Just as Zoro and Usopp watched in horror, helpless as Luffy was about to lose his head—
CRACK!
A golden-green whip of pure energy shot out of nowhere.
It wrapped around Captain Kuro and flung him over a dozen meters through the air, slamming him headfirst into the massive cat figurehead on his own pirate ship.
Atop the slope, Ray had appeared.
Seeing him, Zoro instantly relaxed.
He stopped his desperate charge toward Luffy and instead turned to face Jango and the Nyaban Brothers.
Usopp, however, was completely stunned.
The attack had come from the top of the slope, a full hundred meters away.
Who the hell is this guy?! he thought, swallowing hard.
He just yeeted Captain Kuro from that far away!
~
Jango and the Nyaban Brothers were just as shocked.
How could this tiny village have another Devil Fruit user? Still, they weren't too worried.
They knew how strong their captain was.
Sure enough, Kuro slid down from the cat head and landed on the beach.
His suit was torn, and bloody marks lined his chest, but the wounds weren't melting.
Ray hadn't used his poison.
He was saving Kuro as a training partner for Chouchou.
~
Kuro wiped the blood from his mouth and stared up at Ray.
He looked calm, but inside, he was panicking.
He hadn't even seen that whip attack coming.
If the white-haired man attacked again, he had zero confidence he could dodge it, let alone win.
He hadn't felt this helpless since three years ago, when Buggy the Clown had nearly killed him.
It was after that near-death experience that he'd decided to fake his own death and live a quiet life.
No! I can't go back to that! I've worked for three years to build this peaceful life!
There's no way there's another monster like Buggy in the East Blue! he told himself, trying to calm his racing heart.
I must have just been too focused on Straw Hat to notice him.
My instincts have gotten dull. I just need to be sharper.
He pushed his shattered glasses up with the palm of his hand and settled into a combat stance.
~
Meanwhile, Zoro was already in a fierce battle with the Nyaban Brothers.
They were fast, swiping and clawing like actual cats, but Zoro was in peak condition.
He quickly gained the upper hand, easily deflecting their attacks while ignoring Jango's attempts to interfere from the sidelines.
~
Captain Kuro, having successfully psyched himself up, glanced back up the slope.
He ordered his remaining men to charge, then followed right behind them, activating his signature 'Silent Step.'
He moved without a sound, a silent predator using his men as a distraction to get close enough for a killing blow.
~
Usopp, Nami, and Kaya watched in terror as forty pirates roared and charged right at them.
They all scrambled to hide behind Ray.
Ray just sighed, grabbed the sleeping Luffy's ankle and swung him like a giant, rubbery club.
WHACK!
The unconscious Luffy, stretched out like a whip, smashed into the charging pirates, sending nearly half of them flying with a single swing.
At that moment, Ray's eyes flickered.
He stopped swinging and spun, delivering a sharp kick to the empty air beside him.
Captain Kuro, who had been completely invisible a second before, suddenly appeared, his eyes wide with shock as Ray's foot slammed into his stomach.
"Guh—!"
A mouthful of blood sprayed from Kuro's mouth.
His body curled up like a shrimp before he was sent crashing back down onto the beach, kicking up a massive cloud of sand.
~
Jango, who had been trying to harass Zoro, stopped dead in his tracks, his jaw hanging open.
The man he viewed as a god of slaughter, Captain Kuro, had just been effortlessly crushed.
Jango suddenly felt like he'd walked into a death trap.
He stumbled back, leaning against the pirate ship as he took in the whole battlefield.
The Black Cat Pirates were being toyed with. It was a one-sided massacre.
We're the mice now, he thought, a wave of despair washing over him.
He knew it was over.
If he was going to die, he might as well face it calmly.
…
Ray glanced down at Kuro, who was struggling to get up again.
He then looked at Chouchou.
"Handle him."
With a fierce bark, Chouchou transformed back into a five-meter-long giant dog and charged down the slope.
Kuro immediately used his super speed to engage the beast, but he was shocked.
The dog was now just as fast as he was.
He could barely dodge its attacks.
Even when he used his Silent Step, Chouchou could pinpoint his exact location with its incredible sense of smell.
~
"Hahaha, our captain is being toyed with by a dog," Jango muttered, a bitter smile on his face. He was completely overwhelmed with despair.
"Before I die, I'd at least like to know who these people are."
As if the heavens heard his plea, a News Bird suddenly appeared, hovering right over his head.
A newspaper fluttered down from its beak.
"Heh. At least I get to read the news before I die," Jango chuckled grimly.
He picked up the newspaper.
He scanned the contents.
His pupils instantly dilated.
His breathing grew rapid and shallow.
There, on the front page of the East Blue section, was a glaring headline:
[STRAW HAT CREW DEFEATS BUGGY PIRATES]
Below the headline were photos of Ray, Luffy, and the others.
And right next to them were their new wanted posters.