Chapter 29: Fly
"He got away."
Luffy and Zoro had actually arrived some time ago. The sounds of battle from Cheng Lang's side had carried far across the night.
The reason they hadn't intervened was simple: Cheng Lang looked like he was enjoying himself. Zoro, in particular, noticed that Cheng Lang was using Kuro as a whetstone, sharpening his own skills.
"It's fine," Cheng Lang said with a wave of his hand. "As long as he's still on the island, I can find him anytime."
He checked his armor's durability. A third of it was gone. His helmet's endurance bar was already yellow—another half hour of fighting and his defenses might have truly broken.
"Can you really track him?" Zoro asked, curious at Cheng Lang's confidence.
"My ability is enough to lock him down."
Zoro didn't press further.
Alvida stepped closer, scanning Cheng Lang up and down. No injuries, no heavy breathing, not even a flushed face. If she had endured such relentless attacks, she would have been on the ground.
"So… do we chase him now?" she asked.
Before Cheng Lang could answer, Usopp came running.
"Butler Merry was slashed by Kuro! We should check on him. Kaya's awake, but she's shaken."
Inside the wooden shelter, Kaya paced anxiously.
The group returned to the villa.
When Kaya saw Merry, tears streamed down her face. He had been like family—the only elder left after her father's death.
Though his body was bloodied from Kuro's claws, Merry was alive, bandaging himself. Seeing Kaya safe, he sighed in relief.
"Miss Kaya…"
"Merry… I'm so glad you're okay. This…"
"It was Krabatel…"
With Merry's explanation and the crew's testimony, the truth became clear.
The gentle butler Krabatel was none other than Kuro, once a pirate with a bounty of 16 million berries.
Kaya struggled to accept it. The man she had trusted was a criminal. But reality was cruel. At the same time, she was deeply grateful to Usopp for protecting her.
The sky began to pale with dawn.
The crew regrouped. Merry's wounds were nothing a couple of Cheng Lang's steaks couldn't fix—healed instantly, to Luffy's envy.
"I need to warn the villagers," Merry said gravely.
"No need," Cheng Lang replied. "A group of pirates is already gathered on the eastern beach. Likely the Black Cat Pirates—Kuro's old crew."
Nami froze, then her eyes widened.
"Wait—that's where we docked our ship! My treasure!"
She grabbed Luffy by the arm, panic turning to fury.
"Luffy! Hurry! If we don't get there, they'll steal everything!"
Her desperation gave her strength, dragging Luffy along. The others quickened their pace.
But the more you fear something, the more likely it is to happen.
This time, Kuro didn't lead his men to attack Syrup Village. Instead, he boarded a ship, preparing to leave.
On Cheng Lang's map, he saw a few pirates heading toward the Straw Hats' vessel. If nothing unexpected happened, the five million berries were already gone.
"This is bad. They're preparing to set sail," Cheng Lang warned.
Nami's expression twisted from panic to rage.
"Luffy! Fly us there!"
"Fly?" Luffy grinned. "Alright. But hold on tight."
"?!"
A chill of dread ran through Cheng Lang.
He watched as Luffy stretched his arms, grabbing two massive trees.
"No way…"
With a mighty snap, Luffy catapulted himself—and everyone clinging to him—into the air.
Zoro, Nami, Cheng Lang, Alvida, Usopp, and a screaming Kuya Mi all soared skyward.
"Waaaaaaah!"
Amid curses and panicked shouts, the group hurtled toward the coast.
---
At the shoreline, Jango frowned.
"He really left just like that?"
Kuro said nothing, tossing aside the gold bar he had carried.
Jango picked it up, eyes widening.
"This… this is pure gold! On the black market, it'd fetch seventy, maybe eighty million!"
"This is a standard 12.5-kilogram bar of 9999 purity," Kuro muttered.
"What?! That's worth nearly two million berries!" Jango clutched it like treasure.
Pure gold was rare. Refining varied by island, and most bars were mixed with other metals. But this—this was the real thing.
"Let's go. There's nothing left for us here," Kuro sighed.
If his plan had succeeded, he would have amassed 1.5 billion in assets within three years. But with this crew of monsters around, it was impossible. Three Devil Fruit users—his scheme was doomed.
Maybe he could return once they left. But for now, his bounty would resurface within days.
"Ahhhhh—"
"Did you hear that?" Kuro frowned.
"The sound's getting louder…" Jango said nervously.
Before he could finish, a thunderous crash split the deck.
A straw-hatted figure smashed through, his body bloated like a balloon.
Clinging to him were several others, faces pale with despair.
"!"
The ship shook with the impact.
"Ahhh, I thought we'd fall into the sea," Luffy laughed, patting himself down. "Safe landing!"
"Safe?!" Nami staggered to her feet, trembling.
Cheng Lang groaned, every bone in his body aching. Even with Luffy's inflated form as a cushion, the impact was brutal. Watching it in anime was one thing—living it was another.
He sighed, then helped Kuya Mi, who was still frozen in terror.
Jango gawked, speechless.
Kuro's jaw dropped.
No way. I was about to escape… and you're still chasing me?!
---