“King?
That’s a pretty strange title…”
Holding his swords, Zoro felt his heart take a direct hit from Norton’s completely unabashed chunibyo energy.
“That’s what you’ll call me from now on.”
Norton made the decision without room for discussion.
The others could only humor him.
“Understood, King.”
Norton nodded in satisfaction.
“Good!
That’s everything for now.
Meeting adjourned!”
He still needed to figure out what their pirate flag should look like.
As the symbol of the crew’s spirit, it had to be distinctive enough.
The Beasts Pirates’ flag, for example, was recognizable by Kaido’s horns.
The Red Hair Pirates used a skull with three claw-like scars across its face.
“Furning, stay behind.”
“Help me come up with some ideas.”
“Then I’ll get back to work.”
Nami stood up and stretched.
“I still haven’t watered the orange tree we transplanted from the orchard.”
“I’m going to train.”
“So am I.”
Sanosuke and Zoro stood up one after the other.
Ever since Zoro had joined the crew, the two had been constantly at odds.
Zoro repeatedly tried to challenge Norton.
Every single time, Sanosuke intercepted him first.
According to Sanosuke, until Zoro defeated him, he wasn’t qualified to challenge Norton.
The two had dueled many times.
Neither acknowledged the other.
Neither had ever won decisively.
Sanosuke’s fighting style was simply too steady.
Painfully so.
Zoro could never find an opening to finish the fight, and more often than not ended up exhausting all his stamina instead.
Soon, only Norton and Furning remained in the meeting room.
The two spent quite some time discussing possible designs.
The first proposal featured a skull distinguished by Norton’s silver hair.
Unfortunately, Norton rejected it immediately.
“Putting hair on a skull is way too cringe.”
The second design placed a fist beneath the skull.
Too plain.
Rejected.
The third concept took inspiration from chess.
A king’s emblem formed the base, crossed with a horizontal scepter to create a cross-like design.
Above it rested a silver skull representing Norton.
The moment he saw it, Norton loved it.
“Perfect.”
“This one’s staying.”
With the design settled, painting the flag became Furning’s responsibility.
Norton left everything in the capable hands of the shipwright before returning to the captain’s cabin for a nap.
…
Meanwhile…
Not far from the White Pearl.
Boom!
Cannon fire echoed across the sea.
A pirate ship flying the Black Cat Pirates’ flag attacked a Marine branch warship.
Morgan clutched the wound on his forehead as he staggered to his feet.
The axe in his hand had never felt this heavy.
Blood blurred his vision.
Through the crimson haze, he saw the face of a refined-looking man wearing gold-rimmed glasses.
“You’re still standing?”
The man casually adjusted his slipping glasses.
“What a nuisance.”
“Jango.”
“Your turn.”
“Hypnotize him.”
“Yes, Captain Kuro!”
The man wearing a fisherman’s hat and heart-shaped sunglasses immediately stepped forward.
His eyelids gradually grew heavier.
“Listen carefully…”
“You captured Captain Kuro of the Black Cat Pirates…”
“You captured Captain Kuro of the Black Cat Pirates…”
Under hypnosis, Morgan was led before a man tied to a post—
A body double Kuro had prepared long ago.
“He’s Captain Kuro.”
“After we leave…”
“Kill him.”
“Then report to the World Government that Captain Kuro is dead.”
The real Kuro quietly observed from the side.
Satisfied, he nodded.
He—
Captain Kuro of the Black Cat Pirates—
Had long since grown tired of fighting and killing.
Ever since a bounty had been placed on his head, Marine pursuit had never stopped.
Every time he eliminated one group of pursuers, another took their place.
It was endlessly irritating.
He had had enough.
This staged death would erase him from the Marines’ sight forever.
No more endless chases.
No more bloodshed.
He wanted nothing more than a peaceful…
Comfortable retirement.
To accomplish that, he needed a brand-new identity.
And a fortune with a perfectly clean origin.
Fortunately…
He had already planned everything.
This fake death at Morgan’s hands…
Was merely the first step.
Lost in thought, Kuro casually wiped the blood from his claw blades with a handkerchief.
Then…
He noticed something.
A white three-masted sailing ship slowly approached from the distant sea.
“Hm?”
Adjusting his glasses, he looked more closely.
It was an enormous vessel nearly one hundred meters long.
Its hull sat low upon the water.
At the bow stood a statue of a young maiden cradling a bird.
“So…”
“I’ve been seen.”
Kuro sighed regretfully.
“In that case…”
“I’ll just have to eliminate the witnesses.”
If anyone learned the truth behind his plan, his dream would never come true.
Besides…
A ship that large looked incredibly valuable.
Before washing his hands of piracy for good…
He didn’t mind earning one last fortune.
“Buchi!”
“Sham!”
“Bring us alongside them!”
“Yes, Captain!”
High atop the White Pearl’s lookout tower, Nami spotted a pirate ship flying a black cat skull flag heading directly toward them.
“Hey, Zoro!”
“A ship’s coming!”
She shook awake the sleeping swordsman.
“Huh?”
“Really?”
Zoro lifted his bandana and peered through the telescope.
“It really is.”
“That’s the Black Cat Pirates.”
“Their captain, ‘Hundred Plans’ Kuro, has a sixteen-million-Berry bounty.”
As a bounty hunter, Zoro knew these details by heart.
To him…
Enough to buy a great many drinks.
“They’re actually sailing toward us?”
He grinned.
“That’s good news.”
“Good news?”
Nami couldn’t help complaining.
“We’re being approached by pirates!”
“How is that good?”
“Even if…
we are pirates too.”
“Norton was planning to look for them anyway.”
Zoro shrugged.
“They’ve delivered themselves right to us.”
“Isn’t that convenient?”
“I’ll go notify Norton.”
Nami started climbing down from the lookout.
“Wait.”
Zoro stopped her.
“There’s no need.”
“I’ll handle them.”
He wasn’t about to waste such a perfect opportunity to warm up.
Training against Sanosuke these past few days had been incredibly frustrating.
Right now…
He desperately needed a punching bag.
…
Aboard the Black Cat Pirates’ ship.
“Captain Kuro!”
“No…”
“It looks like someone jumped over from that ship!”
Sham exclaimed.
“Not just one!”
“Two!”
“One of them’s a ninja!”
Two figures landed one after the other on the deck.
“You cold-hearted ninja…”
“What are you doing here?”
Zoro shot Sanosuke a sideways glance.
Sanosuke didn’t even look back.
His cold eyes swept across every pirate on the deck.
“Do not kill them.”
“Our lord…”
“King ordered us to subdue these pirates and recruit them.”
He drew a kunai.
“If you hit them too hard…”
“They won’t be of any use.”
Zoro drew his swords and snorted.
“Don’t tell me how to fight.”
“You haven’t earned that right.”
Their conversation enraged the Black Cat Pirates.
Especially Buchi and Sham.
“Don’t underestimate us!”
“We’re the Nyaban Brothers!”
Kuro calmly adjusted his glasses.
“It seems the enemy has a pair of overly confident fighters.”
“Nyaban Brothers.”
“Kill them.”
“When I return…”
“I expect to see two corpses.”
The instant he finished speaking—
Kuro vanished.
“So fast!”
Zoro looked up, seeing only the afterimage left hanging in the air.
Sanosuke’s pupils shrank.
He immediately turned to pursue Kuro, intending to return to the White Pearl.
But Sham stepped in front of him.
“You’re not getting away!”
“Die, ninja!”