The Nyaban Brothers were the guardians of the Black Cat Pirates’ ship and the crew’s strongest fighters, even surpassing First Mate Jango in combat ability.
The older brother, Sham, had green hair, unusually long eyelashes, and wore a short-sleeved suit with green shorts.
The younger brother, Buchi, was shirtless and overweight, with a large golden bell hanging from his neck and a white fur cloak draped over his shoulders.
The brothers loved to play dumb.
They would lower their opponents’ guard before suddenly exploding into action the moment they got close, often ending fights instantly.
But after being provoked by the conversation between Zoro and Sanosuke, they had no mood for tricks.
The arrogance in their words had thoroughly irritated them.
“You were looking down on me just now, weren’t you?”
Sham glared furiously.
“Get out of my way, green-haired idiot!”
Being blocked from reaching Norton, Sanosuke was clearly annoyed.
Although Norton was so powerful that he didn’t actually need protecting, a ninja who allowed danger to approach his lord was still failing in his duty.
To make matters worse, Sham had the same green hair as Zoro.
That only made Sanosuke even more irritated.
“You think you can beat me?”
Sham caught the look in Sanosuke’s eyes.
“But it’s useless!
I’m a man with the reflexes of a cat!”
Among the Nyaban Brothers, Sham specialized in speed.
His trademark technique was to steal an opponent’s weapon the instant they clashed, securing victory in a single move.
Unfortunately for him…
His opponent was even faster.
As a ninja, Sanosuke never let his guard down.
“What?!”
“My secret technique, Cat’s Paw, didn’t work?!”
Sham stared in disbelief.
He had intended to snatch Sanosuke’s weapon the moment they crossed paths.
Instead, Sanosuke’s grip on his kunai never loosened in the slightest.
Meanwhile, on the other side…
Buchi had begun fighting Zoro.
“Cat Killer!”
Roaring, Buchi sprinted forward before launching himself high into the air.
“Jumping Crush!”
His tremendous weight combined with gravity produced terrifying destructive force.
The deck shattered beneath the impact of his stomp.
Zoro twisted aside just in time, surprise flashing across his face.
If that attack had landed…
Every bone in his body would have been crushed.
“Hey!”
“Quit wrecking the ship!”
“You two are supposed to be guarding it!”
Jango shouted irritably from the side.
…
Aboard the White Pearl…
The moment Kuro stepped onto the deck, the seven pirates surrounded him.
“Hey!”
“Who are you?”
“He looks like some kind of butler…”
“Whoever you are, nobody boards the White Pearl without Lord Norton’s permission!”
…
Kuro swept his gaze across the seven men before suddenly asking,
“You were Redbeard’s crew, weren’t you?”
He recognized them because Redbeard had been from the same hometown as him.
Kuro had paid attention to him in the past.
However, Sanosuke had joined much later, so Kuro didn’t recognize him.
The seven pirates’ expressions changed.
Normally, only a captain and a few powerful officers received bounties.
So very few people recognized them.
“How do you know that?”
“Not anymore!”
“We serve Lord Norton now!”
Adjusting his glasses with his palm, Kuro replied calmly,
“Norton?”
“I’ve never heard that name.”
“A newcomer who’s recently appeared on the seas?”
Having planned his retirement, Kuro had long since stopped paying attention to current events.
The last famous rookie pirate he had heard about was the captain of the Spade Pirates—
“Fire Fist” Ace.
Rumor had it that even Marine Headquarters captains had been unable to stop him.
And Headquarters officers were on an entirely different level from the branch officers stationed in the Four Blues.
A Marine Headquarters captain was at least three ranks stronger than a branch captain.
A branch captain was equivalent to only a Headquarters lieutenant.
Kuro had fought Headquarters officers before.
Even a Headquarters major had been an extremely troublesome opponent.
As for a Headquarters captain…
He admitted he would probably lose.
“You’ve never even heard of Lord Norton?”
“Where exactly did this country bumpkin crawl out from?”
One of the seven pirates sneered.
Lord Norton was the legendary King Slayer!
The man with a one hundred million Berry bounty!
A bounty of that level was rare even on the Grand Line—
Let alone the East Blue.
How could someone not know his name?
“Ah.”
“I have no interest.”
“I, Kuro, desire nothing more than a peaceful life.”
As he spoke, Kuro extended the long blades concealed in his gloves.
He was ready to kill the seven pirates.
Eliminating opponents this weak…
Would take only an instant.
But just as he moved—
A figure wearing a forehead protector stepped in front of him.
“Hm?”
Kuro frowned.
Looking back toward the Black Cat Pirates’ ship, he saw Zoro fighting the Nyaban Brothers alone.
“Damn ninja!”
“I’m going to kill you someday!”
“You actually threw your opponent over here!”
Zoro roared in annoyance.
Sanosuke ignored him completely.
His eyes remained fixed on Kuro.
His instincts screamed that this seemingly refined man was extraordinarily dangerous.
Every bit as formidable as Zoro.
The bounty alone proved it.
Sixteen million Berries.
Twice Redbeard’s former bounty.
“What a useless bunch…”
Kuro sighed before leisurely admiring the blades on his gloves.
“But it doesn’t matter.”
“I’ll kill you myself.” Get faster updates on g.com.
“Remember this well.”
“You’ll die by my…”
“Ten-Blade Cat Claws.”
Sanosuke’s pupils contracted.
He instantly swung his kunai.
Clang!
One of Kuro’s claws had already sliced through the air.
Without the kunai’s timely interception, Sanosuke’s throat would have been slit open.
“Oh?”
“You actually kept up with my speed?”
Kuro sounded genuinely surprised.
Very few people could react to his movements.
Behind Sanosuke, the seven pirates instinctively moved to help.
Sanosuke stopped them immediately.
“Stay back!”
“This fight is beyond you!”
Although the seven pirates had survived the battle against the fish-men…
They were nowhere near strong enough to face Kuro.
Elite grunts and true officers existed on completely different levels.
The seven pirates exchanged uneasy glances before wisely retreating, giving Sanosuke room to fight.
In the center of the deck—
Kuro and Sanosuke clashed in a blur.
From the lookout tower, Nami looked down.
All she could see were fresh sword marks constantly appearing across the deck…
And fleeting afterimages flashing through the wind.
As the sounds of battle grew louder…
A strange expression slowly appeared on her face.
Just as she expected…
“Could you idiots fight somewhere else?”
“I’m trying to sleep!”
“You’re making too much noise!”
The battle stopped instantly.
In the middle of his Out of the Bag technique, Kuro suddenly found a hand pressing down on his head.
He slammed face-first onto the deck.
Unable to move even an inch.
Cold sweat instantly covered his body.
Impossible!!
He struggled desperately.
But the hand pinning his head felt like an immovable mountain.
No matter how hard he tried…
It wouldn’t budge.
Then…
He heard a voice.
“King…
my apologies.”
“I was too weak.”
It was the ninja.
Then came a woman’s irritated voice.
“I’m seriously getting angry!”
“Look what you’ve done to the White Pearl!”
Finally…
Kuro heard the voice of the man holding him down.
“So…”
“You’re the captain of the Black Cat Pirates.”
“Listen carefully.”
“Surrender or die.”