Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece, only the original characters, but all of us know this…

A Cat's Instinct

Chapter 10: Tension Brewing

((A/N: I'm sorry, but this chapter may be a bit shorter than the others. It felt a bit short, oh well))

James almost fell over, as he looked upon his father.

"I can't believe it…" he said, both angry and surprised.

"It's long past dawn, but…you seem to be having trouble following my plan." Kuro said, his voice, disturbingly calm, "Are you telling me, these children held you up! Is this what the Pirates of the Black Cat have come to? Is that it, Django?" Kuro yelled angrily.

James continued to stare, as he held Nami in his arms.

Django gulped.

"Bu-but you said, it didn't matter if we let the kid go... That's what you said!" Django argued timidly.

"Yes, I said that, and I was right! It shouldn't have been a problem! Anyone could have predicted that he would try to thwart us, but I didn't expect your defenses to be so feeble!" Kuro said.

The Meowban Brothers scowled at him.

"'Feeble' he calls us?" Siam asked.

"Care to say that again, Cap'n Kuro?" Butchie added.

Kuro looked at them, as the others just watched what was going on.

"He's right. What has my father's crew come to?" James wondered silently.

"You'll find we ain't so easy to kill! Sometimes things don't go as planned!" Siam said.

"You've been out of action for three years! You think you can beat the sharp claws of the Meowban Brothers?" Butchie growled, "You ain't our captain anymore!"

They went after Kuro, who stood there, totally still.

He then disappeared, only before Siam and Butchie shredded his bag.

Only James was able to track him, and his swift movements.

"H-He pulled a Pussyfoot Maneuver!" one of the crewmen shouted out of fright.

The Meowban brothers looked behind them, but Kuro disappeared once they looked, and only reappeared when they had turned their bodies around.

He had his arms slung over both their shoulders.

"You two were right…I have gotten soft." Kuro said, in his snake-like tone of voice, as the Meowban brothers froze, in sheer terror.

James almost smiled,

"My father is alive, and he still has his skill…" he thought proudly.

Nami looked up at him,

"James, what's wrong with you?" she asked, worriedly.

James, however, continued to stare off at the battlefield.

"It's true, I'm not your captain anymore…but I hired you to do a job, and the penalty for failure is death!" Kuro said, pointing his claw-like blades at each of their throats.

James was in his own world of total confusion, and disbelief.

"I never dreamed that my father was so cruel…" he mumbled.

Nami let out a gasp of pain, and that called him out of his thoughts.

"Are you alright?" he asked frantically, still holding her.

"I think I'll live." She said, smiling at him.

He smiled warmly back at her, but they both looked at the battlefield.

"Those two were getting the better of Zolo, granted, he only had one sword. But Klahadore's playing with them like kittens!" she said.

Django looked at them.

"What did you fools expect? Captain Kuro's Pussyfoot maneuver is a technique for undetectable movement. You could gather 50 assassins, and they'd all be dead before they even knew that he was near. We've got to carry out his plan." Django said, "Why, when I first saw him for the first time, after three years, and I saw that habit of his, I shivered. To avoid scratching his face with his 'Cat Claws', he pushed his glasses up his nose like that. It's proof that he hasn't forgotten how to kill!"

"What do you mean, forgotten how to kill!" James growled.

Everyone ignored him, except for Nami, who put a hand on his shoulder.

"Three years of inaction… have softened my heart. You've got five minutes. If everything isn't sorted out by then, I'll kill every last one of you…with my own hands." Kuro snarled.

"Oh no, he won't!" James said angrily, as he was helping Nami sit up gently.

Nami then stood, ran over to Zolo's swords, and kicked them to him.

"Zolo, you're swords!" she shouted.

"Why you! First you trample me, then you kick my swords!" Zolo barked at her.

Nami looked at him,

"What? No thank-you?" she asked.

Zolo caught his swords,

"Yes, thanks." He said, just as the Meowban brothers were coming at him.

Zolo however swiped them in one shot.

"He beat the Meowban brothers in one sword strike!" Some of the crew members said.

Zolo then looked at Kuro, and pointed his sword at him.

"Don't worry, it won't even take me five minutes….to trash you all." He said.

Kuro fixed his glasses.

"Try it…" he said.

Keiko beamed,

"Go Zolo!" she cheered happily.

Siam lay on the ground, dead, as Butchie pushed himself off the ground, he appeared to be weak, and panting.

James almost went over to him, but Nami stopped him.

"James, what are you doing?" she asked, holding him back.

"C-Captain; Captain Django! Hypnotize me, please!" Butchie begged.

Kuro smirked,

"He's still alive. Your claws need sharpening." He taunted.

Zolo sighed, as Butchie emerged with newfound strength.

Nami then stood up, and ran for it.

"Now's my change! If I can just wake Luffy up…" Nami thought as she ran.

James and Django both looked at her, but Django threw a blade at her.

Nami stepped on Luffy's head,

"Nami, look out!" James exclaimed.

"That's a chakram. It's not just for hypnotizing people!" Usopp exclaimed.

"Oh, now you know something…" Keiko said, sarcastically.

Luffy, at the same time, shot up angrily,

"Nami, you creep! Why'd you have to step on my head!" he demanded, as the chakram sliced into his head.

"Luffy!" Nami exclaimed.

Kuro looked at Luffy shocked.

"That lad? I thought he died when he fell off the cliff." Kuro said to himself.

Luffy leaned forward, and pulled the chakram out of his scalp.

"Impossible! He's still alive and standing?" Django asked.

"That really hurt!" Luffy yelled at Nami.

"It wasn't me, Luffy!" Nami said, when she collapsed on the ground, clutching her bleeding shoulder.

"Your shoulder's bleeding." Luffy said, his expression softened.

"It's nothing, I'm fine. I've done all I can, I'm leaving the rest to you." Nami said, " After all, this is one fight we gotta win, there's a lot of treasure on the line!"

Luffy faced Kuro, and the others at the top of the slope,

"Hey, the evil butler is here…" Luffy observed.

Kuro looked at his watch slowly.

"Three minutes left…" Kuro said, calmly, as the crew started to panic.

James felt his anger and temperature brewing,

"I can't believe he'd act like that!" he thought scornfully.