"You numbnuts were supposed to attack several FUCKING minutes ago!" Kuro shouted at them, his glasses slightly lopsided, his suit imperfectly worn, some blood staining it, and carrying a black bag with him.

"Numbnuts..."

"Has the Black Cats fallen so far that a bunch of kids can so easily take all you on? Now you're just a bunch of fodder."

"Fodder? Maybe you were strong once Kuro, but unlike you, we haven't gotten soft living in some mansion for 3 years. We've hacked our way through the East Blue, slaughtering anyone on our way while you became a cushy butler for some rich people. You're not even our captain anymore."

"Sham, don't!"

Sham tried to attack Kuro, but the only thing he clawed was the bag Kuro carried with him. Kuro completely disappeared from Sham's vision. He tried to find where Kuro was, but stopped when he felt the cold of steel on his neck.

"How did he outmaneuver Sham that quickly?!"

"You're right, I'm not your captain anymore...But I did hire you for a job, for which the penalty is death...But because I've gotten soft, I'll give you guys 5 minutes. Sort it out by then, or else I'll slaughter all of you myself."

"I don't wanna die!" some of the Black Cats shouted.

"Yes, sir." Sham, finally understanding his place, immediately shot out and aimed for Luffy's head, but Luffy, now incredibly focused, dodged him.

Buchi, who was on the ground a while ago, but conscious enough to hear the declaration of their death earlier, coughed up blood and started crawling towards Jango.

"Captain...hypnotize me." He pleaded with Jango, to which Jango complied. Buchi then immediately got up, after getting hypnotized, to fight. His eyes whitened, his heartbeat started beating stronger and quicker, his veins started popping out, and his muscles somehow started to grow even bigger. He decided to go after Luffy first, who was the closest. Buchi, already having superhuman physique before, has now been boosted to his physical limits. He bullrushed Luffy, overwhelming him with his speed. Sham used that chance to run back on Jango and also receive the same power-up that his brother got.

Shame then joined Buchi against Luffy. Together they began actually beating Luffy. Scratches started aggregating on Luffy's body, particularly his forearms and cheeks.

"Luffy, try to feel where they will attack." Zoro adviced him.

Luffy took Zoro's advice to heart and tried to instinctively feel where they'll attack him. It didn't do anything, at first, but then Luffy slowly got scratched less on areas close to being lethal. Luffy didn't become faster, but his movements became more refined, more purposeful. The Nyaban brothers taunted him, and used their speed and synchronicity, but Luffy was undeterred.

He launched himself at Buchi. Luffy managed to grab him, and grappled him to get to his back, and used him as a shield against Sham. Luffy then winded up and headbutted Buchi towards Sham, then used Buchi to hammer Sham. With Buchi on Sham, Luffy unloaded a barrage of attacks on Sham. Sham however, managed to push Buchi out of the way to avoid anymore punishment. They then both got on their feet and kept at it. They moved with grace and speed, but Luffy continued dodging their attacks and striking back with more destructive power.

The Nyaban brothers were soon no match for him, and they were on the defensive, their once confident faces, now filled with apprehension, not confident with their victory, much less their 5 minute deadline.

Luffy then used Gatling, which both of them managed to avoid easily by just going in opposite directions. But it was actually just a distraction for Luffy to grab their legs. He then slammed both of them towards the cliff side, leaving them unable to get up and barely conscious.

And then another key actor arrived at the scene.

"Klahadore, stop!" Kaya's sickly visage graced the battlefield, together with her were Tamanegi, Piiman, and Ninjin. They were half supporting Kaya and half preventing her from going even closer to the fight.

"Miss Kaya, we gotta go! I told you we can't be here. You're their target!"

"What a pleasant surprise Miss Kaya...What brings you here?"

"Merry already told me everything."

"Merry? I could've sworn I killed him already..." Kaya teared up at Kuro's merciless words.

"I'm sorry, Usopp...I drove you away...I just couldn't believe Klahadore could possibly be a pirate."

"It's ok Kaya, it made sense that you didn't believe me. But you have to go now! It's not safe." Usopp said while positioning himself between her and Kuro.

"But you're putting your life on the line to protect me and the village?!"

"Of course... I'm a brave warrior of the sea, remember."

"I know Usopp, but you shouldn't have to fight...Klahadore! If you want my wealth, just take it. But please, leave the village alone." Kaya declared, while pointing a pistol at Kuro.

"Hmmm...You've grown up these last 3 years haven't you Miss Kaya? And I was there at your side for all of it. Even before you became orphaned and ill, we spent quite a while together."

Kaya faltered at Kuro's words that reminded of times when, at least it seemed like, Kuro actually cared.

"We sailed around...took trips around town...I took care of you when you had fevers..I suffered and laughed with you. I was ever your humble servant. I humored you Miss Kaya, and endured it..."

Kuro's slowly chipping away at Kaya's resolve, causing her to lower the pistol so much that it's not even pointed at Kuro anymore.

"All for the day...that I could, finally, kill you!"

She dropped the pistol at his declaration of their 3 years together all being a calculated ruse.

"I'm the dreaded Captain Kuro, bowing towards a spoiled little girl. Can you fathom my humiliation?!"

"Kuro!" Usopp shouted while shooting a Lead Star at him, which he effortlessly dodged.

"Oh right, I still owe you for that punch, don't I, Usopp?" Kuro said while fixing his loose glasses with the bottom of his palm.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure you won't have to worry about that debt anymore." Zoro said, finally stepping in.

"Roronoa Zoro, I should've known. I didn't know you wore a see-through bandana." Kuro said while opening up his arms and claws.

"It's not, don't need my sight to deal with all of you anyway." Zoro said, finally drawing another of his swords after only using 1 since the start of the fight.

"And you also don't even think you need all of your swords to beat me? I'll make you sorely regret that."

"Don't be offended. Nobody in East Blue right now would require me 3 swords to beat either."

"Jango take care of Miss Kaya, but make sure she writes me in her will first." Kuro ordered Jango.

The man then quickly followed orders and sprinted straight towards Kaya. But Luffy quickly slammed the ground in front of Jango to stop him.

"Where do you think you're going weirdo hypnotist?!"

"Go to sleep! 1, 2, Ja-" But before Jango could hypnotize Luffy, Usopp quickly shot Jango with a Fire Star, which burned the string of his chakram, the one Jango uses as a pendulum for his hypnotism, and also lighting his right glove and sleeve on fire.

"Luffy, don't look at his swinging pendulum or you'll get put to sleep again!" Usopp reminded him. Kuro tried to take care of Usopp but Zoro, stopped him.

Then both men turned to blurs in the eyes of everyone watching. Sounds of ringing of metal echoed through the battlefield. Kuro was fast and nimble, but Zoro easily kept up with him.

Luffy tried to beat Jango down, but the Nyaban Bros came back up and caught Luffy unaware and started scratching and stomping on him.

Usopp, deciding that it's too dangerous for Kaya in there, ordered his crew to take Kaya away towards the forest.

"I'll fight Jango in the forest, keep Kaya away, safe." Usopp said before hurrying them away. He himself running into and blending into the woods, with Jango not far from their tail.

Luffy then finally got the brothers off him. He was now much more injured, but so are they, and they're much more winded than he was. They're now far more wary of any of Luffy's strikes that could turn into a grab. They scratched towards any attack Luffy sends towards them and they even started fighting on opposite sides of Luffy to even further increase the difficulty.

"I have to separate them and focus on one first." Luffy said, thinking out loud. Too bad for Luffy, the brothers weren't deaf yet and managed to hear him. Every time Luffy would increase his offensive tempo on 1, the other would fiercely counter attack.

Of course, Luffy had a better stamina than both of them, much more now that they're pushing their bodies to the limit, costing them even more stamina. It was only a matter time before they slip up.

And slip up they did, when Buchi staggered, clearly exhausted, Luffy capitalized and sent an uppercut that sent him flying. Sham tried to get Luffy off Buchi by attacking him, but Luffy positioned himself behind Buchi again and this time Sham's claws struck Buchi's bulk. Luffy used that to really stretch up for a mean kick to the midsection, which sent Sham towards Bezan Black. Luffy then looked at the slowly waking Buchi with a mischievious grin.

By the time Buchi came to, he was already several dozen meters up in the air, a twisted pair of rubbery legs wrapping around him.

"...Giant Hammer!"

That's all Buchi heard before the darkness took over his consciousness once again, this time lasting for a much longer time.

"Now where's the other one?"

"Cyclone Tempo!"

As Luffy was wondering where Sham went, he heard a massive gust of wind blows somebody out of Bezan Black and back unto the shore. Sham was barely able to make himself upright before Luffy clocked him right on the head, knocking him out. Luffy then saw Nami come out of the deck of Bezan Black with a few sacks of treasure on her.

"That scared the fuck out of me! Can't a girl loot pirate ships in peace these days?" Luffy saw her on their deck, patting her chest to calm herself down. "Luffy, help me carry these!"

At the same time as Luffy's fight, Usopp was fighting as well.

"I'll fucking cut ya, long nose brat!" Jango shouted while throwing chakrams into the woods. The chakrams cut through a few trees before they hit Usopp's shield.

They were deflected but Usopp's shield wasn't exactly in pristine condition either. The first layer of sheet metal was already tattered, and the second layer is quite scratched up, with a few bits chipped from the chakrams still stuck on the front together with 3 of the chakrams thrown by Jango, which remained whole. Usopp pulled those out and kept them.

After Jango pinpointed where Usopp was, he sprinted for him, scared that he might lose him again in the woods. Usopp kited Jango and led him to traps, which was the source of a few cuts and bruises on him. Jango angrily stepped on a patch of grass, hoping to finally close in on Usopp, only for his foot to go through, and his leg to get stabbed by a wooden stake.

"Ahhh!"

"You got him Captain!" the kids celebrated.

"Wait! Don't come out yet!" Usopp commanded them, and for good reason as after Jango heard them, he immediately threw chakrams at their direction.

Usopp then put all his strength into throwing his shield towards the trajectory of the chakrams, which protected the kids from harm. Jango, already assuming Usopp would do that, then threw chakrams at him quickly after throwing some to the kids.

It was gonna go through Usopp's head, if Usopp didn't use his slingshot to cover, which redirected the chakrams enough that Usopp was only cut on the cheek. His slingshot however, got cut, disabling his main weapon.

"It's over slingshot shithead! Now you can't shoot me." Jango gloated while pulling his leg off the wooden stake and hobbling towards Usopp.

"You sure about that?" Usopp asked and then threw the chakrams he kept earlier. However, they all curved towards Jango's upper right, completely missing him and flying off.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk... Chakrams aren't slingshots. A really unfortunate time for you to mis-" Jango was cut off, as a log swung towards the back of his head. Usopp managed to cut the rope holding a log trap in place with the chakram he saved earlier.

"Usopp Hammer!" Usopp shouted, as he swung a hammer at Jango's head, which put Jango back at the trajectory of the log's return swing.

Meanwhile, Zoro and Kuro traded blows back and forth, but every clash resulted in Kuro's claws chipping, bit by bit.

"Is that the best you could do?" Zoro taunted. He's actually been stealing and incorporating Kuro's footwork to his own bit by bit, with moderate success. He's now significantly more quiet with his movements but only slightly faster.

'I'm gonna have to steal more of these techniques to grow much stronger, fast.'

"You're really fucking asking for it! Shakushi!" Kuro raged, and then he disappeared from everyone's senses, except for 1.

'I think I'd take that as well.' Zoro thought as he closely observed Kuro's technique.

"Oh no! Please Captain, spare us!" The remaining conscious Black Cats begged their former captain to spare their lives.

'He's moving his legs as if kicking off the ground over 10 times for each step...Let me try.' Zoro thought to himself, and when Kuro was about to slash at his location, he used it and ran straight towards a cliff side.

He caused the cliff side to crater, but he otherwise remained unharmed. 'Looks like I need more practice, but unlike this coward, at least I can see where I'm going.'

"How did you... You're copying my technique?!" Kuro, startled by Zoro's explosive increase in speed, finally noticed.

"You just now realized, that I'm stealing your techniques?"

"If I keep, using my technique, you're gonna keep improving at it quickly...but if I don't use it I'll...!" Kuro muttered, balancing the risks in his head.

"Lose instantly. So be a good victim and go all out. Who knows you might get lucky and actually hit me." Zoro provoked Kuro and gave him a bloodthirsty smile.

Then the 2 of them completely disappeared from everyone's sight once again. Zoro still kept up with Kuro, always staying near him so that Kuro doesn't lose sight of him from his tunnel vision.

'I should kick this up a notch and take this sucker for all of his worth.' Zoro thought to himself, and swung his sword towards Kuro's cheek. The blade struck true, and Kuro received a clean cut towards his cheek. Kuro howled in anger, but he did not lose focus. He pressed on, his attacks became more ferocious and desperate. Zoro met him blow for blow, his footwork getting faster and faster.

They continued clashing for several more minutes. Finally, after Zoro felt like Kuro hit his peak, and was now slowing down, Zoro delivered the final slash.

"I give you my gratitude." Zoro thanked Kuro and sheathed one of his swords. Kuro was puzzled by his words. Using Kuro's own technique he accelerated to his peak speed, sword ready for a horizontal slash.

"Cat Executioner"

It struck true, slicing through Kuro's neck and felling him where he stood.