Everyone watched as their new crewmate Brook ate.
"How come you don't have a shadow?" Kuina questioned.
"My shadow was taken by Moria," Brook explained sadly.
"Ooooo, I know him," Kuro smiled.
"He's one of the seven warlords, everyone knows him," Nami deadpanned.
"I know him more than what should be known," Kuro ate a piece of meat.
"What do you know?" Chopper drank some milk.
Kuro chewed, "He's the weakest warlord, he fought Kaido and got most of his crewmates killed which broke him, and he's got one of the best devil fruit ever."
"The weakest?" questioned Zoro.
Kuro nodded, "I believe from weakest to strongest, it's Moria, Crocodile, Jinbe, Doflamingo, Boa, Kuma, and Mihawk."
"Ooooo," Chopper and Usopp's eyes shined.
Kuina looked disappointed, "I'm guessing he'll be easy to beat since he's weaker than Crocodile."
"He fought Kaido though," Robin stated, "And from what Kuro's told us, that means he should be very strong."
Kuro shook his head, "He's a shadow of his former self, seeing his crew massacred messed him up really bad. While Kaido continued leaping off clouds, Moria's been getting chunkier and chunkier."
"But he fought Kaido!" Usopp stammered.
"What's special about Kaido?" Franky looked unimpressed.
Sanji smiled as he waited for Franky's reaction.
"Luffy falling from bed is like Kaido falling ten thousand meters from the sky," Usopp elaborated.
Brook and Franky's jaws fell.
Sanji liked that.
"That's highly unbelievable," Franky stated.
"Yohohohohoho, you made my jaw fall for a moment," Brook laughed.
Kuro smiled, "I know he fought Kaido Usopp, but that was long ago when Kaido was weaker, today's Kaido is today's Cap to East Blue Cap."
Usopp gulped thinking about how strong Kaido currently was.
"How does he have one of the best devil fruit?" questioned Luffy.
Kuro shrugged, "One of the best devil fruit in my opinion. For example, if Robin here were to learn the six techniques, she'd easily be third commander, add that with haki, first commander is no problem."
Robin seemed to arch an eye at Kuro's evaluation.
Kuro sweatdropped as he imagined getting hit head-on by a Rokuogan that was coming from Robin's massive arm.
"You still didn't answer my question," Luffy whined.
Kuro seemed to realize, "Sorry Cap, but let's say it's one of the best because of the things you could do with it."
"Like what?" Luffy tilted.
"He can shape his shadow into anything so he could shape it into a rotating vibrating hot sword that's able to cut through anything or make it so thin it can cut through atoms. Or cover himself with his shadow which makes him stronger. Or make shadow wings and fly around," Kuro elaborated.
"Rotating vibrating hot sword?" Zoro and Kuina questioned.
"Fly?" Luffy's eye shined.
"Atom?" questioned Nami, Robin, and Franky.
Kuro chewed, "Zoro and Kuina first. Making a sword rotate, vibrate, or hotter increases its sharpness. I believe I gave Ace a rotating vibrating hot knife that should be able to cut through seastone."
Kuro turned to Luffy, "Yes Cap, he can fly."
Kuro turned to Nami, Robin, and Franky, "Atom is a small particle that almost everything is made of."
"I'm made of atom?" Luffy stared at his hand.
Kuro suddenly felt he didn't wish to explain science.
"Kuro, who's your favorite crewmate?" Nami questioned.
Kuro looked to see if he had a watch on his wrist, "Why you asking?" He didn't.
"Just curious," Nami smiled.
"I'm curious too!" Chopper yelled.
"Me too!" Usopp yelled.
"I'm interested," Kuina stated.
It seems everyone was interested.
Kuro fell into thought as he looked at the creepy fog around.
A moment passed and Kuro found his answer.
"Starting most favorite, Sanji, his cooking is divine and I've been eating trash my whole life," Kuro stated.
Everyone didn't expect that, not even Sanji.
"Second is Chopper, so cute and lovable."
"Don't joke," Chopper wiggled.
"Third is small Luffy, the things I would do."
Everyone became highly disturbed by what Kuro said.
"Fourth is Merry, so confident and happy."
Everyone could agree with that.
"Fifth is Brook, he's a source of infinite skeleton jokes."
"Yohohohoho, thank you," Brook laughed.
"Sixth is Franky, he's SUUUUUPEEEERRRRRR."
Everyone sweatdropped at that.
"Seventh, hmmm, seventh, seventh gotta be Usopp, I like the cool things he makes."
"Thank you," Usopp shed a tear.
"Eighth is Zoro, he's got a lot going on."
Zoro thought to himself and wondered what he had going on.
"Ninth is Nami, 'cause it rhymes with nine, also because she keeps our ship from sinking."
It doesn't rhyme with nine, 'does it?' Nami thought.
"Tenth is Robin, she's got drip, respect, thug life, gucci, and supreme."
Robin wondered what drip was.
"Eleventh is Kuina, last because of doing that weird thing of.."
Kuina smacked him before he could finish.
Luffy looked at Kuma confused, the crew had just taken down Moria and this guy thinks he can take them on.
A smile formed on Luffy's face.
Then Luffy remembered Kuma was second to Mihawk.
Luffy turned to Kuro who was calm, "How strong is this guy?"
"Admiral," Kuro replied.
Immediately, everyone took a deep breath.
"Don't worry guys, Sanji fought off an admiral!" Chopper yelled.
Everyone seemed to calm down.
"This guy is built differently though, so we're probably going to get clapped," Kuro sighed.
"Then let's see," Zoro grinned and attacked.
Luffy watched as Kuma slapped at Zoro's sword.
Zoro was flung back into a building.
"Zoro!" everyone yelled.
Luffy did not like seeing his Nakama get hurt, using his observation, he could tell Zoro had withstood that attack.
Turning to Kuma in anger, Luffy used second gear and launched an attack.
Unfortunately, Kuma slapped the attack away.
Luffy didn't have time to react as Kuma sent an air cannon that tore through him into a building.
Using his will, Luffy managed to keep conscious.
Kuina rushed forward and Kuma aimed to deflect her attack.
However, Kuina planned to trade blow for blow.
Her sword turned red and seemed to vibrate.
Kuma could see it would not be wise to trade blow for blow and disappear from Kuina.
Kuina fell to the ground stabbing her sword, using that special attack took a great hold on her body.
Kuma appeared behind her and was about to slap, Kuina struggled to move.
Kuro rushed in and took Kuina away as the ground was flattened.
Everyone gulped while staring.
Luffy and Zoro got out of the rubble.
"This guy is a monster," Zoro breathed heavily.
"Yeah," Luffy breathed heavily.
"Second gear!" Luffy attacked.
"Ashura!" Zoro attacked.
Using both his arm, Kuma blocked both of them.
"Red Line!" Kuina struck down.
With incredible speed, Kuma pushed Zoro and Luffy away.
He turned to Kuina and slapped her sword.
Kuina was flung away.
Chopper and Usopp gulped, three monsters of the crew were being dealt with so easily.
The rest of the crew couldn't bear to watch anymore and attacked.
Kuma slapped their attacks or dodged them.
Appearing behind them one by one, he slapped them to the ground.
Kuro stared silently at Kuma, "Take them away Chopper."
Chopper nodded and gathered up the crew.
"Seventh technique," Kuro whispered and attacked.
He sent an attack that should reach Kuma, yet a shock wave was launched from his punch, and Kuma slapped it away.
"You really slapping my attacks like it's from dollar store," Kuro grinned.
"Your mastery of the six power is very advanced," Kuma stated dully.
"You're not going to get me to monologue," Kuro rushed in and sent multiple shockwave punches.
Kuma easily deflected them all.
"Very well," Kuma stated.
Appearing behind Kuro, Kuma slapped down but his attacks passed through.
Kuro took the opportunity to land a dirty hit on Kuma and Kuma backed away.
Looking at Kuma, Kuro could see he was only bleeding a little from his mouth and was unfazed.
"It seems you are immune to all physical attacks," Kuma stated.
Kuma launched an air cannon at Kuro and it passed through.
"Interesting," Kuma stated.
Suddenly, Kuma's haki surged.
Kuro turned grim, "Didn't think you could still use haki with a modified body like that."
"You seem to know a lot," Kuma appeared behind Kuro.
"I get that a lot," Kuro retaliated with a shockwave internal destruction haki.
Their attacks clashed and push them from each other.
In that confrontation, Kuro knew his haki was weaker, and he grimaced.
"Hey, let's make a deal, I take all the pain of my crew and you let us go," Kuro suggested.
Kuma seemed to think for a moment, "Very well."
Appearing in front of Chopper who fell to the ground, Kuma took all the strawhats pain into a ball and brought it back to Kuro.
Kuro gritted his teeth, this was supposed to be Zoro's job though.
Zoro and everyone rushed back in.
"What's happening Kuro?!" Nami yelled.
Kuro sighed, "Long story short, if I take all your combined pain from that ball, he'll let us go. But I'm shaking right now."
"Let me take it!" Luffy yelled.
Seeing Kuro had given up, Luffy knew there wasn't much they could do.
"Can't be you Cap," Kuro shook his head.
Luffy was lost.
"I'll take it," Zoro stated.
"Are you going to back off?" Kuma stated coldly.
Kuro smiled, "Looks like you hate people who break promises, alright."
Kuro pushed his hand into the ball and everything went blank.
Kuma disappeared from the strawhats as they rushed in.
Waking back up at the Sunny, Kuro could barely feel his body.
If it wasn't for Ryuma's bloodline, he'd be dead by now.
Well, his bet paid off and that's all that matters.
As for why he didn't continue fighting Kuma, Kuro knew he would lose a battle of attrition.
He definitely had other stronger attacks that could take Kuma down, but that would definitely harm the strawhats in the process.
Besides, Kuma was a secret friend.
Chopper came in, "Kuro's awake everyone!"
Everyone came in and started nagging Kuro and crying.
Kuro let them let it all out.
"What were you thinking? What were you thinking!" Kuina shook Kuro.
"Don't shake him!" Chopper cried.
Kuima stopped seeing as Kuro was still injured.
Kuro looked at all of them as if they were stupid and they felt insulted.
Kuro sighed, "You guys gotta chill. It was all part of the plan anyway."
"The plan? What plan?!" Nami shark teethed.
Kuro seemed to want to rub his head but couldn't as he was all bundled up.
"Let's get down some facts first, Luffy is brother with Ace and Ace is friends with Jinbe so Jinbe is a friend."
Everyone took in the information with surprise but wondered what the information had to do with anything.
"I won't explain who Luffy is indirectly more friends with but Kuma and Boa is included."
"How?" Luffy tilted his head.
"Spoilers Cap," Kuro smiled.
Luffy O and smiled.
"Anyway, Kuma works for Luffy's dad," Kuro stated.
"Dragon?" Usopp gulped.
"Yep," Kuro smiled.
Kuro looked at Zoro and Kuina, "Me, Zoro, and Kuina are descendents of Shimotsuki Ryuma. Our bloodline deals with pain extremely well and grow stronger from it. Honestly, I was hoping to give the opportunity to Kuina or Zoro but since I mistakenly made the deal first, I had to fulfill it."
Kuro tried to wave his arms but couldn't, "Anyway, things turned out like I expected so nothing too amazing happened."
Everyone looked deadpanned shocked at Kuro.
