Time-wise, it had been a month since he and Luffy went their separate ways.
By now, Luffy should have already defeated Axe-Hand Morgan and Buggy the Clown; these two 'leaks' were missed opportunities. Luffy should currently be in Syrup Village.
And his opponent there would be Kuro, Captain of the Black Cat Pirates. How much was his bounty again?
[16,000,000 Berries]
Kuro, Captain of the Black Cat Pirates in Syrup Village—a character with extremely high intelligence, known as 'Hundred Plans Kuro'—was definitely an excellent target for Shadow extraction.
However, this incredibly clever and cunning fellow was about to be severely injured by the unreasonable Luffy.
Cheng Xiaoyu's lips curled into a cold smile. He didn't need to waste any effort; he just needed to easily 'pick up the scraps'.
...
Sea mist broke into silver threads beneath the Shadow's keel. Cheng Xiaoyu's fingertips rested on the bronze steering wheel.
"Captain, the sea chart shows a cluster of reefs ahead."
Kuina's Shadow leaped from the mast, condensing into a translucent form on the deck.
The wado ichimonji (Shadow) hanging at her waist glowed with a faint blue light, and a corner of the bandage wrapped around its hilt fluttered in the sea breeze.
"Never mind, accelerate and charge through them!"
The Shadow's hull was not brittle to begin with, and with the reinforcement from the Near Sea King, dealing with these reefs would be no problem at all.
As he tapped the steering wheel with his finger, the entire ship suddenly let out a roar like a leviathan from the abyss.
Shadow Vines burst from the cracks in the keel, instantly wrapping around the three main masts.
The originally bulging sails suddenly collapsed into a black hole-like vortex, sucking in all the sea wind within a hundred meters, then jetting it out to accelerate!
The Shadow cut through the waves like an arrow released from a bowstring!
Kuina's phantom flickered amidst the violent tremors: "This speed will expose us..."
"We want the Marine to see us."
Cheng Xiaoyu licked his lips, which were wet with sea salt.
"By the time they chase the Shadow's afterimage and arrive, Captain Kuro's corpse will make a perfect greeting gift."
The coastline rapidly expanded in his vision.
Through the lingering smoke, he could see the claw marks covering the dock—ten-meter-long gouges left by Kuro's cat claw gloves.
Cheng Xiaoyu narrowed his eyes. His Shadow Vision penetrated the thin mist, clearly capturing the Straw Hat Crew's retreating figures three hundred meters away.
"So this is Syrup Village..."
"Luffy is still the same as ever."
He scoffed, leaping off the ship's side, Shadows condensing into a glider beneath his boots, "He doesn't even know how to finish someone off."
Kuro lay face up in the deep pit he had created, his gold-rimmed glasses broken in half, and his meticulously combed slicked-back hair covered in mud.
He lightly tapped the ship's rudder in front of him with his finger. Several wisps of Shadow slipped from his fingertips, flowed along the mast to the sails, and silently propelled the ship closer to the shore.
His footsteps startled the unconscious Kuro, who barely opened his eyes to see a Shadow looming over him.
Beneath the Shadow, that stern face resembled a grim reaper.
Kuro struggled to speak: "You...who are you?!"
His hoarse voice carried an undisguised terror; it was as if one overlord had just left and another living demon king had arrived!
Looking at Kuro, who was too beaten to even stand, Cheng Xiaoyu's mouth stretched to his ears.
Cheng Xiaoyu did not reply.
He slowly crouched down, tapping the ground with his fingers. The black Shadows writhed as if alive.
...Gradually emerging from Kuro's Shadow, they tightly wrapped his half-dead body.
"Captain Kuro..." Cheng Xiaoyu's voice was low and playful, "You're a smart man; you should know very well what today's outcome will be."
Kuro's face stiffened, the fear from the depths of his soul almost crushing him.
He used his last ounce of strength to roar: "Don't kill me! I am Kuro, Captain of the Black Cat Pirates! You only need to hand me over to the Marine to get 16,000,000 Berries..."
However, before his words finished, the Shadows had already quietly condensed into a sharp, black spike, pointing directly at his chest.
"Too bad...I don't need money for now..."
"Don't need money? Then what do you want?"
"Good night, Kuro."
Cheng Xiaoyu uttered a few words casually, as if delivering a final judgment.
"CHUA—!"
The moment the Shadow Spike pierced him, Kuro let out one last short gasp. His pupils gradually lost focus as he stared at Cheng Xiaoyu's cold expression.
Blood should have gushed from the wound, but it vanished into nothingness within the Shadows, completely devoured.
[Killed Kuro, gained 16,000 experience points]
[Extracted Shadow: Kuro (B-rank / S-rank intelligence)]
The system's voice arrived as promised, and Cheng Xiaoyu raised his head, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.
"Harvest time!"
Cheng Xiaoyu felt like he was a genius right now.
As for Kuro, Cheng Xiaoyu couldn't be bothered to turn him into an ordinary Shadow Soldier.
Those Shadow Soldiers only knew how to obey orders; they had no thoughts of their own.
He directly allowed Kuro's Shadow to become independent, just like Guina, so he could offer advice and strategies when needed.
Although Kuro's combat strength was not high, and his potential was limited due to his age, his mind was excellent.
Such a strategist was exactly what he needed most at the moment.
"Kuro," Cheng Xiaoyu said to the gradually solidifying Shadow, "From now on, you are my strategist."
Kuro's Shadow bowed slightly, a glint flashing across his non-existent glasses: "Glad to be of service, Captain."
"Let's go. Judging by the time, the Marine stationed nearby should be arriving soon."
...
Shortly after, at the Syrup Village dock.
With a rush of hurried footsteps, a group of people in Marine uniforms charged onto the dock.
Leading them was a short, mustachioed Marine Colonel, his face ashen, veins throbbing on his forehead.
The scene before him was unbearable: Kuro, the infamous Captain of the Black Cat Pirates, lay in a pool of blood, his death gruesome.
"Damn it! Kuro, Captain of the Black Cat Pirates, has been killed! Who is the culprit? Are there any clues?!"
Colonel Nezumi shrieked, spitting saliva, scaring the surrounding Marine soldiers into trembling.
A Marine soldier carefully handed over a sketch covered in Shadows: "Report, Colonel, we found this at the scene..."
Colonel Nezumi snatched the sketch, squinting to decipher the blurry handwriting on it:
Killer: Cheng Xiaoyu...
Captain of the Shadow Pirates...Bounty?????? Berries?!
He slammed the sketch onto the table, roaring, "What the hell is this?! The bounty is question marks?! Is this a blatant provocation to the Marine?!"
"Co-Colonel..." Another Marine soldier tremblingly pointed at the Shadows on the sketch, "This...this seems to be some kind of Devil Fruit ability..."
"A Devil Fruit?!" Colonel Nezumi's face changed, and a faint sense of unease rose within him.
"It seems we've encountered no ordinary fellow this time..." He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
"Immediately report this to Marine Headquarters! Put a bounty on Cheng Xiaoyu! Also, strengthen patrols in the nearby sea areas; we must nip this Shadow Pirates in the bud!"
"Yes!" The Marine soldiers responded in unison, quickly dispersing to carry out the orders.
After all, he didn't want his cooperation with the Arlong Pirates to break down; he had already tasted many benefits from the collaboration.
Cheng Xiaoyu stood at the Shadow's bow, his black trench coat flapping in the wind, with Kuro's Shadow respectfully standing with hands clasped behind him.
"By the way, Captain," Kuro's Shadow suddenly asked, "Why did you leave that sketch? Doesn't that just tell the Marine about our existence?"
Cheng Xiaoyu laughed heartily: "Of course, it's to let them know I exist! Only then will they put a bounty on me."
"I want the whole world to remember my name! My name is Cheng Xiaoyu!"
...
"Kuro, how much bounty do you think the Marine will put on me?" Cheng Xiaoyu asked faintly, gazing at the gradually receding coastline.
Kuro pushed his non-existent glasses, his tone calm: "Based on the strength Captain has shown so far, plus the Black Cat Pirates' original bounty, a preliminary estimate would be around 20,000,000 Berries."
"Twenty million? That's too little." Cheng Xiaoyu scoffed disdainfully, "That meager bounty only converts to 20,000 points, which is far from enough!?"
"Captain's ambition is admirable," Kuro complimented without a trace of emotion, "However, the Marine is always cautious in assessing bounties for newcomers. To quickly increase your bounty, some... 'big actions' are still needed."