Chapter 30: Are You a Tsundere?
Cheng Lang glanced at the landing point.
Accurate as always.
Without hesitation, he sealed Kuya Mi safely away, then drew his iron sword. Before him stood both the former and current captains of the Black Cat Pirates—along with a swarm of crew members rushing in.
The atmosphere was tense. A clash was inevitable.
Luffy squared off against Kuro.
The cat brothers, Buchi and Sham, leapt at Zoro. Cheng Lang faced Jango, while Usopp and Alvida braced themselves against the charging pirates.
And Nami? She had already slipped away to Kuya Mi's side, keeping her distance.
The battle began—and ended—almost instantly.
Kuro's wounds hadn't healed, and without his clawed gloves, he was no match for Luffy in a fist-to-fist brawl.
Zoro's fight with the cat brothers was brief. One Oni Giri and one Tora Gari—and it was over.
As for Cheng Lang, after taking a punch from Jango's iron-ringed gloves, he simply swung his sword in reply. No flourish, no technique.
To his surprise, Jango collapsed with a shrill scream.
Cheng Lang frowned. He hadn't pierced him, nor struck a vital point. Just a slash across the shoulder and chest—hardly fatal. Why had he gone down so easily?
He poked Jango, pried open his eyelids. Rolled back. Not faking.
Strange… could the sword's attack power be taking effect here?
Still, Cheng Lang didn't dwell on it. Whether Jango was unconscious or simply broken, it didn't matter. The experience orbs were his.
He rejoined Usopp and Alvida, cutting down pirates one by one. Each defeat burst into glowing orbs.
Even those who hadn't fought turned and fled, dropping their own orbs in surrender.
It was clear now: both victory and surrender yielded experience—but only once per opponent.
The grunts all gave similar amounts. Stronger foes gave more, but only about double. Even Kuro, defeated again, dropped nothing new.
Cheng Lang's level rose to twelve.
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
If this were Fishman Island two years later, Luffy would've cleared 50,000 soldiers with Conqueror's Haki. Fifty thousand orbs… that's way too many to pick up.
Shaking the thought away, he released Kuya Mi—only to find Nami inside the shelter with her.
"When did you get in there?" he asked, exasperated.
"This is the basic ability of a weak and pitiful girl," Nami replied with a smirk.
"Go find your treasure—it's probably in—" But before he could finish, Nami vanished like a gust of wind.
Kuya Mi stared at the fallen pirates, swallowing hard.
"When will I ever have that kind of strength?"
Cheng Lang ruffled her hair.
"Don't rush. Everyone needs time to grow."
…
The dust had settled.
---
Cheng Lang pointed at Kuro and the others, bound tightly on the ground.
"So what now? Hand them over to the Navy? Speaking of which, you haven't even been on the bounty list yet, right?" he asked curiously.
Kuro wasn't dead. But tied up, his face was bleak, his eyes hollow.
"Would you believe me if I said I'll never return to Syrup Village?" he muttered.
Everyone exchanged glances. Finally, their eyes fell on Kaya, who had just arrived.
She stepped forward, her expression conflicted. Everything had happened so fast. She still couldn't reconcile the loyal butler who had cared for her family with the pirate who had plotted to steal her inheritance.
"My parents' deaths… that wasn't you," she said softly.
Kuro sighed, fixing his gaze on her.
"Your parents died of illness."
His voice was cold, detached, as if stating a fact.
Kaya instinctively exhaled in relief, but her face twisted with doubt. Could she believe him now?
"If they hadn't died," Kuro added flatly, "I might have killed them myself eventually."
"Bastard!" Usopp shot to his feet, fists clenched. To say such a thing in front of Kaya—this man was a monster.
But Kaya raised her hand, stopping him.
"Kaya! You—"
"He only said that to prove he didn't kill them," she said quietly, her expression torn. She looked at Kuro, her voice trembling. "Why?"
Kuro tilted his head, almost confused by the question.
"Why? There's no reason. I'm a pirate. I've committed every kind of crime. For three years I lived here in disguise, earning the trust of everyone. They all believed I was a good man. And now, with your family's fortune, I could finally live freely. That was the peace I sought."
"You…" Kaya's eyes filled with confusion. The past three years replayed in her mind—the careful, thoughtful Krabatel who had seemed so devoted. Now, his words and tone were those of a stranger.
Cheng Lang frowned, studying Kuro's expression. Then, suddenly, realization struck him.
"Wait a second… Kuro, are you a tsundere?"
The words dropped like a stone into the room.
Silence.
Luffy tilted his head. Zoro blinked. Usopp mouthed the word soundlessly. None of them understood what Cheng Lang had just said.
---
The girls—Kuya Mi and Kaya—were stunned. Their expressions shifted, caught between shock and disbelief.
"What are you talking about?" Kuro's eyes widened in confusion.
"Kaya's parents have been dead for about a year, right?" Cheng Lang asked, glancing at Kaya for confirmation.
She nodded faintly.
"Within that year, if you truly wanted to seize the inheritance, you had countless opportunities. Her parents died of illness, and Kaya herself was frail, sickly since childhood. Illness spreading through a family is common. If you wanted to act, you could have. Yet you didn't. Instead, you cared for her meticulously… until someone else appeared."
Cheng Lang's gaze shifted to Usopp.
Usopp froze, then his face hardened as the realization struck him.
"The young lady didn't improve under your careful attention," Cheng Lang continued, "but under the lies of a wild boy, she miraculously grew stronger. Her condition stabilized. You were jealous.
"You suppressed it at first—because you wanted her healthy too. But watching her smile at that boy, hearing her talk about his lies again and again, that jealousy grew. You didn't want to admit it.
"In the end, you gave up. You decided to destroy everything. But the truth is… you didn't want to kill Kaya. You wanted to eliminate the boy. The Black Cat Pirates were just pawns. You planned to dispose of them afterward, erasing all traces of your past.
"So yes, you intended to use hypnosis to make Kaya write a will. But I suspect you also planned to erase certain memories."
Kuro's lips twisted into a bitter laugh.
"Heh… hahaha! A clever theory. But unfortunately, I'm a pirate. There's no way I'd be swayed by a spoiled, temperamental little girl."
To the others, his words rang hollow—stubborn defiance from a man already defeated.
Kaya lowered her head, her shoulders trembling. Then she looked up, her eyes steady, her voice soft but cutting.
"I'm sorry, Krabatel. I… I've always thought of you as an older brother. After all, there's a sixteen-year age gap between us."
Her tone was gentle, but the words were merciless.
Kuro fell silent.
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