Damn it!
Are these people all lunatics?!
Watching Zoro take his stance, fully prepared to strike at any moment, a dark shadow instantly passed through Kuro's eyes.
What enraged him even more was—
They had no intention of giving him any chance to argue or refute at all, as if they had already completely confirmed his identity.
As a pirate who had fought countless battles, Kuro could clearly feel that the killing intent in Zoro's eyes was no act.
He really might swing his blade at any second!
This is completely screwed…
At that moment, Kuro understood—these people didn't care about explanations or opinions in the slightest.
Well, of course…
A captain who could earn a bounty of fifty million Beli on his very first listing—no matter how arrogant someone like that was, it would still be understandable.
But he couldn't afford that arrogance!
If he continued to endure silently, the only thing waiting for him would be the pain of sharp blades cutting into his flesh.
"Three years…"
After coming to terms with everything, Kuro suddenly spoke.
"Three whole years of effort…"
"Every single day, I had to put on that so-called gentle smile and face the world with a fake persona!"
"To play the role of a competent butler—attending carefully to a sickly girl every day, constantly watching the expressions on other people's faces!"
As if casting off some invisible shackles, Kuro tugged forcefully at his collar.
When he raised his head again—
The refined and gentle air around him had completely vanished!
In its place stood a face twisted with malice, cruelty, and rampant arrogance.
"Do you have any idea how I've lived these past three years?!"
"I was this close to killing everyone here, then rightfully inheriting everything they own!"
"And now—"
Kuro's expression grew increasingly ferocious as he roared,
"All of that effort—completely wasted!!"
"You damned bastards!!!"
"Klahadore…"
By the window, Kaya stared at the unfamiliar butler before her. Her face instantly turned deathly pale as a wave of weakness washed over her, and she collapsed to the floor.
Only her powerless hand still clutched the windowsill by instinct.
"Miss Kaya!"
Seeing this, Usopp—who had always been worried about her—cried out at once.
But at that very moment, Kuro suddenly drove his polished leather shoe into the soil.
Boom!!!
With a fierce kick, a huge cloud of dust erupted, forming a hazy yellow curtain that completely obscured his figure.
When the dust finally settled, Kuro was gone from the courtyard.
"He probably went to get his weapons," Red said immediately.
"Someone like him definitely hid his weapons somewhere inside the mansion."
"But just to be safe—Luffy, take Usopp and protect Miss Kaya."
"Got it!"
Luffy replied, and in the next instant—under Usopp's shocked gaze—Luffy's arm suddenly stretched out and wrapped tightly around him.
With his other hand, Luffy grabbed onto a tree branch he had already lined up.
Whoosh!
Before Usopp could even process what was happening, the two of them smashed straight through the window and flew into Kaya's bedroom.
"Miss Kaya!"
Seeing Kaya sitting on the floor in a daze, Usopp didn't even wait for Luffy to retract his arm. He hurried over, gently helping her up.
"Usopp…"
Kaya looked at him with teary eyes, pitiful and trembling.
Everything had happened far too suddenly.
Just minutes ago, she had still been chatting and laughing with Klahadore—and in the blink of an eye…
The butler Klahadore had turned out to be the pirate Kuro!
If Kuro's true identity had merely been that of a pirate, Kaya might not have felt such deep sorrow.
But hearing that his goal was to murder everyone and seize all their wealth completely shattered the last of her emotional defenses.
"Don't be afraid, Miss Kaya," Usopp said softly.
"With Captain Usopp here, everything will be okay!"
Sensing the despair in her heart, Usopp immediately revealed his gentle side, trying his best to comfort her.
...
...
Meanwhile.
Once the dust stirred up by Kuro had fully dispersed, Zoro and Red exchanged a glance and headed inside Kaya's home.
Luffy's unusually high bounty would inevitably affect how others treated their group.
In the original timeline, Kuro might not have taken Luffy and the others seriously.
But now, there was no guarantee he wouldn't choose to flee or act differently.
For safety's sake, Red believed it was better to take the initiative.
Walking past a completely bewildered Merry, the two of them entered the mansion.
As expected, Kuro did not reveal himself.
The sounds outside had frightened all the mansion's servants and staff into hiding.
Aside from Kaya's muffled sobbing upstairs, there was no other movement.
"So he didn't run away… Planning to use the terrain to ambush us from the shadows?" Red guessed instantly.
However, considering Zoro's infamous sense of direction, Red decided he'd better search alongside him.
They started from the first floor, checking each room one by one.
Along the way, they startled quite a few terrified maids and staff members.
And just as they reached a storage room on the second floor—
Sss—!!!
From a dark corner, a chilling gleam suddenly flashed, slashing toward Zoro and Red from behind.
Zoro's ears twitched. Even without mastering Observation Haki, his beast-like instincts allowed him to sense something wrong.
In an instant, he spun around, Wado Ichimonji carving a sharp arc through the air!
Clang!!!
The crisp sound of metal colliding rang out, echoing sharply through the silent mansion.
"Heh—so the game of hide-and-seek is over?" Zoro grinned.
With a single blade, he held back ten!
In the dimly lit room, sparks flew, illuminating the shock frozen on Kuro's face.
Realizing what happened a moment too late, Red turned around and pressed the nearby switch.
Click!
Blinding white light flooded the room, completely exposing Kuro's figure.
Watching Zoro and Kuro face off, Red remained calm, without the slightest ripple of emotion.
"So you were hiding here."
He turned and closed the storage room door, casually dragging over a chair. After brushing off the dust, he sat down and said,
"I'll leave everything to you, Zoro. End it quickly."
"Roger!"
Zoro grinned, the muscles in his arms bulging as he raised his blades and hacked fiercely toward Kuro!
"Damn it!!!"
"Don't get so full of yourselves, you brats!!"
Being forced back by Zoro—and seeing Red act as though he didn't even exist—Kuro roared in blind fury.
He suddenly leapt backward, retreating from Zoro's attack range, his footsteps flickering erratically.
"So fast!" Zoro exclaimed, unable to catch up immediately.
Whoosh—!
A faint tearing sound cut through the air as Kuro's figure vanished, transforming into a pitch-black afterimage that shot straight toward Red!
"Silent Step!"
"I've got you!"
Kuro's lips curled into a cruel smile as he sped forward.
From the moment Red exposed his identity, Kuro had already resolved to kill this detestable brat!
And now—this fool was arrogant enough to lower his guard.
Regret it in your next life!!!
Ssshh!
The ten blades of the Cat Claws gleamed coldly, slashing toward Red's neck like lightning—
But the next instant—
Bang!
A sharp clash rang out.
The blood-splattered scene Kuro had imagined never appeared. Instead, a burst of sparks flared up.
Flying sparks struck his face, stinging his skin.
Yet Kuro could only stare in disbelief, his eyes wide open, at Red's neck—where the Cat Claws had clearly struck, yet only a few faint white marks remained.
"Hm? Why did you come attack me instead?" Red asked casually.
Having similarly failed to notice Kuro's movement, Red felt an itch on his neck and belatedly rubbed the back of it.
Under his fingers, the faint white marks vanished instantly.
"Th-That's impossible!?"
"I clearly hit you!!!" Kuro screamed in terror.
But Red lazily stood up, and while Kuro was still frozen in shock, he reached out and grabbed him by the collar.
"Who said that getting hit by you means I'd be injured?"
The corners of Red's mouth lifted slightly as he looked at the famed Kuro of a Hundred Plans with playful disdain.
Kuro's intelligence might indeed be impressive in the pirate world.
But his vision—and his strength—were ultimately nothing more than that of a frog at the bottom of the East Blue.
Not to mention Red now possessed the Boulder Badge's reward, granting him rock-like defense—
Even before setting sail, attacks from an opponent of Kuro's level would've brought Red nothing more than pain—never true injury.
Now, Kuro's attacks felt like being scraped by a fingernail.
You could feel it—but it ended before it even began.
Red muttered casually, "Honestly, didn't I tell you to fight Zoro?"
"You two go at it properly. Don't come bother me."
With that, his arm tensed, and he flung Kuro straight into the opposite wall.
Compared to the pain of the impact—
Red's indifferent tone wounded Kuro far more deeply!
It was like a spiked mace slamming straight into his heart.
Struggling to his feet, Kuro stared at Red in sheer terror, his lips trembling.
"H-How is this possible…?"
"Why… why has it become like this…?"
(End of Chapter)