"Not Klahadore?"
"Impossible. Besides him, who else could unleash that kind of attack?"
"No matter who you are, no one can stop me!"
Crocodile's body turned to sand, his gaze icy.
Unlike last time, when he was slashed so hard he questioned his own survival, this time Crocodile had actively shifted into his elemental form. He wouldn't be caught off guard again—unable to react like before.
No one could stop him.
"Sables: Pesado."
But his words were cut short—because a figure suddenly appeared in front of him.
That man, with the sword Kashu at his waist, wasn't the same one Crocodile had seen earlier. This one looked more muscular, wearing an open black coat trimmed with fur, the word "Justice" emblazoned on the back.
A Marine, clearly—but who was he?
His face was covered, making it impossible to discern his features.
The man walked forward slowly, drew his sword, and held it horizontally in front of him—then charged at Crocodile.
Crocodile bristled. A mere Marine who didn't even dare show his face was drawing a sword against him?
As for Klahadore, lying on the ground—judging by the unconscious people around him, maybe he had done all that before collapsing from exhaustion.
"I'm in a really bad mood right now. Annoying Marine—go die."
Crocodile lunged at Kuro, turning into sand, hand outstretched.
He was going to dry Kuro into a corpse.
"Mumyo Jinpuu Ryuu Ougi: Genbu."
Just as Crocodile's hand reached him, he heard a soft voice. The man fully drew his sword.
Slash. A horizontal strike.
Kuro's figure flashed past Crocodile, the blade cutting through his sand-formed body.
Shhhk!
Crocodile froze, eyes wide with disbelief as he looked at the wound opening on the right side of his chest.
"How is this possible? Was that... water?"
There was water on the sword?
There hadn't been any sign of it before—how did he manage that?!
Already injured, Crocodile couldn't hold on any longer. He collapsed.
"What a pain... Good thing I was prepared."
Kuro sheathed his sword and let out a breath of relief.
He would never underestimate a Warlord like Crocodile—nor could he afford to. He wasn't about to be fooled by past-life impressions and assume Crocodile was weak.
The man was strong. A pirate who had once challenged Whitebeard, with sharp Observation Haki and complete mastery of his Logia powers. If he were at full strength, a battle against him could take days.
Kuro didn't underestimate any pirate. The sea was too unpredictable—nothing was guaranteed until the very end.
Why was Kuro so cautious, so low-profile?
Because he simply wasn't strong enough.
And being famous without enough strength? That was just asking to be targeted. What fun was there in that?
The Four Emperors were absurdly powerful, yet reckless Supernovas still came after them.
It wasn't always about strength—some people just craved fame.
But fame wasn't everything.
And if a "Chosen One" or someone with a completely broken Devil Fruit showed up, even the Emperors could fall.
In Kuro's eyes, Devil Fruits had miracle-level powers—especially Logias, who became living forces of nature. Aside from Haki, only elemental countermeasures could hit them.
He was confident here because his technique directly countered Crocodile. Genbu manipulated ambient moisture to create slashes, and Crocodile's sand body was weak to water—it forced him into physical form.
And since Crocodile was already heavily injured, Kuro was certain he could end it in one blow.
Still, he hadn't wanted to step in.
But from his observation, Luffy was on the verge of collapse—and that old crocodile looked ready to take everyone else down with him. That crossed Kuro's bottom line.
Playing politics? That was Crocodile's business. Even if he succeeded in toppling the country, it was the government's job to deal with it—not Kuro's problem as a Marine.
Even if Alubarna vanished from the map, Kuro wouldn't lose sleep.
But there were countless innocent lives here. And Crocodile, after all, was still a pirate.
So yes, it was his concern.
And so—Kuro drew his sword.
Clouds began gathering above Alabasta, stretching across the kingdom.
Drip... drip...
Rain began to fall.
Kuro held out his hand, smiling faintly. "Smoker... you've got your own tricks, huh?"
Rain across all of Alabasta?
A miracle?
Don't be ridiculous.
Even if Luffy turned Crocodile to dust, that wouldn't cause a kingdom-wide downpour.
The drought behind the rebellion had been Crocodile's doing—using Dance Powder to force the people into desperation. Rain only fell on Rainbase, and rumors spread that the king was hoarding the powder—fueling the public's resentment.
People don't mind having little; they mind inequality.
Crocodile had exploited that. But the solution was simple.
Just like what Smoker had done now.
One giant Dance Powder cannon—and it rained across Alabasta. Enough to wash away the people's anger.
The rest was easy: Crocodile lost the ability to fight, was arrested by Tashigi's squad, and the truth came to light. Even the badly wounded Straw Hat was spared.
Now, Tashigi stood silently, her head lowered, expression dark. She bit her lip, staring at the unconscious Crocodile, filled with frustration.
Justice... without the strength to enforce it.
They couldn't even get past Nico Robin. All they could do was watch as Crocodile fell—and even then, they had to rely on Straw Hat, another pirate.
"Mr. Kuro... what exactly is justice?"
Tashigi asked, her voice uncertain.
You're asking me about justice?
Kuro looked around at the people slowly waking up, then back at Tashigi—so clearly lost—and sighed.
"Is that kind of thing... really that important?"
"Mr. Kuro?"
Tashigi blinked, confused.
Kuro said, "I'm not good with abstract stuff. But if you believe what you're doing is right—then that's justice, isn't it? There's a saying: 'I follow my heart with clarity like a mirror—my actions are all righteous.'"
"I follow my heart with clarity like a mirror... my actions are all righteous..." Tashigi repeated, her eyes beginning to brighten.
"I understand now. Thank you, Mr. Kuro. You're not only powerful—you're also a philosopher!"
. .. ...
"I follow my heart with clarity like a mirror... my actions are all righteous?"
Aboard the warship, Smoker muttered the words, glancing at Kuro, who was nonchalantly pulling a cigar from his stash.
"You can say stuff like that? That kind of line doesn't suit you, Kuro. Also—buy your own cigars!"
Smoker threw a punch. Kuro dodged, lighting up.
"What? My justice isn't real justice now?"
He was quite satisfied with his safety-first brand of justice. Nothing suited him better.
Why wouldn't that be justice?
(***)
The beautiful female Marine in a cape looked on in surprise. That rigid Smoker actually seemed friendly with this lazy man. Was that really still the same Smoker?
And then there was Tashigi—she also showed great respect toward this man called Kuro.
But this man... she had never seen him before.
He didn't look like one of Smoker's subordinates either.
"Hina is surprised."
"Oh, I forgot to introduce him. His name is Kuro, a Warrant Officer from the East Blue. He came to headquarters for training. He's a strong guy but insists on hiding it. Real pain in the ass," Smoker said, glancing at Kuro. "This is Hina—we were in the same class."
"Nice to meet you," Kuro said. "Also, don't listen to him. I'm really weak, and I don't hold a high rank. Captain Tina, no need to pay me much attention."
"Nice to meet you. But even if you say that, Hina is quite curious," Hina replied, eyeing him carefully.
He really did look like a lazy man—his whole demeanor gave off a relaxed, sluggish vibe.
Kind of like a certain old geezer...
Just less perverted.
"Eh?! Captain!"
At the dock where the battleship had just arrived, Jango and Fullbody had picked a bunch of flowers as usual to welcome Hina. But just as they reached the dock, Jango spotted Klahadore's butler-like figure standing behind her. His sunglasses nearly fell off from shock.
"Captain?!"
Fullbody looked confused for a second, then laughed. "Idiot, call her Miss Hina. What, you think you're still a pirate, Jango?"
"No, not Miss Hina—that's Captain Kuro! He was my captain back when I was a pirate!"
Jango pointed at Klahadore, shouting, "Miss Hina, that guy in black is a pirate!"
A pirate?
Upon hearing that, Hina was stunned for a moment but quickly sprang into action. In a flash, she appeared in front of Klahadore and swung her arm.
Klahadore didn't even have time to react before he was knocked to the ground by Hina's strike. A black iron ring wrapped around him, binding his body.
"So hard...!"
Klahadore struggled on the ground but quickly realized the iron bars were far too tough to break.
"Still trying to resist?"
Hina raised her foot, ready to bind his legs too—but at that moment, a hand tapped her shoulder.
"Hey, could you do me a favor and let this one slide? He's one of my subordinates."
Kuro scratched his head. "If you handle it like this, it's going to be a real pain for me."
"Your subordinate?"
Hina paused and glanced at Kuro with a faint smile. "Recruiting a pirate as a subordinate? Hina remembers Jango mentioning his captain—Kuro of the Hundred Plans."
"That man was captured a long time ago. His bounty was rescinded afterward. My subordinate just happens to have the same face."
"Oh? Hina's not buying it. Besides, has there ever been a case where a pirate joined the Marines?"
Kuro looked at Jango, then back at Hina.
"Jango was different. He was judged not guilty and joined the Marines as a civilian."
Hina responded, "But this man isn't the same. Even if his bounty was removed, if he's proven to be the real one, he can still be captured."
"Hina, let him go. This man is a Marine now," Smoker said.
"His pirate days are behind him."
"You, pleading for someone? Hina is surprised."
Hina gave Smoker a skeptical look. "But since you're asking... I suppose I can let it go."
She tapped the black iron ring lightly, and it unraveled automatically.
"A Devil Fruit?" Klahadore asked cautiously as he stood.
He really hadn't been able to react just now. This woman was too fast—definitely worthy of being a Marine Captain.
He had taken pride in mastering a technique that let him step in midair, but clearly, he still had a long way to go.
"Jango, huh…"
Ignoring Hina, Klahadore looked down at the terrified Jango. "Didn't expect you to actually become a Marine. Seriously..."
"You too, Captain!" Jango shouted.
"Shut up!"
Klahadore's veins popped as he glared bitterly at Kuro.
He had never wanted to be a Marine.
He believed Kuro's lies and thought he could live a peaceful life.
And what happened? He got scapegoated, used like a tool, hunted down—and now, just getting on a ship, he was already being restrained by Marines.
If it weren't for the years he'd spent as a butler mellowing out, he would've snapped by now.
Klahadore glanced around.
Lida, eating with a blank expression.
Smoker, puffing on a cigar.
Hina, lighting a cigarette.
And Kuro, helping himself to another cigar from Smoker's stash.
"...Jan! Go!"
Klahadore stomped forward, dropping his suitcase as his figure vanished.
He reappeared behind Jango, the cat claws of his "Ten Blades" crossed at Jango's neck. "I really missed you, Zangao—my former subordinate."
"C-Captain…"
Jango swallowed nervously. "Let's talk this out, okay?"
"Soru?"
Hina blinked. "Hina is surprised."
"Hey! What are you trying to do to my buddy?!"
Fullbody charged in with his fists. "Let me show you the might of Iron Fist Fullbody!"
"Iron Fist?"
Lida stopped eating and looked over, curious at the name—only to look disappointed.
How bold did you have to be to call yourself "Iron Fist"? That title wasn't something to throw around lightly.
"This subordinate of yours has quite the flashy title. Also, wasn't he a Lieutenant?" Smoker asked.
Fullbody was from Marine HQ too, so Smoker had heard of him.
"He was demoted to pardon Jango, but he's still strong. Along with Jango, they're both my subordinates now—just need some merits."
Hina looked at Kuro. "But compared to your subordinates, they fall short. Hina is disappointed."
Bang!
Just as she said that, Jango and Fullbody were both knocked out.
Even together, they weren't a match for Klahadore.
Not even the old Klahadore would have had trouble with them—let alone now, after mastering Soru and even self-teaching Moonwalk.
To Klahadore, this was just a bit of fun. No one really took it seriously—he was a Marine now, even if only a third-class soldier in a branch.
"Branch?!"
On the ship, Jango stared at Klahadore in disbelief—then burst out laughing smugly: "Captain—no, Klahadore—I'm a third-class soldier from HQ! HQ, you hear?! If I went to any of the four sea branches, I'd be a Captain!"
And then he got punched.
"How's Tashigi? Still not over it?"
Hina asked Smoker.
Smoker silently lit another cigar. "She's got backbone. Don't worry about her—she'll figure things out. But really... if only more people had her guts. Especially a certain someone. Hey, Kuro, you were there, weren't you? Why didn't you stop Crocodile? You let a pirate take him down instead!"
Hina looked over, surprised. Smoker said he was strong—but strong enough to stop Crocodile?
"I'm not that strong," Kuro waved it off. "Besides, pirates fighting pirates—that's normal, right?"
"You..."
Smoker ground his teeth. Crocodile had a sword wound that ultimately led to his defeat, and Smoker suspected Kuro was the one who dealt it—but the guy just wouldn't admit it.
And with his personality, he never would.
(*****)
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