Dang, it's been a while, huh?

Really sorry about that! I needed a break from writing fanfiction. And a whole bunch of things happening in real life extended that break by a...long while.

But, after taking said breaks and starting some other, unrelated fics, I feel refreshed enough to begin updating this again!

Sorry, I know I should have left an author's note or something, but I didn't want to update after so long and have it only be an author's note. Plus, I feel like if I made an author's note explaining why I haven't updated for so long, I might have used that as an excuse to not update for even longer...

But, I'm back now! And I'm writing other stuff that hopefully some of you will enjoy!

I feel like my writing's improved a bit, too. Just so everyone knows, I'm going to go back and reupload fixed up versions of my old chapters that correct a lot of typos and errors. Unfortunately, that'll come at the cost of deleting a lot of the author's notes in those, as I really don't feel like taking the time to rewrite them in the fixed up versions. I was initially going to do that before uploading this chapter, but ya'll have waited long enough.

Also, I just want everyone to know that, as it's been so long, a lot of future plans and ideas for this fic have gone through some changes. Responses I left in author's notes to readers may not hold true anymore. Just keep that in mind.

Sorry again!

XXX

From Mafioso to Pirate

Chapter 18: Kaya and Klahadore

XXX

"Never in my life did I expect to find the Black Cat Pirates losing to a bunch of children," Klahadore said coldly, adjusting his glasses with his right hand while dropping the bag he held in his left onto the ground. "My crew certainly isn't what it used to be. I'm disappointed, Jango!" He shouted, his voice reverberating around the slope.

The way he could go from calm to enraged in an instant sent a shudder down Lambo's spine. There was definitely something wrong with this guy. He supposed there had to be for him to be willing to kill an entire village full of people he'd known for years.

Jango hesitated for a moment before stuttering out "B-But didn't you say that these kids would be no problem?!"

Klahadore remained unmoved. "Yes, I did. What of it? I knew they would come here and try to stop you, but what I didn't expect was for you, the ruthless Black Cat Pirates, to be so pathetic."

"P-Pathetic...?" Jango asked, his fearful expression beginning to be replaced with an angered one.

"Who are you calling pathetic?!" Jango was not the only one insulted. Sham and Buchi turned their attention away from their previous opponents and to their captain as well.

Lambo and Zoro glanced at each other as their previous opponents left them.

"Looks like they're gonna fight amongst themselves now," Zoro said.

Lambo nodded. "Looks like it. If we're lucky, maybe they'll finish each other off," 'Glad our crew isn't like that...'

"You may have been the strongest in the past, but that was a full three years ago!" Sham shouted at him as he and Buchi extended their claws. "We weren't just sitting on the ship and waiting while you were fooling around in this village!"

"That's right!" Buchi agreed. "We've been sailing around pillaging and fighting tons of other pirate crews! We're much stronger now than we were when you were still around!"

Klahadore stared at them expressionlessly. "...What are you implying?"

"WE'RE SAYING THAT WE CAN KILL YOU!"

"S-Stop, you two!" Jango shouted in panic as the brothers rushed towards Klahadore.

Klahadore just blinked at the two pirates running towards him before reaching into his bag.

"You're not our captain anymore!" Sham shouted as they neared him.

"We don't need a weakling for a captain!" Buchi added.

With that, they finally reached him, bringing their claws down on him and ripping him to shreds.

An empty, torn up bag was all that was left on the ground. But Klahadore was nowhere to be seen. The two looked at it in shock and confusion. Meanwhile, Lambo and Zoro's eyes widened as, in a blur, Klahadore reappeared behind them.

"When did he...?!" Zoro muttered. "And that weapon..."

Ten swords gleamed in the sunlight, attached to each finger of the gloves Klahadore was now wearing. That must be what he had been keeping in that bag of his.

"So... You're going to kill me, are you?"

"Damn!" The cat brothers shouted, quickly turning around for a second attempt. Unfortunately for them, it ended with the same result. The butler disappeared once again.

"He still remembers his Stealth Foot technique, too..." Jango muttered in the distance.

Behind him, still lying on the ground and clutching her wounded shoulder, Nami squinted up at him. 'Stealth Foot?'

It was almost like watching a dance as Klahadore came in and out of focus all around the Nyanban Brothers. Finally, he came to a stop directly behind them, arms around their shoulders and blades pointed at their necks.

"You know, you may be right... I'm not as fast as I once was."

'Are you kidding me?! This guy is really dangerous!' Lambo thought, eyes wide, breath caught in his throat. If this was "slow" then he didn't want to know what the butler was like in his prime.

"Staying in this peaceful island for so long...its humbled me," Klahadore continued, his grim face contorting into a smile. "I'll give you five minutes." With that declaration, he moved his blades away from their exposed throats and stepped back. Both the brothers let out desperate gasps for air as he did. "If you don't kill them in that time limit..." His eyes went past the two of them and swept over the remaining pirates, all looking on in fear near their now destroyed ship. "Then all of you will be killed."

'Is he...being serious?' Lambo asked himself and turned his head to look at the group of Black Cat Pirates behind him. Judging from their pale faces, he most certainly was.

Amidst it all, Jango started laughing nervously. "F-Five minutes...? Y-Yeah, we can definitely kill them in five minutes!" He sounded like he was trying to convince himself more so than his captain. He looked over at Lambo and Zoro. "W-We just have to get rid of them. The rest'll be easy!"

With no other word of warning, the Nyanban Brothers charged towards the two opposing pirates. "Those guys can barely keep up with us! We'll get this over with in five seconds, and then we'll attack that damn village!"

"We're counting on you, Nyanban Brothers!" Jango shouted to them.

"HEY, ZORO!" Nami suddenly shouted, running past the distracted Jango, her hand still grasping her injured shoulder. She reached her destination, where Zoro's two swords lay almost forgotten, and swiftly kicked them into the air, sending them flying towards him. "CATCH!"

"HEY, DON'T KICK THEM LIKE THAT!" Zoro shouted furiously even as he reached out for them.

Nami smirked. "Where's my 'thank you?'"

At that, Zoro smirked, jumping up to grab his swords before turning to face Buchi and Sham head on. "Thank you!"

Lambo glanced at him before turning back to the approaching pirates. Klahadore was still just standing there, watching. This was probably a terrible idea, but if he could just catch him off guard then maybe...

"Hah! It's useless!" Buchi shouted. "You still won't be able to keep up with us!"

Ignoring their jeers, Zoro got into position. As he did, so did Lambo, earning a glance from the swordsman. He couldn't spare it much thought, though, as the two brothers were closing in.

"Tiger Hunting Prey!" Zoro shouted. Within the blink of an eye, the two cat pirates were sent flying behind him, covered in gashes, each squirting copious amounts of blood. In the aftermath of the attack, debris from the ground was picked up, creating a light dust storm.

"Four minutes to go," Klahadore mumbled, watching the scene impassively. "...Hm?" He frowned when he caught sight of emerald sparks in the dust cloud. The sparks were getting brighter and brighter, as if the source was getting closer.

Lambo burst out of the dust and towards the butler, emerald green lightning crackling around him. Klahadore was surprised into motionless for just one single second before he jumped away from the charging boy, managing to dodge the attack.

"Oh?" Klahadore said, his emotionless expression morphing into one of curiosity. "Now that's something you don't see every day."

Lambo managed to stop his charge and turned to glare at him. "Tch. Missed."

"That's quite the trick," Klahadore continued. "Am I to assume you've eaten one of the fabled Devil's Fruits? To think I would witness one in person... It doesn't look like it's a problem if you can't hit me directly, however."

Lambo just kept his mouth shut and glared at him, unwilling to give him any information about his powers.

Unfortunately, he was more or less right. While he could send small projectiles of electricity, his aim still wasn't very good. Even if it was, they lost power the farther they had to travel to reach their opponent. Having them still attached to him while he fought was for the best. ...Even though it secretly terrified him to have to fight someone like this close up and personal.

Klahadore sighed at his lack of response and adjusted his glasses. "Very well. Be that way."

Lambo let his Lightning Flames crackle around his horns once again, intending to take another shot at him. He'd lost the advantage of surprise, but maybe if he was fast enough-

"Shit! GET OUT OF THE WAY!"

Zoro's voice broke his concentration and he let out a gasp of surprise as he felt a hand grab him by the back of his shirt yank him back. He fell onto the ground beside Zoro a wider distance away from the butler.

He didn't have time to even think about asking Zoro what was wrong when something fell from above, landing where had been standing moments before. The ground rumbled as it did, and both of them would have knocked down if they weren't on the ground already. Lambo looked over at the cause in surprise as Zoro's expression turned grim.

The cause of the mini-earthquake was Buchi. The overweight pirate had a deep cut across his chest from his brief battle with Zoro, but it didn't seem to be bothering him in the least. His muscles seemed a lot more pronounced and his face was contorted into an almost feral glare. What stood out the most, however, was that his pupils were gone, leaving his eyes completely white.

Lambo inwardly cursed as the realization dawned on him. "He's been hypnotized?!"

"Yeah," Zoro said, placing his sword back in his mouth. "I could have sworn I killed him, but I guess all that fat protected him. I didn't even realize he'd crawled over to that damn hypnotist until it was too late."

"Two minutes left," Klahadore continued, not looking bothered or surprised.

Zoro readied his swords, glancing from Klahadore to Buchi.

Lambo frowned, mind racing about what to do in this situation. Klahadore was fast, there was no way any of them could match his speed. There was nothing stopping him from deciding to rush forward and stab through one of them while they were dealing with Buchi. If only he had a way to increase his own speed...

His mind suddenly flashed back to his earlier fight with Buchi. The jet of Lightning Flames that had burst out of his feet. It had been an almost instinctual response, but if he could replicate it...

"...Zoro."

Zoro glanced at him for a second before placing his gaze firmly back on Buchi. "What is it?"

"I'm gonna try to go for that butler again. Can you keep Buchi off my back?"

Zoro's brow furrowed. "Hey, you sure about that?"

Lambo gave him what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "Yeah, I have an idea."

"...Alright."

With that, the swordsman turned his full attention to Buchi while Lambo turned his to Klahadore. To his surprise, Klahadore had not made a move towards them during their talk. He simply stayed where he was, adjusted his glasses, and sent him a smirk that had Lambo feeling like the temperature just dropped.

He heard Buchi give a guttural roar behind him but didn't turn to look, trusting Zoro to take care of him. Deep down, he knew the person he was facing was much more dangerous than the other Black Cat Pirate. He felt doubt and nervousness start to creep in but quickly shoved it to the side before it could take root.

Alright, how did he do this again? Channel his flames on his feet. Not too much, or he'll be shot forward and not have any control. He had to focus...

Just as he heard the clang of sword against claws behind him, he felt himself be projected forward as he finally managed to get his flames where he wanted them. Klahadore's expression turned a bit surprised when Lambo suddenly shot towards him. 'Shit, too fast!' Lambo thought, quickly redirecting some of his flames to his horns. "Electrico Cornata!"

Klahadore, however, recovered quickly from his surprise and disappeared in a blur, leaving Lambo tackling the empty air. Lambo quickly cut the flames from his feet, stumbling a bit as he landed back firmly on the ground and tried to regain his footing. 'Dammit! Even with this, he's still faster!'

He felt a rush of air from behind and quickly realized the butler had stopped behind him. Cursing again in his mind, he let his flames burst from his feet just in time to dodge the five razor-sharp blades swinging down at him. Landing on the ground, he quickly turned and propelled himself forward again, flames still crackling around his horns, wanting to get at least one hit in.

It seemed like there was a delay between when Klahadore attacked and when he disappeared again, giving Lambo the opportunity to slam right into the butler's chest. Klahadore let out a choked gasp as he was sent back, but managed to land on his feet despite the electricity crackling around his body.

Even as his body convulsed, he managed to stay on his feet. His calm demeanor was now tainted with an expression of anger, though he did a good job of hiding most of it. To be able to bounce back like that, he must still be used to combat even after all his years as a butler.

This was certainly not going to be easy.

"A-Amazing!" Usopp gaped, watching it all unfold.

The Black Cat pirate crew were having similar reactions.

"I-Is that lightning?! What the hell is he?!"

"That other kid, too! He could stretch his arms like rubber! What kind of monsters are these?!"

"Damn, at this rate, there's no way we'll kill them in the Captain's time limit...!" Jango said, his voice shaking.

So surprised were they, that they didn't even register Nami still being there just behind them, very much alive and conscious. Seeing the opportunity, she quickly turned and started making her way to the still passed out Luffy.

'Geez! Everyone's doing their best and he's still...!'

The moment the effects of the electricity faded, Klahadore was gone again. Lambo looked behind him, expecting the butler to reappear there once again.

That was a mistake.

Klahadore reappeared right in front of him. Lambo's eyes widened, not expecting that. Before he could do anything, he felt a sharp pain in his left arm. The next thing he knew he was on his back on the ground, the butler standing over him. Glancing towards his arm, he saw that Klahadore's claws had pierced right through it, pinning it to the ground. Looking back up, he saw Klahadore's other hand raised, prepared to come down at him.

Knowing that this was over if he stayed frozen for even a second longer, Lambo quickly raised his foot so that it was against the other man's chest and released a jet of flames, knocking him back. He couldn't help but let out a gasp of pain as he felt the claws being forcefully removed from where they had been in his arm.

Lambo quickly got back up. Klahadore stayed on the ground for a moment before slowly standing. He was staggering a bit.

"...I'll admit," Klahadore said after a moment of tense silence. "It's been a while since I've felt this pissed off." When he looked back up at Lambo, the cow-clad boy couldn't help but take a step back at the hate-filled glare aimed at him. "I can't remember the last time I took so many hits. That's some power. I suppose I'll have to cut you down as quick as possible to avoid it."

Lambo glanced in Zoro's direction, wanting to see if he was done with his own fight.

"Got you."

Lambo quickly realized that looking away even for a moment was a mistake. He turned back to see the butler back in front of him, a terrifying smile on his face as his blades lunged towards Lambo's neck. He wouldn't be able to move away in time.

'Is this it?'

BANG

Klahadore's claws stopped inches from his skin. His gaze was now turned towards the source of the unexpected sound. Lambo looked in that direction as well to see the last possible person he had expected.

'Is that...Kaya?!'

Kaya was breathing hard, looking even paler than she did normally. In her trembling hands, she clutched pistol, aimed towards the ground. A small hole was near her feet, where she had shot to gain their attention.

"Klahadore!" She shouted as she regained her breath. "Stop this right now!"

"K-Kaya?!" Usopp shouted from his place at the cliff, quickly getting up. "What are you doing here?!"

"That's Kaya?!" Jango said in surprise. "That's our target!"

Around him, his crew started murmuring to each other.

"That's Kaya?"

"That scrawny-looking girl is our target?"

"Th-Then, doesn't that mean we don't have to go to the village?"

"You're right! She came right to us!"

"We just have to kill her now!"

"Kaya..." Klahadore said, and Lambo had the unexpected honor of seeing him unsettled. "You surprised me...what are you doing here? And with a gun no less?"

Lambo's eyes widened. 'This is my chance!' He quickly called his flames, knowing that he probably won't get a better opportunity than this. Emerald green electricity started to crackle around him...

"Wait! Please!"

Lambo froze and looked at Kaya in surprise while Klahadore glanced at him and then back at her.

"Please, let me talk to him!" Kaya said desperately, eyes wide. "I beg of you!"

Lambo frowned, remembering how easily the butler had talked about killing her mere moments ago. "I don't think- Oof!" Before he could finish his sentence, he found himself getting a kick in the gut, courtesy of Klahadore. Staggering back, he saw that the butler was no longer in front of him, but now in front of Kaya. 'Seriously, how is he so fast?!' He gritted his teeth, but stayed where he was. He wouldn't put Klahadore above using Kaya as a hostage if necessary.

"K-Klahadore..." Kaya said, faltering a bit before finding her resolve and looking into his eyes. "Merry told me everything."

"Did he now?" Klahadore asked, looking impassive. "I'm surprised he was still alive. I didn't show him any mercy."

Kaya's eyes widened, filling with dismay. It was obvious she was hoping for any answer other than that. The hands around the pistol shook for a moment before she steadied them. "U-Usopp..." She said after a moment. "I'm so sorry... I should have believed you, but I couldn't fathom Klahadore being a pirate..."

"Forget about that! Didn't I tell you to run away?!" Usopp shouted, hurrying to make his way over to her. "These guys are after you!"

Kaya looked at him with tear-filled eyes. "I can't do that! Aren't you fighting as well?! Even though I treated you so badly and you're covered in injuries!"

"Th-That's different! I'm...I'm a brave warrior of the sea!"

The girl had made up her mind, though, looking at Klahadore with a mixture of apprehension and determination. "Klahadore! If it's my money you want, I'll give it all to you! Just please leave this village!"

"...You're incorrect, Lady Kaya," Klahadore finally said. "What I want isn't just your money. I also want peace."

Kaya blinked. "What?"

Lambo grimaced, wishing he could go over there and knock him away from her. 'Peace? What's he on about?'

Seeing Kaya's confusion, Klahadore elaborated. "I've spent three years here, gaining the village's trust. I feel at peace here, away from the constant battles against rival pirates and Marines. Only when I have obtained both money and that peace will my plan be complete." He adjusted his glasses, eyes never leaving Kaya's. "For that, your death is essential."

Kaya's eyes widened and she took a step back, staring at Klahadore as if she had never seen her before. "K-Klahadore..."

"Kaya, run!" Usopp shouted at her desperately. "Just run! Please!"

Lambo was already in fear that Klahadore would attack Kaya at any second, but now a different fear joined it. "...Hey, you," he called out. Klahadore glanced at him, his calm facade morphing back into irritation. Lambo hesitated for a moment before deciding to go on. "You've been taking care of her for the past few years, right? Don't you feel...anything towards her? Anything at all?"

"Of course I do," Klahadore said, surprising him. He turned back to Kaya, who looked as surprised as Lambo, a small light of hope appearing in her eyes. He looked at the pistol clasped in her hands. "...It seems you've gotten stronger in these past years. A lot has happened to us since your parents died. We took boat rides together... Went into town together... Whenever you came down with a fever, I was always there to take care of you." As he spoke, he slowly walked towards her. Once he was close enough, he took one of his gloves off and reached his hand towards hers, wrapping it around the gun she still clasped tightly. "I've served you tirelessly. No matter how much I hated it, all so I could kill you today."

With that, the spark of hope disappeared. Kaya bit her lip as tears finally overflowed from her eyes. He easily took the gun from her, letting it fall to the ground and then crushing it with his foot.

"I was a captain in the past," he continued, any calmness he had slowly being replaced by growing anger. "Yet I served a naive little girl, trying to get her to trust me, for the past three years. No matter how demeaning it was!"

Lambo felt a sinking feeling in his stomach and bitterly regretted even thinking of trying to appeal to the man's humanity, if he even had any. Seeing Kaya's distraught face made it even worse.

"YOU BASTARD!" Lambo's head whipped around in surprise just in time to see Usopp charge past him and towards the butler.

"Wha- Usopp, WAIT!"

"Usopp..." Kaya cried tearfully.

"Usopp. Now that I think about it, I never paid you back for that punch, did I?" Klahadore continued calmly. "Let's fix that, shall we?" He easily dodged the punch the long-nosed boy aimed at his face and moved behind him, blades outstretched.

"Dammit!" Lambo shouted, throwing caution to the wind and letting out another burst of flames from his feet, propelling himself towards Klahadore.

Unfortunately, however, Klahadore hadn't forgotten about him. "You as well," he said, lifting his other hand so that all blades were pointed towards the incoming boy.

Lambo's eyes widened when he saw what the butler did. At the speed he was going, he was going to plunge face first right into those swords.

'Dammit! It's too late for me to stop! I can't-'

Before he even had time to finish his thought, a very recognizable fist burst out of nowhere and rammed right into the butler's face, blowing him away from Lambo, Usopp, and Kaya.

Lambo stumbled a bit as he cut off his flames. Turning, he saw the arm that threw the punch retract itself back to a figure near the destroyed Black Cat's pirate ship.

Luffy smirked as his arm returned to its natural position. Next to him, sitting on the ground and clutching her injured shoulder, Nami sighed in relief.

Luffy grinned at them all. "How do you like my punch?"

XXX

I kind of realized that having Lambo be able to channel his flames into his feet might be a little too close to Sanji's fighting style (and Niji). But, since it's only a speed boost instead of an actual attack, I figure it'll be alright. He'll eventually get his own weapon, anyway.