The morning sun barely crested the horizon when Kuro made his move.
I'd been awake for hours, perched on the mansion's roof with my arms crossed, watching the tree line. Waiting. The air tasted like salt and blood—or maybe that was just anticipation. Either way, I knew today would get messy.
Below me, Luffy was already stretching, literally, his arms extending in that ridiculous way of his. Zoro had his swords laid out, checking each blade with the focus of a man who lived and died by steel. Even Nami was geared up, her staff in hand, though she kept glancing at the mansion like she was calculating the value of everything inside.
Smart girl. Always thinking.
"They're coming," I called down, dropping from the roof to land in a crouch beside Luffy. "North side. Maybe fifty of them."
"Fifty?" Luffy grinned, cracking his knuckles. "That's not enough!"
Zoro smirked. "More for me, then."
I rolled my eyes. These idiots were going to get themselves killed, and somehow, I'd probably have to save them. The burden of competence was exhausting.
The Black Cat Pirates emerged from the forest like a plague of rats—scraggly, vicious, and way too confident for people about to get their asses handed to them. Leading the charge were the Meowban Brothers, those two cat-themed morons with their stupid claws, and behind them, Jango with his ridiculous heart-shaped glasses, swinging that pendulum like he was about to put on a magic show.
"Protect the mansion!" Usopp shouted from somewhere behind us, his voice cracking. The kid had guts, I'd give him that. Stupid, suicidal guts, but guts nonetheless.
"Zoro, take the brothers!" Luffy barked, already charging forward. "Gil, handle the hypnotist guy! I'm going for Kuro!"
For once, I didn't argue. Jango was dangerous in his own way—not strong, but tricky. The kind of fighter who could turn a battle sideways if you weren't paying attention. And with this many enemies, we couldn't afford distractions.
"On it," I said, already moving.
Zoro was a blur of green and steel, meeting the Meowban Brothers head-on. The clash of metal on metal rang out as Sham and Buchi's claws met his swords. The swordsman was grinning—actually grinning—as he pushed them back step by step.
"Is that all you've got?" Zoro taunted, spinning to deflect a strike from Buchi before slamming the pommel of his sword into Sham's face. "I've fought house cats scarier than you two!"
Buchi roared, his body suddenly bulking up as he went into some kind of berserker mode. "We'll tear you apart!"
"Get in line," Zoro muttered, settling into his stance.
Meanwhile, Luffy had found his target. Kuro stood at the edge of the battlefield, adjusting his glasses with the palm of his hand—that creepy habit of his that made my skin crawl. The former captain looked calm, collected, like this was all beneath him.
"So you're the one who's been lying to Kaya," Luffy said, his voice dropping into that dangerous tone he got when he was truly pissed. "I'm gonna kick your ass."
"How crude," Kuro replied. "I expected nothing less from a common pirate."
They clashed, and it was immediately clear this wasn't going to be easy. Kuro was fast—faster than anyone we'd fought so far. His "Shakushi" technique made him blur across the battlefield, his cat-claw weapons leaving trails of destruction in his wake.
But Luffy was Luffy. He took hits that would've killed normal men and kept coming back, his rubber body absorbing impacts and retaliating with punches that could shatter stone.
I didn't have time to watch. Jango was already swinging his pendulum, his voice taking on that hypnotic rhythm. "One, two, Jango..."
"Yeah, no." I closed the distance before he could finish, my fist connecting with his jaw and sending him sprawling. "Save the parlor tricks for someone who gives a shit."
He rolled to his feet, spitting blood. "You'll regret that!"
"Doubt it."
The Black Cat Pirates swarmed around us, and I lost myself in the rhythm of combat. These weren't skilled fighters—they were thugs with weapons, all aggression and no technique. I moved through them like water, each strike precise and brutal. A knife thrust deflected, the wielder's arm broken. A sword swing dodged, followed by a knee to the ribs that left the attacker gasping.
This was what I was good at. What I'd always been good at.
But even as I fought, I kept one eye on the mansion. Kaya was in there, probably terrified, and if any of these bastards got past us—
"Nami! Usopp!" I shouted. "Watch the flanks!"
Nami was already moving, her staff whirling as she tripped up pirates trying to circle around. She wasn't a powerhouse like Luffy or Zoro, but she was smart, using the terrain and her agility to stay one step ahead.
Usopp was on the mansion steps, his slingshot in hand. "Usopp's... Special Attack! Exploding Star!"
The projectile hit a cluster of pirates, and the resulting explosion—small, but effective—sent them scattering. The kid was shaking, clearly terrified, but he held his ground.
Respect. Grudging, but respect nonetheless.
Jango came at me again, this time with a chakram that he hurled with surprising accuracy. I twisted, feeling the blade whistle past my ear, and closed the distance again. He tried to hypnotize me, his pendulum swinging, but I grabbed his wrist and twisted until I heard something crack.
"I said no tricks," I growled, driving my elbow into his face.
He went down hard, and I left him there, unconscious and bleeding. The other pirates saw their hypnotist fall and hesitated, just for a moment. That was all Zoro needed.
"Three-Sword Style..." Zoro's voice was calm, almost meditative. "Oni Giri!"
The Meowban Brothers didn't stand a chance. Zoro's attack cut through them like they were paper, and they collapsed in a heap, defeated but alive. Zoro didn't kill unless he had to—another thing I respected about him, even if I'd never say it out loud.
The battlefield was thinning out. Most of the Black Cat Pirates were down or fleeing, and that left the main event: Luffy versus Kuro.
They were still going at it, and Kuro was starting to look frustrated. His Shakushi technique was devastating, but Luffy's Observation Haki—even if he didn't know that's what it was yet—let him predict just enough to avoid the worst of it.
"You're fast," Luffy said, breathing hard. "But you're not faster than me when I'm serious!"
"Gum-Gum... Bazooka!"
The double-palmed strike caught Kuro mid-dash, sending him flying back into a tree with enough force to splinter the trunk. Kuro slumped, his glasses cracked, his expression one of disbelief.
"How... how could a mere pirate..."
"Because I'm gonna be King of the Pirates!" Luffy declared, grinning despite the blood on his face. "And nobody hurts my friends!"
Kuro didn't get back up.
The battle was over.
I found Kaya in her room, curled up in the corner, shaking. The sounds of fighting had stopped, but she didn't know that. Didn't know if we'd won or if Kuro was coming for her.
"It's over," I said softly, kneeling down to her level. "You're safe."
She looked up at me, tears streaming down her face, and something in my chest twisted. I wasn't good at this—at comforting people, at being gentle. But for her, I tried.
"Klahadore... Kuro... he was going to..."
"He's not going to do anything ever again," I said firmly. "Luffy made sure of that."
She threw her arms around me, sobbing into my shoulder, and I held her. Just held her. Let her cry it out while I stared at the wall and tried not to think about how long it had been since someone had trusted me like this.
When she finally pulled back, her eyes were red but clearer. "Thank you. All of you. I don't know how to repay—"
"You don't have to repay anything," I said. "Just... live. Be happy. That's enough."
She smiled, small and fragile, and then she kissed me.
It wasn't planned. Wasn't expected. But it happened, and for a moment, I let it. Let myself feel something other than the constant edge of arrogance and violence that defined me.
When we broke apart, I stood. "I should go check on the others."
"Will I see you again?" she asked.
"Maybe," I said, which was the most honest answer I could give. "Take care of yourself, Kaya."
I left before she could say anything else, before I could let myself get any more tangled up in something that couldn't last.
Outside, the crew was regrouping. Luffy was laughing, already pestering Usopp about joining. Zoro was cleaning his swords, looking satisfied. And Nami...
Nami was watching me.
Her expression was unreadable, but there was something in her eyes—something cold and distant that hadn't been there before. She turned away when I met her gaze, busying herself with checking her staff.
"Everything okay?" I asked, approaching her.
"Fine," she said curtly. "Why wouldn't it be?"
"You tell me."
She didn't answer, just walked past me toward where Luffy was celebrating. I stood there, confused and more than a little frustrated. What the hell had I done?
But I didn't push. If she wanted to be cold, fine. I had enough problems without adding relationship drama to the list.
Usopp officially joined the crew that afternoon, and Kaya gifted us the Going Merry—a beautiful caravel that was leagues better than the dinghies we'd been using. Luffy was ecstatic, running around the ship like a kid on Christmas morning.
I should've been happy. We had a real ship now, a new crew member, and we'd won a solid victory.
But as I watched Nami avoid my gaze for the tenth time that day, I couldn't shake the feeling that something had shifted. Something I didn't know how to fix.
We set sail as the sun dipped below the horizon, the Going Merry cutting through the waves with ease. Luffy stood at the bow, arms spread wide, shouting about adventure and the Grand Line.
I leaned against the railing, arms crossed, and tried to ignore the knot in my chest.
This was supposed to be simple. Join a crew, get stronger, survive.
Nobody said anything about it being complicated.
But then again, nothing ever was.