Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or Pokemon. Just the OCs.
Chapter 8: Cat vs Dog
Everyone in the area was taken aback by what just happened.
"Wait, wasn't that guy next to the straw hat kid?" A Black Cat Pirate questioned.
"How the hell did he manage to get up there so fast!?" Another goon exclaimed.
"Well, whoever he is, he sent Captain Kuro flying!" A third Pirate added.
'It's just like that one time…' Nami thought, remembering how Chiaki managed to swiftly defeat a couple of the Buggy Pirates.
"That is some leg strength…" Edith stated. "It's like he used Quick Attack or something…"
Chiaki twirled his gun for a bit as he took a few steps back before he aimed it at Kuro.
"Get up, asshole." Chiaki demanded with a serious look on his face. "I know you're not so weak that you'd stay down after being hit once."
Sure enough, Kuro was not knocked out as he was glaring at Chiaki from where he was lying.
"I guess I can leave this to you then. As for me, I'm gonna check and see if they have some treasure." Nami said as she went towards the Black Cat Pirates' ship and get onboard of the ship where she planned to steal the treasure..
But before he could get up…
"THE USOPP PIRATES HAVE ARRIVED!" The trio of kids appeared out of nowhere as they slammed down on the downed Kuro with a wooden bat, a frying pan, and a shovel. Right into his face.
"NO, DON'T!" Usopp warned his "crew".
"STAY AWAY!" Kaya added.
"Say your prayers, butler!" Piiman shouted as he and his two friends kept hitting on Kuro.
"Take that! And that!" Ninjin stated.
"Game over, you lousy, no-good Pirate!" Tamanegi added.
"No! Stop it!" Usopp pleaded, knowing full well that the kids unintentionally set up a huge target on their backs.
"Ah! Those kids! What're they doing!?" A Black Cat Pirate asked.
"Those rugrats have a death wish!" Zoro commented.
"Welp… They are so dead…" Hoopa commented.
"Those kids… They are definitely going to be killed!" Edith said, horrified with the thought.
Despite the continuous warnings from Usopp, the Usopp Pirates kept hitting on Kuro until they got tired and stopped.
"Now, those stupid kids have really done it! Captain Kuro is going to be so mad!" Jango said with a panicked expression. "THOSE DUMMY BRATS!"
"Not gonna lie… That is a dick move those three pulled." Chiaki said as if he was taken aback by the three kids' boldness of their act. "But there's a difference between being brave and being stupid. And I think I know where those kids fell to."
"Captain, I knew what you were fighting 'cause it's totally awesome!" Ninjin stated.
"I thought there were no secrets between us Pirates! Why didn't you tell us!?" Piiman asked.
"That's right! We're supposed to tell each other everything!" Tamanegi added.
"Who cares about that!?" Usopp retorted. "Look, this is important! You guys gotta get out of here! Run!"
"No way!" Ninjin refused.
"We have to stand and fight with you!" Piiman stated.
"The Usopp Pirates will be shamed if we run in fear–" Tamanegi did not finish his sentence as he and his friends felt a chill down their spine. He turned around and saw that the guy that he and his two friends were pummeling had got up.
Kuro pushed up his glasses, only for the lenses to be completely shattered. The Usopp Pirates were taken aback that their onslaught did nothing but make the guy glaring down at them, which caused them to scream.
"You idiots! Don't scream! Run!" Usopp shouted.
Kuro walked… and he walked past the screaming kids as he stopped before Usopp. And without warning, he kicked Usopp hard as he sled down on the slope.
"Captain!" The Usopp Pirates called out to their Captain.
Kuro slowly turned around to glare at Chiaki, who glared back.
"That hurt." Kuro stated.
"Don't like it, do ya? Well, there's more where that came from!" Chiaki said.
"My, my… That's quite a strange technique you developed, very similar to my Pussy Foot Maneuver." Kuro commented. "Tell me something: Do you have powers from eating the Devil Fruit?"
"Nope, that's just a little something I got from training with my mom." Chiaki said before he aimed his cutlass at Luffy. "If anything, that guy has it. He ate the Gum Gum Fruit."
"Got that right." Luffy admitted. "I'm a rubber man."
And just like that, the Black Cat Pirates panicked by the mere mention of the Devil Fruit.
"HE ATE THE DEVIL FRUIT!"
"That guy's dangerous!"
"Devil Fruit people are real!"
"You know, it makes perfect sense now." Jango muttered, having come to a realization. "I didn't just hallucinate his arm stretching out like that."
"Jango!" The hypnotist turned around to see that his Captain had called out to him.
"Sir!" He replied.
"I can handle the boy. You take care of Miss Kaya like we planned." Kuro stated. "Have her write her butler into her will… then kill her! As for the kids, they're an eyesore. Eliminate them!"
"This guy… is pure evil!" Edith muttered. 'He's willing to have a bunch of kids killed on a whim? I know I'm not one to talk but that is still not right!'
"I'm on it." Seeing that he had no choice in the matter, Jango proceeded to walk up to the slope.
But he stopped moving when a blade of a katana got in his way.
"Stop right there." Zoro told him. "If you want to get to them, you'll have to make it through me."
"Make that three." Edith corrected. "I'm not gonna sit by and watch as you kill a girl and three little kids."
"(While I expect no less from a Pirate, I will not allow such misdeed to happen!)" Mienfoo said. "(Prepare yourself, cretin!)"
"Sham! Buchi!" As Jango shouted those names, the empowered Nyaban Brothers charged forward.
"Pussywillow March!" Sham shouted as he somehow appeared right in front of Edith and Mienfoo.
"(I'll protect you, Edith! Fury Swipes!)" Mienfoo took a step forward in front of her Trainer and tried to parry the claw swipes with her own, but only to be overpowered. "(What!? Gah!)" She then was struck multiple times by Sham.
"Mienfoo!" Edith cried for her Pokémon.
"Cat-astrophe!" Surprisingly, Buchi was able to jump up high into the air.
"Oh, crap!" Zoro was able to jump away as the former obese man landed on where Zoro was.
Despite that, the impact coming from the attack was so great it destroyed some parts of the cliffs on both the right and left side of the slope, causing several rocks to fall off and some dust to briefly enveloped the slope.
"That power is insane…" Zoro mouthed as he saw a clawed hand rushing towards him and Zoro blocked the claws with his swords, but Buchi ended up pushing Zoro into the wall.
Sham proceeded to finish his onslaught with a hard kick on Mienfoo's body, causing her to be sent flying right near Edith's feet.
"Mienfoo! Are you alright?" Edith asked before she had to duck down from a claw swipe, which ended up tearing the beret she was wearing to shreds.
"Oh, no…" Edith muttered as she kept dodging from Sham's onslaught.
"(Ugh…)" Mienfoo groaned as she got up, albeit barely. "(I'm fine, but I don't think I can handle another hit. His enhancements he received from that hypnotist is not something to be underestimate.)"
Edith ended up finding herself against the wall as she tried to hold Sham like with how Zoro was doing to Buchi.
"Dammit! He's a major pain to deal with now!" Edith stated.
With Usopp, he was struggling to get up but with no success as he watched Jango getting close to Kaya and the Usopp Pirates while his vision started to get blurry. Seeing just how critical his conditions were, he was left with no choice…
"USOPP PIRATES!" Usopp shouted as loud as he could muster, causing Jango to stop moving for some reason.
"Yes, Captain?" The Usopp Pirates asked.
"I need you to listen to me carefully!" The battered young man began.
"Look, we're not running!" Ninjin declared, despite the fact that he and his two friends were scared that they were set up to be killed by Kuro.
"Not after they did this to you!" Piiman stated.
"We will avenge you!" Tamanegi added.
"Protect… Kaya!" Usopp ordered, catching his crew off guard. "Do as I say! Don't argue with me. I'm giving you the most important task there is right now! It's absolutely critical that you succeed! Take Kaya and get away from here. You must keep her safe! This is the reason we want to be Pirates, to protect what's dear to us! So, do as I say! And run!"
"Usopp…" Kaya muttered her friend's name.
"Now, go…" Usopp continued. "That is a direct order…"
"YES, CAPTAIN!" The three kids stated as they hastily did as they were told and managed to escort Kaya out of the area.
"That guy… He may be a wuss, but he got some ways with words." Chiaki smiled. "Respect."
"Jango." Kuro reminded his second-in-command.
"Oh, sorry. I was gawking." Jango stated as he pulled one chakram on each hand and proceeded to spun them around each of his index fingers. "Those fools! Did they really think that they could escape me–Gurgh! Aaahhhh!"
But before the guy could throw his chakrams, he was shot in the back by a silver lead pellet, courtesy of Usopp.
"Hehehe… Gotcha…" Even when he was lying on the ground, Usopp was able to smirk and aimed his trusty slingshot.
"Hrrrgh! DAMN YOU!" Jango turned around to curse at the downed sniper.
"HE'S NOT A PRIORITY RIGHT NOW!" Kuro reprimanded him.
"Um… Yes sir!" And with that, Jango left the area to do what he was ordered.
"Their attempt to escape is futile." Kuro began as he was in a weird stance. "We all know too well how weak Kaya is. There is no way they can possibly escape Jango. Now, if you want to help her, go right ahead." He proceeded to look down on Usopp. "But first, you have to get off this hill alive, Usopp. Sham! Buchi!"
At this point, Zoro and Edith tried their best holding off the hypnotized Nyaban Brothers with their feet.
"Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I'm easy pickings, you dick!" Edith said. "Mienfoo! Use U-Turn!"
"(I suppose using that move is appropriate!)" Mienfoo said as she lunged forward towards her Trainer's side before kicking Sham away from Edith with one of her feet. "(Good luck, Edith.)" That was she said as the Martial Arts Pokémon enveloped in red energy and went back inside her Poké Ball.
"Whoa… Amazing!" Despite walking up to the hill with a serious look, Luffy stopped to gawk at the sight.
"U-Turn, huh? That's a handy move to have." Hoopa remarked.
"I think it's time for you to play with fire, you creepy Purrloin wannabe!" Edith said as she pulled out a different Poké Ball. "Come out, Tepig!" She threw the Poké Ball forward into the air as it opened up, allowing the Pokémon from within to come out into the open.
Standing before Edith was a small, quadrupedal pig-like Pokémon with orange being its primary color of its body. It has oval eyes, a red nose, and a thick yellow stripe on its snout. The upper portion of its head is dark brown, and its long, pointed ears are positioned closely together. It has short legs, and its front feet are dark brown. A dark brown band covers its lower back and rear. Its curly tail is tipped with a ruddy red sphere.
"(I'm ready to burn some idiots, Edith!)" The pig-like creature snorted as it breathed out some fire from its snout, ready to finish what Mienfoo had started.
"Huh…? That girl must be really crazy. There's no way a pig like that can defeat Sham!"
"Looks tasty~" Luffy said as he started drooling.
"So, she got another Pokémon on her." Chiaki commented.
"Hmph! You think a piglet like that can change the outcome." Kuro scoffed. "Sham! Tear that pig apart!"
"Graaah!" Sham roared as he went towards Tepig.
"Ah! That guy's gonna steal my lunch!" Luffy shouted.
"Are you serious?" Edith muttered as she regained her focus. "Tepig, use Flamethrower!"
"(Trying to make a pork chop out of me, eh? How about I turn you…)" Tepig stated as the orb on the end of his tail glowed bright orange. "(... Into bacon!)"
To everyone's surprise, the small pig-like creature released an intense stream of red-yellow fire from his nostrils.
"What the..!? That little piggy just breathed fire from its nose!"
"How is it possible!?"
"Wow! A fire-breathing pig! So, cool!" Luffy stated.
Sham immediately noticed too late as he was hit by the move, causing him to scream in pain as he was sent flying by the stream of flames backwards before he landed on his back, effectively having been out of commission.
"Oh, wow…" Chiaki mouthed as he looked at Edith. 'I guess she's a pro at being a Pokémon Trainer. Possibly being much better than me.'
"I guess that's a win for us." Edith smiled.
"(Hmph! He acts tough even when he was being hypnotized to be stronger but can't handle a little fire. Real embarrassing.)"
"Geez, talk about having literal firepower." Zoro said as he couldn't help but to feel impressed by the new Pokémon that Edith just sent out. "I guess I need to finish up too." He then went back facing Buchi. "I got no time messing around with you! Now, move, you huge tub of lard!" He proceeded to kick down Buchi with his other foot, causing him to take a few steps back. Zoro took this opportunity to pull out his two remaining swords to slice through Buchi with another crossing slash. After that, he proceeded to throw all of his katanas into the air as he outstretched while holding the sheaths, which allowed the swords sheathed themselves as they fell just as Buchi fell to the ground.
As Usopp was in the middle of getting up, he then heard loud noises not too far from where he currently was, followed by a massive flock of birds flying away from what appeared to be the source of the noise.
"Wait… What was that sound…?" Usopp wondered.
"That is the sound of destruction." Kuro answered. "Jango's probably tearing the place apart. Go ahead, see for yourself if you can get up."
Usopp gritted his teeth in anger.
"Heartless bastard…!" Usopp cursed. "Don't you have a shred of pity? You lived with that girl for three years!"
"No." Kuro stated coldly and bluntly. "I've told you, Kaya is nothing more than a pawn in the game I intended to win. When she's dead, then I'll be grateful to her."
"Damn you…"
"That guy's hopelessly evil." Zoro commented as Hoopa, Edith, Tepig, and finally Luffy were next to him.
'I've seen enough ruthlessness from Team Plasma…' Edith thought as she remembered the atrocities that she had seen from the organization she came from and even committed some of the deeds herself. Deeds that she did not really enjoy doing. 'This Kuro guy might be even more ruthless and black-hearted than the high-rank members of Team Plasma! And that says a lot.'
"We should put him out of his misery!" Luffy stated.
"I second that." Chiaki agreed.
"Hey! Usopp!" Luffy called out to his newfound friend. "Go find the others! Don't worry, we'll take care of this guy!"
"Go on." Zoro said with a grin.
"Yeah. Those kids and that girl need your help more than never." Edith stated. "So, get going."
After hearing that assurance from the others, Usopp gathered all the strength that he could muster. It took a few seconds but he somehow managed to get up as he screamed into the sky. Even though he was wobbly, he managed to keep himself standing.
"Ah, very impressive." Kuro stated in a sarcastic tone. "You can still move."
"Shut up." Usopp retorted. "You won't get away with this! I won't let you! You betrayed the villager's trust. Not to mention you planned to take the life of a sweet, young girl. This is the last time you'll ever get your way!"
Despite the efforts, Usopp collapsed on the ground.
"Usopp!" Both Chiaki and Luffy called out their friend.
"It hurts…" Usopp muttered as he was lying down, having lost whatever strength he had to get up again. "It hurts so bad… I can't move…!"
Kuro snickered at the pathetic display Usopp showed before he let out a big laugh.
"You really are a riot!" Kuro mocked. "So, I betrayed them, you say? Oh, please! Grow up! That was all part of the plan! A village liar, who plays Pirates with the local kids, has no place talking like a real Pirate! Just stay on the ground there. Heh! Even if you did somehow catch up to Jango, he'd end your life in a blink of an eye. Staying there is what's best for you."
Chiaki was fuming in anger when the man in front of him outright admitted that he had no remorse in manipulating the entire village on top of attempting to kill a rich girl just because he loathed being in servitude to a kind girl who never mistreated him in any way.
'I can't believe this. This petty-ass bastard…!' Chiaki thought as he became just as furious as Luffy.
"I don't care…" Usopp croaked. "I don't care if I'm weak… I'll protect them…! I'm… Captain of the Usopp Pirates!" He said with tears in his eyes. "The brave warrior of the sea who fights for what he holds dear! I will protect everyone in the village even if it kills me…! ON MY WORD, YOU WILL NEVER SET FOOT IN THAT VILLAGE!"
"This guy…" Edith muttered as she felt the determination from Usopp's speech. 'He may be beaten, but he doesn't give up and he still wants to keep on fighting! That's a certified badass moment if I ever heard of it.'
"What's his deal?"
"He's yelling about something!"
"Check it out, he's crying!"
Just like that, the Black Cat Pirates began to laugh at Usopp. This rubbed Luffy the wrong way as he took up a large boulder to his hand and slammed it down at the laughing Pirates, causing some of them to be either sent flying or scamper away in fright to avoid getting hit by the boulder.
"What's so funny!?" Luffy asked angrily as he glared at the Pirates, who immediately ceased laughing.
"Hey, Luffy! Mind if I take on this guy?" Luffy turned around and saw Chiaki, who was completely serious in his expression. "The bastard thinks he can get away from all the bad things he committed and I'm itching to prove him wrong. And I'm willing to make a show out of it as a bonus too if you let me handle him."
As much as Luffy wanted to be the one to take on Kuro, he could tell that Chiaki was dead set on beating Kuro, even more than him.
"Sure, go ahead!" Luffy grinned. "Hit him real hard!"
"Sure thing, buddy." Chiaki said.
Zoro and Edith, who have returned Tepig back to his Poké Ball, went over to where Usopp was. He proceeded to toss the battered sniper over his shoulder.
"Luffy! Me, Edith, and Usopp are gonna chase down that hypno freak. Is that a problem?"
"No. Hurry!" Luffy replied as the three started walking up.
"Thank you." Usopp said to Zoro before he saw what appeared to be a small, round blue fruit on Edith's hand. "What's that?"
"An Oran Berry. Eat up." Edith answered. "It's not much but it'll help you recover just a little."
"Okay." Usopp said as Edith tossed the Berry into Usopp's mouth.
As Usopp ate the Berry. He felt a bit of his strength had returned.
"Come on, let's catch up to Jango." Zoro stated. "It'd be quicker if I went alone, but I don't know those woods. So, if we're gonna catch up to them, I'm gonna need your help."
As Zoro and Edith walked past Kuro…
"Hold it, you three." Kuro told them, making them stop walking. "Where do you think you're going? Who gave you permission to go anywhere?"
"I did!" Luffy retorted as he threw a punch at Kuro, who leaned backward to evade the attack. "Zoro! Edin! Get going!"
"Hey! My name is not Edin, it's Edith!" Edith corrected him.
"Come on, let's go already!" Zoro told the girl.
"R-Right!"
And with that, they left the area to go after Jango.
"Hey, Chiaki! Make sure to hit that stupid Kuro good!" Luffy told him.
"This is your time to shine, Chiaki!" Hoopa cheered as he went over to Luffy's side. "Show him what you got!"
"One fresh beatdown coming right up!" Chiaki said as he dashed towards Kuro and went for a knee kick, only for Kuro to use his signature technique to dodge and briefly disappear. "Dammit! He dodged again!" He muttered as he felt Kuro was behind him and dodged a claw swipe with his own technique before countering with a slash and a roundhouse kick. But Kuro ended up evading that attack too. "Well, that didn't go well."
"Before I kill you, I feel compelled to ask…" Kuro began as he appeared to his left. "What is an outsider like you butting into this village's business for?"
"Well, there's someone in this village that I have taken a liking to and I'd rather not have him die on me." Chiaki answered.
"Simple enough." The bespectacled man stated. "Are you okay with that being the reason that you die?"
"You're assuming that I'm gonna roll over just because you want me to." Chiaki said as he pulled out Rockruff's Poké Ball. "Sorry, but I don't plan on dying today. Come out! Rockruff!"
He threw the Poké Ball into the air as the aforementioned Pokémon appeared at his Trainer's side.
"(I'm ready and able, Chiaki!)" Rockruff declared.
"Oh? You're planning to fight with me with a mangy mutt like that?" Kuro stated. "Are you planning to amuse me with that, then congratulations it's working."
"We'll see about that, don't we?" Chiaki stated as he swapped his gun for another cutlass. "Rockruff, use Rock Throw!"
"(Here I go!)" Rockruff then fired multiple rocks at Kuro.
"A neat trick, but ultimately pointless!" Kuro scoffed as he evaded the move, but was then met with Chiaki coming at him with his cutlasses.
"Gotcha!" Chiaki said as he did a double horizontal slash, but Kuro used his blades to block and parry the swords before kicking Chiaki on the face, causing him to be sent flying through the air until he fell on the ground.
"(Hey, Chiaki! You okay?)" Rockruff approached his Trainer, who managed to get up.
"Heh. Don't worry, I'm fine." Chiaki answered as he caressed the bruise on his cheek. "The bastard's really not all talk. That I admit."
On the sidelines, Kuro's men, along with Luffy and Hoopa, were watching said fight before them.
"Wow, Chiaki's really good." Luffy commented.
"Even though it's him and one of his Pokémon, which is considered unfair in a 1-on-1 fight, he and his Pokémon still fight as one." Hoopa explained. "You could say that it is a unique trait in Chiaki's fighting style."
"Kuro just landed a hit on that guy." A Black Cat Pirate stated.
"Even if he was outnumbered, Captain Kuro still got the upper hand!" Another one said,
"Yeah, that's Captain Kuro for ya." A third Pirate added.
Then, all of the Black Cat Pirates went and praised their Captain. However, what they did not know was that Kuro despised such actions.
"Shut up… Don't call me that!" Kuro reprimanded his men, which caused them to stop. "You still don't get it? You fools, this whole plan was devised so that I may be rid of that name once and for all! I'm tired of it. Concocting plans everyday for a bunch of barbarians who care only for havoc and mayhem… Relentlessly attacked by Government dogs and bounty hunters… I'm tired of it! I'M SICK AND TIRED OF THAT ENTIRE CURSED LIFE!" He continued as he raised his voice at the last sentence.
Kuro then reminisced to a particular point of time…
(Flashback)
Kuro and Jango were sitting inside of the Captain's Quarters on the ship as they heard an explosion from the outside.
"The Navy, huh?" Kuro repeated after he was done listening to Jango's report. "This is the third time this week!"
"Well, can you really blame them? You're one of the most famous Pirates sailing the seas right now." Jango lampshaded. "Captain Kuro is a superstar."
"You're right. My infamy is what draws them to us." Kuro stated. "That's why I'm going to give up being 'Captain Kuro'."
Another explosion could be heard right after Kuro uttered his previous sentence.
"Yeah, wouldn't that be nice?" Jango said, dismissing his Captain's words as a joke. "Except the Marines won't stop the pursuit until Captain Kuro is dead."
"I am going to die." Kuro clarified as he got up from his seat and proceeded to make his way to exit the room. "It would seem the tumultuous life of a Pirate just isn't for me."
"You can't quit, sir. You're the ship's Captain!" Jango argued.
"You can be Captain now." Kuro replied. "I have finally grown weary of this life." He then opened up the doors to the main deck. "It's over… I'm killing myself for all to see!"
It was then that he was greeted by his men.
"Sir, Captain Kuro!"
"Captain!"
"Captain!"
"How many vessels are there?" Kuro asked them
"One. Just one this time!" One of his men answered.
"What should we do, Captain? Should we mand the cannons? We could reduce them to splinters!"
"Lower a small boat into the water." Kuro ordered.
"Wha…?"
"A boat, now!"
After the boat was lowered, Kuro immediately got on the boat before heading towards the Marine ship that was attacking him and his crew.
"Vice Captain Jango! Captain Kuro just—"
"Yeah, I know." Jango interrupted one of his subordinates as he was watching the direction of the Marine ship.
"'Yeah, I know'? But it's too dangerous for him to go there by himself!"
"Don't tell me he's turning himself in!"
Jango kept on seeing the Marine ship releasing two more cannon fires. The crew grimaced as they were bracing themselves for being blasted by the cannons… only to be greeted with complete silence.
"What?"
"The cannon fire stopped."
"What's going on?"
"This is weird."
The crew were left flabbergasted at the sudden pause from the Marine ship… except for one particular person, who understood what his Captain was planning.
"Prepare to board the ship." Jango ordered his men.
"But, sir… shouldn't we—"
"I didn't ask for your opinion! That's an order!" The hypnotist insisted.
"Yes, sir!"
'I see. So, that's why you…' Jango thought as he glanced towards one of his subordinates. "You there! Hey!"
"Uh… Yes, sir!" The man responded. His face, the glasses, as well as the slicked back black hair made the guy resemble Kuro. "What is it, sir?"
"Goodbye. It was nice knowing you, sailor."
When the crew got close to the Marine ship, they saw that the Marines were already killed and the deck was filled with their corpses. Claw marks can be seen on the mast as the atmosphere was eerie. Sitting on the railing of the ship was Kuro, who pushed up his glasses with a grin on his face, which scared the entire crew, including Jango and the Nyaban Brothers.
"Now, then… let's begin the plan." Kuro stated as he got up and kicked up a Marine soldier that was in front of him, who turned out to be the sole survivor of the massacre as he spurted some blood.
The Marine soldier in question was none other than Morgan, who, at this time, had not been promoted to the rank of Captain yet.
"Come on, pull yourself together." Kuro said. "I was kind enough to let you and you alone survive."
"Just… do it." Morgan croaked. "I'm not… kneeling to you… Finish me off… get it over with…!"
The bespectacled man responded by stomping his foot hard on to the wounded Marine's lower jaw, to the point where said jaw was broken while still able to howl in pain.
"You'd be perfect." Kuro said. "If you can still howl this much with a shattered jaw, you should do fine." He proceeded to let out a sadistic cackle. "Today is the greatest day of your life. Today is the day you captured Captain Kuro. You should be ever so grateful to me. I'm giving you… the head of Captain Kuro!"
Jango proceeded to begin his hypnosis on a subordinate that will serve as Kuro's double. The double even wore the trench coat that Kuro was wearing.
"Your name is Captain Kuro. Your name is Captain Kuro." Jango chanted. "This atrocity was your doing. One, two, Jango!"
"My name is Captain Kuro." The patsy stated as he was tied up on the mast of the Marine ship. "This atrocity was my doing."
Jango proceeded to move on to hypnotize Morgan, who was being held by some of his subordinates.
"And you are the brave Marine who caught the infamous Captain Kuro." Jango told Morgan. "Return to base and see that he gets executed. One, two, Jango!"
The hypnosis worked as Morgan, under the influence of Jango's hypnosis, sailed off with the double as his prisoner. But…
"I'm the brave Marine who caught the infamous Captain Kuro!" Jango declared, having been self-hypnotized.
"You're doing it again, Vice Captain." One of the Black Cat Pirates remarked
'Perfect.' Kuro thought as he leaned on the mast of his ship. 'When my double gets executed, Captain Kuro will disappear from the Earth and I will live the life I deserved.'
(Flashback end)
"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." Kuro stated while looking down on Chiaki and Rockruff. "Do you understand now, boy? I will not allow this perfect plan years in the making to fail! My plan will not be disrupted by an urchin like you! You and your little dog!"
"Well, that's just too bad. Even the most perfect plan has holes in it. Yours aren't any different." Chiaki retorted as he went into his fighting stance. "Okay, Rockruff! Let's go ruin that plan of his!"
"(Okay, Chiaki! Together, we're gonna make sure he's not going to get away with every crimes that he committed under the sun!)" Rockruff complied as he let out a bark.
Seeing the interaction between Chiaki and Rockruff made Kuro remind him once again of the times where he served Kaya… which made him very irritated. Especially towards Chiaki.
"Hmph! Let's see if you can talk like that once I kill you both!" Kuro said as he charged towards the two.
"Rockruff! Use Double Team!" Chiaki ordered as he took a few steps back.
"(You got it!)" The Puppy Pokémon said as several clones of him appeared around the area.
"Huh!? What did that mutt do!?" A Black Cat Pirate wondered in surprise.
"No way… That mutt's some sort of a freak!" Another one exclaimed.
"Awesome!" Luffy cheered as he looked towards Hoopa. "Hey, Hoopa! What was that just now?"
"That's Double Team. A pretty handy move for a Pokémon to have." Hoopa explained as he saw Chiaki moving away from Kuro. 'Now, what exactly are you planning?'
"Another strange and useless technique! I'll cut them all!" Kuro said as he went around slashing down the clones as they vanished in a puff smoke. "Move, you stupid dog!" He then kicked away the last remaining one, away before raising his blades up before coming down on Chiaki, who managed to block using his two cutlasses.
"Damn!" Chiaki said as he found himself being pushed back by the blades.
"That was quite an act you pulled. However, you will die by my hand and your little helper was useless!" Kuro said as he applied more force on his blades.
"Oh, really? Care to look again?" Chiaki asked with a smirk.
"Hmm?" Kuro was dumbfounded as he turned around to the defeated Rockruff, who then disappeared in a puff of smoke. "A double!? Then—"
"Hrah!" Chiaki proceeded to grab one of Kuro's hands before he directed it right towards the boulder that was right behind him, where the blades were pierced into said boulder.
"What!?" Kuro exclaimed.
"Oh, I see what Chiaki is trying to do now." Hoopa said. "That's very smart of him. To use your boulder like that, Luffy."
"Yeah, and it's so awesome!" Luffy agreed.
"You see, Kuro. I've trained a lot for quite a while before going out to the seas." Chiaki began. "It's just so I can be ready for what's coming my way even if I decided to be a Pirate. Like this! Rockruff, Fire Fang!"
Coming down from the top of the boulder was the real Rockruff as he bit down the set of blades with his fiery fangs. The strength of the move was so strong that it snapped that one set of blades.
"That mangy freak of a mutt! It seems that it can do more than throw rocks and summon several duplicates." Kuro said.
"Well, duh! That's because I trained him to be that way!" Chiaki said as he threw one of the cutlasses into the air before rearing back his hand into a fist. "If being a Pirate is too much of a problem for you to handle, then don't become one in the first place!" He punched Kuro across his face hard, causing the guy to be sent flying into the air before he landed on his back. "Tired of being a Pirate just because you hate getting hunted down by Marines and bounty hunters every day? Wow, are you sure you're one of the smartest Pirate out there? It's dumb, but not even Luffy isn't that dumb." Chiaki said as he took the time to glance at Luffy briefly. "Isn't that right, buddy?"
"That's right!" Luffy replied with a grin.
"You know, me and him have a goal of our own too." Chiaki said as he caught the cutlass in time. "And it's much, much greater than you could ever have!" He then saw those broken blades. "And now, there's only five left of those claws. So, I hope you're ready 'cause I'm gonna declaw them too!"
"No way… that kid's puppy broke one of Captain Kuro's Cat Claws!" One of the Black Cat Pirates stated.
"Don't worry guys, he could still fight plenty!" Another Pirate assured.
"Yeah! He still has that other claw!" A third one reminded.
"You can do it! Rip that guy and his pooch to shreds, Captain Kuro!" The fourth Pirate cheered.
"Don't use that name anymore!" A Pirate next to him reprimanded. "He doesn't like it, remember?"
"I think, in this village, his name is Klaha… something." The sixth Pirate recalled.
"Klaha-something…?"
And then the Black Cat Pirates went back to cheer and chant their Captain on. Suffice to say, he was greatly displeased at being cheered on a second time.
"Shut your mouths…" Kuro began as he slowly got up. "All of you!"
The retort was enough to stop the cheering.
"Soon enough, I'll deal with you with the only appropriate manner: Extermination!" Kuro declared. "I'll also kill that fool Jango!"
"But why kill us, Captain?" One of his men asked as he and the rest were caught off guard with sudden declaration.
"Please, don't joke around like that, Captain Kuro!" A second Pirate said.
"It's still not too late to attack the village, right?" A third one wondered.
"Yeah! If Captain Jango managed to get that girl to write her will, then your plan still works perfectly!" The fourth one assumed.
"This plan is no longer any of your concern." Kuro replied. "When all of you are dead, this village will know who to blame for this atrocity."
His crew gasped at the startling revelation.
"I never intended to let any of you mongrels leave this village alive…" Kuro continued. "No one! No one who knows my true identity can be allowed to live to tell about it!"
"No way!"
"You already planned to kill every last one of us from the very beginning!?"
"Hehehehe… That's right." Kuro answered with a sadistic expression. "Three years ago, I planned to erase Captain Kuro and every last person who had ever known him! It's all part of my plan!"
"You guys are dumb." Luffy stated. "The most uncool Pirates I know."
"I second that." Chiaki agreed. "All that planning with your crewmates and you actually decided to dispose of them all? Talk about lame."
"I guess there really is no honor amongst thieves, huh?" Hoopa added.
"We're uncool and lame, huh? That we 'thieves' have no honor, you say?" Kuro repeated while pushing up his glasses. "Pirates are nothing more than savages, incapable of rising above their animal nature. Without my plan, 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! Whether my men live or die is up to me and me alone! If I tell them to fight, they will fight! If I order them to die, then they had better do it! They know the punishment for disobedience!"
Chiaki simply looked at Kuro with a blank look, indifferent to Kuro's rant. This served to make the undercover Pirate grow more irritated.
"THIS IS HOW PIRATES ARE! DON'T YOU DARE TALK DOWN TO ME, BOY!" Kuro screamed.
"And if anything…" Chiaki began. "Usopp's a hundred times better than you ever were."
"You fool! Are you saying that I'm inferior to a kid pretending to be a Pirate?" Kuro asked.
"Got that right." Chiaki stated as Kuro let out a big laugh.
"Well, aren't you funny? Don't get all cocky just because your pet snapped off one of my Cat Claws!" He retorted. "How is he better than me? Let's hear it!"
Kuro then proceeded to use his Pussy Foot Maneuver to attack Chiaki once more.
"That's an easy answer." Chiaki smiled as he stabbed his cutlasses into the ground. "Because he got a heart."
"He got what?" Kuro repeated.
"And you, my friend, are not a true Pirate!" Chiaki said as he used his Silent Step to briefly disappear.
"He's gone–" Kuro did not get to finish as Chiaki suddenly showed up in front of him and landed a roundhouse kick on him, causing him to be sent flying and crashing into the wall of the cliff.
"And that one's for Usopp." Chiaki remarked.
"Nice one, Chiaki!" Luffy approved with a grin.
"How insulting…" Kuro muttered as he emerged from the dust that was flying around him. "It would appear that you need a lesson in what real Pirates are like." He said with a grin. "It's not pleasant. Your first lesson will be about terror. A lesson I learned as I stared down death!"
Once he was done talking down, Kuro had his pointed to the ground as he began to sway his body and arms left and right.
"Hey! Should he be in that stance!?" One of the Black Cat Pirates asked as he and the others knew exactly what their Captain was doing.
"No, this is bad!" The second Pirate exclaimed.
"Why is he using that technique!?" The third one stated.
"He's only fighting one guy and his pet dog!" The fourth Pirate said. "There's no reason for him to use the Out of the Bag Attack!"
"Looks like he's getting desperate now." Chiaki muttered as he readied himself. "Be on guard, Rockruff! Anything could happen now."
"(I'm on it.)" Rockruff barked as he put his guard up.
"What's the big deal?" Luffy said as he picked his nose. "He's just wobbling back and forth…"
As Chiaki observed Kuro, the latter brought his head with his eyes completely blank.
"Out of the Bag Attack!" Kuro shouted as he suddenly vanished into thin air, followed by clouds of purple smoke coming out from the ground and traveled down the slope.
Nami just came out from the ship and she walked through the deck while dragging away a sack of treasure, which she found underwhelming.
"Seriously? This is all the treasure they got? I really expected more from a large crew of Pirates." Nami lamented. "Let's see if those guys managed to finish the fight."
As Nami went over to the front of the ship, she saw that everything was quiet.
"Huh? Everything just stopped?" Nami remarked. "Is it over?"
As the purple smoke reached the Black Cat Pirates, one of them suddenly shouted in pain as he was cut down, which caused the entire crew to panic as they saw one of their own fell with blood spurting out and a slash mark suddenly appeared on the chest.
"What the…" Chiaki mouthed as he saw another Pirate suffering the same fate. 'It's just like that Pussy Foot Maneuver… except he attacks randomly…!'
More and more Pirates were cut down by Kuro as he was using his last-ditch technique.
"People are just being cut down to ribbons!" Nami exclaimed
"What… He's everywhere!" Luffy exclaimed before slowly getting angry at the butler for slaughtering his crew members left and right. "DON'T YOU HAVE ANY HONOR!? THOSE MEN ARE YOUR FRIENDS!"
"Luffy…" Nami muttered.
"Yeah, I don't think he cares what you think." Hoopa added.
'This guy really doesn't give a shit about his own men!' Chiaki thought as he was also being cut on two different parts of his body before he saw the purple smoke coming from the slash mark that was made on the side of the cliff.
"(Hold on. Let me try something…)" Rockruff said before he closed his eyes and sniffed the air, somehow managing to avoid being cut down. His eyes then snapped open. "(Found him!)" Rockruff declared as he jumped down and managed to latch on Kuro, who stopped moving as soon as Rockruff used Fire Fang on his leg.
"Gahh! Why, you meddling mutt!" Kuro shouted in pain.
"Nice job, Rockruff! Now, go down!" Chiaki immediately grabbed Kuro by the collar before he threw him to the ground.
"You bastard…!" Kuro growled as he got up. "You should've 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. It would've been better to let them die in the attack." He saw that Chiaki was looking at him. "So, now what? Do you have something to say?"
"Oh, I got one." Chiaki began. "I'll never be like you. A Pirate who only cares no one but himself."
"Well, you won't get that chance." Kuro then aimed his remaining Cat Claws at Chiaki's face. "Someone like you can't be like me. You see, you and your pet will die here today as you writhe in agony as I hack you both up like a fish." He then lowered the Cat Claws before taking a few steps back. "I'm going to carve you two up and I'm going to enjoy it."
Kuro began swaying once more to prepare for another attack.
"Oh, no you don't!" Chiaki then dashed towards him. But…
"Out of the Bag Attack!" But before Chiaki could hit him, Kuro vanished instantly.
"Shit! He got away!" The male Pokémon Trainer cursed.
(Meanwhile…)
Even after cutting down a few trees using his chakrams to make his search for Kaya and the Usopp Pirates easier, Jango was still unable to find any of them…. At least, that was what he initially believed as he stopped at the one spot that he knew that his targets were hiding.
"COME OUT, YOU BRATS!" Jango shouted. "I KNOW YOU'RE HIDING! GIVE YOURSELVES UP!"
Once he was done shouting, the hypnotist saw what appeared to be a white flag being tied with a stick poking out from behind a big log and a large rock.
"We surrender!" Piiman announced. "We'll hand her over to you! Come over here and we'll take you to her! Just don't kill us!"
Jango simply smirked as he realized what the kids were trying to do.
"Do you think I'm stupid?" Jango scoffed, oblivious that he really was stupid. "I won't fall for that! You silly rugrats!"
As Jango moved forward, he ended up tripping over a rope tightened by Tamanegi.
'Oh, dammit…!' Jango cursed in his head as he fell down on the ground face first.
"We got him!" Piiman exclaimed as he jumped into the fallen log with the makeshift flagpole in his hand. "Now!"
Just then, Tamanegi came out from the bushes, mask on, as he went right over Jango's face.
"Pepper Attack!" Tamanegi said as he shaked up and down a bottle of pepper on his hands right above Jango's face, causing the guy to sneeze a few times.
Followed by Ninjin, who appeared with a battle cry as he slammed his frying pan right into the crotch, causing the downed Pirate to scream in Jango was sneezing a few more times, Ninjin and Tamanegi retreated behind the large rock as the hypnotist got up, sneezing as well as reeling from the pain of being in the weak spot.
"Achoo! I knew it! Those worthless brats were lying to me from the beginning! Achoo!" Jango lamented.
The Usopp Pirates proceeded to push the big log forward, causing to fall in front of Jango and hit his foot.
"AAAHHHH!" Jango screamed in pain once more as he holded his pained foot while hopping in place with the other foot. "Ow! Ow! Ow!"
"End of the line, hypnotist!" The Usopp Pirates shouted then leaped off from the big rock and launched an attack from above with their weapons on hand.
By then, however, Jango managed to regain his composure before dodging Piiman and Ninjin and proceeded to catch Tamanegi by the neck.
"Looks like you bit off more than you can chew." Jango remarked.
"No… We failed." Piiman muttered.
"REAL Pirates don't take kindly to being mocked by the likes of you!" The hypnotist snapped as he threw Tamanegi onto a tree.
"Tamanegi!" Piiman and Ninjin shouted.
"You pretend-Pirates sure did go over your heads, didn't you?" After saying that, Jango proceeded Piiman and Ninjin onto the big rock, causing them to grunt in pain as they fell over to the ground.
"RICH GIRL, I KNOW YOU'RE HERE! LISTEN! UNLESS YOU SHOW YOURSELF, I'LL EXECUTE THESE THREE LITTLE LAMBS! And I will make sure to do it in the most painful fashion! Do not doubt my skills at such a task!" Jango said, giving an ultimatum towards Kaya.
Sure enough, Kaya came out from hiding as she stepped out from behind a tree.
"There you are." Jango smiled.
"No!" Tamanegi shouted.
"Miss Kaya, run for your life!" Piiman said.
"Run!" Ninjin added.
Somewhere not far from them was none other than Zoro, Usopp, and Edith. They have heard the shout.
"Hey!" Zoro called out.
"Yeah! That's them, alright!" Usopp confirmed.
"They're the other way?" Zoro said as he turned around.
"Oh, my… How bad are you with directions?" Edith muttered.
"Shut up! You and Usopp crap at telling directions!" Zoro retorted.
"No, you are!" Edith said back. "Come on, let's go!"
Meanwhile, Kaya came face to face with Jango, intent on trying to bargain with him.
"Please, no need for that." Kaya pleaded. "Please, leave the children be. I'll write the will."
"No, Kaya!" Piiman said. "He's gonna kill you as soon as you write that will!"
"... I'm sorry." Kaya muttered.
"Silly girl, don't you know you can't bargain with me?" Jango stated. "Captain Kuro specifically instructed me to get rid of everyone."
"No!" Kaya said before she noticed the chakram in Jango's hand. She immediately snatched it away from him.
"What!?" Jango exclaimed as he saw that Kaya backed herself against a tree.
"If you don't do exactly as I say, then you won't get to kill me! And I won't write my will!" Kaya threatened as she aimed the chakram near her neck.
"Hold on! Hold on! Just calm down!" Jango said as he tried to stop his target from committing suicide. "Don't be so hasty! I absolutely must get you to write that will!"
"Stop, Kaya!" Piiman pleaded.
Seeing that Kaya was dead set on following said threat, Jango reluctantly compromised to the demand.
"Alright! Fine! I'll let the little brats go!" Jango relented as he began walking towards Kaya. "But in their conditions, they won't be making too quick of a gateway…"
Once Jango got close to Kaya, he took back his chakram from Kaya's hand before giving her a quill pen.
"Here." Jango stated as Kaya took the pen and immediately wrote the letter on a tree stump, with the piece of paper also provided by Jango. "Don't forget to put your name."
"I know." Kaya stated as she continued writing.
"This sucks…" Ninjin lamented as he and his two friends were not able to do the task that was given by their Captain.
Once Kaya was finished writing, Jango immediately took the piece of paper to inspect the contents.
"I leave my entire fortune to my butler, Klahadore." Jango read a sentence out loud before fully checking the piece of paper in its entirety. "Yes! Very good! This is your will, alright. Excellent work." He said as he put the paper into a pocket in his coat.
"Now, remember. We have a deal." Kaya remembered as she got up. "You promised me you won't kill them."
Immediately, Jango pinned the girl against the tree behind her with one hand while he used his other hand, specifically his index finger, to spin his chakram.
"Just relax." The hypnotist stated. "I know I may not look much like it, but I'm regarded as an honest man."
Jango proceeded to tighten his grip over Kaya as the former were preparing to kill the latter.
"Kaya!" The Usopp PIrates cried.
But just as everything seems to be the end for Kaya, Usopp and the others manage to find where Kaya and Jango were.
"Over there!" Usopp said as he pointed his finger towards the aforementioned duo.
"I'll be back!" Zoro rushed in and dropped Usopp to the ground.
"Ouch." Edith said as she decided to help Usopp stand. "Hey, you're okay?"
"Don't worry, I'm fine." Usopp assured.
"That's enough of that, you hypno freak! Let the girl go!" Zoro stated as he rushed towards Jango.
"Dammit! Looks like I was followed." Jango stated as he noticed Zoro coming right at him. "I guess I better finish off the rich girl then."
(In the north shore)
Chiaki then saw that Kuro appeared before him and tried to slash him, but Chiaki managed to barely dodge the attack by leaning slightly to the back. It was then that Kuro came into his view once more. "So, had enough? That technique of yours must have made you tired huh?"
"Don't get cocky." Kuro retorted as he pushed up his glasses. "That was simply a warm-up, the real fight begins now. Soon, I will be feasting on your fear complimented on the sweet wine of your agony. Now…" He proceeded to unleash his most effective one last time to try and defeat Chiaki and Rockruff. "Out of the Bag Attack!"
"So, you're planning to use that to the very end, huh?" Chiaki muttered as he unwedged his cutlasses as he readied his swords. "That's fine, two can play that game!" He proceeded to look towards Rockruff. "You go on my signal, okay?"
"(Sure. Just say the word, Chiaki.)" Rockruff said with a smirk.
"Okay. Here goes… Silent Step!" Chiaki proceeded to disappear briefly just in time to dodge an attack from Kuro.
"Huh? He disappeared?" Kuro said as he sensed that Chiaki was using his signature move and went back using his Out of the Bag Attack. It was then that he was met with his adversary exchanging blows despite only having one set of Cat Claws. After a few blade clashings, he felt a cut on his left leg, causing him to slow down. "Gack! my leg…!" Kuro muttered something before going fast.
However, the injury of his leg caused him to slow down as he was then slashed on his other leg
"Gah!" Kuro said as he tripped over and fell down on the ground.
"That went well, huh?" Chiaki said as he appeared before Kuro.
"You… How in the world are you faster than me!?" Kuro demanded as he got up, where he was immediately put in an arm lock by Chiak, who managed to get behind him. "Let go of me!"
"Do you know why that happened?" Chiaki asked rhetorically. "That's because you're running on your own, and that makes you slow. Also, your three years-long plan will soon end in failure because you got a little too greedy."
"Let go!"
"Ah, I see how it is." Hoopa said. "He purposefully clashed blades on him so much that he was able to target his legs. Really clever."
"And he's even faster than that butler! So cool!" Luffy added.
"That guy caught Captain Kuro!" One of the Black Cat Pirates exclaimed.
"If that guy and his weird dog beat him, then Captain Kuro wouldn't be able to slaughter us, right?"
It was then that the Black Cat Pirates went back to cheer on Chiaki and Rockruff.
"Shut up!" Luffy shouted at them. "You guys have no right to cheer him on!"
"Now, time for the big finale! Rockruff, now! Use Rock Throw and Tackle!" Chiaki said.
"(Alright! Let's finish this!)" Rockruff stated as he ran towards Kuro while also creating a ring of smaller rocks around his tail.
"It's time to die!" Jango declared. But just as he was able to kill Kaya…
"Oh, no you don't!" Piiman replied as he and his two friends grabbed a shovel together before they charged forward and shove it up to Jango's butt.
"OOWWW!"Jango shouted in pain as he leaned back. "Stupid, snot-nosed brats!" He shouted before he kicked away the Usopp Pirates. He then went back to grabbing Kaya by the neck. "Heh! It looks like you're one step too late, swordsman!"
'Wouldn't say that!' Zoro thought with a smirk as he cut down a tree branch with his sword.
From afar was Usopp, who was readying his slingshot.
"Excellent! That branch was getting in the way of my shot!" Usopp said as he was ready to release his shot.
"What!?" Jango exclaimed.
"Usopp, you're here!" Kaya stated.
"Be careful. You got one shot at this." Edith reminded him.
"I know! I'll make this shot count!" Usopp declared.
"Now, then. Get shit on, you stinking vulture!" Chiaki stated as he kicked Kuro towards Rockruff just as he launched the Rock Throw move at Kuro.
"Grah!" Kuro shouted as he was pelted by multiple rocks before he found himself right in front of him. "YOU INSECTS! MY PLAN WILL NOT! BE! ABSOLUTELY! DISRUPTED!"
"(Lights out!)" Rockruff shouted as he slammed himself against Kuro, causing the guy to gag as he fell on the ground on his back, completely unconscious.
(At the same time...)
"Time for my Exploding Star!" Usopp shouted as he released his sling.
The projectile shot forward until it hit Jango right in the face, causing it to explode on impact. Taking down the hypnotist as his glasses flew away from him as the lenses shattered. As for the guy himself, he fell down on his back, also knocked out.
The Black Cat Pirates were taken aback some random stranger actually managed to defeat their Captain.
"Whoa… They beat Captain Kuro!"
"Who are you?"
Chiaki turned around to face them.
"The name's Kido Chiaki.." Chiaki answered. "Only an idiot would give up their names just because they don't want bad things happening to them."
"Kido Chiaki… I never heard of that name before…"
He proceeded to grab the unconscious Kuro and throw him to the Black Cat Pirates.
"Now, take this garbage of a human being with you and get the frick out!" Chiaki threatened the Black Cat Pirates.
Nami jumped out from the ship just as the Black Cat Pirates took their unconscious Captain as well as the Nyaban Pirates back with and immediately left with zero hesitation.
"AND DON'T COME BACK!" Chiaki shouted for the last time as he saw them sailing away from the island. He then sat down on the ground. "Phew, I'm glad that's over."
"(That was something, huh?)" Rockruff said as he jumped up to Chiaki's arms and started nuzzling him.
"Ow! Okay, you did good, Rockruff!" Chiaki told his Pokémon as he returned the affection.
"Really?" Nami said as he approached them. "How can a nuzzle hurt?"
"It sorta is, but I'm used to it." Chiaki answered. "Rockruff, care to show her?"
"(Here I go!)" Rockruff said as he jumped to Nami and started to nuzzle on her.
"Ow! Ow! It really hurts!" Nami cried out as she felt the painful nuzzle. "How can it hurt!?"
"Hahahaha! Nami's being funny!" Luffy laughed.
"Oh, yeah?' Nami said as she looked at Rockruff. "Hey, Rockruff! I think he needs a nuzzle too."
"(Oh, really? Okay!)" Rockruff said as he leaped from Nami and onto Luffy, where he was given the painful nuzzles as well.
"Ah! That hurts!" Luffy cried in pain as he was being nuzzled painfully.
"Yeah… The brown spikes on Rockruff's neck are actually rocks." Chiaki explained. "That said, that was just his way of telling you that he's friendly. So, don't think too much about it."
"Is that so?" Nami muttered as she was curious about something and turned towards Luffy. "Anyway, why were you so mad earlier?"
"Huh?" Luffy stated as Rockruff stopped what he was doing and came down from the straw hat boy.
"I guess I wasn't the only one, huh?" Chiaki began. "To answer your question, that's because Kuro is being an asshole towards his own men. A Captain should never consider their own crew as disposable tools. Even if they are your longtime friends."
"Yeah, I hate people like them." Luffy agreed. "They're so wrong. That is not how friends should act."
"What are you talking about? Of course it isn't." Nami said. "Most Pirates aren't the brave, honorable people you always make them out to be. I'd say Captain Kuro is pretty standard."
"Right, and you think being a petty thief is better than being a Pirate?" Hoopa questioned. "That's a bold hypocrisy if I ever heard of one."
"So, what you're saying is that we should be just as bad as Kuro and his crew?" Chiaki said. "Sorry, but that's not gonna happen. I'll live my life my own way, thank you very much."
"That sounds so cool, Chiaki." Luffy stated. "Oh yeah! That was a great fight out there, by the way."
"You like it? I told you I'd make that fight a little showy."
Nami could not believe that both Chiaki and Luffy were really not the kind of Pirates that she thought them to be.
'I guess these guys are different… compared to him.' Nami thought as her mind briefly flashed to a certain point of time that became the reason for her hatred towards Pirates.
"Hey, Chiaki. Let's get something to eat." Luffy stated.
"Let's wait until the others get here. Then, we can get something to eat." Chiaki told him.
"You guys are unbelievable…" Nami groaned at her friends' behavior.
Next...
U: I wouldn't be able to protect the village without you.
C: Any chance for you to let me have some?
E: Wait. Are you guys Pirates?
L: Sure are!
E: Chiaki. I challenge you to a Pokémon battle!
C: A Pokémon battle!?
N: A real caravel!
C/H/L: Next time on the Straw Hats' Monster Tamer, Chapter 9: First Pokémon Battle and the Going Merry
L: I'm gonna be King of the Pirates!
That's about it for today's chapter.
I admit, this chapter is pretty long than it should and the last chapter for this arc may a bit shorter.
The line of which Chiaki uses before finishing off Kuro is a reference to the last episode for Lap 2 of Bakuage Sentai Boonboomger. A really dope Sentai series for this year by the way.
Be sure to leave a review as usual and I'll see you readers again in the next chapter.
