ability, the severely pragmatic Kuro immediately switched to indiscriminate attack mode!
"Shakushi (Slicing Death)!"
Boom!
Lightning struck again, but Kuro had already vanished from the spot.
Using his Silent Step to perform an indiscriminate attack, Xinan couldn't pinpoint Kuro's location either.
Suddenly, the whole hall became a chaotic mess. Claw marks were left everywhere Kuro passed. The chairs and furniture in the hall were all shredded into pieces.
Clang! Crash! Smash!
Chairs, dining tables, cabinets, decorative items, and walls were either sliced to bits or knocked over. The entire hall instantly devolved into chaos.
Kuro could already barely control his direction while using Silent Step, let alone in such a confined space.
Xinan, still invisible, felt that being invisible made no difference. He had been slashed several times. If he couldn't absorb the energy from the slashes, he would have lost limbs already.
Xinan decisively canceled his invisibility, materializing from his transparent state.
Xinan still didn't know exactly where Kuro was, but he aimed in a general direction and unleashed a continuous burst of lightning. Kuro, who was hit again, dropped out of his high-speed movement.
Looking at him, the current Kuro bore no resemblance to the ruthless schemer from before. Ignoring the damage from the electric shock, he had inflicted bruises and swelling on himself by repeatedly slamming into things while using Shakushi in the narrow space.
"So it was you!"
Seeing Xinan appear, a smile broke out on Kuro's bruised and swollen face.
Don't let his pathetic appearance fool you; he was still capable of fighting.
The superficial damage from Kuro's self-inflicted collisions looked severe but didn't affect his combat ability. The electric shocks he received were what truly impacted him.
Kuro was a man who only fell after receiving a hammer-blow from Luffy.
Luffy could punch away the sea cow Moomoo, which was larger than an Earth blue whale (whose weight is only around one or two hundred tons). This shows how strong a freshly-set-out Luffy was.
If Kaya's luxurious villa weren't so sturdy, Kuro probably could have broken through the walls with his face alone!
Now that Xinan had revealed himself, Kuro wouldn't give him another chance to escape. Enduring the pain, he swung his claws and slashed toward Xinan.
Xinan didn't dodge. He chose to tank Kuro's attack, reaching out to grab Kuro's arm.
"Got you!"
"What!" Kuro looked at Xinan in disbelief.
Kuro's Cat Claws, which struck Xinan, failed to scratch him in the slightest. As the sharp blades hit Xinan's body, a faint white glow appeared, and the force of the slash was completely absorbed by Xinan.
Before Kuro could recover his senses, Xinan launched his own attack.
"Maximum Output! Discharge!"
Thick electric arcs flared around Xinan. As the surging current rushed into his body, Kuro instantly lost all ability to resist.
His mind screamed commands to his body, but Kuro felt his strength draining away. He couldn't understand why this guy had suddenly appeared just when he was about to live the life he wanted.
The powerful current not only prevented his nerve signals from transmitting accurately (a phenomenon known as electrical paralysis), which stripped him of his mobility, but the electric current passing through his body (a conductor) also generated heat, quickly cooking Kuro's body.
Zzzt! Zzzt! Zzzt!
The blue-white electric light illuminated the hall as bright as day.
From a wider view, the entire mansion acted like a large capacitor. Discharge phenomena appeared on the roof, with lightning occasionally crackling away from the house.
Nami and Luffy, who were guarding the slope, noticed the situation here—in fact, the entire village noticed.
"What's going on? What happened over there?" Usopp asked worriedly when he saw the lightning.
"Trust Xinan! That lightning must be from him. Captain Kuro is probably dealt with!" Nami said with great confidence.
"Wow, that's incredible!" Luffy said, sounding a bit envious after hearing Nami's explanation.
Zoro, who was lying on the ground, holding his sword and resting his eyes, spoke up, "If Xinan said he could handle it, he will. What we need to do now is rest up."
With Zoro's words, Usopp, who had wanted to run back and see, sat down. Zoro and the others helping him fend off the pirates in the morning was already a huge favor, and Usopp knew he couldn't be selfish.
Zzzt! Zzzt! Zzzt!
The air filled with the scent of cooked meat. Confirmed that Kuro was thoroughly dead, Xinan released his grip and slumped onto the floor, exhausted.
Against Kuro, Xinan could utterly nullify him by relying on his offense-and-defense combined superpower.
However, Xinan's base abilities were very weak. If Kuro had chosen to run, Xinan would have been unable to catch him.
After getting zapped once, Kuro should have immediately used Silent Step to escape, and Xinan would have been helpless.
Instead, Kuro chose to get closer, believing he could easily deal with Xinan in close combat, just like he did with other pirates.
He failed to consider that lightning is one of the most terrifying forces in existence!
"Damn it, I pushed myself so hard with Nami last night, why is my body still so weak? Looks like the dual cultivation wasn't intense enough!" Xinan complained weakly, feeling completely drained of energy.
The thunderous sound of Xinan's discharge and Kuro's crashing destruction woke up Kaya from her nightmare.
Creak!
The door connecting the hall to Kaya's room opened. Kaya walked out, wearing a long, light-blue gown that reached her ankles, a coat draped over her shoulders, and purple slippers on her feet.
"Ah!"
The faint scent of cooked meat hung in the air. Kaya screamed upon seeing Merry lying in a pool of blood, Xinan slumped on the floor, and the unrecognizable, charred remains of Kuro beside him.
Xinan successfully intervened when Kuro first attacked Merry, but Merry had still been injured during Kuro's indiscriminate Shakushi attacks.
He was likely not dead but severely wounded.
Kaya's scream brought the nearly unconscious Merry back to his senses.
Merry, who was lying face down, managed to flip over.
Cough! Cough! Cough!
After coughing up some blood, he spoke, "Y-young Mistress, I was attacked by Klahadore! Usopp was telling the truth today, he is a pirate!"
"Listen, Merry, don't talk when you're hurt. Captain Kuro has been dealt with by me," Xinan said weakly, still exhausted.
"Your family really should have investigated people better before taking them in! He was Kuro the Black Cat with a 16 million Berry bounty!"
Xinan's words hit Kaya deeply. The memory of her parents' death, combined with her failure to believe Usopp's warning today, caused her tears to flow uncontrollably.
After resting for a bit and regaining some strength, Xinan bandaged Merry and then disposed of Kuro's body.
Kuro was now unrecognizable, and Xinan had missed the chance to claim the bounty. Xinan knew Nami would be furious if she found out.
Just as Xinan was about to leave, Kaya called out to him.
"Um, Mr. Xinan, I want to go to the coast too!"
Seeing that Kaya was struggling just to stand, Xinan refused, "You should rest properly! You'd only be a burden if you came."
"No, Mr. Xinan, I must go. I bear some responsibility for this."
Kaya looked at Xinan with determined eyes. Xinan looked back at her.
Their eyes met, but Kaya quickly looked away, blushing shyly. Looking at Xinan's mask-less face, Kaya felt her heart begin to thump uncontrollably.
Seeing that she looked ready to faint at any moment, Xinan still refused, "You should stay home! It doesn't matter whether you come or not."
In this moment, Xinan revealed his straightforward nature. With his looks and abilities, he could have easily seduced an innocent young woman like Kaya tonight with just a few sweet words.
After refusing, Xinan turned and walked outside.
However, Kaya's resolve was strong, and she followed closely behind him.
Only a few steps out of the courtyard gate, Xinan heard a thud behind him.
Turning back, Xinan sighed helplessly, "My lady, why are you being so stubborn?"
Reluctantly, Xinan went back, helped Kaya up, and carried her on his back.
They say seeing is believing, but Xinan felt that statement was still not entirely accurate.
You only know the truth and reality of a matter after you've felt it with your own hands.
Kaya appeared fragile and sickly, but as she leaned against his back, Xinan realized she wasn't much smaller than Nami.
Her little, perky bottom felt especially elastic and soft beneath his hands.
Instantly, Xinan felt that his exhausting night had been worth it.
Feeling Xinan's wandering hands, Kaya blushed from her neck to her ears. With her arms wrapped around Xinan's neck and looking at his handsome profile, Kaya couldn't bring herself to protest.
Aside from briefly holding her for balance when lifting her, Xinan hadn't done anything else. But after walking a short distance, Xinan felt something was wrong. Kaya's breathing grew heavy, and two hard bumps pressed against his back.
With a moment's thought, Xinan understood. Kaya's current state was very similar to Nami's first time. He cursed his cursed physique, realizing he shouldn't have carried her.