Hey everyone and welcome to my new One Piece fanfiction. This really took a long time to finish, just as I promised, this chapter will cover all the remaining content of the Syrup Village Arc. Fights, dialogue, emotion, this chapter will have all of them. Before we get started, let me tell you that I didn't mean to take so long to update, I just spent a few weeks out of the country and so being able to write stuff down was more challenging than I was expecting, but I'll make an effort to not take so long to post a chapter again.

Disclaimer: The following is a non-profit fan-based parody, One Piece is owned by Funimation, Eiichiro Oda, Shueisha, Toei Animation, and Fuji TV. Please support the official release.

"Pirate" Regular speech.

"Pirate" Thoughts.

Finger Pistol Attack names.

(Pirate) Words said previously.

"PIRATE!" Shouting speech.

[Pirate!] people talking at the same time.

"Pirate" people talking over communication

What Makes A Pirate

—…

Usually, going up against a crew of blood-thirsty Pirates would be easy. Well, for one's as strong as Light, Zoro, and Silk. But Usopp had the idea to try to think ahead of Kuro's Pirate crew. The town's liar was going over a plan of sorts with the 4, so they can be ready for whatever the Pirates throw at them.

The five of them were watching the sea as the sky was slowly growing lighter with each second. Dawn was approaching…

"Okay…" Usopp started to give Light, Zoro, Silk, and Nami a run-down of his plan while walking through a pass in-between a pair of cliffs. "At daybreak, the Pirates will be landing at this shore to begin their attack. But the only way they'll be able to get to the village is to go up this slope. The rest of the shoreline is sheer cliff so they'll have to come through here. If we can fight them while they are funneled into that narrow path, their numbers won't mean anything. The village will be protected."

"All right." Light said. "Sounds simple enough."

"Talking about it is easy but victory depends on our strength." Usopp mentioned. "What is it you guys can do?"

"I Slice." Zoro said darkly.

"I Smash." Light said with his fist closed.

"I Slash." Silk said confidently.

"I Steal." Nami said folding her arms.

"I Hide." Usopp gulped softly before the three got him in a headlock.

[WELL THIS TIME YOU BETTER FIGHT!] Zoro, Silk, and Nami screamed angrily at him, Light didn't seem bothered though.

"J-Just making a funny!" Usopp choked out. "Come on! Calm down!"

"It doesn't really matter, though." Light got their attention. "Honestly, this'll be a fight against a whole Pirate crew, someone who's too afraid to fight would be better off hiding, 'least that way we don't have to worry about him."

Zoro released Usopp from his hold as he considered that idea. "You have a point, if we're fighting for our lives, I'd rather not divide my attention, worrying about someone else."

"True, and he's not really a good fighter so he'd probably just slow us down." Silk nodded in agreement.

"HEY, I CAN HEAR YOU Y'KNOW!" Usopp snapped at them feeling insulted. "I am neither afraid nor do I plan on hiding! I'm going to do everything in my power to protect my village!" He declared.

"Oh, then do you have a way to fight the Pirates?" Nami asked.

"Not exactly." Usopp claimed as he was released from the head-lock from earlier. "I have another idea that involves this slope."

Klahadore arrived back at the mansion and is greeted by Merry, Kaya's other caretaker. Merry was standing on a stepladder to fix a chandelier.

Merry is a tall, formally dressed butler whose most distinguishing feature is his lamb-themed appearance. His hair is curly like a lamb's fleece and has two lamb horns sticking out of it. His lips also resemble those of a lamb's. Even his collar has a fleece around it.

"My work never seems to end on days like these, especially with so many people just barging in like that." Klahadore remarked bitterly. "That Usopp certainly knows how to cause trouble, doesn't he?"

"Yes." Merry replied. "And on top of everything else, he actually punched you." Merry let out a small sigh. "Well, at least it was only a minor bruise, should clear up by the morning."

Klahadore simply smirked. "Indeed." He said as he turned to a small rectangular decorated box covered in white rapping with a blue ribbon. "What's this here?" Klahadore wondered as he picked it up.

"Well, that's a present of course from Miss Kaya to you." Merry stated while he was up on a ladder cleaning the chandelier. "It's been 3 years since you came to this mansion and this gift is to say thank you for your hard work. A commemoration of sorts."

"How nice." Klahadore spoke as he leered at the 'gift'.

"The glasses you're wearing are always slipping, and you have to push them back up, so the lady of the house custom-ordered a new pair for you!" Merry exclaimed cheerfully as proud, happy tears fell from his eyes. "Isn't she just the most thoughtful young woman you've ever met?"

Klahadore opened the wrapping to reveal a blue case that contained a pair of brand-new glasses. He stared at them, letting out a dark chuckle.

"How appropriate." Klahadore commented. "Tomorrow will be a day worth commemorating." He looked out the window and looked at the moon. "It's a crescent moon tonight."

Merry seemed surprised by the way his fellow caretaker was acting now.

"It's nights like this. I truly feel alive." Klahadore said. "My heart races, and blood boil's in my vein." With that, he dropped the case with the glasses inside and crushed them with his foot. Merry screamed in horror at what he had just seen.

"Klahadore, what are you doing!?" Merry asked in shock. "Why would you do such a thing to Miss Kaya's present?"

"Oh, I'll be receiving a gift, all right." Klahadore stated while pressing his foot onto the shattered glasses. "But it won't be glasses. It'll be her entire estate!"

"What are you saying!" Merry questioned in surprise.

"I suppose there's no reason to carry on the act any longer." Klahadore smiled as he walked toward Merry, pushing his glasses up. "In a few hours, the village will be mourning the unforeseen tragedy."

Merry screamed fearfully as Klahadore was wearing his glove with five blades attached to each finger. Each blade shone in the light, and each one sharp as Klahadore was getting ready to use them on the man he's been working with for 3 years now.

"MISS!" Merry yelled in alarm for Kaya. "YOU HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE! RUN—"

Klahadore had sliced the chandelier, which completely darkened the inside of the mansion and soon brought them down and slashed Merry right across his body. Blood spurted from the poor caretaker's chest as he hacked out blood from his mouth and finally fell on the floor on his face and lying in his own blood.

Klahadore's blades were covered in Merry's blood. Afterward, Klahadore walked up the stairs to Kaya's bedroom. The young girl was fast asleep and unaware that Klahadore had stepped in. He watched her and stood next to Kaya's bed. Klahadore held his blood-soaked blades over Kaya's sleeping form, wondering if he should just get it over with and do it himself. But he decided against it whilst pulling his blades away. He had to have faith that Jango would hopefully pull through for the plan to work.

And since it was Klahadore pulling the shots, the plan is most certainly going to work.

Usopp had left a little while ago and had even brought Light and Zoro along with him. Usopp returned along with the latter two carrying a few barrels. The barrels were filled with oil. They tipped the barrels over and spilled the contents inside right down the slope.

"Yep, I'm a genius!" Usopp remarked proudly. "There's no way they'll be able to make it up this slope now. All this oil we put here should keep them occupied here while we go to work on them. They're gonna be busy slipping and sliding like a bunch of idiots, and we show up and beat the crap out of them."

"Wow, so that's your plan, huh?" Nami asked.

"That's right." Usopp replied with a smile. "I'm going to defend the village no matter what it takes."

"Let's just hope none of us slip on that oil and end up down there with them." Nami brought up, which caused Usopp's eyes to widen. "Because that would be like sliding into a meat grinder." Nami commented, staring at the oil cascading down the slope.

"Then we just won't slip on the oil." Silk mentioned. "It's that simple."

"I don't like it." Light voiced his dissatisfaction. "I hate this kind of fighting. It's cowardly. Why use tricks when we can just beat them head-on?"

Zoro shrugged. "If you're just gonna say it, I feel the same way."

"Hey, come on, be reasonable, you guys." Usopp insisted, hoping to sway them.

"Yeah, just think for a second. If it's possible to avoid a fight, then, of course, we should." Nami reasoned with her arms crossed.

"Okay then, let me tell you something." Light turned his attention to Usopp. "I see two flaws with this plan."

"Two flaws?" Usopp repeated, unaware of what he could mean.

"The first, you said while the Pirates are slipping on the oil, we show up and beat them up. But how do we beat them up without slipping into the oil as well?" Light pointed out.

.

.

.

"Yes, how?" Silk asked with half-lidded eyes.

"Well, Usopp?" Zoro asked, looking at him with a tired expression.

"Tell us your genius plan?" Nami requested while sounding annoyed.

It was clear that after Usopp just went silent after Light's question, none of them were filled with much confidence in him right now.

"I got it!" Usopp proclaimed as though he had a plan from the beginning. "While they're stuck in the oil, we'll stay at a safe distance and fire at them until they are defeated."

"Uh, won't that take forever?" Nami voiced a complaint.

"Yeah, and what do expect us to fire? We're not snipers?" Zoro reminded him.

"WELL, IT'S THE BEST IDEA I'VE GOT!" Usopp snapped, fed up with them. "If any of you have a better idea, I'd love to hear it."

"In that case, hear mine." Light obliged his request. "How about I go and wait at the other shore?"

Now Usopp just blinked with confusion. "What for?"

"This is the second flaw in your plan." Light began to explain. "There are two shores on this Island that look exactly the same, so how are we sure they'll arrive at this one?"

"Good question?" Nami saw the logic in that.

"Well, this was where they had their secret meeting, so I just assumed they'd be here?" Usopp reasoned.

"But that's not much." Silk pointed out. "At least, it's not enough basis to be fully confident in."

"Yeah, that's why I think someone should wait at the other shore to be sure." Light told him. "Namely me."

"That's right. You have to go!" Nami insisted, suddenly becoming extremely serious. "If those Pirates arrive at the North shore then they'll see our boats. They'll take our treasure." She sounded horrified at the very idea.

"Of course, that's what she's worried about." Zoro massaged his brow with annoyance.

"At least she's easy to figure out." Silk groaned with irritation.

"Light, listen." Nami went right up to his face. "You have to go back to the boats and guard them with your life. Don't let them even touch the treasure." She demanded.

"If you're that worried, why not go yourself?" Usopp questioned curiously.

"Obviously, because it might be dangerous."

Her answer caused everyone to face fault. She just admitted that while she was too afraid to endanger her life for the sake of her treasure, she had no problem whatsoever endangering someone else's life to secure the treasure.

"Yeah, right." Light just moved on from that and turned to Zoro. "If it turns out they appear at this shore, I'll rush back."

Zoro nodded. "Roger. And if they end up at your side, we'll head over."

Light nodded as well and started walking away as he headed into the forest to make his way to the other side of the Island.

Turning back to face the shore, Zoro looked out to the sea. He whispered softly. "It's almost daybreak… They're coming…."

They watched as the golden sun slowly rose up and above the ocean, spreading a brilliant array of colors across the sea, turning everything into reds and yellows, causing the ocean to sparkle. It was hard to believe that a battle was going to begin with such a gorgeous sunrise… But strange enough… No one came.

They all waited for a long time, but they couldn't even see a trace of a ship or crew from anywhere.

"What's going on?" Silk wondered, shielding her eyes as she looked left to right at the water. "I don't see anyone. The sun's already up?"

Zoro shrugged. "Maybe they overslept?"

"No." Usopp said, determined, arms folded as he put an end to the argument. "They're gonna show up alright… And lots of them."

The Pirate Ship of the Black Cat Pirates ship—A massive ship with a figurehead shaped like a black cat was nearing its destination. The boat docked on a slope just outside the village. Onboard were several Pirates brandishing their Swords, and with them was Jango standing just in the middle of them with a smile on his face.

"Alright, men!" Jango called. "You know what to do! Go ashore, crush the village, and head for the mansion!"

[Aye, sir!] The Pirates all exclaimed.

"Captain!" One of the Pirates called out. "There are already two boats here!"

"What!?" Jango questioned as he looked out where the man was pointing and true enough there were the crew's boats beached on the shore.

"Shall I investigate?" The Pirate wondered.

"Leave 'em for later." Jango ordered. "They don't look like treasure ships to me, and we have a schedule to keep." Jango turned to the rest of the Pirates. "What are you waiting for!? It's time to move out!"

The Pirates all answered with a resounding cheer as it was time for their raid on the village and mansion to begin.

"So you guys finally showed up? And it was this shore after all."

A voice called out that caught the attention of the Pirates as they looked up to see someone sitting on the top of the slope.

"Captain, there's someone there." One of the Pirates pointed.

"Hmm, who are you?" Jango questioned.

Light stood up and smirked as he stared down at the crew of Pirates alone.

"If you wanna get to the village, you'll have to go through me." Light challenged them.

The 4 teens were nevertheless waiting for Pirates to show as the sun was simply rising to the sky. But to their own surprise, there were no Pirates to be seen appearing on the island at this time.

Finally, Nami suddenly heard something, her hands behind her ears she felt that she could hear something…

"Wait a minute?" Nami suspected.

"What's wrong?" Silk queried as she looked at Nami.

"Maybe I'm hearing things…" Nami stated. "But it sounds like… Battle cries from somewhere?" The others all looked around, trying to figure out where the supposed battle cries the orange-haired Navigator was hearing was. "Yeah, I definitely hear them."

"No, it can't be!" Usopp gasped as realization just hit him. "This can only mean that the Pirates really are at the North shore!"

"Then this really is the wrong shore?!" Nami realized with dismay.

"We gotta hurry then." Zoro said with urgency.

"Right, to the other shore." Silk finished as they took off.

A few minutes passed as the 4 of them dashed off to the North shore to meet up with Light and fight off the incoming Pirates. Usopp was in the lead.

"Oh, man!" Usopp groaned in frustration as he ran. "My brilliant oil strategy was all for nothing!"

"Those mongrels are in big trouble if they so much as look at my treasure!" Nami breathed out as she ran as fast as she could.

Silk and Zoro were more composed than those two as they conversed amongst themselves while they ran.

"Good grief, looks like the Captain's hunch was right on the money." Zoro complained calmly. "Hopefully, we're not too late."

"I can't imagine the Captain would have much issue on his own." Silk noted with a battle-ready expression. "But I rather not make him handle this by himself."

"Then we'd better hurry." Zoro said decidedly as they kept running.

Before long, they cleared through the pathway, and finally, the shore was in sight. They each drew their respective weapons and prepared themselves as they reached the top of the slope and looked down to see Light standing there.

"Light, we came to—"

Usopp was about to speak, but he and the rest of them stopped when they saw what was in front of them.

Light looked back to greet them with a pleasant smile. "Hey, you guys finally made it."

Nami and Usopp were completely blown away by what they saw.

There was an entire horde of Pirates on the slope and by the shore, along with a large Pirate Ship docked that belonged to the crew of Pirates. That was all that they had expected.

What shocked them was the state the Pirates were in.

Every last one of them was lying on the ground, their bodies littering the whole slope. Even though there were dozens of them and they were armed with weapons, they were the ones beaten, injured, and in the dirt, while Light appeared to be untouched and unfazed.

"What is this, Captain Jango?" One Black Cat Pirate gasped out.

"Nobody told us that a killer like this was gonna be here!" Another screamed.

"Heh, you guys couldn't have picked a worse day to attack." Light said with a grin.

Nami's were wide with disbelief, and her mouth was wide open as she muttered. "…He did all this by himself… Without so much as a scratch?"

"Ah… Ah…" Usopp had trouble stopping himself from shaking as his eyes bulged out of his skull. "It's… Only been a few minutes…."

Zoro merely looked disappointed. "Come on. You could have saved some for the rest of us." He complained.

"I could have if you hadn't taken your sweet time getting here." Light answered back. "This is a fight against real Pirates. I can't afford to just take it easy and wait for you."

"That is fair." Silk admitted, though she also wasn't happy.

[What's with these guys?!] Usopp and Nami thought, exasperated.

The crew and Usopp kept up their separate discussions as Jango, and the rest of the Black Cat Pirates only watched the teens continue to squabble with each other.

"The sun rises high in the sky now…." Jango remarked. "And that means Captain Kuro grows very impatient." The thought of Kuro caused the hypnotist to shiver. "Men, don't just lay there. You can't tell me you're going to let them win! They're just a couple of idiots!"

The Pirates began to stand at the raising of Jango's voice weakly.

"The fact is that we don't have time to lollygag any longer." Jango reached into his coat, pulling out of his hypnosis ring. "If our enemy is strong, then we must become stronger than them. Here, stare deeply into his ring." The chakram started to sway back and forth as all the Pirates eyed it. "Now, I will count 1, 2, Jango and after that, you'll begin to grow stronger. Your wounds will heal, and you'll grow stronger still."

"Hey, look, they're doing something." Light noticed.

"So they can still move?" Silk remarked. "That's new."

"By the looks of them, though, they still look like they're on their last legs." Zoro pointed out.

"But it looks like the hypnotist is doing something." Nami said skeptically. "He's trying to convince them they're stronger than they are. Like that'll work."

"Stronger… And stronger… STRONGER!" Jango cried out. "One… Two… Jango!"

And as soon as he said that last word, the crew roared—Their eyes were milky white, and they were back on their feet—Their battle with Light already forgotten as they ignored their wounds. Their muscles seemed to grow, and one of the Pirates punched the side of the cliff with such force that it cracked and collapsed. Some of the others started to panic and wonder what to do.

"No way!" Nami said in disbelief. "I always thought hypnotizing people was a bunch of crap!"

"That one guy completely destroyed the cliff!" Zoro couldn't believe his eyes as well. "Now that's what I call power!"

"That's true!" Silk agreed with unbelieving eyes. "I don't think we can afford not to take this seriously anymore!"

"That was just one of them…." Usopp was even in complete shock. "Imagine what the whole crew can do!"

"Now, go!" Jango ordered his hypnotized Pirates. "And strike down all who stand in your way!" The Black Cat Pirates all gazed up the slope, all of them howling with the intent to demolish the five teens at the top of the slope and anything that came after them.

"We're gonna have to take them on together." Silk unsheathed her Sword before turning to the other two. "That means the two of you will have to fight as well."

[What!?] Exclaimed both the Navigator and Liar.

"M-Me!?" Usopp stammered scaredly. "Fight an entire crew of Pirates? No, way! How about this? I'll go ahead and take command here, and you guys go…." He pointed to the rest of them. "Go and kick their butts!"

"What!?" Nami screamed. "Me!? What about you!?" Usopp was only giving the girl a smug smirk. "I can't take on a butt-load of vicious Pirates! They probably can but me, no! That's just suicide!"

"What, like I'm gonna do any fighting?" Usopp asked. "Under this calm exterior lies the abject terror of a coward!"

"Oh, so you think you're scared!?" Nami retorted. "Well, I am so scared that I am literally about to cry!"

"Please!" Usopp said. "Your eyes are completely dry! You'll have to do better than that!" he claimed proudly. "Liars can smell their own!"

Zoro and Silk had to fight off the urge to groan while the two of them went on. Light didn't seem bothered by Nami and Usopp's petty arguing over who was the most scared and instead stepped forward.

"You guys are all overthinking things too much." Light said calmly.

"Alright then, what now?" Zoro asked, standing ready with one Sword before he noticed he had already started moving.

"Captain?" Silk also noticed.

Light stopped when he was only a few steps in front of them and told them. "You all might wanna take a step back."

That only further confused them as they couldn't tell what he had planned or why he seemed so unconcerned about the incoming fight. The Pirates all let out a battle cry and started advancing up the hill. They all looked ready to kill and destroy without thinking of anything else.

ZIIIIIIIIIIIN!

Light stared up at them and gave them the expression of an angered predator as he unleashed his power.

A burst of Haki — Color of the Supreme King discharged as Light's eyes glowed red, and a bright light let loose from him that shook the air around him and consumed the oncoming Pirates, which halted their advance cold.

After about a moment, the Haki ceased, and everything returned to normal. Except the Black Cat Pirates remained standing in that same spot, frozen in their tracks. A second later, they all began to fall to the ground. One by one, they dropped like flies, hitting the ground, unconscious and overwhelmed by Light's willpower.

Anyone who wasn't caught in the burst couldn't feel the overwhelming force of power that Light unleashed, nor did they know what that power was. In short, they had no idea what had just happened.

Jango was utterly flabbergasted at what he had just witnessed, not even sure how to react. "…W-What the Hell just happened?"

The rest of them were no better as Zoro, Silk, Nami, and Usopp all stared wide-eyed at Light with surprise and confusion. None of them knew what to make of this.

"Hey, guys…" Usopp broke the silence. "What did he do just now?"

"How should I know?" Nami asked with a frown as she turned to the two Swordsmen. "You two, explain."

Zoro shook his head. "Don't ask me."

"I'm afraid I don't know either." Silk confessed.

"Even you?" Nami didn't expect that. "But you've been with him way longer than anyone else here."

"What else can I say?" Silk lowered her Sword. "I've seen him fight plenty of times, but I've never seen the Captain do anything like that." She said honestly. "I don't know everything about him."

"Hey, guys." Light went back over to them, still smiling. "I took care of things—Everything okay?"

"Captain, what was that thing you just did?" Zoro decided to be the one to ask.

"Oh, that?" Light fixed his hat. "That was a special power of mine, nothing to worry about."

"Nothing to worry about?!" Nami clearly disagreed with that statement. "You took out an entire crew in the time it took to blink! That's clearly something to worry about!"

"Explain it so we can understand!" Usopp demanded, feeling the same way as Nami.

"Well, the basic idea is—It's a power that knocks out anyone a lot weaker than me." Light told them the minimal amount. "But I'd prefer not to explain it right now."

"Fine then." Zoro accepted that response. "If you don't feel like explaining it, then don't."

"What? You're okay with that?!" Usopp asked with surprise. "Aren't you in the least bit curious? About where he learned that or how it works?"

"So what if I was? It's none of my business." Zoro reasoned with a shrug. "I can't make him tell me if he doesn't want to."

"Besides, does it really matter anyway?" Silk pointed out. "All that matters is that our enemies are down. Now there's only one person left to fight."

They looked down to see that the only enemy left standing was Jango.

"Yeah, that's right." Usopp then stood tall and declared. "Then it's time for the great Captain Usopp to step forward and defend this village!"

[So transparent.] They all thought together.

Meanwhile, back at Kaya's mansion. Klahadore was sitting outside the front door and waiting for his crew to arrive. And yet, no one had appeared yet, and he had long since lost his patience.

"They're late. I don't appreciate tardiness, not one bit." Klahadore sounded calm, but his expression was filled with frustration. "They know full well what happens to those who are foolish enough to upset my plans."

Tired of waiting, Klahadore stood up and stepped forward.

"Do they think they can take their sweet time?" He wondered angrily. "Well, if they have forgotten the consequences for disappointing me… I'll kill them all." He finished darkly.

Klahadore then departed the mansion and took off, intending to head to the shore himself to see what was taking so long. He walked while carrying a duffel bag that kept making a metal-clanking sound as he moved.

Unbeknownst to the butler, while he walked down the path, he was being watched by Onion—Who was watching him while hiding behind a tree.

"It's so early in the morning, and yet that butler is walking to the shore." Onion whispered to himself. "The Captain must've been right. I better warn the others."

Back at the shore, Jango was sweating bullets at the fact that he was the only one still standing on his side.

"Damn that little brat." Jango muttered as he slowly stood up as all his men were scattered around him, unconscious. "Now our whole plans shot to hell! What am I gonna do with this mess!? Captain Kuro sees this, and he'll kill us!"

"Buchi! Come check this out! There's some bad stuff going down!"

"What the Hell!"

Two loud voices could be heard coming from the Black Cat Pirates' ship. Jango looked toward the ship and smiled with relief.

"I forgot we still had our trump card." Jango said confidently. "COME FORTH! NYABAN BROTHERS!"

Two figures leaped down from the ship by Jango. The thinner of the two was shorter than his Brother but was hunched over, making it look like he had a hump on his back. His hair was green, his eyes similar to a cat, and he had on a pair of gloves that were clawed. The second had a huskier build than his Brother. He wore a black hat on his head with small animal ears protruding from the top, and from his teeth was a set of fangs, hanging from his neck was a cat bell, and on his hands was a set of purple gloves with claws like his Brother.

"Yes, Captain? Did you call for us?"

"Well, did you?"

"Sham!" The shorter one introduced himself with a pose.

"And Buchi!" The husky one did the same.

[Together, we are the Nyaban Brothers!] They both spoke. [At your service!]

The two of them leaped in front of Jango as he spoke. "Buchi, Sham… We absolutely must get up this hill, but as you can blatantly see, our path is blocked! If you would be as so kind as to remove this obstacle immediately!" He ordered.

They looked up to see Light and the others on top of the slope and immediately started to sweat as they backed away fearfully.

"No way! We couldn't do that! They look too strong!" Sham cowered as he turned to his Brother. "Right, Buchi?!"

Buchi completely agreed. "Oh yeah, they're strong! Way stronger than us!"

The others became confused once they saw how afraid the new arrivals were.

They continued as Sham backed away. "Besides, we just guard the ship, not fight people!" He insisted.

"He's got a point!" Buchi backed away as well. "We're really not the guys you wanna send into battle!"

Usopp just stared at them. "So… They're a couple of pansies. I guess they're not the trump card after all."

Jango started to become impatient. "Sham, just do it already."

"AAAHH! What?!" Sham shrieked at that order. "Please not me—"

"And hurry!" Jango snapped, cutting him off.

"Okay… I'll go… Just stop yelling." Sham voiced quietly with a tear in his eye.

"The guy's crying like a baby. What are they doing down there?" Nami honestly didn't know what to make of this.

"I'll find out." Light prepared to step in.

"Wait, Captain." Zoro stepped in front of him and tied his bandana around his head. "Let us handle them."

"You already did most of it, so let us take care of the rest." Silk stood beside Zoro.

Light stepped back and decided to honor their request. "Fine, go on ahead."

The duo of Sword wielders stood in front of the group and readied themselves. On the other side of things, Sham came forward, still looking afraid.

"This isn't going to last long if that's who they're up against." Nami had doubts as she watched Sham fearfully charge at them. "Seriously, of all people, why force that guy into a fight?"

"Well, they don't really have anyone else anymore." Light reasoned, reminding her.

"Aaaaahh!" Sham cried out as he ran up the slope. "I'm gonna tear you up with these claws! You just wait and see!" He yelled while closing in. "I'm a vicious killing machine, and I'm coming for you!"

Zoro just pointed his Sword threateningly at him. "You come any closer, and I'll cut you in half!" He warned him, though he seemed reluctant to cut someone so pitiful. "I'm not joking! I'll do it!"

"Just turn back and walk away!" Silk did the same thing, also reluctant. "You're really going to die if you don't surrender!"

Sham kept screaming and charging without heeding their threats. However, just as he closed the distance, he stopped screaming and smiled wickedly at them.

"Not likely." He said darkly.

Then like a cat, Sham pounced at them with his cat claws, and they both blocked it just in the nick of time with their blades.

"Bastard." Zoro glared.

"A trick." Silk cursed.

"Too bad." Sham looked up at them with a composed and cocky smile. "It seems you fell for my little ruse."

Sham then jumped back with great agility and gained some distance again.

"I'm impressed you blocked me, considering what a brilliant performance I gave." Sham added, now having something extra on his back. "Don't let the teeny bit of skill you two have cause you to underestimate Sham of the Nyaban Brothers!"

Zoro and Silk quickly noticed and saw that Sham had stolen something from both of them. Among Zoro's 3 Swords, the one with the white sheath was taken by Sham. And Silk only had her one Sword which was also taken by the catlike man.

Sham smirked victoriously. "Are you missing something? Not that I would know anything about it." He taunted.

Jango and Buchi watched him, unsurprised.

"There it is." Jango noted.

"Cat Burglar." Buchi followed up.

"Give us back our Swords." Silk demanded irritatedly.

"Your Swords, but I already left one for each of you; how greedy can you get?" Sham joked as he held up the Swords he stole from them. "Say goodbye, Swords. Goodbye."

And with that, Sham threw their Swords behind him and down the slope, angering them further.

Sham smiled and licked his claws. "I feel lighter now."

"You should take care of other people's things!" Zoro charged at him.

In a second, Zoro reached Sham and slashed him through the stomach. He then ran past him to get back his Sword. Unfortunately, Sham wasn't actually cut and once again showed off his agility as he leaped in the air and landed on Zoro's back.

"You really need to be faster." Sham reached and gripped both of Zoro's arms. "'Cause I'm as agile as a cat."

He then pushed forward and knocked Zoro to the ground while pinning him down.

"Buchi!" Sham called out. "You're up! Get in here!"

Buchi cheered as he ran forward to link up with Sham. Buchi jumped high into the air, which was impressive considering his size, and came down with his leg swung out, intending to bring down his heel upon Zoro's head to crack open his skull.

Nami and Usopp gasped in horror while Zoro looked worried as Buchi descended fast.

But, before Buchi reached the ground, Sham's hold on Zoro was lessened when Silk jumped in and jump-kicked Sham in the back when his guard was down.

BAAAAM!

At the last second, with the hold broken, Zoro was free, and he and Silk leaped away to avoid Buchi's drop. That was a relief because when Sham's foot hit the ground, it broke through the bedrock and crushed the ground beneath him like his foot was made of lead.

Sham also avoided it and rolled over to Buchi. "Damn, Buchi, he got away from you."

"No, he's right there! Now hold him tight this time!" Buchi complained to him.

"Careful, they're strong, stronger than I thought they'd be." Sham admitted, but he didn't sound worried. "Even without all of their blades."

"Silk saved him." Nami breathed out in relief. "Thank goodness."

"Yeah, his kick is like a cannonball." Usopp said fearfully.

"Thanks." Zoro told Silk without facing her. "If tubby there had landed on me, I'd been pounded into the dust."

"If you want to thank me, lend me one of your Swords." Silk requested while frowning. "I can't fight them unarmed, and I need something."

Zoro complied with her request and handed her one of his Swords, leaving them both with one. "This is getting worse by the second."

Sham held up his claws. "We'll get 'em for sure this time."

Buchi did the same. "You got that right."

Zoro held up his only remaining Sword. "One-Sword style's not my forte, fellas, but whatever."

"I'm not exactly comfortable using heavy-weighted Swords either." Silk added, preparing herself as well.

The two sides stared each other down as the Nyaban Brothers made the first move.

"Let's go! Buchi!" Sham exclaimed madly.

"Right, Sham! Let's do it!" Buchi exclaimed crazily.

[Pussy willow Strike!]

CLING! CLANG! SCHILK! KATCHIN! CLAKK! SHING! CLANG!

The two men dressed as cats pounced at them and flashed out their hands as they relentlessly clawed at them side-by-side. Zoro and Silk had to work together to hold them off but even then, all they could do was barely defend themselves.

"This isn't good. They've got them on the defensive." Nami noted in dismay.

Usopp held up his slingshot and pulled back the band as he prepared to shoot a lead marble at the Nyaban Brothers.

"What are you doing, Usopp?" Nami noticed what he was about to do.

"There's no way those two can gain any ground if they're too busy blocking their attacks." Usopp reasoned. "I'm gonna help them."

"Don't do that." Light warned him, putting his hand on top of Usopp's.

"Light?" Usopp looked at him confusedly.

"What you're about to do isn't a good idea." Light told him seriously while pulling away from his hand.

"But why not?" Usopp protested his statement. "They need help. We can't just do nothing."

"Think about the situation. If you fire that slingshot, and it hits one of them, what do you think will happen?" Light didn't wait for him to respond. "They'll turn their attention up here and come after you."

Usopp reacted to that claim, not having thought of that, and Nami seemed to realize it too. "He's probably right, and the two of us wouldn't stand a chance against those two."

Light nodded, still watching the fight. "Zoro and Silk must know this as well. That's why they wouldn't want help. They want to handle this on their own."

"Wow, those two are something else." Usopp muttered, feeling impressed. "Despite everything, they're still worrying about us."

"But you made a good point before." Light confessed, referring to Usopp. "We can't just do nothing, so I have an idea."

"Hmm, what's that?" Nami asked for both of them."

Light looked at the 2 of them. "Nami, I want you to run down the slope and get back their Swords."

"Me?" Nami sounded taken aback.

"And Usopp." Light moved on. "You go with her and make sure the hypnotist doesn't stop her."

"Say what?" Usopp didn't sound comfortable with that idea.

"Why are you making us do such a dangerous job?" Nami rebuked him unhappily. "Why don't you do it?"

"Take a look." Light pointed downward.

Usopp and Nami looked in the direction Light was pointing in and saw what he saw. Some of the members of the Black Cat Pirates were coming to and starting to regain consciousness.

"My power only knocks them out, but they wake up eventually." Light clarified to them. "I'm gonna keep my attention on the Pirates and step in if I have to, so you guys need to get the Swords."

Back in the middle of the slope, Silk and Zoro were still struggling to fend off the seemingly never-ending assault of the Nyaban Brothers.

"If I just had one more Sword, I can take these guys!" Zoro cursed alarmingly while continuing to block every swipe Sham and Buchi brought down on him.

"Sorry, if I still had my Sword, we'd have won already." Silk added regretfully while continuing to block as well.

Seeing how hard they were fighting and hearing Light's words convinced Nami as she stood up from where she and Usopp were hanging back.

"I'm gonna get the Swords." Nami declared. "If I can get them back to them, there'd be no way they can lose."

"Yeah, I'll go with you." Usopp urged as he stood up as well.

"All right then." Nami smirked. "I'm counting on your support, Mr. Sharpshooter."

"You got it!" Usopp called as he ran along with the girl. Nami and Usopp moved in as they leaped off the cliff, her staff and his slingshot in hand. They sprinted toward Zoro's and Silk's Swords, even managing to get past the fighting allies and enemies.

Nami was almost to the Swords when Jango intercepted her himself and brought out his chakram in order to attack her. The sudden attack caused Nami to gasp in fear, but just as Light had instructed, Usopp stepped in to save her.

"Lead-Star!"

Usopp fired the small projectile with such perfect accuracy that it hit Jango's chakram and knocked it out of his hand, causing it to fall to the ground.

"What the?" Jango certainly didn't expect that.

"Do it now, Nami!" Usopp yelled urgently.

"Thanks, Usopp!" She shouted and used her foot to kick both of Silk and Zoro's Swords in the air, both of them flying toward them. "Zoro! Silk!"

"Hey! Be careful with that!" Silk said in concern for her Swords.

"Yeah! Don't just kick 'em! That's my Sword!" Zoro sounded just as upset.

Nami merely smirked at them. "How about a thanks?"

They both smirked as they each caught and reclaimed their respective Swords. "I appreciate it." Zoro placed the white-handled katana in his mouth.

"We owe you one." Silk gave back the Sword she borrowed and unsheathed her own.

Silk looked much more comfortable wielding her personal Sword, and Zoro kept his third Sword in his mouth while holding the two other katana in his hands.

"Yes, now that they've got their Swords back, they can win this." Usopp cheered.

SLASH!

"Aaah!"

Usopp let out a scream of pain as he fell to the ground.

"USOPP!" Nami yelled worriedly.

While they were distracted by their friends reclaiming their weapons, Jango picked up his dropped chakram and used it to slash Usopp across his shoulder, opening up a deep cut.

"It's not like a few Swords will save you." Jango looked down at him before he looked up and saw someone he did not expect to see at the very top of the slope, yelling in fright at their appearance. "YAAAAAHHHHH!"

Zoro, Silk, Sham, and Buchi paused their fight to see who had just come. Light also turned to see Klahadore himself—Having just arrived and stood at the top of the slope. And he did not look too ecstatic to see the kind of progress his so-called crew had accomplished.

"No, I'm sorry!" Jango whimpered. "I can explain all of this!"

"The night has long since passed…." Klahadore spoke calmly. "So why is it that you seem to have made no progress on the plan?"

"He's here…" Usopp voiced anxiously, staring at the angered Klahadore.

"He finally showed up." Light voiced seriously, having expected the fake butler to make an appearance.

Klahadore no longer had any pretense of calmness or sophistication, and instead, he let everyone know exactly how he was feeling. With an expression that was purely livid, he shouted at the top of his lungs.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING OOOOOON!"

Back at the mansion, Kaya had woken up from her sleep and gotten out of bed as she exited her room and made her way downstairs. Kaya couldn't help but feel that something didn't feel right.

Once she entered the quiet room, she saw something that froze her in her tracks.

"KYAAAAAA!" Kaya's voice cried out just as she ran through the door to reach what it was that made her scream. "MERRY!"

The man with fuzzy white hair in question was lying face down in a pool of his own blood with three deep gashes on his back as if clawed by a wild animal while Kaya, in her nightdress and a coat draped over her shoulders, was shaking him.

"Merry! Please don't die!" Kaya pleaded desperately. "Merry! Open your eyes, Merry!"

The lamb man let out a faint moan, and then he turned his head towards Kaya.

"M-M-Miss." He breathed. "You're okay."

"Merry!" Kaya shouted worriedly. "Who did this to you?"

He tried to push himself up, but he was too weak, and he fell back down. His tears started to mix in with his blood. "Klahadore. He… Attacked me."

Kaya gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. "No."

"He's actually a Pirate." Merry continued. "He got close to you so that he could steal your fortune." Merry cried.

"It can't be… You're lying!" Kaya shouted.

"I'm telling the truth!" Merry insisted.

Kaya's eyes welled up, and her tears slid down her unmoving face. She was too stunned to breathe and too overwrought with emotion to even react. She didn't want to believe it, every part of her wanted to deny it, but she knew Merry wouldn't lie to her, especially about something like this. So it had to be true and that is what overwhelmed her.

Merry sat up and leaned against the wall as he painfully coughed out blood. Kaya gasped when she saw that and shouted.

"Someone! Anyone! Help!" Kaya cried out as her voice echoed throughout the mansion. "Merry needs help!"

"No, Miss, it's no use…." Merry informed her, still in pain. "The entire staff is on leave. No one has been here since yesterday."

"What?" Kaya started trembling when she heard that. "Then I just… I'll find…?" She sounded desperate.

"You cannot let yourself become flustered, Miss." Merry advised her. "We know the attack is yet to begin, so be calm and think clearly about what it is you have to do next. Because if Klahadore is the thief we understand him to be and his goal is your fortune and your mansion, then by all means, let him have it." He insisted seriously. "None of this is worth sacrificing your life over."

Kaya wiped away her tears before calming down and responded with one word. "Yes."

"It's a cruel truth, but you are the only one who can stop Klahadore now, Miss Kaya." Merry told her before looking up. "Can you do it? I know this is not your burden, but still, I must ask."

"Yes, I understand, and I will do it." Kaya decided, wholly composed and resolved. "This isn't a situation I can run away from. I know what consequences I must face." Her expression then became determined. "I will find Klahadore, and I will finish this."

Kaya then put on an overcoat and ankle boots before exiting the mansion, and with her mind made up, she headed for the shore to confront Klahadore.

Now that Klahadore had arrived, all the fighting had come to a standstill, and everyone was gazing at the man with varying reactions.

The vast majority of his crew had woken up by now, and all of them were staring fearfully as they felt their blood froze cold. Jango, Buchi, and Sham were shaking and sweating, and they couldn't stop their teeth from rattling. Zoro and Silk looked at him with indifference but could tell things had become more difficult. Usopp and Nami were also afraid as they were hoping to avoid having to face him. Light's expression was unreadable, but he didn't seem worried.

"To think that these brats have held you back?" Klahadore questioned as he dropped a bag he was holding in his hand on the ground. "How the Black Cat Pirates have fallen. What have you got to say for yourself? JANGOOOOOO!"

Now that he was put on the spot, Jango hoped to find a way to appease his murderous Captain.

"But, uh, well…" Stuttered Jango. "I… You said… Sorry, sir, but you said this would just be a simple task that involved slaughtering the villagers and hypnotizing the girl." Jango stated nervously with a laugh.

"I did say that." Klahadore confirmed. "What's your point? I told you that this plan simply involved me claiming the fortune after you hypnotized the girl and that you just needed to kill anyone else who got in the way. But the one who thing that I hadn't taken accounted for… Was your inexcusable weakness!"

"Sir, we're not weak…." Jango replied slowly. "It's just that—"

"Who are you to call us weak!?" Sham wondered, and he faced Klahadore.

"Watch what you say, Captain Kuro!" Buchi said, turning toward Klahadore like his brother.

"You used to be quite the killer…." Sham started. "But face it, Kuro, it's been 3 years, and we haven't exactly been living the good life waiting on rich girl, hand and foot!"

"Yeah, that's right!" Buchi agreed. "For 3 long years, we've been out sinking Pirate Ships and massacring villages!"

"Very good, finished…?" Klahadore asked calmly. Despite his calm demeanor, there was evident sarcasm in his voice.

"But now you've done nothing this whole time!" Sham went on. "We've been killing!"

"There's no way you can beat the Nyaban Brothers!" Buchi exclaimed as he and Sham ran past Zoro and Silk to go after Klahadore, sprinting at him with outstretched claws.

"Don't Buchi! Sham!" Jango called the two desperately. "Stop!"

But Jango's warnings went unheard as Sham and Buchi ran at Klahadore.

"You are not our Captain anymore!" Sham roared madly as he charged.

"So sorry! But we have to kill you!" Buchi roared jokingly as he charged.

It was hard for anyone to see what happened, but Klahadore had lifted his bag above his head before doing some kind of move with his feet and disappeared only for Sham and Buchi to slice into the bag that was held by the butler.

Much to the shock of everyone watching, Klahadore reappeared behind the two of them, now wearing his cat claws as he removed all the sheaths that covered the blades of his claws.

"What, he's behind them? How the hell did he…?" Zoro trailed off before narrowing his eyes. "And what are those crazy weapons?"

"Forget that. What was up with that speed? It's like he just vanished from sight?" Silk wondered, voicing her own thoughts.

"Who…?" Klahadore said to Sham and Buchi as he was right behind the two of them. "Who are you going to kill?" Kuro asked menacingly as he was wearing furred gloves that had five blades—One on each finger and held them up.

"He snuck up—!" Sham started.

"—Right behind us!" Buchi finished.

Buchi and Sham sprung into action when they heard his voice behind them and attempted to turn around and slice him. Only to see that he was no longer there and had disappeared again.

"He-he's gone?" Buchi stuttered.

"How's he doing that?" Usopp wondered, not knowing what he was seeing.

"Pussy Foot Maneuver…" Jango muttered, still afraid.

"Pussy Foot…?" Nami repeated quietly.

Klahadore did the "Pussy Foot Maneuver" again and walked around like he were invisible. Though his footsteps were still shown moving across the ground, it was still hard to pinpoint where he even was.

When he reappeared this time, Klahadore was behind the Nyaban Brothers again, and this time, the blades of his claws pointed at their throats. All he needed to do was lift his thumbs, and they'd be dead.

"You know, you're right." Klahadore agreed casually as the brothers were once again trembling with fear. "I do feel a bit sluggish after all these years."

"He's handling them like babies." Nami thought, not hiding her surprise. "And those two had Zoro and Silk on the defensive."

Light was still at the top of the slope and stood only a few steps from Klahadore so he could get a good look at everything that was happening.

"This is a surprise." Light thought, with new curiosity. "I never thought I'd see someone outside of the Grand Line with speed like that."

"With his Pussy Foot Maneuver, Captain Kuro can shred everyone on this beach before we drew our next breath." Jango thought with a cold sweat. "We wouldn't even see it coming. There is no escape from a killing machine like him. I knew he hadn't grown soft when I saw that old habit of his. That strange way of lifting his glasses so he wouldn't cut his face. It's like he never stopped wearing those cat claws. They're almost a part of his body. Of course, he hasn't forgotten how to fight."

"You're very lucky…." Klahadore smiled. "I'm feeling somewhat merciful. Maybe these years on dry land have made me soft." Klahadore noted and took the blades away from Sham and Buchi's necks. "I'll give 5 minutes. If you can't deal with his situation in 5 minutes then I'll kill every last one of you. Now have I made myself clear?" Klahadore stated while raising all 10 of his blades. The Pirates started to become ultimately afraid of their Captain, seeing he hadn't lost his edge and seemed to understand his terms.

"Oh, yes!" Jango answered, sweating profusely. "Yes, of course, that's perfectly clear! Thank you for being so forgiving! All we have to do is take care of a few kids!" Jango spoke about Usopp and Light's crew. "That's all! 5 minutes will be more than enough time for them!"

Now accepting Klahadore's term, Sham and Buchi brought their attention toward Zoro, going back to finish him off.

"We nearly had them a few minutes ago!" Buchi exclaimed.

"We only need one minute to finish them this time!" Sham declared.

"We're counting on you!" Jango yelled desperately. "Kill them! Kill them dead!"

"Heh, you hear that, Zoro? 5 minutes." Silk brought up amused. "As if we need that long."

"I don't feel like waiting minutes." Zoro shrugged as he raised his Swords. "We'll end it in seconds."

Zoro placed the white-handled katana in his mouth and unsheathed the two other katanas in his hands. Both of them held their Swords in their signature poses for an attack to finish the Nyaban Brothers, who were quickly advancing and ready to finish them.

"You idiots!" Sham screeched. "It won't matter what kind of Swords you have or how many!"

"But now you'll die holding 3 of them!" Buchi screeched.

Once Sham and Buchi had gotten near Zoro and Silk, the Swordsmen were already prepared for them with their own respective attacks.

"You just don't get it…." Zoro muttered.

"Allow us to show you…." Silk uttered.

"Tiger Hunt!"

"Whistling Wind!"

Zoro and Silk sliced both Sham and Buchi across their bodies, leaving significant slash marks.

"Using Three Swords isn't the same… As using Three-Sword Style." Zoro stated confidently.

"It's not just the quality of the Swordsman that decides the outcome, but the Sword too." Silk added confidently.

"Oh no…" Jango uttered as he watched both Sham and Buchi crash into the ground, eyes rolling into the back of their heads. "This is bad."

"Around 7 seconds tops." Light noted, referring to the time it took for them to win.

"They took down the Nyaban Brothers with one attack each…." Jango thought in disbelief. Jango looked down at the deceased forms of Sham and Buchi. "Just who are these guys?"

"Don't worry." Zoro chuckled darkly at Klahadore and pointed a Sword at him. "I can promise you. Everything will be taken care of in less than 5 minutes."

Klahadore only grinned as he pushed his glasses up. Silk only raised an eyebrow, wondering what there was for him to even smile about. "What's so funny?" She questioned with a sneer. "Do you think you can take us all on by yourself?"

"Never you mind." Klahadore stated before turning his gaze toward the bottom of the slope. "Jango! The clock is ticking."

"Ah, yes, understood!" Jango let out through his fear.

"Usopp!" Light followed suit, getting his attention. "It's your turn now. Beat him for Kaya!"

"Right!" Usopp lowered his goggles over his eyes.

Any fear or hesitation that Usopp may have had before was long gone. He now boldly stepped forward and confronted Jango with his slingshot and satchel on hand as he prepared to fight.

Jango gulped as he stared down at Usopp. "Captain Kuro needs me alive to hypnosis the girl, but at this rate, he'll kill me right after that." He thought as he held up his chakram. "But if I at least kill one of them, he'll probably let me live."

Knowing that his life was on the line, Jango planned on doing whatever he could kill Usopp before time ran out. The rest of the crew knew their lives were on the line as well and cheered him on.

"You can do it, Captain Jango!"

"He's not even one of the strong ones. This'll be easy!"

"Hurry and kill him, or we're goners!"

Zoro kept his eyes on Usopp. "Think he'll manage?"

"If nothing else, he deserves the benefit of the doubt." Silk reasoned.

They started with Usopp making the first move as he brought up his slingshot and fired at Jango.

"Special Attack: Lead Star!"

He fired a series of lead marbles at Jango with the speed and accuracy of a pistol. But Jango used his chakram to block and deflect them—Albeit with difficulty.

When Usopp ceased fire, Jango ran forward to attack.

"Nice try, but it's going to take more than that to stop me!" Jango yelled as he charged.

"Then how about this…?" Usopp muttered as he reached into his satchel.

"Caltrop… HELL!"

Usopp held up a large hand full of caltrops in both of his hands before throwing the pointed projectiles in the air as they landed on the ground between him and Jango.

The hypnotist in question was unfortunate enough to step on some of them and feel them prick through his shoes.

"Gyaa!" Jango cried out in pain.

"Special Attack: Pepper Star!"

This time, Usopp fired a ball of pepper at Jango. The projectile exploded on his face and let out a cloud of pepper dust. Once he inhaled it, he couldn't stop sneezing or coughing.

"Acho! Kha…Cough… Acho!" Jango suffered.

Usopp wasn't done, and he fired his next shot.

"Special Attack: Tabasco Star!"

This time, Usopp fired a projectile that was the size of a pebble and the color red. This one shot straight into Jango's mouth and forced itself down his throat. Moments after swallowing it, Jango's whole face heated up, and he let out a fiery hot scream from how hot and spicy the Tabasco was.

"AAAAAAHHH!" Jango yelled painfully.

Jango fell to his knees, grasping his neck as he coughed and gasped in hopes of soothing the pain he was in. Those watching were pleasantly surprised at how this fight was going.

"Woah? He's in control of the fight?" Nami blinked, not expecting this.

"No way. Is Captain Jango losing?" One of the Pirates asked in horror.

"I… Guess that's one way to do it." Zoro spoke, not sure what else to say.

Silk placed a hand on her hip. "He really is an expert on dirty fighting."

Klahadore just fixed his glasses. "3… 3 minutes left."

While Jango was still on his knees, Usopp stood tall and held out his slingshot as he declared. "See that?! No matter what, I'm going to beat you and protect Kaya!"

Soon enough, Jango placed a hand on his knee and slowly forced his body to stand up again.

"Is that so…?" Jango muttered before fixing his posture and staring at Usopp. "I wouldn't get carried away if I were you."

"Grr…" Usopp grits his teeth before getting ready to go again. "Oh yeah? Well then, have some more! Special Attack—"

SLASH!

Before Usopp could fire another shot, Jango threw his chakram at him like a sharp disk. It was attached to a wire so Jango could control its aim. It reached Usopp before he could avoid it and slashed him over his other shoulder.

"Gugh!" Usopp fell back.

This cut was worse than the one on his other shoulder, and a trail of blood was spilling from it as Usopp was forced to place his hand over the cut, preventing him from focusing on sniping.

Jango brought his chakram back to his hand and slowly walked toward Usopp. "I told you not to get carried away. You're not the only one who can attack from a distance."

Usopp glared angrily at him as Jango closed the distance and stopped in front of him.

"But that is where we differ." Jango told him as he raised his chakram up. "Unlike me, you can't do a thing at close range." He brought his weapon down. "Now die!"

SLASH! SLICE! SLICK!

"Gaaaaaaahhhhh!"

Usopp yelled out as Jango sliced him severely, and several significant cuts opened all over his body, and blood burst out like a fountain. Jango intended to slaughter him like a dog and didn't stop until he did.

"USOPP!" Nami yelled worriedly.

THUD!

With a loud thud, Jango watched Usopp fall and hit the ground like a sack of flour. He didn't move or speak. He just lay there.

"…Oh no…" Nami whispered, unable to believe her eyes.

Zoro and Silk were no better as they each stood there shell-shocked at the state Usopp was in. Light didn't seem to react, and Klahadore remained indifferent. The Black Cat Pirates were relieved as they believed Jango had killed him.

Jango let out a breath like a man who had just escaped a death sentence. He looked upward and turned his attention to Klahadore.

"Captain Kuro, I've killed one of them." Jango announced. "Does this please you?"

"Not yet. Your orders were to kill all of them." Klahadore corrected his subordinate. Jango paled for a moment before Klahadore continued. "However, I'll give you some leniency. I'll extend the time limit each time you kill one of them before time expires."

"Ah, really?!" New life came to Jango's eyes from that promise. "Thank you, sir, that's just what I needed." He held up his chakram again. "I just need to kill the rest of them."

"You might want to double-check your work!" Light called out, confusing the hypnotist and some of the others as he continued. "He's still alive."

Upon hearing that statement, Jango became alert as he turned around to look at Usopp's fallen body again.

Usopp's entire body shook as he tried to take a step, but his body gave out, which caused him to fall on his face.

"It's…" Usopp croaked out. "I can still move…."

"What?!" Jango was taken aback. "How are you still alive."

"I won't let myself lose here…" Usopp rasped from where he lay on the ground. "I'll protect them! I'm Captain of the Usopp Pirates!" A fiery determination burned from his eyes. "A Brave Warrior of the Sea who fights for what he holds dear! I will protect everyone in the village if it kills me!"

"…He's alive." Nami breathed out, relieved.

"Thank goodness, he's still breathing." Silk sounded relieved as well.

"But he's still in bad shape." Zoro pointed out, still sounding concerned. "Any more punishment, and he really will die."

"Even so, none of you are to interfere." Light ordered, getting their attention. "He's fighting for something so important to him that he's willing to die for it. We have to let him see it through."

Now Usopp forced himself to his feet, unable to stop himself from shaking. He never lost his nerve while facing Jango.

The hypnotist wasn't the least bit impressed. "Hmm, what can you possibly do at this point? You're just a simple trickster who's run out of gimmicks and is barely alive."

"I don't care that I'm weak…." Usopp declared as he stood his ground and reached into his satchel. "As long I can stop you from hurting them, I'll endure any pain…."

"In that case—" Jango held up his chakrams again. "DIE!" He charged, going in for the kill. "You might have decent aim but at close range! A sniper is already a dead man!"

"You wrong…" Usopp whispered.

Faster than Jango could close in to slice him, Usopp readied his slingshot with new ammunition and got ready to fire—Like how a master gunman prepared his gun.

"Special Attack: Smoke Star!"

Right as Jango was only steps away from him, Usopp fired his projectile and hit him right on target. The result was a large smokescreen cloud that encompassed both of them. It was thick enough that Jango couldn't see anything around him—Naturally, that included Usopp.

"Damn it." Jango was through off by the smokescreen coming from out of nowhere and needed a second or two to think straight. "Where did—?"

"Usopp HAMMER!"

Unfortunately for him, Usopp didn't plan on giving him a second as the instant the smokescreen hit, Usopp followed up by reaching into his satchel again, and this time, he brought out an iron hammer that he raised overhead and brought it down on the hypnotist.

BASH!

The Usopp hammer smashed into the top of Jango's head, bashing his head down like a whack-a-mole. While he didn't yell, Jango was clearly hurt badly and his whole world was spinning after that blow to the head scrambled his brain.

Ready to finally end this, Usopp held up his slingshot, and as the smoke cloud cleared up, Usopp fired his last projectile.

"Special Attack: Exploding Star!"

BOOOM!

"Aghhhh!"

This time, when the bullet hit Jango right in the face, it instantly detonated upon impact. It was a big explosion, but it consumed his whole head and knocked him off his feet. The hypnotist finally fell as he landed on his back. Beside him were his heart-shaped sunglasses with their lenses broken and his hat that fell over his face—Covering it.

Usopp stood. While he was breathing heavily, he refused to flatter. "Snipers are weak at close range, huh? That might be true for some, but a master sniper like me has no such weaknesses." He declared with great pride before he loudly proclaimed. "Never underestimate the power of Captain Usopp!"

Everyone watching was either shocked or amazed at what they had just witnessed. Jango—A veteran Pirate and acting Captain of the bloodthirsty Black Cat Pirates, was beaten by a weak, no-name, pretend-Pirate villager from the place they came to attack. It was enough to make someone think they were dreaming.

"No way, he actually pulled it off?" Nami said flabbergasted.

"How about that?" Silk muttered, not hiding the fact that she was impressed.

"Heh, not too bad." Zoro said with a slight smile on his face that held some acknowledgment.

Light didn't say anything but had a broad smile on his face as he watched Usopp stand tall and proud over his defeated enemy. Light looked as happy as someone who had won a fight himself.

Of course, not everyone was happy with this outcome as the Black Cat Pirates stared at their fallen acting Captain and felt as though someone had just handed them their death sentence. Though they were deathly afraid to even look at him, some of them turned to face the top of the slope to see what Klahadore thought about all this. But Klahadore had no anger or annoyance in his expression. He remained calm but also cold as he looked down on them.

"Times up." Klahadore declared, and he held up his claws, ready to kill everyone on the slope. "Now, you die."

Light decided it was now his turn to fight when suddenly something caught his attention. But he wasn't the only one as Usopp, even at the bottom of the slope, turned around and saw someone he had hoped not to see here. Klahadore's eyes widened angrily. On pure instinct also noticed the presence behind him but didn't care who it was and turned around to attack with his claws.

"Don't ever sneak up on me!" Klahadore yelled, stretching his fingers and making his weapons clink together. "Unless you want to die!"

"KAYA!" Usopp yelled at the top of his lungs. Usopp sprang into action and ran up the slope as fast as his legs could carry him in an attempt to reach Kaya in time.

Though there was no way he could reach her in time, Kaya was thankfully saved as Light stepped in and reached out to grab Kaya by her arm—Pulling her back and away from Klahadore so that his cat-claws missed her completely.

"You saved me…." Kaya breathed out, barely able to comprehend the fact that she had almost died a moment ago.

"Stay behind me." Light told her, focusing on Klahadore.

Klahadore himself looked shocked to see Kaya here and dismayed at the fact that he almost ruined his own plan by killing her. Usopp continued dashing up the slope to reach her. "Kaya!"

He yelled as he approached. Once he was close to her, his legs finally gave out, and he fell to the ground.

"No, Usopp." Kaya gasped as he now lay there and kneeled close to him. "Are you ok?"

"Kaya, what are you doing here?" Usopp croaked out, looking up at her.

"Oh, Usopp, I'm so sorry." She said mournfully, and she honestly did sound like it. "I had no idea that you'd ever be here like this. I just couldn't believe it. That Klahadore is a scheming, murdering Pirate!"

"Never mind that." Usopp gasped, and Kaya's eyes welled up with tears. "Why are you here?" He went on. "Kaya, your life is in danger! You need to hurry and run somewhere safe!"

She desperately shook her head. "I won't! You're still here fighting! I won't run!" Kaya screamed out, and tearfully she said next. "I… Won't leave you, this is my fault, and yet you're fighting so hard for me! Look at you. You're barely alive, but you're still so brave. I just…"

Just as Kaya was about to finish what she was saying, Klahadore suddenly spoke up in a soft tone. "This is no place for a lady. Madam, please leave."

Kaya's face froze before being replaced by rage. Glaring fiercely at Klahadore. "Please, stop!" Kaya pleaded while gritting her teeth. "Don't do this." She stood up from where she was knelt down beside Usopp. "Stop! Stop this right now, Klahadore! I know what you're up to! Merry explained everything to me!"

Kaya's appearance had gotten the attention of everyone on the slope, including Zoro's, Silk's, and Nami's. All of them stared up at the girl who was now confronting her former butler.

"It's Kaya?" Nami spoke.

"But why is she here?" Silk wondered.

"The reason that we're here is to murder that little rich girl?" A Pirate questioned.

"If she came down here, that means we don't have to go to the village." Alleged another Pirate.

"Klahadore, please!" Kaya continued. "If you want my fortune, you can have it! Take it all and leave this village right now! I'm begging you!"

"I will gladly accept your fortune, Miss Kaya." Klahadore replied as he pushed up his glasses. "Thank you. But I want more. You see, simply acquiring wealth isn't enough. More than anything else, I want peace."

"You want peace?" Kaya queried.

"Yes, peace of mind." Klahadore stated. "It's simple, really. I have spent the last 3 years earning the trust of the entire village, and to be honest, I find this new peace and tranquility quite comforting. When my plan comes to fruition, I will live with his sublime peace of mind."

Whilst Klahadore spoke, Kaya took a step back and reached for something in her coat.

"The glorious comfort of a peaceful life will be mine, forever and ever!" Klahadore exclaimed, raising his arms. "In short, these Pirates are coming! And you…" Klahadore pointed his blades at Kaya. "Will leave your fortune to me and die. Miss Kaya, these things will happen."

"N-No, you can't…." Kaya's voice shook as her eyes showed a look of dread, and she slowly began to pull out what she had from her pocket.

"Kaya, run!" Usopp pleaded as he grasped Kaya by her leg. "There's no point in trying to reason with him! Please!" Usopp watched as Kaya drew a pistol and trained it at Klahadore.

"You're not Klahadore!" Kaya cried. "No! You're not!"

"Kaya…" Usopp muttered in surprise.

"Leave here, right now!" Kaya screamed. "Don't ever come back!"

"Oh, you'd point a gun at me?" Klahadore questioned.

"Stop it! Just leave!" Kaya warned, gripping her pistol, her whole body quaking. Klahadore only stared at the girl with a delicate expression.

"Yes, I see." Klahadore said. "You're all grown up now. So much has happened in the last 3 years, Miss Kaya…." As Klahadore talked, Kaya's body seemed to unwind from its tense posture. "Don't you remember the things we went through?" Klahadore asked as he took off his glove. "We spent so much time together. Even before your dear, sweet parents passed away. You were more than my master; you were my best friend, so much time…" Kaya looked like she was doing her best to keep back her tears. "So many memories…." Klahadore smiled at Kaya. "You and I suffered and rejoiced together. Like family."

"Klahadore…" Kaya could no longer hold in the tears that finally cascaded down her cheeks.

"We went on shopping trips to the city, I looked after you diligently when you were ill, and we used to talk for hours and hours." Klahadore thoughtfully listed down all of the activities he and Kaya would do as the tears rolled down her face.

Light could see what he was doing and glared hatefully at the fake butler. He wasn't done, though.

"Kaya, listen to me…." Klahadore spoke. "I was devoted to you. For so long…." He grabbed the gun in her hand. "For so long, I endured it." Klahadore's voice had venom laced into it. "I quietly suffered so that today I could end your life and take everything that I deserve!" He finally took the gun away from Kaya's hands. Pained tears were still dripping from her eyes. "I, who was the feared and respected Captain Kuro…." Klahadore seethed. "Had to bow and humble myself before some snot-nosed little girl." He let go of the gun, the weapon dropping onto the ground. "It went against every fiber of my being!"

"Damn you." Usopp cursed Klahadore through gritted teeth.

"Do you understand the depth of these daily insults!?" Klahadore spat before letting out the frustration that had built up after 3 years. "CAN YOU UNDERSTAND THE RAGE BY THOSE TRANSGRESSIONS AGAINST MY PRIDE!"

Light took his hat off his head as he listened to Klahadore go off on Kaya, he let it hang on the back of his neck, and his hand clenched into a fist as he prepared for a fight. Usopp sprung up to his feet and reached for the gun that Kaya dropped, and directed it at Klahadore.

"KURO!" Bellowed Usopp as he fired a shot. Klahadore easily avoided the shot using the Pussy-Foot maneuver and got behind Usopp.

"Thank you for reminding me." Klahadore stated with a smug grin as he placed his blades around Usopp's head. "Usopp, I owe you for hitting me. Let's get even."

"Usopp…" Kaya gasped with a hand over her mouth.

"If I recall, you hit me as hard as you could." Klahadore remembered as he stripped the bandage off his own cheek. "Right?"

Before Klahadore could act, a quick-moving blunt object slammed into Klahadore's gut. The blunt object was Light's backhanded fist which sent the Black Cat Pirates Captain plummeting to the ground. Light now stood in the spot Klahadore stood before his fall—Nearby Kaya and Usopp—And glared down at his fallen enemy as he spoke.

"If you enter this fight, then you'll be fighting me." Light informed him threateningly.

Klahadore was laid flat on his back from the punch from Light that sent him flying. The Black Cat Pirates were astounded by Light knocking their Captain out and by the fact that Light could actually get the drop on someone as fast as Klahadore.

"This'll be the last battle." Zoro said, watching them closely.

"I'll leave this to you." Nami stated toward Silk and prepared to head down the slope. "I've got treasure to find!"

Before she got far, Silk didn't even move from where she stood as she reached out and grabbed Nami by the collar of the back of her shirt. "You're not going anywhere." She said with annoyance.

"Hey, let go!" Nami angrily demanded, unable to break free. "This is my chance to ransack that ship!"

Silk just sighed before letting her go. "Fine… But I'm going with you." She comprised. "I'm making sure you don't try something."

"You don't trust me?" Nami sounded offended.

"Do I look stupid to you?" Silk replied sarcastically.

Nami sighed. "Fair enough."

Knowing she was beaten, Nami didn't object to Silk following her to search through the ship of the Black Cat Pirates. Meanwhile, everyone else was still focused on the downed Klahadore, but at that moment, the Usopp Pirates arrived after clearing through the woods and yelled loudly as they rushed in with a shovel, a frying pan, and a bat.

[The Usopp Pirates have arrived!] The three of them yelled together as they each slammed their respective weapons onto Klahadore's face. The Usopp Pirates then began a merciless beating on Klahadore's face as hard as they could while yelling out insults.

"No! Don't!" Usopp yelled, sounding horrified.

"Stay away!" Kaya yelled, fearing for their lives.

"Say your prayers! Butler!" Pepper yelled as he kept hitting Klahadore with his wooden bat.

"Take that! And take!" Carrot joined him and was bashing Klahadore's face with his frying pan.

"Game over, you lousy, no good Pirate!" Onion followed suit and used his shovel to smash Klahadore's head into the ground.

"No! Stop it!" Usopp insisted, trying to warn them.

The Black Cat Pirates all watched in terror at what was happening and what they knew would come next. "Gah! Those kids, what are they doing?!"

Zoro cringed as he watched them. "Those rug rats have a death wish."

"You don't know what you're doing!" Usopp kept trying to stop them. "Stop! STOP!"

Finally, his hopes were answered as the kids did stop. After making themselves winded from all the smashing they did, the three of them were breathing heavily and standing over Klahadore as he lay there on the ground—Motionless, unresponsive, and left with minor bruises on his face and broken lenses on his glasses.

"All right, this time, we'll let you off without any more brutality." Pepper said threateningly, believing they had won. "This time."

One of the Black Cat Pirates was sweating bullets. "Now those stupid kids have really done it. Captain Kuro is going to be so mad." He said, fearing his own safety more than the kids'. "Those dumb brats!"

Usopp would be inclined to agree with that sentiment as he was shaking on the ground while looking at them, and he clearly wasn't happy. Unaware of any issues, the Usopp Pirates ran up to Usopp.

"Captain!" Carrot called out. "I knew it. You were fighting. Gosh, that is so totally awesome!" He exclaimed excitedly.

"Sorry we kept you waiting for so long, but after we heard Pirates were going to attack, we spent all of last night preparing ourselves." Pepper informed him, sounding proud of himself.

"That's right. Now that your loyal crew is here, you've got nothing to worry about, Captain." Onion assured him confidently.

"That's not important right now!" Usopp snapped desperately at them. "Look, believe me right now, you guys gotta get out of here, run!"

"No way!" Carrot loudly declined.

"We have to stay and fight with you!" Pepper insisted.

"The Usopp Pirates will be shamed if we run in fear—" Onion started before he froze.

Now all three of them were frozen stiff as Klahadore stood back up and was right behind them. Even without looking, they could tell he was looming over them, and with his cat claws stretched out, the former Pirate Captain was ready to kill at any moment. Klahadore pushed up his glasses only for the lenses to shatter and fall off, which angered him as he looked down at the boys with a deathly scowl.

[AAAAAAAHHHHH!] They screamed in fear while falling over.

"You idiots!" Usopp snapped at them again as they kept screaming. "Don't scream! Run!"

Klahadore however surprised them as they merely walked past the kids as though they weren't even there. Instead, he walked over to Usopp and scowled at him—Usopp returned the gesture—Klahadore delivered a hard kick to Usopp's stomach, knocking him to the ground.

[Captain!] The Usopp Pirates yelped with concern.

"Ugh!" Usopp groaned painfully as he lay on the ground.

Klahadore then turned his attention to Light. At this point, he was so angry that he glared daggers at him while a vein on his brow bulged. "That really hurt."

"Yeah, I should have warned you. They really hurt—These knuckles 'o mine." Light stated, glaring back at him.

Klahadore dusted off his blazer, carefully avoiding letting the blades of his cat claws touch it. "So it would appear, this becoming increasingly vexing."

"Tell me something, how did someone from the East Blue get speed like that?" Light questioned him curiously.

"I was about to ask you the same thing." Klahadore responded. Neither one of them actually answered that question, and Klahadore huffed. "It seems you're full of surprises."

Now Light looked towards Usopp. He then went over to him, lifted him like a sack of flour, and started walking with him. Klahadore made no move to try and stop him or attack him and instead just watched.

"Light, I…" Usopp muttered.

Light didn't respond and stopped when he was in front of Kaya and the Usopp Pirates. He then put Usopp down next to them.

"Usopp!" Kaya sat closer to him.

[Captain.] The kids gathered around him.

Usopp seemed as though he still wanted to get up but was too injured to. Light then spoke. "Usopp, stay there and rest."

"What?" Usopp looked up at him.

"You've fought enough already, you put your life on the line for the sake of your friends and your home, and you won like a true man. That's something to be proud of." Light told him honestly, even though he wasn't looking at him. "But you don't have to keep pushing yourself, so just sit back and stay with the others. I'll handle the rest."

Usopp looked back down and shook. "I'm sorry. If I wasn't so weak, I could've done more."

"What more do you have to do?" Light asked, not upset at all. "You're not alone here, remember, so you don't have to do everything. We promised we'd help you beat these guys, and that's just what we're gonna do—Friend."

Usopp became surprised when he heard that but stayed down as he felt emotions welling up inside of him and fought hard to hold back his tears as he thought. "Thank you…"

Klahadore, on the other hand, dismissed them entirely as he looked down the slope and addressed his crew—At this point, everyone was now awake except Jango. "You there!"

"Ah, yes, Captain!?" One of them responded, already afraid.

"How long does Jango plan on sleeping?" He asked impatiently. "Wake him up!"

"I-I'm sorry, sir, but after all those blows to the head, I don't think he'll be able to wake up for a while!" He responded, shrieking away as though he thought he'd be killed merely for talking back.

Klahadore didn't do anything, though, except let out a tired sigh. "It seems there's no choice then. We'll wait until he wakes up before killing Miss Kaya." He decided, scaring Kaya in the process. "As for the rest of them, they're an eye-sore, so I'll eliminate them right now."

"Heartless bastard…" Usopp cursed him. "Don't you even have a shred of pity!? You've lived with this girl for 3 years!"

"No, I've told you, Kaya is nothing more than a pawn in a game I intend to win." Klahadore said ruthlessly before looking at her as he said the last part. "When she's dead, then I'll be grateful to her."

"Damn you…!" Usopp glared.

Kaya shook, almost unable to bear looking at him. "…Klahadore."

"What a monster." Onion growled, and no one disagreed with him.

"This guy's beyond scum." Zoro muttered, not caring if he was heard.

"Ironic, all that stuff he said the other day about Pirates, scheming and telling lies, using violence to get his way, and cozying up to a rich lady to steal her fortune." Light listed down, remembering all of Klahadore's accusations. "The whole time, he was talking about himself."

"I won't let you touch Kaya!" Usopp breathed out and sat up, and moved defensively in front of Kaya. "You won't get away with this! I won't let you! You've betrayed the villagers' trust! Not to mention you'd planned to take the life of a sweet, young girl! This is the last time you ever get your way!"

"You really are a riot!" Klahadore guffawed. "So I betrayed them, you say!? Oh, please grow up! A village liar who plays Pirates with the local kids has no place talking like a real Pirate! Just stay on the ground there! Even if you did somehow find the strength to lift yourself off the ground, I'd end your life in the blink of an eye! Staying there is what's best for you!"

Usopp didn't waver as tears started to leak from his eyes. "I told you before. I am a Brave Warrior of the Sea who fights to protect what he holds dear even if it costs me my life!" He declared.

"Brave Warrior of the Sea? Are you still spouting that nonsense?" Klahadore asked, aggravated. "Pirates are nothing more than savages, incapable of rising above their animal nature. Without my plans, what could they possibly accomplish? A crew is nothing to me. They are simply a means to an end. Crew members are just pawns in the Captain's game."

"That's a lie!"

The one who shouted that was Pepper as he and the Usopp Pirates rose to their feet.

"That's not what real Pirates are like at all!" He went on.

"Yeah, our Captain taught us what being a Pirate is all about!" Onion joined in, also shouting. "They aren't heartless bad guys like you!"

"Real Pirates are Pirates like our Captain!" Carrot proclaimed passionately. "He told us that Pirates are Brave Warriors who sail around the world going on great adventures and making others happy! Like he makes Kaya happy!"

"Hmph… Nonsense. That is nothing more than the ramblings of a village liar who plays pretend Pirate with children." Klahadore denied their opinions as though it was a bad joke.

"You're wrong." Usopp argued he wouldn't let Klahadore deny his beliefs. "Real Pirates are not like you. The whole reason we wanted to be Pirates was to protect what was dear to us. You have no right to even call yourself a Pirate!"

"Oh, and what makes you think you have any such right?" Klahadore countered, not phased by his passion. "What gives you the idea that someone who isn't a Pirate in any sense of the word is in a position to lecture others about the meaning of Pirates?"

Usopp only became more frustrated with those words, he hated Klahadore, but right now, he truly hated how Klahadore was constantly reminding him the fact that he wasn't a real Pirate himself.

"Light, you tell 'em!" Onion spoke out loudly, getting the attention of the others.

"Yeah, you're a real Pirate, so you should know better than anyone." Carrot nodded, also wanting to hear Light's opinion.

"Before, you told us that there are good Pirates and bad ones." Pepper added. "But you guys, the Captain, and the Captain's dad are all good Pirates. Only Klahadore is a bad guy, so he's the odd man out."

Usopp also stared at Light, he didn't say anything, but his look said what was on his mind; expectation and interest. He wanted to hear what Light had to say.

Light, on the other hand, didn't seem bothered by the fact that everyone was waiting for his response. Instead, he tucked his hands into his pockets and began.

"So basically, you guys want me to tell you what I think real Pirates are like?"

[Yeah!] The trio of kids replied loudly.

Light stayed silent, his eyes covered by his bangs as everyone waited in anticipation to hear what his thoughts were. After a while, he finally spoke in an utterly blunt manner. "You guys are overthinking things."

.

.

.

[…Eh?] Usopp, the kids, and some of the Black Cat Pirates all blinked when they heard that straightforward response.

"The bottom line is—A Pirate is just a person who sails on a ship while acting outside the law." Light explained practically. "Anything beyond that is entirely up to you."

"Well, maybe, but that's not what we meant!" Usopp chimed in, fishing for more than that.

"What else can I say? It's not like there's some unspoken rule that says you have to do certain things or act in a certain way to be a Pirate." Light informed him, still casual. "You're all just taking it too seriously. Pirates can just do whatever they want."

"That's where you're wrong." Klahadore joined the conversation with an argument. "Pirates can't just do whatever they want because then they won't be able to do anything. That's the reason they follow the orders of their Captain."

"That's only true for your crew, but one man can't assume to speak for all Pirates in the world." Light countered his argument. "There are crews I've seen that are completely different from what you describe."

"True; I've also seen crews that can still operate without their Captain." Zoro added in agreement with Light.

"The point is, the concept of real and fake Pirates is off the mark." Light voiced out. "All Pirates are real Pirates, and real Pirates aren't under any obligation to act in a certain way. Usopp's line of thinking is based on an ideal, and Klahadore's is based on a biased toward others and the glass ceiling caused by that biased." He explained eloquently. "Simple version, if you want to be a Brave Warrior of the Sea, then be one, and if you want to just hunt for treasure, then go ahead. A Pirate just has to be whatever he wants to be."

Those words were his honest thoughts on the matter. It was just so simple and devoid of any personal biases that not one of them could disagree or find a flaw in his logic. Usopp, in particular, seemed the most affected by his speech.

"A Pirate just has to be whatever he wants to be." Usopp repeated quietly before smiling. "That's right, my father became the kinda man he wanted to be, and that's a Brave and honorable Warrior who seeks adventure, and that's the type of Pirate I will be!" He proclaimed without a hint of hesitation.

Kaya and the Usopp Pirates looked up at him with smiles. Usopp's smile was infectious to them, and they couldn't help being happy with him.

"Well, in that case." Klahadore spoke as well and had a dark smile. "If being a Pirate means doing what I desire, then that's what I'll do. And so I'll follow that desire and slaughter you all along with the villagers." He lifted his cat claws.

"If that's what you want, then go ahead and try it." Light said before raising his fist. "But know that I plan on stopping you."

"Is that so?" Klahadore spoke, standing up straight. "Let's see you try!"

It was apparent that Klahadore was planning to make the first move, but Light beat him to it with his own fancy footwork as he closed the distance with just two steps. Klahadore tried to slash him, but Light evaded it and, without worrying, went to counter it with a chop, but Klahadore disappeared using his Pussy Foot maneuver. Light was able to follow his speed with his eyes, and the two had quickly taken off. In a dash of speed, both combatants reappeared in the middle of the slope so fast. It looked like they wrapped there.

"Wow, they're so fast." Onion uttered in disbelief.

"I can't keep up." Usopp admitted, unable to see them with his eyes.

"I can." Zoro made his way up the slope and stood beside Usopp and the rest as he watched with them. "I can follow their moves if I focus hard enough."

"Seriously?" Usopp couldn't decide what surprised him more; the fact that a person could move that fast or that another person could track that speed with his eyes.

Kuro stopped and suddenly demanded. "Before I kill you, I feel compelled to ask… What is an outsider like you butting into this village's business for?"

Light smirked. "An old friend of mine used to live in this village along with his family, so as a courtesy to him, I'll fight to defend his home."

Usopp blinked at that. "Does he mean… My dad?"

"Who else would he mean?" Zoro asked him with a teasing smile. "Remember? He said he wanted to protect Yassop's home."

That was what Light said the night before as Usopp became reminded of that statement.

"Simple enough." Klahadore said with a laugh. "Are you okay with that being the reason that you die?"

"We all gotta die at some point." Light remarked with a grin. "But I don't think I'll be dying today." He claimed, not feeling pressured at all.

"Let me change your mind!" Klahadore exclaimed as he sped in to attack.

Light followed suit and they both sped around the slope, disappearing and reappearing from sight continuously. Klahadore slashed his cat claws at Light consecutively, and Light stayed just far enough to keep out of his range while he never stopped moving. When Klahadore stepped into his next slash, Light stepped in and ducked beneath his claws. Light then raised his leg and kicked at Klahadore's stomach. Klahadore saw it coming, though, and vanished from that spot again. Now he reappeared behind Light and thrust his hand forth to pierce Light's back. Light knew he was behind him and still wasn't worried as he moved forward—Almost as though he was merely walking and got out of range of the blades as Klahadore missed him. Light then turned around and looked at him with another grin.

Light leaped forth and got into close range as he reached out to strike at Klahadore's head, but the swift Black Cat tilted his head to dodge it. Light didn't let him get away and pivoted his feet as he twisted his body and used a spin kick on Klahadore's side. Once again, Klahadore used his speed to move out of the attack's path, and instead, Light's kick smashed into the wall, smashing a hole through the bedrock. Klahadore stopped a few steps away and moved into counterattack after Light's attack. He moved in like a cat attacking its prey and slashed his claws at Light's jugular.

Light was untouched, though because this time, rather than moving back, he moved forward. When the claws were only a hairs-breath from his flesh, Light squatted down and split-stepped forward, slipping past Klahadore like a snake. He stood up straight, turned around, and was now right behind Klahadore. Of course, Klahadore naturally hated it when someone snuck up behind him and, on instinct, slashed his cat claws at the space behind his back when leaping away. Light responded by swaying back to evade the cat claws and both of them moved away. They stopped when there was a middle-length distance between the two of them, and the fighting came to a sudden halt.

Ever present on Light's face was his smile. It was like he had nothing to worry about. Klahadore's expression was neutral but composed, as though he was just tending to his job like any other day.

"Tell me, is all that speed of yours only good for running and dodging?" Klahadore asked, referring to the fact the Light has been chiefly on the defensive.

"Don't get so impatient. I'm just getting warmed up." Light answered back, still completely confident in himself.

It was at this moment that Silk and Nami finally left the ship's interior and soon made it onto the deck. Nami had a sack stuffed with treasure hanging off her shoulder. The bag really wasn't all that heavy, considering there wasn't as much treasure as Nami was hoping for. Silk was behind her and pulling something much heavier—A barrel filled with Swords.

"What a small haul." Nami commented. "You know, I really thought they'd have more than treasure than this."

"I'm pretty sure they were counting on Kaya's fortune for wealth." Silk reasoned, stopping beside her. "Knowing that—Carrying around treasure on their ship wouldn't have much meaning."

"Yeah, I guess. I'm still disappointed, though." Nami admitted before looking at the barrel. "By the way, what's with you only stealing a bunch of Swords?"

"It's just a precaution." Silk said offhandedly. "That last fight made me realize how much of a problem it is to be unarmed, so having more Swords lying around should help us in the future."

"Fair point." Nami could see the logic in that. "Now, let's see if the others have finished this fight yet." Nami made her way toward the front of the ship to see.

"What's going on?" Silk wondered as she went over to look for herself.

"Strange, they're just standing there?" Nami noticed with confusion.

On top of the slope, those watching were amazed after watching the brief opening sequence of this fight.

"So fast. Did you guys follow any of that?" Pepper asked his two friends.

"Nope, totally lost." Carrot admitted, and Onion nodded in agreement.

Kaya didn't say anything but just kept watching, hoping that things would be all right.

Meanwhile, at the bottom of the slope, the rest of the Black Cat Pirates watched their Captain do battle with the straw-hatted Pirate.

"No way. Is he as fast as Captain Kuro?" A Pirate commented with disbelief.

"Of course not. No one's faster than our Captain." Another one told him off right away.

"Yeah." Yet another chimed. "Our Captain's definitely gonna win it." Soon the Black Cat Pirates started to praise their Captain, much to Klahadore's objection. He pushed up his glasses again and gave them an angered sneer.

"Shut up…" Klahadore muttered. "DON'T CALL ME THAT!" He roared at his so-called crew, who all stopped their cheering collectively. "You all don't understand." He sent a glare their way. "You fools. This plan was devised so that I may get rid of that name once and for all!" He shouted as he became more and more agitated. "I'm tired of it. Concocting every day for a bunch of barbarians who care only about havoc and mayhem. Relentlessly attacked by government dogs and bounty hunters. I'm tired of it. I AM SICK AND TIRED OF THAT ENTIRE CURSED LIFE!" He raised his voice at this declaration.

"But that's what a Pirate's life is." Light interrupted, sounding as though he couldn't believe he even needed to explain this. "You choose to form a crew with yourself as the Captain, and you choose to commit crimes knowing it would make you wanted. Do you not know any of that despite being called the "Man of 1000 Plans," or did you just not know what you were getting yourself into?"

"Don't lecture me, you brat. I was always aware of what it meant to be a Pirate. I merely decided later on that it was no longer worth it. That's when I devised my plan." Klahadore proclaimed as he explained. "3 years ago, when a Marine Ship attacked us at sea, I moved in and slaughtered all but one soldier onboard. Afterward, I set up one of my lackeys as my double and had Jango hypnotize both of them into believing that one was the real me and the other was the one who captured me. That's how the world believed Captain Kuro was dead—By having them execute my double."

Whatever reaction Klahadore was expecting from Light, it certainly wasn't what he was doing, considering Light blinked and then looked like he was trying to hold back his laughter. "Pfft… Haha."

"Do you find something funny in what I said?" Klahadore asked, slightly irritated.

"I think you'll laugh too when you hear this." Light reassured him as he calmed down. "The truth is, we actually met that lone surviving Marine from 3 years ago just recently. He became a Marine Captain for that achievement but went mad with power and turned into a tyrant that terrorized civilians. Now he's a criminal locked in a prison cell."

"Huh?" Usopp blinked in surprise when he heard all that. "Wait, is all that true?"

"It is." Zoro confirmed it. "I was there at the time. He met that Marine on the same day, and at the same Island, he met me."

"Wow, that's a coincidence." Usopp commented, completely ignorant of the whole story.

Klahadore wasn't amused though, rather he seemed fed up. "How pathetic. I grant him glory and success on a silver platter, and he ruins it all on his own. I suppose some fools are beyond help."

"I can't argue with that." Light admitted, not disagreeing for once.

"In the end, it doesn't really matter, though. He already did his part years ago. My plan has been in motion since and is almost complete. And when my plan succeeds today, after 3 years of planning, revising, and waiting, my goal will be achieved in its entirety. Wealth and peace of mind will finally be mine. Do you understand now, boy?" He challenged Light. "I will not allow this perfect plan, years in the making, to fail! My plan will not be disrupted by an urchin like you!"

"I understand that this plan is something you've devoted everything to these past years, but that doesn't mean I'll just sit back and let you have your way." Light didn't back down from his challenge. "I won't let you hurt this village or its people."

"It's amazing that you still believe you have any hope of stopping me." Klahadore ridiculed him. "I don't suppose you figured out a way to overcome the reach of my cat claws?" He raised his claws.

"As a matter of fact, I do have one way." Light announced, grabbing everyone's attention.

That said, instead of actually telling them what was on his mind, he turned around and walked down the slope. At the bottom, all the Black Cat Pirates who saw him approach scurried away fearfully, as if just being near Light was terrifying. Light didn't really bother with them and focused on what was on the ground—A large number of discarded weapons, especially Swords. Light reached down and picked up some of them before walking back up the slope to face Klahadore again.

Klahadore raised a brow. "Just what do you think you're doing?" He questioned, not knowing what he was planning.

"Your fighting style is pretty interesting, but I wonder how well you'll do against an opponent with a similar style?" Light proclaimed challengingly as he held up six separate Swords, holding them in between his fingers—Similar to how Buggy held his knives. "Light Six-Sword Style!"

.

.

.

[IS HE INSANE!] Usopp and all the Black Cat Pirates thought in unison.

Klahadore stared at him as another vein bulged on his forehead. He was clearly pissed. "Are you mocking me?!"

Nami looked vexed at what she was seeing. "Has he lost his mind?! This is just like the stuff he pulled back at Orange Town. Why does he mess around like this?"

"Have you forgotten what happened back in Orange Town?" Silk brought up unconcerned. "It might look like he's messing around, but the Captain knows exactly what he's doing."

"Huh, then, has he used that type of style before?" Nami asked, curious as to why she was so confident.

Silk shook her head. "Who knows? If he has, I've never seen him do it."

"Then how is he taking this seriously?!" Nami became irritated. "What does he expect to accomplish by blindly using his opponent's specialty in a fight to the death?"

"It's not a matter of whether he's done it before or not. It's just that the Captain is someone who's capable of that thing." Silk reasoned without a doubt. "He's never claimed to be able to do something that he wasn't able to do. So if he's planning to fight like that, I believe that he can."

Klahadore didn't let his anger show in his voice as he spoke. "Tell me, are you underestimating me, or are you suicidal? I can't think of any other reason you'd attempt such a farce."

"Really, 'cause I can think of a reason. It's that I plan on beating you at your own game." Light claimed brashly as he pointed the blades in his right hand at Klahadore. "For the rest of this fight, you won't even be able to graze me."

Usopp's eyes widened as he watched them. "Is he being serious right now?"

"I've only known him for a short time, but never have I heard him bluff." Zoro answered, never looking away from the fight.

Klahadore exhaled some air before frowning again. "Maybe you'll understand when I open a HOLE IN YOUR CHEST!"

Klahadore dashed at Light at top speed to impale him with his claws. Light didn't move and just waited for him, which took less than a second. Klahadore swung his arms through Light's chest area. Light responded by his arms up and crisscrossed the blades together defensively.

CLANG!

The sound of steel hitting steel reverberated throughout the shore as Klahadore's cat claws clashed with and were stopped by Light's claws. Despite putting his strength behind it, Klahadore couldn't move his claws an inch further.

"What?" Klahadore gasped in shock.

"What's new, Pussycat?" Light swung his arms out.

After holding him at bay, Light switched from defense to offense and swung out his arms to blow Klahadore backward. Klahadore was knocked back but stayed on his feet. Even if he was surprised, he refused to be outdone and rushed a second time. Light didn't wait for him this time and charged in as well. When they met in the middle, both of their collective blades clashed again.

CLASH!

They were both dashing around the rocky hillside, never staying in the same spot for more than a second. Wherever one was, the other was right next to them as they both kept attacking, continuously slicing at each other and continuously resulting in a clash of weapons. Their speed and velocity never slowed down. They were both so in sync it was as though their arms were tied together, forcing them to always be in the same spot.

CLANG! CLASH! CLING! CLICK! CLAKK! SLASH! CLICK! SWISH! SHING! KATCHIN! CLASH! CLING! SCHILK!

Again and again, their blades collided with each other, but while Klahadore seemed to be trying hard to cut done Light, Light's expression made it look like he was hardly trying at all. Still, they kept on moving faster than the eye could see. To most of the people watching, all they saw were sparks flying around the slope, coupled with the echoes of clashing steel.

"This is some kind of nightmare." One of the Pirates breathed out in disbelief.

"I never thought anyone but Captain Kuro could fight like that." Another one followed up, sweating a little.

"T-This is crazy." Usopp breathed out. Though he couldn't keep up, he could still tell what was happening. "It's like invisible."

"Keep a close eye on them." Zoro told him, looking serious. "The statement is about to end, and one of them will take the advantage."

"Huh, wait, really?" Usopp asked, not expecting that. "But they seem evenly matched. I mean, which one? Who's on the back foot?"

"…" Zoro stayed quiet for a moment as he kept watching before he answered. "…Kuro is."

Back to the fight, Klahadore was becoming increasingly frustrated with his inability to land a cut on Light despite how long they'd been going at it.

"This is ridiculous!" Klahadore thought, enraged. "My Pussy Foot maneuver and cat claws are a special style that I invited and have used for years! How can a no-named brat who just picked it up for the first time possibly use it to keep me at bay like this?! It makes no sense!"

Klahadore moved in for a finishing move and flared his slice apart Light from both sides. But Light smirked when he saw that and swayed back.

This time though, instead of just swaying back like before, he leaned downward and bent his upper body so far back that he was limboing. By doing that, Klahadore's claws sailed right above him without making contact.

Klahadore's eyes widened at Light's unorthodox way of dodging as Light came back up and was now directing in front of him while he was still off-balance. "You got sloppy."

Light kicked out his leg and connected as his kick hit Klahadore right in the stomach. The blow knocked the wind out of him as the fake butler was lifted off the ground and crashed into the wall, back first as some of the rock cracked behind him, and he slumped down.

"Ah, I can see them again!" Carrot pointed as the fight finally came to a halt.

"Look, Klahadore's on the ground." Kaya noticed.

"Yeah, but why?" Pepper wondered. "I mean, what happened anyway?"

"Kuro messed up." Zoro informed them knowingly.

"What do you mean he messed up?" Nami asked Silk.

At the same time, Nami and Silk were having the same conversation, and Silk gave the same answer as Zoro.

"Kuro became too impatient in trying to finish off the Captain. He tried to rush in for the kill." Silk explained, recalling the events. "But that kind of recklessness won't work in a fight like this, so he naturally got blocked, which left him wide open for a counter."

"But if that's the case, why did Kuro try that in the first place?" Usopp asked, unknowingly asking the same question as Nami. "If he's been fighting high-speed fights his whole life, wouldn't he know it wouldn't work?"

"Actually, I'd say it's because he hasn't been in these types of fights his whole life." Zoro clarified. "It's more like because he's so fast. No one's ever been able to keep up with him. It always ended while he was barely trying. This is probably the first time he's fought someone as fast as him. He doesn't know what to do because it's a new experience."

"Ah, I get it." Usopp said with new understanding before he thought. "That must be why Zoro said Kuro would be at a disadvantage."

Klahadore stayed down while the other Pirates were still in a funk after what they had just seen.

"No way, Captain Kuro was laid flat." One of them uttered.

"Don't tell me that guy is faster than Captain Kuro?" Another Pirate wondered in dismay.

"Don't worry, guys!" A Pirate exclaimed. "He can still fight plenty!"

"Yeah, he won't be beaten by just one lucky hit!" Another agreed.

"You can do it! Rip that guy to shreds, Captain Kuro!" Another Pirate cheered.

One of them looked at him. "Don't use that name anymore. He doesn't like it, remember?" He reminded him.

One of them placed a hand on his chin. "I think in this village, his name is Klaha-something?" He attempted.

They all looked at each other, wondering if that was right or not, but ultimately decided it didn't matter, and all of them cheered loudly for their Captain as Klahadore got back to his feet.

"Shut your mouths…." Klahadore growled. "All of you!" His outburst caused every one of his Pirates to quiet down altogether. "Soon enough, I'll deal with you in the only appropriate manner. Extermination. I'll also kill that fool Jango when he's finished his job."

"But, why kill us, Captain?" A Pirate asked, thrown off.

"Come on. Please don't joke around like that, Captain Kuro." Another one said, feeling worried.

"It's still not too late for us to attack the village, right?" One of them asked with hope.

"Yeah, and if Captain Jango gets her to write her will, then your plan should still work perfectly." Another one added, thinking it might convince him.

Klahadore fixed his glasses and gave them a dark look. "This plan is no longer any of your concern. When all of you are dead, this village will know who to blame for this atrocity. I never intended to let any of you mongrels leave this village alive. No one. No one who knows my true identity can be allowed to live to tell about it."

"You have already planned to kill every last one of us from the very beginning?" A Pirate questioned, frightened.

"That's right." Klahadore immediately confirmed it. "3 years ago, I planned to erase Captain Kuro and every last person who ever knew him. It's all part of my plan." The Pirates were all collectively scared at their Captain's proclamation to kill them all.

"Unbelievable…" Usopp muttered angrily when he heard that proclamation and stood up, and he yelled loudly. "What's wrong with you?! Don't you have a shred of honor!?" Klahadore turned to look at Usopp. He had a disinterested expression as the liar continued. "How can you call yourself a Captain while treating your crew mates like that?! What even is a crew to you?!"

"…Usopp." Kaya whispered.

"…Captain." Carrot muttered while all three kids had the same expression.

"What is a crew, you ask?" Klahadore replied, pushing up his glasses. "What a pointless question. A crew is nothing to me. They are simply a means to an end. Crew members are just pawns in the Captain's game. Whether my men live or die is up to me and me alone. If I tell them to fight, they will fight, and if I order them to die, they'd better do it. They know the punishment for disobedience."

All throughout Klahadore's speech, Light stayed silent, giving the 'butler' a plain look. "Is that all you had to say, or is there more?"

"What was that?" Klahadore looked back at Light with irritation.

Light, however, looked over to Usopp. "Usopp, don't bother asking him anything. Any answer he might give you will just make you angrier."

Usopp was still upset but knew he was right and so he sat back down. Light turned his attention back onto his speedy opponent.

"As for you, I'd say we've gone on long enough." Light decided dispassionately. "So I think it's time I end this."

"Oh, and what makes you think you can decide that?" Klahadore questioned, insulted by his implication. "Don't get cocky just because you landed one hit."

"It's more than that. I've already seen through your tricks." Light told him confidently. "Your speed, your footwork, your cat claws, I've seen through them all. You have nothing that will work on me.

"Is that so?" Klahadore snarled, sounding more like a wild animal with every second. "It would appear that you need a lesson in what I am truly capable of." He stated with a grin. "It's not pleasant. Your first lesson will be about terror. A lesson I learned well as I stared down death."

Once Klahadore finished talking, he began to slouch and slowly began swaying his body and arms back and forth with his head pointed toward the ground. No one had a clue as to what Klahadore was planning, but it appeared that the other members of the Black Cat Pirates figured out what their 'Captain' was up to.

"Hey, should he be in that stance?!" A Pirate asked fearfully.

"No! This is bad!" Another Pirate shouted, horrified.

"Why's he using that technique?!"

"There's only one guy!"

"There's no reason to use the Out-Of-The-Bag attack!"

"This isn't a good spot for us! He could get us to!"

"Yeah, he did say he was gonna kill us all earlier."

"Please, Captain Kuro! Anything but that technique!"

"We'll do anything, Captain!"

"Please, Captain Kuro!"

"What're they all worrying about?" Nami asked, confused as to why they were freaking out.

"I'm… Not sure." Silk admitted to also being confused.

Onion looked up at Usopp. "Hey, Captain, how come he's just wobbling around like that?"

"Don't ask me?" Usopp was just as lost as the rest of them.

"Well, whatever he's up to, it can't be good." Zoro stated, not letting his guard down.

"Out-Of-The-Bag Attack!"

Klahadore kept on wobbling as they continued to scream and beg for him to spare them. Light didn't move until a slight wind blew his bangs, and he blinked in surprise. That was when Klahadore disappeared, leaving nothing but dark purple whips of smoke drifting across the land forebodingly.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a Black Cat Pirate screamed in agony as a slash appeared on his chest with blood gushing from his body which seemed to cause the other Black Cat Pirates to panic even more. Aside from Light, everyone watching was taken by surprise and had to wonder what could have happened to cause that man to spurt blood suddenly.

Another Pirate shortly after was met with the same treatment as his crewmate, and soon the side of the cliff next to Light was slashed apart. Suddenly more men fell… Blood was splattered everywhere, Klahadore's claw marks slashing everything… Killing everywhere.

"Gah!"

"Argh!"

"Gugh!"

"Augh!"

"Ugh!"

"Don't do this, Captain! Please stooop!" One of them yelled desperately amidst the torrent of death.

"We're dead! We can't reason with him now that he's started!" Another Pirate yelled at him. "His Side-Step maneuver is so fast, not even he knows what he's cutting!"

"But how could he have killed so many of us without even—AGH!" One of them started before also getting cut apart.

"What's happening out there!?" Nami said with a frightened look on her face. "People are just getting cut to ribbons!"

"This must be a secret technique that he was saving." Silk deduced, watching the grim scene. "Now we know why they were so afraid."

"What the heck is happening down there?" Usopp gasped in horror at what was happening.

"Kuro is doing all that." Zoro informed him, sounding dismayed. "He's moving even faster than before. I'd say this is his top speed. I can barely keep up now."

"I think I get it." Silk said, still staring intently. "While he uses super-human speed, he dashes around all over a wide range of area and slices apart anyone in the vicinity. The weakness is that he can't tell what he's really hitting. But the fact that he does not really care about anyone around him and feels no remorse for killing his crewmates counteracting this weakness."

"In other words, he doesn't care who he's attacking. They're all the same to him." Nami summed up.

The Black Cats were all screaming in pain and terror, trying to run only to be killed.

Light wasn't left unscathed through Klahadore's barrage as a cut across the ground and the wall next to him appeared, though Light knew none would reach him. All after another handful of Pirates were soon met with Klahadore's onslaught. Light stayed in the spot where he stood as another slash was traced on the ground near his foot. More and more Pirates were cut down as he watched the men all be slaughtered before his eyes. Light kept his head down, taking it all in until he quietly whispered.

"This is stupid." Light muttered, so no one heard him. "It's beyond disappointing."

With that, Light didn't wait anymore and bent his legs down before jumping off the ground and leaping forward. He outstretched his leg and prepared a jump-kick, aiming at an empty spot on the slope.

WHAM!

Even though it seemed impossible, Light's kick ended up hitting the exact spot where Klahadore was at the moment his kicking leg was fully extended. The result; Light kicked Klahadore right in the side of his face and knocked him away, sending him reeling to the ground and thus stopping the mass slaughter.

"What the?!" Nami's jaw dropped.

"He found him!" Usopp yelled profusely.

Klahadore quickly got back up, looking more than a little angry at being caught. "You bastard." He hissed. "You should have accepted your fate like a good boy. Now, look at what you've done! Thanks to you, my little pawns are still alive… And in misery." All around the shore, Klahadore's men lay on the ground, covered in their own blood and crying in pain. "It would have been better to just let them die in the attack." Klahadore sneered at them all.

"What the hell was that attack?" Light changed the subject, displeasure clearly in his tone. "It was so bad I couldn't bear to watch."

"Is that so?" Klahadore questioned as he got back up. "Are you saying you find a flaw in my ultimate killing technique?"

"That's right." Light answered bluntly.

Klahadore threw his head back and laughed. "Well, aren't YOU funny? What exactly is the problem you see?" He demanded as he pointed his cat claws at him. "Let's hear it!"

"Your whole style is based around speed and slashing. You're most dangerous when you lock onto your target and kill them instantly. But that last move ignores all that." Light explained as though he was giving a lecture. "All you do is run around and swing your claws at anything without even knowing if you're hitting something or not. It's untrained, unpolished, unrefined, like a wide animal going berserk."

"I'm aware of that. What's your point?" Klahadore didn't see the issue. "Crude as it might be, my Out-Of-The-Bag attack has never failed in killing my enemies. It's always succeeded."

"But it won't work here." Light proclaimed, this time pointing his blades at Klahadore. "The next time you try that attack, I promise, it'll be the end of you."

"Don't get cocky. I'm afraid I won't be heeding that warning." Klahadore sneered, using both palms to move his glasses up. "That first time was simply a warm-up. The real fight begins now. Soon I'll be feasting on your fear… Complemented by the sweet wine of your agony."

Klahadore started swaying back and forth again to ready himself for his ultimate technique again, this time in earnest.

"Out-Of-The-Bag Attack!"

Klahadore vanished in another puff of smoke as he ran around as fast as he could, preparing himself to slice and dice anything and everything that came into contact with his blades. Light wasn't worried, though, and could sense where he was as he waited for him to get into range of his next attack. Once he was there, Light crossed his arm and readied his Swords.

"Light Six-Sword Style: Hunting Predator!"

SLASH!

Light spread out his arms widely and unleashed cross-slash with all six Swords that sliced through Klahadore's upper body—Leaving slash marks that resembled the claw marks of a predatory beast.

"Kuh!"

Klahadore coughed out as he fell.

The attack damaged him significantly as he hit the ground with a thud, and his open wounds started to form a puddle of blood around his body.

As he lay there, his blood spinning on the ground and his conscience fading. Klahadore tried to understand how—How could his 3-year long plan have been completely derailed in less than a day? No matter how he thought about it, he just couldn't find the answer.

Now that the fight was over, Light finally dropped his Swords and placed his hat back on his head as he looked down at the defeated Klahadore.

"I told you, if you used that attack again, I'd be over for you." Light reminded him, not caring if he heard him. "Unlike you, I always keep my promises."

The shore was quiet now as everything had come to an end, and the Black Cat Pirates were gapping at Light.

"That crazy six Swords guy beat Captain Kuro!" One of the Pirates exclaimed in hushed amazement.

"Even the Marines were no match for Kuro "Man of 1000 Plans"!" Another Pirate yelled in disbelief. "And this guy still beat him!"

"Just who are you?" The Pirates all wondered as Light turned around to stare them all down.

"Who am I? I'm so glad you asked." Light calmly turned around to address them. "I'm Monkey D. Light!" He announced with a delighted grin. "The Strongest Man you'll ever see in this or any other sea!"

The Black Cat Pirates looked at one another. "Light? Never heard that name before."

"Well, you better make sure you never forget it." Light said with a larger-than-life smile. "Because that's the name of the man who will be King of the Pirates."

The Pirates all gave Light bewildered eyes when he mentioned that but didn't get to ask any more questions once Light picked up the unconscious body of Klahadore by his collar and threw him down to them all.

"I'm feeling generous today, so go, and I'll let you live." Light had a dangerous look in his eyes to intimidate them, and for good measure, he let some of his Haki leak out. "So you better leave right now."

The Pirates didn't have to be told twice as they ran back to their ship in a mad panic, dragging Klahadore with them. Nami and Silk jumped from the ship before the Black Cats Pirates got on. They all watched the Pirates climb onboard and leave… Hopefully, never to return.

Nami and Silk went over to Light while carrying their respective luggage as the Pirate Captain simply watched the ship sail away.

"Hey, what were you two doing on that ship?" Light addressed them once they stopped in front of him.

"Stealing." Nami proudly answered.

"Stopping her from doing something stupid." Silk explained before tapping the barrel. "And also grabbing stuff we might need later."

"Smart thinking." Light acknowledged with a nod.

"Hey! You guys!" Usopp yelled as he and the Usopp Pirates ran towards them from up the slope. "You actually did! You beat him!" He didn't hide his amazement.

"You were awesome!" Pepper shouted excitedly.

"You kicked bad-guy butt like it was nothing!" Onion said loudly with joy.

"You were so cool back there!" Carrot praised with admiration.

"Haha, it was nothing." Light lightheartedly brushed it off.

"By the way." Zoro approached him, looking curious. "What was up with that Six-Sword style you were using? Did you seriously make that up?"

"Honestly, I was just trying to copy Klahadore." Light confused. "The difference in our overall strength made it, so I didn't have to worry, but…." Light still had one of the Swords and held it up, only for the blade to shatter. "It suited him better, and clearly, just using any old Sword would wear them out right away."

"In that case, you really need to stop doing stuff like that." Nami reprimanded him. "That recklessness will really get you killed someday."

"It's not recklessness if I know it's going to work." Light pointed out, not the least bit remorseful.

Kaya walked up to them next and looked a little hesitant as she asked Light. "D-Did you… Kill him?"

No one said anything, but they could tell who she meant when she said him though Light answered her softly.

"No." Light replied. "He was cut up but still breathing. I'm pretty sure he'll live after getting patched up."

"I see." Kaya didn't know whether to be relieved or upset by this news.

Despite his betrayal, it didn't change the fact that he had been a significant part of her life, nor did it erase all the memories she shared with him. She couldn't hate him or forgive him. Kaya honestly didn't know how to feel. All she could do was look out at the ocean. The Pirate Ship was almost out of sight, and she decided to take a first step in moving forward.

"Goodbye, Klahadore." Kaya inwardly said, resolving herself.

Usopp got her attention by placing his hand on her shoulder and smiling at her. "Kaya, it's finally over. You're safe now."

Kaya smiled back at him. "Thanks to you all, especially you, Usopp."

"Nah, it was them who did all the heavy lifting." Usopp faced Light and the others. "Really, I owe you all a lot. I wouldn't have been able to protect Kaya and the village without you."

Light made a fist a tapped his fist on Usopp's chest. "You don't owe me a single thing. We're friends. It's what we do." Light told him with pride.

Zoro looked up. "And give credit where credit is due. If you had just stood back and done nothing, I wouldn't have done anything either."

"Really?" Silk raised a brow. "I still would have."

"Who cares about any of that?" Nami asked happily, hugging the bag of loot to her. "I've got my hands on this sweet, sweet treasure now, and I couldn't be happier!"

Usopp laughed before he looked to the sea with a serious expression on his face. "Everything that happened here today helped me. I've just come to a very difficult decision."

"What a coincidence. I think I've also come to a decision." Light said before looking at Kaya and the children. "Do you guys mind leaving us for a bit?"

"What for?" Onion asked curiously.

"There's something we need to discuss, Pirate-to-Pirate." Light explained.

"Oh, in that case, we understand." Pepper immediately complied, along with the others.

Kaya didn't know what he wanted to talk about but decided it wasn't anything to be concerned about, so she also complied. As the four of them walked back up the hill to leave them alone for a bit, Usopp looked at Light with confusion.

"Hey, mind explaining?" Usopp asked, thrown off. "What did you want to tell me that you couldn't tell them?"

Light smiled widely as he began to talk. What he had to say surprised Usopp greatly.

Time passed, and as the day marched on and it was now in the middle of the afternoon, Usopp and the Usopp Pirates were now up a tall cliffside with a great view of the ocean.

Usopp sat behind a stack of large wooden logs that had a small stick next to it. Tied to the stick was the flag of the Usopp Pirates.

"Captain Usopp, what did you want to talk to us about?" Pepper asked as they stood before him.

"The three of you didn't back down or run away at all from those terrible Black Cat Pirates. As Captain, I'm proud of you for being so brave and courageous." Usopp praised them honestly and proudly.

"You're too kind." Carrot said graciously.

"We're nothing compared to you." Pepper said humbly, rubbing the back of his head.

"You're embarrassing us." Onion said happily.

"I'm serious. You were very courageous." Usopp went on. "You were scared, but you still showed up and kept your cool. Today we have overcome our biggest and most important battle since we formed the Usopp Pirates 5 years ago." He proclaimed, walking up to them. "That was when you three brave soldiers were only 4 years old, remember?"

[Yeah!] They said together.

"Now I know this is sudden, but…." Usopp held his head up high before dropping the bombshell. "I've decided that I'm going to set out to sea."

The three of them stopped and stared at him with a look of surprise while kept smiling, unable to contain his excitement.

"Light and the others told me they wanted me to join their crew." He confessed what they had spoken about before. "I'm finally gonna leave this place and become a real Pirate."

The kids still didn't respond as they didn't know what to say. While they stayed silent, Usopp looked out at the ocean and continued.

"At first, I wasn't sure what I was gonna do. I couldn't decide if I wanted to stay here forever or not." Usopp confided in them. "But once I saw them, I knew deep in my heart what I must do. I feel that—As a man, I must set out to the vast ocean. Originally, I thought of going on my own, but when they said they wanted me to sail with them, I couldn't say know." He declared wholeheartedly. "So I'm leaving this place behind!"

The kids finally felt his words sink in along with their meaning as a twist of sadness appeared on their faces.

Usopp then stepped atop the logs and yelled loudly. "I LEAVE FOR ONE REASON! WHEN THE GREAT PIRATE FLAG BECKONS! YOU MUST HEED ITS CALLLLLL!" He shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Captain! Say it isn't so!" Carrot pleaded, upset as they ran up to him. "You're lying again, right?"

"Isn't that hasty? There's no reason to leave! I thought you loved this village!" Pepper reminded him, hoping to sway his decision.

"And what's gonna happen to the Usopp Pirates without you?!" Onion asked, distraught by his choice.

Usopp didn't answer at first but then spoke softly. "You've been so good to me, you guys. I plan to leave without telling the villagers. Give them my regards."

His words only upset them further as they started shaking and holding back their tears.

"…Captain." Carrot uttered emotionally while staring at the ground.

"No! I don't want to!" Pepper cried out, not accepting it.

"Don't go, Captain, just stay here, please…." Onion cried while shaking his head.

Usopp looked back at them with a tear in his own eye. "Usopp Pirates, do you remember this place?" He asked as he looked around. "This is where we first met and formed the Usopp Pirates." He then struggled to hold back his tears as he choked. "A lot's happened since then, huh?"

"Please don't talk about the old days! I can't stand it!" Pepper cried out loudly.

"Pepper's right. It's much too painful." Carrot choked out tearfully.

"This kind of lie isn't like you, Captain. It's not fun. Why did you say that you were going to leave us?" Onion cried while keeping his head down.

"You're not serious, are you?" Carrot asked one last time.

"You're being stupid, Captain! Stupid!" Onion said through his tears.

Usopp didn't respond and just kept looking at their flag. After wiping away his tears, he placed his hands on his hips, smiled, and faced them proudly. "All right, men! Tell me what all of your ambitions are!?"

"When I grow up! My dream is to run a pub!" Carrot answered through his tears.

"My whole life, I've wanted to be a master carpenter!" Pepper announced loudly.

"My goal is to become a writer!" Onion proclaimed as well.

"Then, swear to me now that each of you will continue on your paths!" Usopp's tears came back, and so did theirs. "Promise me that you will never let the fires of your ambitions die out! As of today! Our group—The Usopp Pirates!" As if on cue, their flag tore off from the stick and was carried away by a breeze toward the ocean as Usopp yelled as loud as he could. "ARE DISBANDED!"

Meanwhile, at the village, time marched on, and the crew made their way to the restaurant that Usopp had taken them to earlier. Light, Zoro, Silk, and Nami were sitting peacefully at the table, just finishing their meal as Light was telling them a story.

"And that is how I learned the difference between the taste of alligator meat and crocodile meat." Light told them while finishing his drink. "True story."

"Why were you fishing for alligators or crocodiles while you were 8 years old?" Nami asked exasperatedly.

"Suffice to say, where I came from, that's what you do when you're broke." Light shrugged.

"Then let's never go there." Nami commented.

"Anyways, now that we've eaten. We should probably get going." Zoro said comfortably.

"That might be for the best." Silk said though she sounded more reluctant. "It is a shame that we never ended up finding a ship, though."

"True, that was the main reason we came here." Light agreed, resting his head on the table.

At that moment, Kaya came walking into the restaurant. She looked much better than before. It was evident that her health was already started to improve. She was also wearing more casual clothes now. Kaya made her way to their table.

"Here you are." Kaya said in a sweet voice.

"Hey, Kaya." Light remarked with a wave.

"Are you alright being out of bed?" Nami questioned with a kind smile as Kaya stood in front of the four.

"Yes. I think now I can truly start recovering. You see, my sickness this last year was caused to the mental shock of losing both of my parents. And Usopp's friendship helped me start getting better. I can't stay in bed forever, you know." She paused for a moment. "You've all done so much for me, and I can't thank you enough." Kaya beamed at them and said. "I have prepared a present for you from the bottom of my heart to show how grateful I am for everything you've done here. I'd be honored if you accept it."

None of them asked what it was as they followed Kaya out the door and down the road to the same place where they fought the Black Cat Pirates. Once there, they spotted Merry, and behind him was the gift Kaya spoke about was a ship. This caused the Quartet of Pirates to grow smiles once they saw it. The ship was a caravel that seemed like a well-crafted vessel. It had five cannons, two on either side and one on the front—Large white sails on the main mast, with a crow's nest on top. And what really caught the crew's attention was the lamb figurehead at the front.

"A real caravel!" Nami exclaimed happily with her hands clasped together.

"You're actually giving us this for free!?" Silk asked in astonishment.

"Mmhm, As a token of my appreciation." Kaya answered happily.

"It's a slightly older model." Merry explained. "But I personally designed her, and she sails like a dream. She is a caravel with lateen sails and a central stern rudder. She's a fine ship, and her name is the 'Going Merry'!" Merry proudly presented the ship to the crew. "Allow me to explain the rigging."

Light nodded. "I'm all ears."

"You understand the technical stuff?" Nami asked, honestly surprised.

"For the most part." Light answered, unoffended.

Kaya still had a smile as she said. "We've loaded it with all the provisions you might need on a long voyage."

"That's great." Silk said with gratitude as she looked up at their new ship. "We've finally got ourselves a ship. Now we can be a proper Pirate crew."

Zoro was also pleased and went over to the boats next to the ship that they used to sail here initially. "I'll tie the boats to the ship. We might still need them at some point."

"Well, I suppose the only thing we need to do now is wait for Usopp." Silk decided.

As if on cue, everyone heard a scream in the distance and turned to the source, and what they saw was Usopp rolling down the slope with an unusually large backpack. One could describe the way he was coming down like a pinball, hitting either cliff-side and pleading for someone to help him. "Somebody stop this crazy thing!"

"Oh no, Usopp!" Kaya exclaimed worriedly, a hand cupped to her mouth.

The town liar continued cruising at a great speed in the most bizarre yet comedic way possible as he made his way toward the group.

"What is he doing now?" Light wondered.

"We better stop him." Zoro suggested in a bored tone. "That weirdo is on a collision course with our boat."

"I've got this one." Silk said like she was doing a chore.

Silk stood directly in front of the path of the rolling ball that was Usopp and brought out her Sword—Still in its sheath. She waited for just the right moment. Then, the second Usopp was close enough, she quickly lowered her Sword beneath the backpack and swung it up like a spatula. Flipping Usopp and his giant backpack in the air like a pancake before he came crashing down to the ground. Almost as though it was a joke, Usopp landed on his face.

"Ow, hey, thanks a lot." Usopp muttered sarcastically beneath his backpack.

"Don't mention it." Silk nonchalantly replied while putting away her Sword.

Usopp then got to his feet. Though the huge backpack was much larger than Usopp himself, it was like he had packed his entire house, which caused him to almost lose his balance.

"What is that?" Light shook his hand. "When setting sail, you're supposed to only take what you need."

"I did. I'll have you know!" Usopp insisted. "Everything in this bag is extremely important for my Pirating adventure."

"How is everything you own not in there?" Zoro wondered offhandedly.

While the rest of the crew boarded the ship, Usopp was going to share a goodbye with Kaya.

"Usopp, you're leaving?" Kaya wondered, making it easy to hear the sadness in her voice.

"It's something I gotta do, Kaya." Usopp assured her.

"You're really doing it." Kaya said. "You're gonna take to the ocean."

"Yeah, I decided to get going before I have any time to change my mind." Usopp declared. "Please, don't stop me."

"I won't." Kaya shook her head. "I know it's time for you to go."

"Kaya, don't be sad." Usopp added with a smile. "Just think the next time I come here, I'll tell you about adventures that'll sound more like lies than my old ones."

"Good." Kaya flashed a smile back at him. "I'll look forward to it."

When he was done, he turned towards Going Merry. Light looked down at him. "Have you settled your business?"

"I have." Usopp had a bright look in his eyes. "I've said all my goodbyes and am now ready to off for life on the high seas!"

"Then got on." Light happily urged him. "Today, our adventure begins in earnest."

"Yeah!" Usopp exclaimed with a leap of victory and pumping a fist into the air. "I'M REALLY A PIRATE CAPTAIN NOW!"

"We never said that!" Light said jokingly, and everyone was laughing as Usopp jumped on board with them all and heaved all his stuff up with him.

It was now finally time for their new ship to begin its first take off from the Island. Watching the ship sail away, the now-former Usopp Pirates, Pepper, Onion, and Carrot, watch the ship leave.

"There goes the Captain." Onion noted.

"He fell in with some pretty awesome people, so I'm not too worried." Pepper remarked.

"Yeah, he'll be safe." Carrot added. "I've never seen anybody as strong as they are. He's always talked about being a Pirate, and now he's off to live his dreams."

"You know the villagers are gonna be sad when we break to news to them." Pepper commented.

"Our Captain was the only one who can liven things up around here." Onion stated. "And now he's gone."

"Hey, I just had a great idea!" Pepper vocalized to his fellow 'Usopp Pirates' as he relayed his plan with them.

Kaya was leaning against a tree as Merry stood beside her. As they watched the ship get visibly smaller and smaller as it drifted from the Island.

"They certainly were a pleasant bunch." Merry fondly vocalized.

"Merry?" Kaya spoke.

"Yes?" Merry responded.

"Lying hurts a lot." She noted.

"Are you referring to Klahadore?" Merry queried.

"No." Kaya dismissed.

"You must be talking about Usopp?" Merry assumed. "You really wanted him to stay, didn't you?"

Kaya rested her head on her knees to hide the tears starting to the brim from her eyes. It was no secret she was really going to miss Usopp, and all the moments they shared when he'd told her his stories.

"Miss Kaya…" Merry solemnly spoke. "Years ago, one of the villagers told me a story about your good friend Usopp's childhood. Only a short time, after his father left the village to become a Pirate, his mother, whom he was very close to, passed away."

Merry explained the story to Kaya about how he lost a mother who died of illness when Usopp was still very young. Merry mentioned after Usopp's mother died was when he began shouting his lies that Pirates were coming to the village.

"Perhaps, out of loneliness, he continued to shout it after his mother passed away in hopes that one day, his fathers' Pirate Ship would be at the shore." Merry said. "Ready to spirit him away to the sea and give him a family that he never had. The villagers say that his outlandish lies contain his most heartfelt wish."

Kaya had tears pouring from her eyes after hearing Usopp's tale from Merry. But she had a smile on her face through the tears.

"As someone else who lost both parents, he saw you as a kindred spirit, and he couldn't sit by and ignore your suffering." Merry stated. "Now it's time for you, too, to rise from the ashes of tragedy and live up to the example that Usopp set so hard to set."

Kaya figured that Merry was right and that she should follow Usopp's example. She wiped away the tears from her face and kept her thoughtful smile.

"Yes." She agreed. "They said they were fighting to live, not to die. Usopp's wild stories and outlandish lies always spoke of the joy of being alive. They helped me through my grief by cheering me up and telling me to live."

"Indeed." Merry said in agreement with proud eyes toward Kaya.

After getting some drinks from below, they were all drinking up on deck.

The crew finished getting acquainted with their new vessel, which would take them to the Grand Line. Light raised his mug and announced.

"Cheers to our victory against the Black Cat Pirates and acquiring our long-awaited Pirate Ship!" Light proclaimed.

[CHEERS!] They all celebrated.

Despite the festive mood, Nami decided to ask a question that's been on her mind. "Say Light, back during the fighting, how were you able to follow Kuro's moves like that?"

"I've actually been curious about that myself." Usopp chimed in. "My eyes couldn't see him at all, but it was like you knew exactly where he would be the whole time."

"Simple, it's because I was tracing him without using my eyes." Light answered while pointing to my eyes.

"What, like predicting his movements?" Zoro inquired.

"No, sensing his movements." Light corrected.

His answer just confused them as they now had an entirely new subject to be curious about. Silk broke the silence. "And… How did you do that?"

"It's just a special power of mine, like how I knocked out all those Pirates at the slope." Light said casually.

"Which you also never got around to explaining." Nami pointed out with annoyance.

"How many special powers do you have anyway?" Usopp asked, thrown off.

"A few." Light walked over to the bow of the ship. "I'll tell you about it sometime."

"Well, that's about all we're doing to get from him." Silk told them knowingly.

Zoro thus chose to leave the matter aside and ask about a different subject. "So then, where are we headed next?"

"Where else?" Light kept his gaze on the far-off horizon. "Let's head for the Grand Line!" He declared excited as he pointed forward and yelled. "SET SAIL!"

[AYE, AYE, SIR!] They all responded with the same excitement.

—…

That's the chapter. First of all, I now realize that among all my stories, my One Piece story takes the longest to write chapters for. Though considering I try to finish whole Arcs in just one or two chapters, that's natural. I'll try to fix that so you don't always have to wait so long to get updates.

I tried to mix up the fights a little so that everyone got their own opponent, except Nami, but she didn't fight anyone in the canon either, so it doesn't really matter. I also let the crew see glimpses of Light's Haki because they find out what it is after a while. Not to mention I wanted to give Usopp his shining moment by truly letting him beat Jango on his own. He deserved that much.

And despite how fast Klahadore was, it was apparent he'd be no threat to someone who had Haki — Color of Observation, but I still wanted to make it enjoyable. And after a friend of mine told me about an Anime where one of the characters used the Six-Sword style, and when I saw it, I immediately thought of how it resembled Klahadore's style. That's how I got the idea of having Light use it in this fight.

Speaking of which; For those of you who haven't figured it out yet, Light's "These Knuckles 'o Mine" catchphrase is a reference to another character's catchphrase. It belonged to one of my favorite characters—Sendo Takeshi from Hajime No Ippo, which I highly recommend. He arguably had the Strongest fists in the whole series and would always say that before a fight in the Manga. I liked it, so I added it to my character. Now you know.

Anyways thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed. If you want more, leave a review. If you like the story, click the follow/favorite. If you want an early release feel free to become a patron, and as always, have an awesome day.