At that very moment, powerful fighting intent surged in Zoro's eyes. At the same time, a faint, mysterious energy unconsciously began to leak out from his body.
That surge of power immediately made both Red and Luffy turn their heads.
"This is…"Red narrowed his eyes slightly.
Luffy instantly followed up, "—Pokémon power!"
Wild, destructive, powerful, hard, sharp…
In a split second, both Red and Luffy sensed many different energy signatures within Zoro's aura.
And those fluctuations happened to perfectly correspond to Dragon-type and Steel-type Pokémon attributes.
What was strange, however, was that Red hadn't yet found any suitable Pokémon moves for Zoro. By all logic, Zoro shouldn't have been able to actively draw upon Pokémon energy at all.
After all, this was something even authentic Pokémon couldn't normally do.
"Interesting."
"Is Zoro using his own will to mobilize the Pokémon energy hidden within his body?"
Red's gaze flickered as his expectations for Zoro rose yet another level.
"Alright, then I'll leave the next opponent to you."
"No problem with that, Luffy?"
"Well… fine."
Though he also wanted to fight, since Zoro had already said so, Luffy naturally didn't object.
After all, in the Pokémon world, battles were everywhere.
"Then let's not waste time. We'll head to the villa on the mountain right now."
"Usopp, you lead the way."
"Ah… no problem!"
Unable to hold back any longer, Usopp immediately set off.
He truly didn't want to stay here for even another second—he just wanted to hurry up and deal with the pirates lurking around Kaya.
The group settled their bill and left the restaurant, briskly heading toward the mountaintop villa under Usopp's guidance.
Meanwhile—
Inside Kaya's villa.
Disguised as the butler Klahadore, Kuro pushed a dining cart to Kaya's door and politely knocked.
"Miss Kaya, your dinner is ready. May I come in?"
"Come in, Klahadore."
A gentle voice came from inside. Kuro softly pushed open the door and elegantly wheeled the cart to Kaya's bedside.
Kaya was weakly propped up against the headboard, holding a medical book in her hands.
Since it was midsummer, even though it was already dinnertime, the sky outside was only slightly dimmer than at noon.
Blue skies, white clouds—leisurely and free.
That was the freedom the sickly Kaya yearned for.
As Kaya set down her book, Kuro noticed, as expected, the newspaper he had delivered that morning on her bedside table—along with a wanted poster of Luffy.
When his eyes landed on the 50,000,000 Beli bounty, his gaze trembled for a brief instant before quickly concealing it.
As usual, Kuro politely gathered the newspaper and wanted poster and casually remarked,
"How frightening… to think that such terrifying pirates would suddenly appear in the East Blue."
"Who knows how many innocents will be displaced because of those scoundrels."
Hearing that, Kaya asked curiously, "Klahadore, do you really hate pirates that much?"
"Of course!" Kuro replied without hesitation."All pirates are nothing but unforgivable scum… Sorry, Miss Kaya, my words may have been a bit crude."
"But that's simply the truth."
"Alright," Kaya said, not pressing the matter.
Though influenced by Usopp, she didn't believe all pirates were bad. Still, she didn't think Kuro's words were wrong either.
After all, the vast majority of pirates truly weren't good people.
After Kuro finished assisting Kaya with her dinner, the two chatted idly for a while.
Suddenly, loud commotion erupted from outside the villa.
"Wait! Who are you people!?"
"This is private property! You're not allowed inside!"
"Move aside! It's me! I'm Usopp from the village! Miss Kaya is in danger!"
"Guards! Guards! Someone's forcing their way into the villa!"
"…"
"…"
"Usopp?"
Just as Kaya was preparing to rest, she froze for a moment, then quickly climbed out of bed, put on her slippers, and headed toward the window.
But at that very moment—
"Danger! Miss Kaya!"
Kuro suddenly stepped in front of her, blocking her path, and advised her in the manner of a refined gentleman butler.
"There's trouble outside. It's too dangerous near the window—please don't approach it."
"I'll go see what's happening."
After saying that, Kuro immediately turned to leave.
The instant he stepped out of the room, the gentle elegance around him vanished completely, replaced by icy killing intent flashing in his eyes.
For some reason, the shouting between Usopp and the guards had given him an ominous premonition.
"Damn it! That long-nosed little brat again!"
"If he dares interfere with my plans, I'll tear him to pieces!"
Not long ago, he had already secretly contacted Jango. The time to close the net was approaching!
Three years of patience—for this very moment!
He absolutely would not allow any unforeseen accidents.
Yet when Kuro followed the noise to the manor gate, the unexpected still happened.
"Y-you… who are you people?"
Looking at the guards sprawled across the ground, panic instantly spread across Kuro's face.
But his panic wasn't because the guards had been defeated—
It was because beside Usopp, he saw a face that was both familiar and unfamiliar.
"You're… Straw Hat Monkey D. Luffy!?"
Recalling the wanted poster he had just seen, Kuro's expression darkened instantly, boundless killing intent surging from his eyes.
But right after that, he turned his gaze toward Usopp.
"I know you! You're the village's infamous liar!"
"I thought you were just a child craving attention—who knew you were actually associating with pirates!"
"You truly are irredeemable scum!"
"Merry! Hurry and call the Marines!!!"
Kuro shouted at Merry, who was still able to move.
Although they were both butlers, thanks to his closer relationship with Kaya, Kuro had effectively taken over control of the entire household.
"Y-yes!"
Still flustered, Merry immediately turned back toward the villa to make the call.
At that moment, however, Red suddenly stepped forward with a cheerful smile.
"I'd strongly advise against letting Mr. Merry do that…"
"You wouldn't want your identity—hidden for three whole years—to be exposed to the world, would you?"
"Captain of the Black Cat Pirates—Kuro of a Hundred Plans."
Hearing his name announced so precisely, Kuro's pupils shrank violently, a dark glint flashing through his eyes.
Even Merry, who was about to call the Marines, and Kaya, secretly listening at the window, froze in shock.
Damn it!
How does someone know my identity!?
Did someone from the Black Cat Pirates leak it!?
Though shocked and bewildered inside, Kuro maintained his refined gentleman's façade.
His hands clenched behind his back for a brief instant—then slowly loosened.
"I don't know what you're talking about!"
"But pirates, if you don't leave immediately, prepare to rot in prison!"
Kuro stubbornly denied everything.
All he received in response was Red's contemptuous chuckle.
"Interesting!"
"So even at this point, you're still refusing to admit it?"
"Tell me—have you been lying for so long that you ended up lying to yourself too, actually thinking you're a good person now?"
"Unfortunately, we don't have the time to waste on you."
Red suddenly stepped back, positioning himself protectively in front of the others.
"Zoro!"
"He's yours."
"Be careful. His signature move is a high-speed burst footwork technique—not much slower than Shave."
"Oh? Someone like that actually exists in the East Blue?"
Zoro looked mildly surprised, admiration flickering in his eyes as he stared at Kuro.
He knew full well just how terrifying Shave's speed was.
To develop such a technique in the East Blue meant Kuro was indeed a skilled fighter.
But—
Today, he was here to cut down experts!
As Zoro drew his three swords, battle intent blazing, he grinned fiercely at Kuro.
"Hey! You're not the type to fight barehanded, are you?"
"I'll give you a chance—go have someone fetch your weapons."
"Let me see…"
"Whether you're qualified to help me complete that move!"
(End of Chapter)