A/N: Edited 7/20/22
Chapter 8: Cat's Outta the Bag...
Everyone was startled by Hook suddenly curling into himself, his armaments vanishing back into his body. Unfortunately, that did not mean that everyone was stagnant as it happened. By the time he had hit the ground, unconscious once more, the Meowban Brothers were nearly upon him already!
"Anyone who takes down our crewmates…"
"…doesn't get to live anymore!"
"Get away from him!" Acting quickly, Silk used the still extended Dorado to wave the feline assassins away from Hook. Butchie jumped to the side, but Siam was halfway down the shaft before Silk noticed!
"Hmmm~ Little girls should keep their noses out of others' affairs!" Siam crowed as he pounced. Silk tried to respond, but after using so much energy on the mooks earlier, she was far from fast enough to stop the foot from connecting to her face!
As with Butchie, when he jumped to the side, he planted both feet on the wall, using it as leverage to rocket into the air…over Hook's head! "Cat Strike!"
It didn't take a genius to see where this was going! "Ussop!" Nami screamed, but Ussop was already prepared. With calm efficiency, he took a Lead Star, rubbed it in a little – a very, very small dose – of Wake Up Whiff, aimed, and fired…
"Cat-A – Gulp!" …and only when it went down the big palooka's gullet, did he stop holding his breath.
"Take that! Certain Death Nausea Star!" And just as the name implied, Butchie fell all the way to the ground retching the entire way!
Siam looked over at his brother in shock! "Butchie, no!" Silk tried to swat the fool away while he was distracted but she only swung at air. Looking confusingly at her empty hands, Siam turned back with a grin…holding Dorado!
"What-! Give me that!" She lunged for the weapon, but Siam just kneed her in the gut, keeping her at bay.
"Sorry, really. I'm a real klepto! I see something shiny…" He grabbed her by her ponytail, lifting the ax to her throat, "I want it for myself!"
Nami, beside herself at being unable to do anything, looked at Ussop. "What are you waiting for!? Shoot him!"
Ussop gritted his teeth. "I can't! He needs to be facing this way to even-" The air seemed to chill around Ussop. It wasn't a chill that sent teeth chattering, nor knees knocking together; the sniper's shivering goes right to his bones. This wasn't just his usual "I-can't-etc.-or-I'll-die disease" routine. What he felt…was an animal-like instinct to run and never look back.
Nami was not much better; thought frozen in fear, she looked down the slope and sees all the downed pirates, even the Meowban Brothers, were scared stiff…of something…right behind her…Nami and Ussop turned in unison and paled at the sight. Their window was up. The game was over. The end boss had just arrived.
"It's long past dawn, but…you seem to be having trouble following my plan," Klahadore looked at the invaders in pity, but it was Captain Kuro that, without raising his voice an iota, put the fear of God into everyone on that slope. "What in Neptune's name is going on!?"
Hook blinked awake, groggy and annoyed at the bright light searing his eyelids. 'What is that...oh right - the Sun.' The teen wrinkled his nose, as he laid on the ground downwind from something potent…like if aftershave and rotten eggs had an ugly child…and dear God, his back! 'It feels like I slept on rocks last night…last night…wait, I didn't sleep last night…Wasn't I getting ready to fight-'
"-in Neptune's name is going on!?" Right, there's a wake-up call! Hook's eyes widened as his memories came back to him thanks to that one voice...a voice he wanted very much to grind into the dirt! He assessed the battlefield in one second, his brain already forming a strategy!
Without even getting up yet, Hook yelled the first things that came to mind – something that, hopefully, could gain control of the situation and create something out of this insane scenario! "Captain, Red! Get away! Dorado! Finish up!" That was enough to spurn the other three into motion. Ussop, reacting automatically, dropped a Smoke Star in front of an unprepared Kuro. He and Nami ran for the trees before the four-eyed creep could even think to attack!
At the bottom of the slope, Silk also struck…just not as précised as Ussop. With Siam so focused on pants-darkening terror, he'd dropped Dorado enough she could move again. With conviction, she made a decisive strike…she swiftly applied her boot between the ship guard's legs. Twice. Hard. The moment he dropped both girl and weapon to…cradle his pride, she caught her ax. She didn't bother with a Mighty Push, she just swung the blunt side against his head, dropping him instantly with a gong.
The very moment she had been freed and the smoke bomb blinded the butler bitch, Hook jumped to his feet, but had barely taken a step before some fat guy wearing cat ears stumbled forward, claws outstretched, and face green. "Y-you…d-d-" he croaked out, clearly holding back the urge to vomit.
"You look familiar... Oh yeah! Boothie, right? Your breath stinks." Not really caring about the enemy in front of him either way, Hook batted him away with a backhanded Iron Sweep. As the teen fully focused on the top of the slope, Silk joined his side. "Don't have time for guppies. There are bigger fish to fry." With that in mind, Hook activated Iron Boxing, but also tried to take all the density that was weighing down his arms from before and spread it over his torso and vitals. Thankfully, the Mace had enough to utilize so the only things that were not metal were his hips and legs. Tossing out a few testing jabs, he said, "I'll call you... Iron Cowling!"
Silk looked over, split between being impressed and focusing on the battle. Impressed eventually won out. "Geez, you're getting pretty good with the whole fruit thing…I can't even figure out what my power is…"
Hook shot Silk his own side-eye. "Then you haven't been paying attention." She looked at him inquisitively, so he continued, not taking his eyes off the rapidly thinning smoke cloud. "Turning Dorado – a solid gold ax – into a shield, how you made the shaft grow like that, and I bet it's gotten easier to swing around, right?" Her eyes sparkled a bit, as she looked at the awesome ax. "You just need to concentrate, don't be afraid to explore! Use your power over-"
"Being held up by children!? Is this how far the Black Cat Pirates have fallen?" Crap, time's up. With Kuro walking out of the smoke, the intermission was over. "Is that it, Jango!?" Sure enough, all the way down the slope, the dazed and near-comatose man sat up, suddenly very conscious and terrified like the rest of the strewn about henchmen.
"H-hold on!" The hypnotist simpered. "This is unexpected! We were prepared to invade a village – not get caught up in a battle with freaks!"
Kuro's glare went from furious to apocalyptic! "And that's your excuse!" The entire crew flinched at that verbal slap. "I knew things were bad since I left, but I never imagined it had gotten so piss-poor!"
"Heh…w-we've g-gotten…piss-poor…" Like a shambling alley cat, Siam had returned; bleeding and disoriented but on his feet all the same. "Heh…Heh heh! All you've done is…s-sit around a mansion and get soft for three years…"
As everyone watched the spiteful, injured man get into a crouch, Hook's eyes widened. Judging from Jango's reaction, even he knew what was coming too. "Siam! Stop!" Even the crew was muttering among their ranks fearfully. Something about what Jango said at the beginning of all this…
He might not have sailed for three years…But yesterday, I saw proof he hasn't lost a step…He still adjusts his glasses the same.
That was far as Hook got in thought before the ship guard sprinted past him. "Me and Butchie have been raiding for years! You'll not kill us so easily! I'll just kill you first!" With one final lunge, Siam swiped at Kuro's still form-
Well, he swiped at where Kuro was. Kuro just moved, stepping sideways while pulling something from his bag, leaving it to be shredded by the wannabe badass. He jumped back, landing gracefully, with his weapon of choice on hand – literally on his hands – black furry gloves, each claw on each finger as long as a full-length katana.
Judging by the gasps, even Silk sucking in a breath in shock, they only saw him appear from one point to the other. But Hook's tracked him every step, burning the weird steps into his memory... "So," said madman drawled. "who were you going to kill?"
"Crap," was the general chorus from the wounded. "He can still do the Stealth Foot!"
'Stealth Foot?' Hook wondered with a clenched jaw. 'Well, his feet did move pretty fast…hmmm… Is it possible to…'
Siam turned around to face Kuro but did not expect him to move around again…just to sling an arm around the ship guard's shoulder, a single claw to his neck.
"Gone soft, have I?" Kuro mused, completely ignoring Siam's shuddering. "I suppose you're right…three years of inaction have softened my heart." He lightly pricked his former subordinate, drawing a little blood, and freezing him in place, lest he moves and cut off his head with his own tremoring. "You all have five minutes. If everything isn't sorted by then…I'll kill every last one of you, with my own two hands."
"Five minutes? Screw that! You don't have one!" Turning off Iron Cowling to get closer quickly, Hook raced up the slope, using the bodies of Black Cat pirates to cross over the oil slick. "Silk! Ussop! Nami! Mop this up! I'll leave it to you!"
Siam, apparently back on the "kill Hook and friends" party, charged forward. The teen's response to the aggression was to shoot him a smirk, before ducking between the slowpoke's claws. He raked his shirt sleeve, but thankfully not much else; and when an extending golden ax nailed him in the gut, it was clear he was about to have other problems.
Siam held his midsection trying to breathe again, as Silk ran at him. Even though he was saying something to her, she tuned him out, trying to focus… 'Hook…you imagine what you want your power to do? Is it that easy?' She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath; in the next step, both combatants would be in striking range.
Silk thought of what she wanted to do with her powers…but couldn't think of anything! 'It's no good! I have so many thoughts on my mind! – Port Cisco, supporting Hook, Nami, now Ussop, all the fun we've had, however brief, my Dream…and how this is the third small village that pirates thought fit to burn to the ground!'
That last thought made Dorado shine and blaze in her hands; the heat coming off it like a roaring fire! 'I…I know what I want my powers to do!' Just as Siam slashed at her hip, she pushed through the pain, planted her foot, and swung her weapon, blade first, screaming, "I WANT TO LEAVE AN IMPACT! MIGHTY RAY!" With that declaration, she brought the glowing ax down and across Siam's face, taking away his eye and a good chunk of his cheek!
Siam's claws are no longer aimed at Silk, they are cradling a literally burning slash. His screams were wordless and animal, but a simple cross to his still intact cheek put him out of his misery. The other pirates stare slack-jawed at the blonde before she sheathed Dorado and bowed to her defeated opponent. "I am sorry but thankful to have met you. I will not forget you as a proper stepping stone…" She came up from the bow, a determined expression on her face. "…to the goal, I can't afford to miss!"
She barely has enough time to recover though, as a roar from the bottom of the slope gained her attention. Apparently, both Meowban Brothers shared a second wind status, because Butchie was back up…and judging by Jango's swinging rings, he was also now hypnotized into being stronger!
"Son of a bitch! Ussop!" Silk glared toward the tree line. "Why didn't you stop him!?"
Ussop, for his part, looks apologetic. "Sorry! You looked so cool, I kinda got distracted!" There was a stunned silence throughout the area.
When Silk did speak…she was tapping her fingers together and blushing. "D-did I really look that cool?"
That was more than the Black Cats could take. 'They're both idiots!'
As Hook reached the top of the slope, he used the last Black Cat body as a springboard and activated Iron Boxing. Squaring up to deck Kuro, the teen launched out a faint first; undeterred, Kuro pulled out his Stealth Foot technique, sidestepping the attack. "You…you were at the mansion yesterday." He muttered as he tried to counterattack, but Hook blocked the moment he stopped moving, anticipating the strike.
"I can't match your speed," Hook gave the startled asswipe a feral grin as he prepared to Consume his blades, "but I can see where you're going, Cat Ass!"
"KLAHADORE! STOP!" Hook froze. Kuro froze. Hell, it felt like the entire battlefield froze.
'It couldn't be,' Hook thought, but one glance later, and a gasp from Ussop, confirmed it – Kaya had just arrived, looking like she ran all the way from her mansion to the slope. 'Fuck!'
Whatever Ussop was afraid of happening to the village just multiplied by ten! Kaya, the lynchpin of that bastard's entire plan, his dearest and oldest friend after his mom died…was within spitting distance of Kuro! This had to be the worst-case scenario! This was an absolutely, positively-
"Silk!" Nami's scream refocused him to the other side of the battle…where he now watched as Silk passed out in exhaustion! Seriously!? Can the two heavy hitters stop falling asleep!? "Get up!" Nami called out. "What are you doing!?" Ussop and Nami watched as her body shifted a bit, before hoisting herself up, using Dorado's extended shaft like a giant gold cane. Silk could barely stand and a souped-up super pirate was making a beeline right for her!
Ussop's eyes widened. "Nami…when Hook was done, she had to fight about half the crew! How much stamina does she have!?" Nami, horrified look on her face, couldn't answer; she had only seen her in one fight, and even then she was wounded. Ussop didn't wait for her answer; he whipped out Ginga Pachinko, his slingshot, aimed for Butchie...
And was once more distracted when he saw Jango making his way up the slope, toward-!
Nami watched as Ussop froze. "Ussop? Ussop! Do something!" He wanted to; he really wanted to. Two monsters, two blondes – one slingshot. He wanted to shoot, but the question is which one!?
As Hook stood there, looking between Kaya and Kuro, a simple but helpful thought came to mind: Punch him, you dumbass! Pulling back one arm, the Comboman made to do just that-
Until five sharp pains make themselves known in his side! 'Huh... When did he have time to stab me? Oh right. When Kaya distracted me...' As he fell to his knees, clutching his new stinging wounds, the two begin to talk. It was an odd sight, Kuro talking about killing her and living peacefully in the village, while Kaya, still weakened by poison, tried to reason with him. Well, she was trying until she whipped out a pistol. 'Yes! Please shoot the son of a bitch! He might live, but it would give me enough time to get past this throbbing side sore! Wait…was he…' Unfortunately, instead of getting shot and saving Hook the trouble, Kuro appealed to Kaya's memories- all the fun things they'd done together…
"Kaya, listen to me! That man poisoned your family!" Spitting up blood between his words, Hook's voice cut through the conversation. Both parties looked over, one trying to process the words, the other transmitting what they will if he didn't shut up. Ignoring that gaze, Hook paid full attention to Kaya. "We heard – ow, that stings – at the coast. He never disputed that he killed your parents! He said…he made sure they never woke up…"
Just like that, almost like the last piece to fall into place, understanding appeared on the heiress' face. Kaya's eyes became shadowed and unfocused; the eyes of a girl hoping her friend didn't betray her had receded at last. These were eyes that sought truth for a question they had never thought to ask. With more purpose than before and not a shaky trigger finger in sight, she cocked back the hammer and looked at the sociopath square in the eyes. "What…happened…to my family?"
Kuro had turned back to his 'charge,' blocking his face from view. Soon, his shoulders began to shake. Despite the convulsions, he stayed silent until-
"…snrk…snort…" Finally, Kuro could hold it no more…he laughed. Not the kind of laugh you share with your best friend when you tell a dirty joke; this was a very unhinged laugh. It was so unhinged, even while several members of the Black Cats should not have been able to move, a few were trying to crawl away from the obvious crazy person with swords attached to his hands.
When he finally calmed down, his entire aura felt…different. Unchained, unbound – free to go nuts… "Ha…hehe…you truly wish to know the truth? Are you sure, Miss Kaya? I'll tell you if you want…" As he said this, he lowered his head and started shuffling his feet side-to-side. "One night, they had taken an interest in old newspaper clippings…" For some reason, all the injured pirates, even Jango who had paused in his advance up the slope, were really making tracks for their ship now. What lit a fire under their asses?
Kuro continued, still shuffling back and forth. "You were out with Merry, I believe…star-gazing in the forest. Well, one story led to another, and they learned that their little stray dog Klahadore looked astonishingly familiar to Kuro of a Thousand Plans…they confronted me, they begged me to tell them otherwise…that for a year a money-hungry villainous pirate had not been so close to their little angel…
"I made the mistake of speaking truth, thinking I'd made enough of an impact, they'd see past my old self's actions…when your father, gentlest man I've ever known, pointed a gun at me, I knew I was wrong…" He stopped suddenly, jerking like a puppet on strings, and looked up at Kaya. His face and eyes were still not visible, but Kaya's expression didn't appear saddened or vindicated by the tale…she looked downright paralyzed.
"I tried to make it painless. Strangulation is a rather quiet killer, wouldn't you agree?" That was when Kaya dropped the gun, and covered her mouth in shock, tears rolling down her face. "A little makeup here and there, and all anyone knows is some foreign far-off disease transmitted by old ink is the culprit…you've never seen a vintage newspaper in that house, have you…Miss Kaya?"
At this point, Hook's pain has lessened enough to begin getting up. The crazy person that was still somehow supposed to be Kuro went on, casually walking up to the weeping girl. "Deep down, I now knew there was no way to keep you from not knowing what happened…I couldn't bear the thought of your heart breaking in such a fashion." As he reached her side, he raised his clawed hand to hover from her back, as if to comfort her; a hollow gesture from her fake caretaker. "But the poison, suffice to say was taking too long-"
Somehow, without anyone – Hook, Kaya, even batshit insane Kuro – didn't hear Ussop coming until his fist was planted in Kuro's cheek. As he stumbled back, his glasses fell off…and Ussop's foot fell on top of them. "Get away from her, you asshole!"
Finally, back on his feet, Hook smirked at the long nose. "Damn...I wanted to do that." Then Hook frowned, as a thought crossed his mind. "Ussop? Where are the girls?"
"Just so we're clear…I WILL BE CHARGING YOU FOR THIS LATER!" Nami, barely able to care Silk piggyback, was running as fast as she could away from Uber Butchie, toward the parked galleon of the invaders.
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Hook addressed his ally, exasperated. "You left…a thief…carrying about 100 lbs of unconscious sunshine…to be chased by 500 lbs of mindless beef?" The sound of the ship creaking and cracking as one mad cat chased a cat burglar was a very good exclamation point on the whole debacle.
Ussop scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "I, er, was so caught up with saving Kaya…I just got sidetracked!"
"Sidetracked…" Hook shook his head in amazement. "Well, that has to be the ballsiest thing I've seen all day!" is what he was about to say before Ussop's pirate club jumped from the bushes and clobbered the toppled turncoat. Now that took guts to attack someone who could clearly take it.
Apparently, as they quickly explained, they saw Kaya walking from the mansion to the slope; wondering what was going on they charged a scout (Onion) to see what was happening. When he came back and reported pirates were attacking the village (and had to convince Carrot he was not emulating their captain) they came back with the heaviest things they could carry and arrived late enough that they (mercifully) missed Kuro's breakdown, but on time to see Ussop bruise his hand on the 'butt-ler's' jaw.
Good thing they spoke quickly because Kuro was up and behind them before they could blink. Then he was in front of Ussop before he could blink. As he kicked him down the slope, Hool shouted at the kids and Kaya. "Hey, Veggies! Get Kaya out of here! We'll handle Kuro!"
They looked like they were about to say, "We only take orders from the captain," but after fighting since dawn, passing out in the midst of battle twice, and now the proud owner of five new stab wounds, Hook was sporting less a 'don't screw with me' face, and was more embodying the epitome of 'don't screw with me.' One look and they were gone, leading Kaya into the forest.
As Hook spotted Kuro just looking at his broken glasses, it was clear not all of his dogs were barking right now, Ussop's hit not even jarring him back to reality. "Ussop!" Hook yelled down the slope. "Go help Nami and Silk!" Hook took on a fighting stance, calling on Iron Cowling. "Keep them safe!"
Hook doesn't pay attention to his response as Kuro finally got up, looking at his opponent like he was just air. "He crushed my glasses. I like those glasses."
Hook shrugged, with not a single ounce of sympathy. "Life's full of disappointments, sweetheart!"
As Nami hid behind some crates on the Black Cats' ship, she lamented her lot in life. Yes, she wanted to be on this ship – to loot it, of course. But not carrying someone else –
"MEORAWR!" CRASH! – And certainly not being chased by an insane cat-crazed pirate! As she looked over her hideaway, Butchie was whaling on a water-worn wall with his bare strength, not even using his claws! She ducked down when he looked over to her spot; as she covered her mouth to muffle noise, still hearing the footfalls get closer and closer, she prayed for a miracle – any miracle to save her.
"Serious Lead Star!" The sound of metal hitting flesh distracted the mad cat; he looked toward the shore and saw Ussop, posing with shaking knees. "H-hey! The Great Captain Ussop wants to have a duel with you! Are you a tiger, or a pussycat!?"
In his state, the hypnotized opponent really should not have understood that; regardless, Butchie hissed at Ussop and leaped into the air. Ussop immediately ran out of the way, thank God, because where Butchie landed, the crater went halfway up the cliffs!
Nami sighed with relief. "Good luck, Ussop!" she elatedly whispered. "I'll be rooting for you from my safe haven!"
"Safe, you say?" Was all the warning Nami got, before a chakram went sailing past her head, trimming off a few hairs. She looked in the direction it was thrown from, right at Jango, casually spinning a second one on his finger. "On an enemy ship? You must be crazy!"
A/N: So, after reviewing how I wrote Kuro's descent into madness, I feel incensed into explaining myself about his characterization. Honestly, he just sorta seemed dull in canon. Maybe it's because I was exposed to Kuro through 4Kids first, manga second, and subbed last. Also, as a kid, I just had a headcanon that Kuro killed Kaya's parents. I mean, someone known as a brilliant strategist just happened upon two rich people dying of their own accord? It could happen, but...I like my idea better. Anyway, another one down!
