Kuro laid flat on his back as Luffy stood on the other end of the slope. Fist clenched in front of him, Luffy gripped his forearm with his other hand from the force of the retracting stretch.

Even from so far away, Ellis could see his expression contorted in anger.

Her gaze then moved to Zoro, whose glare could cut through concrete with how hard he was staring at Kuro.

In the background, Ellis could hear the opposing crew freaking out.

"What was that?!"

"It's sorcery!"

"He's a freak!"

"A magical freak!"

"He sent Captain Kuro flying!"

They follow someone as weird as Jango, but call Luffy the freak? I mean, sure, this Devil Fruit ability of his is bizarre, but seriously–

Luffy released his forearm and swung his fist to hold in front of him. Then he slowly cracked one knuckle at a time, single-handed, as his stare grew in intensity.

Crack!

Crack!

Crack–you get the idea.

Ellis could feel the intensity of Kuro's hatred emanating from him almost in waves. The cracks in his lenses only added to the intimidation.

Usopp lay prone on the ground, frozen, staring at Luffy with his mouth agape.

Ellis felt chills climbing up her back. She spun to face Kuro, only for him to walk right past her with an ominous breeze and billowing coat, blades gleaming as he held them out.

Kuro adjusted his glasses, the tinkling of broken glass emphasizing the move.

One lens shattered.

Kuro kept walking. She turned to face him–

He kicked Usopp in the face, getting him thrown back.

"That hurt," Kuro said, looking down at everyone. "My, my. That's quite a strange technique you've developed there. Tell me something, do you have powers from eating a Devil Fruit?"

At least his attention is back on Luffy. I don't know how much more Usopp could take.

Luffy smirked, hand on his hip. "Yep. I'm a rubber man."

…

"HE ATE A DEVIL FRUIT?!"

Kuro's crew freaked out.

"That guy's dangerous!"

"Those Devil Fruit people are real!"

"He's got rubber arms of death!"

Kuro just stared. "Jango!"

"Sir!"

"I can handle the boy," Kuro said. "You take care of Miss Kaya like planned." He pointed his claws at them. "Have her write her butler into her will. Then kill her."

Usopp grunted as he pushed himself up. Ellis moved over to help him.

"I'm on it," Jango said, walking up the slope.

Zoro blocked his way with a sword.

"Stop right there," he said. "If you want to get to them, you'll have to make it through me, first."

Jango grimaced before calling Butchie.

Butchie growled, which turned into a shout as he leaped into the sky, "Catastrophe!"

"Not again!" Zoro complained, jumping out of the way.

Butchie landed where he previously stood–however, this time the ground around them broke apart as if struck by an earthquake.

Amongst the commotion, Ellis half-dragged Usopp away, onto the grassy area to the side of the slope.

Then the sides of the cliff started crumbling.

Causing a rockslide.

"What is this guy, a natural disaster?" Ellis mumbled as the two stared on, Usopp heavily leaning on her. She could feel him trembling against her, but she didn't say anything.

His body was warm against her, making her feel weird. She's not used to people touching her to this degree. It was strange.

Luffy remained unmoved as he and Kuro stared each other down.

The slope was otherwise concealed by clouds of dirt and debris. Ellis could hear blades clashing as Zoro kept fighting.

The cloud dissipated just as Zoro slammed into the side of the cliff.

Ellis winced. Usopp tightened his grip on her.

That would shatter the bones of a normal man. Considering how he survived getting hit by a Buggy Ball and a house collapsing over him, he should be fine.

…Right?

Zoro blocked Butchie's claws with his sword, but his leg was extended, kicking his attacker in the face.

Ellis could hear their growls of exertion as they pushed against each other, trying to gain the upper hand.

"That guy is crazy!" Usopp said.

Jango walked past them, Ellis giving him a side-eye, having reached the top of the slope.

"Oh no, Kaya!" Usopp continued. He struggled out of her grip, moving unsteadily after him. Right as he lost balance, Ellis ran forward to catch him. Usopp's short, choppy breathing was exacerbated by his gritted teeth as they stared after Jango.

Ellis helped him stand up again, and his grip on her was tight.

Hopefully, those kids took Kaya to the other side of the island by now. They're smart enough to see through Usopp's lie. Here's hoping they're not smart enough to see through mine until all this is over.

Usopp reached for his slingshot, his balance solely resting on Ellis, as he lined up a shot.

As Jango approached the tree line, he was struck by a projectile.

"Gotcha," Usopp mumbled. Ellis adjusted her grip as his balance shifted.

"Damn you!" he growled as he spun to face them.

"He's not a priority right now!" Kuro snapped. Ellis eyed him.

Losing composure once more. We may have more of a chance than I thought. He wouldn't be unraveling if things were going his way.

Jango took a second before spinning around and running for the trees. "Yes sir!"

The sound of sandals let Ellis know Luffy was slowly making his way up the slope.

He better be returning to fight, I can't help Usopp walk and protect him from Kuro at the same time.

"Her chance of escape is minuscule. We know all too well how weak Kaya is," Kuro stated. "There is no way she can possibly get past Jango. Now if you want to help her, go ahead," he smirked. "But first you have to get off this hill alive. Usopp."

Kuro stared at Luffy's blank face as he just kept walking.

"Butchie!" He shouted.

"I guess losing to me once just wasn't enough for you, huh?" Zoro stated as Luffy closed in. "I told you to get out of my way, you tub of lard! Now move!"

Zoro kicked Butchie off of himself, unsheathed his other sword, and slashed.

Butchie coughed blood as he flew back, blood splattering from his now gaping chest wound.

Somehow, Zoro ended up putting that third sword in his mouth in the split second it took to finish him off.

Ellis didn't even see it happen.

Then Zoro tossed his three swords in the air before catching them, then Butchie slammed into the ground.

Zoro sheathed his blades.

THUD!

A loud sound from deep through the trees caused a large flock of birds to fly overhead. Ellis and Usopp turned at the noise.

"What… what was that sound?" Usopp asked.

"That," Kuro said, "was the sound of destruction. Jango's probably tearing the place apart. Go ahead," he taunted, "see for yourself, if you can get that far."

"Heartless bastard," Usopp quaked against Ellis. "Don't you have a shred of pity? You lived with that girl for three years!"

"No, I've told you, Kaya is nothing more than a pawn in a game I intend to win," Kuro said.

Dehumanizing the people around you. The world around you. What a sad way to live. There's no convincing him to stop hurting people if he doesn't view them, or you, as in any way equal to him.

"Once she's dead," Kuro continued, "then I'll be grateful to her."

"Damn you," Usopp uttered.

"This guy is hopelessly evil," Zoro said.

"We should put him out of his misery," Luffy added.

"He won't be miserable until he loses," Ellis said. "Until we foil his plan so completely, there isn't anything he can do to fix it."

"Hey!" Luffy shouted. "Usopp! Go find the others!"

Usopp lifted his head from against her arm.

"Don't worry, we'll take care of this guy!" Luffy continued.

"Go on," Zoro added.

Usopp glanced back at Kuro before Ellis urged him to start making his way to the treeline with her help. Each step he made was accompanied by the noises of his pain, but the two kept going.

Ellis kept Kuro in her line of view.

"Oh, very impressive. You can still move," Kuro taunted.

"Shut up," Usopp grunted, pausing his walk. "You won't get away with this. I won't let you." Usopp breathed heavily. "You've betrayed the villagers' trust! Not to mention you planned to take the life of a sweet young girl! This is the last time you ever get your way!"

Usopp took a step towards Kuro and out of Ellis's support, but faltered and fell on his face. Ellis rushed over, kneeling next to him, unsure of how to help him.

"It… hurts…" He choked out. "It hurts so bad I can't move…"

Ellis moved to stand between the prone Usopp and the biggest threat that was Kuro. She stood in a defensive stance, ready to fight him off if necessary.

Kuro laughed. "You really are a riot!" He exclaimed. "So I betrayed them, you say? Oh, please! Grow up! That was all part of the plan!"

Doesn't mean it's not betrayal.

"A village liar who plays pirates with the local kids has no place talking like a real pirate!" Kuro continued, resentment dripping from his tone. "Just stay on the ground, then." He chuckled. "Even if you did somehow catch up to Jango, he'd end your life in the blink of an eye. Staying there is what's best for you."

"I don't care," Usopp whimpered so quietly, Ellis almost didn't catch it. "I don't care that I'm weak, I'll protect them." His voice grew in strength. "I'm Captain of the Usopp Pirates, a brave Warrior of the Sea who fights for what he holds dear." His voice turns into a shout. "I will protect everyone in the village if it kills me. On my word, you will never set foot in that village!" He bellowed.

Ellis could hear the enemy crew at the beach start talking.

"What's his deal?"

"He's yelling about something."

"Check it out, he's crying!"

Then they laugh.

And Luffy launches a boulder at them because of it.

It lands right in the center of the group, and as they get thrown from the ground, Luffy stands above them glowering.

…I'm going to choose not to acknowledge he just did that. Now's not the time to freak out about the implications of his strength.

Though she commends him for standing up for Usopp.

"What's so funny?!" He shouts.

Then Zoro enters her field of view.

She didn't even notice him approach.

He lifts Usopp over his shoulder and turns to his captain. "Hey, Luffy! Me and Usopp are going to chase down that hypno-freak, is that a problem?"

…Do they not need me to go with them?

Ellis turned to face Luffy as he stood on the slope facing the enemy crew, back turned to Kuro.

Boldly disregarding Kuro as a threat.

He probably wouldn't like that.

"No," Luffy responded. "Hurry!"

Zoro starts walking off with Usopp.

Well, with Zoro with Usopp, I would probably just get in his way. I'm sure if he needed me, he would have included me in the first place.

"Thank you," Usopp mumbled.

"I'd be a whole lot faster if I was going by myself, but I don't know those woods, so if we're gonna catch up to them, I'm gonna need your help," Zoro said.

Well, there you go.

Then, Kuro appeared before them.

"Hold it, you two. Where do you think you're going?" He said. "Who gave you permission to go anywhere?"

What are they, kids? Why would they need permission–oh, yeah, it's just a way for him to be condescending and dismissive of their skills. Nevermind.

"I did!"

Kuro dodged as Luffy appeared towards the top of the slope in the blink of an eye, arm stretched into a punch he only barely missed landing.

"Usopp, Zoro, get going!"

Kuro's attention once again focused on Luffy, giving the two a chance to get past him.

Luffy's extended arm must've grabbed onto something because then Luffy came flying right past him.

Now he stood between Kuro and his prey.

Well, Luffy was trying to catch his balance as he landed, but Kuro took advantage of that and charged right at him, aiming to slice his back.

Luffy let himself fall forward to dodge it, landing on his forearms as he held himself in an almost-handstand, then clapped his feet together.

"Gum-Gum…" he bent his knees, building up tension in his rubbery limbs, "Spear!" Then he launched his feet at Kuro.

"Damn, he disappeared again!" Luffy commented as his legs stayed stretched.

Why is he staying like that, shouldn't he move to be better prepared for Kuro's next attack?

His limbs retracted and with the momentum he bounced back onto his feet.

"The others got away. That's the most important thing, really," he said to himself.

…does he not remember I'm here?

Ellis paused to think.

I can hide in the tree line and take this opportunity to observe Luffy while he thinks nobody's watching. See what he's really like. And, if Kuro somehow wins, I could sneak behind him for a surprise attack.

She nodded to herself.

Yeah, that sounds like a solid plan.

She slowly started backing up, heading for the treeline.

"Before I kill you," Kuro appeared some distance from Luffy, "I feel compelled to ask. What is an outsider like you butting into this village's business for?"

Luffy gave a slight smile. "Because there's a man in this village that I don't want to let die."

"Simple enough," Kuro smirked. "Are you okay with that being the reason that you die?"

"Sure am," Luffy gave a grin that was more like baring teeth than actual happiness. "But I'm not gonna die."

Ellis made a face at that. Why was he so casual about it?

Death. Dying.

Ellis shuddered.

Luffy moved into a stance.

"We'll see about that!" Kuro mirrored him.

Ellis stepped carefully as the ground changed from packed dirt to loose soil as she reached her destination. She settled a few trees in, crouching low to the ground and peering from around a trunk.

As Kuro moved to approach, Luffy's arms both extended, grabbing him by the arms and launching himself feet-foward at Kuro.

Yeah. This is as good of a spot as she can get. Now Ellis can finally observe Luffy without distractions.

She really needed a breather after everything that happened since the sun rose that morning.

Either we succeed or we fail. No use worrying about it right now.

As he got close, Kuro then moved his arm to the side, forcing Luffy to slam face-first into the ground.

He's seemingly immune to blunt-force trauma… but shouldn't it still hurt?

Luffy gritted his teeth as he peered over at his opponent.

Or is he simply that good at blocking out his pain? Anyone normal would have to take a moment to shake it off, but he just takes it and moves on.

Luffy's arms retract as he stands himself back up.

"Gum-Gum Whip!" Luffy spins into some sort of breakdance move to achieve enough momentum to stretch his leg out and attempt to sweep Kuro.

Kuro just jumps to dodge it.

"And Pistol!" Luffy stands up and stretches his arm at Kuro as he heads to the ground. However, his foot touches the ground and he launches himself at Luffy, not only dodging it but landing on his outstretched arm.

What kind of cartoon bullshit is this? Shouldn't Kuro's weight pull his arm down, or are his arms so strong he can withstand the weight of a full-grown man on them?

"This is quite boring," Kuro comments.

"Cocky jerk!" Luffy bites back.

Then Kuro runs along Luffy's arm, approaching him, and instead of Luffy doing something to dodge it, Kuro kicks him in the face.

Kicks him

As in, doesn't use his blades.

What happened to all that slicing he was doing earlier? He must really want to draw out Luffy's suffering. Too bad Luffy isn't afraid of him.

Or is he just not afraid of death?

Who knows, at this point?

Luffy slams into the ground, hat flying off his head and out of the way. Kuro was nice enough to give Luffy a moment to get up from the ground.

"Ow," Luffy muttered, wiping the edge of his mouth with his arm. "He nicked me."

Kuro's crew talked among themselves before cheering for Kuro.

"Shut up," Kuro complained. "Don't call me that!"

He's at the end of his rope.

"You still don't get it. You fools," Kuro said. "This whole plan was devised so that I'd be rid of that name once and for all!"

Everyone stared in silence. Luffy, in confusion.

"I'm tired of it. Concocting plans every day for a bunch of barbarians who care only about havoc and mayhem!"

Has he looked in the mirror lately? What is any of this, if not 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 just sounds like a criminal that couldn't handle the consequences of being a criminal. It just happened to be at sea. What, did he think he would be free to do whatever he wanted just because he could sail away from all the problems he caused? News flash, buddy. You shouldn't've made a name for yourself if you couldn't handle the attention.

Ellis chuckled to herself.

Good criminals don't get caught. The best criminals leave before anyone even knows they were there. It just sounds like he couldn't get his ego in check. He needed the recognition.

Then he went and explained how he tricked the world into thinking he died. He threw a crewmate under the bus, hypnotizing him and the only Marine left after the slaughter into thinking he caught Kuro.

Then his decoy got executed.

People like him are why I stopped working with other criminals. You couldn't even trust your own shadow. People like him aren't safe to be around.

It's better to be alone than with people like that.

Kuro continued to boast about his plan to escape pirate life, and Ellis noted that he seemed to need to talk about how great his plans are. He needs to tell the people around him how great he is.

If he were truly as smart as he says he is, he wouldn't need to talk about it this much. Nobody smart becomes a violent criminal.

Nobody smart kills people for their own pleasure.

Being unable to control your emotions into physically lashing out at the people around you? It's pathetic, actually.

Plus, it's not like it's hard to get away with crime in the East Blue. The Marine presence here is so lackluster, that anyone from a different Blue could come here and be stronger than everyone else. Nobody truly strong would seek to take advantage of the weak. They're the bottom of the barrel everywhere else, and it shows.

"And when my plan succeeds today, after three years of planning, revising, and waiting, my goal will be achieved in its entirety! Wealth and peace of mind will finally be mine."

He really can't tolerate living a type of life without getting tired of it. It only takes a few years. First, it was as a pirate. Then, as a backstabbing butler.

I wonder what he would do next? Who would be his next target? People like him don't just stop killing, it would only be a matter of time.

"Do you understand now, boy?" Kuro continued. "I will not allow this perfect plan years in the making to fail!"

It's already falling apart. I would just leave if my plan failed this spectacularly. Living to see another day and trying something else instead of dying on this hill.

"My plan will not be disrupted like an urchin like you!"

Buddy, it's beyond disrupted.

Luffy reached back, stretching his arms to grab at the boulder he had thrown previously. He gripped it as Kuro ran at him, and pulled it back to hold it in front of him like a shield.

Just in time to catch Kuro's blades as he stabbed at him.

"It would seem you could do a lot more than just stretch," Kuro commented, eyes crazy.

"That's right!" Luffy boasted. "I've been toughening myself up to be a pirate!"

Luffy tightens his hold on the boulder, causing the outer portions to crumble off. Now a third of its size, Luffy yanks the boulder to the side, causing Kuro's entire hand of blades to snap.

Ellis didn't even want to think about the amount of force it took for the blades to entirely stab stone, let alone Luffy being able to break them.

He single-handedly got rid of fifty percent of Kuro's claws.

Talk about efficiency.

Wait a second.

Toughened himself up to become a pirate?! Yeah, to reiterate, nobody smart becomes a criminal.

It shows in the two people in front of her, albeit at opposite ends of the spectrum.

Anyway, Kuro lost balance when he was yanked by the boulder and fell on his face.

"You know what? Don't want a reputation?" Luffy slammed Kuro with the boulder. "Then don't be a pirate!"

And that was probably the smartest thing Ellis ever heard Luffy say.

Luffy still held the boulder as he took a step back, grinning deviously.

"You're just greedy, Kuro. But I have ambition!"

At that, another wave of birds flew overhead, disturbed by the commotion.

"Wait! He just–"

"He just broke Captain Kuro's Cat Claw!"

The crew stared in awe at the feat as Luffy smirked into a grin.

"That leaves only five more of those weird swords," Luffy said, dropping the boulder off to the side, causing the ground to briefly shake.

Kuro groaned.

"Don't worry, guys! He can still fight plenty!" Someone from the opposing crew shouted.

"Yeah! He still has that other claw!" Another said.

"You can do it! Rip that guy to shreds, Captain Kuro!"

Do they still not understand their position? That Kuro plans to kill them all, brutally and without mercy?

"Don't use that name anymore. He doesn't like it, remember?"

"I think in this village his name is Klaha-something…?"

"Klaha-something?"

The crew cheered.

"Yeah, Klaha-something!"

"Get him good!"

Kuro pushed himself off the ground. "Shut your mouths. ALL OF YOU."

The crew silenced.

"Soon enough I'll deal with you in the only appropriate manner," he stood. "Extermination!" He flashed his blades. "I'll also kill that fool Jango!"

Luffy stood in front of him, blankly.

"But–why kill us, Captain?" One person asked.

"Come on, please don't joke around like that, Captain Kuro!" Said another.

Every time they say 'Captain,' they're digging a deeper hole for themselves. It probably irks Kuro to be reminded of all these loose ends, let alone that it hadn't hit them that they're dead men walking. Kuro thrives off the terror of his victims, so their obliviousness will set him off.

"It's still not too late for us to attack the village, right?"

Or that they don't know why he's killing them. It's not because of their failure, it's because every second they breathe, it's his failure to kill them, and he can't handle that.

"Yeah, and if Captain Jango gets her to write her will, then your plan should still work perfectly!"

"This plan is no longer any of your concern," Kuro said, adjusting his glasses. "When all of you are dead, this village will know who to blame for this atrocity."

The crew gasped.

"I never intended to let any of you mongrels leave this village from the start. No one. No one who knows my true identity can be allowed to live to tell about it!"

"No way!"

"You had already planned to kill every last one of us from the very beginning!"

Kuro chuckled. "That's right. Three years ago, I planned to erase Captain Kuro and every last person who ever knew him. It's all part of my plan."

"You guys are dumb," Luffy said with his hands on his hips. "The most uncool pirates I know."

…Uncool? That's the metric he uses to judge pirates? Of all things?

"We're uncool, huh?" Kuro said, adjusting his glasses with his palm. "Pirates are nothing more than savages, incapable of rising above their animal nature."

Any animal in the world would be more compassionate than him. At least animals don't indiscriminately slaughter entire groups of people just because they can. Not to mention someone who brings up people's 'animalistic nature' is someone to avoid.

"Without my plans," Kuro continued, "what could they possibly accomplish?"

He sounds like Mom.

"A crew is nothing to me. They are simply a means to an end," Kuro said. "Crewmembers 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 had better do it."

Ellis knows this is the general attitude of the pirates she'd met, but the way in which Kuro said it was reminiscent of a cult.

"They know the punishment for disobedience."

Is it death? So they 'get' to 'choose' how to die, then? 'Drink the cool-aid,' so to speak?

Luffy just stared at Kuro, and the longer it went on, the further Kuro's face fell from smug to discomfort to loathing.

"THIS is how pirates are!" Kuro finally snapped. "Don't you DARE talk down to me, boy!"

When someone this type of narcissistic talks to someone who doesn't give them a reaction, they see it as disobedience or judgment. Something negative. Whatever they feel for the person they're talking to, if they don't react to them, then through the power of projection, view it as how they view them. It's actually rather interesting, if only it wasn't something that comes with being the target of someone's ire.

Kuro gritted his teeth, rage contorting his face.

"You know," Luffy finally responded, "no matter how many hundreds or thousands of men follow you as their captain," he paused, "you will never be as good as Usopp."

Luffy got him right where it hurt.

"You fool," Kuro spat. "Are you saying that I am inferior to a kid pretending to be a pirate?!"

"That's right," Luffy said.

Kuro laughed a little too boisterously. An almost forced reaction.

That must've hit a nerve. It looks like he's finally devolved. Hopefully, this means it'll be the end of the fight. With Kuro acting more rashly, Luffy should have more openings to exploit. Here's hoping Luffy has the battle sense to realize this.

Ellis hoped he wasn't the type of fighter to brute force his way through. She doesn't think he is, based on what little she'd seen.

"Well, aren't you funny?!" Kuro said. "Don't get all cocky just because you snapped off one of my cat claws! How exactly is he better than me?"

Wooden chimes sounded. Kuro did some fancy footwork.

"Let's hear it!" Then he disappeared.

And, for some reason, Luffy was smiling.

A/N:

4.5k words

Sorry for the long delay! I took a trip to see the total solar eclipse, then I got a second job, then I went to a wedding. It's been a busy month for myself, I had a LOT of decompression to do, and not a lot of time to do it. I really wanted to just power through and write the rest of the Syrup Village arc in one go, but as I was proofreading a really, really, really rough draft, and fixing things up, I got too tired. So I checked how many words of it I read, and it turned out to be almost 5k, which is a little over the average word count of my posted chapters, so I just decided to find a good spot to cut it off and post it.

I cannot emphasize enough how much I just want to finish this arc. I thought I was finishing it in this last chapter, and I was once again proven to be too optimistic. Oh well.

Sorry if the chapter cut off awkwardly. I wasn't sure where else to end it, and I'm honestly exhausted. Both my jobs are manual labor and start earlier than I'm used to, so I'm pretty wiped.

I only went through it for basic mistakes, so I might fix it up again. It's been like a month since my last update so I figured I'd post it now and fix it later, haha.

Feel free to leave a comment. It really boosts my day and I feel pumped to work on the next chapter when I see a notification!