As the group entered the village, the villagers were immediately frightened.
"Who are those people?"
"Usopp is with them… so they probably aren't bad, right?"
"They seem to be heading toward Kaya's mansion…?"
Worried whispers spread quickly. Many villagers put down their tools and followed. Kaya was kind to everyone in the village — if someone was going to cause trouble for her, they wouldn't just stand by and watch.
Before long, the whole group arrived at the gates of Kaya's mansion.
Seeing that Mohji and the others had already surrounded the area, Luffy shot a quick glance and said sternly:
"No one goes in or out of this yard. Got it?"
"Yes, Captain!"
Satisfied, Luffy nodded — then kicked the front door open with a loud bang.
The sudden noise startled a man inside — the butler with the sheep-shaped hairstyle.
"Y-You… who are you?" the butler stuttered. "This is private property. What do you want?"
"What do we want? We're here for our enemy." Luffy's tone darkened. "Where's Kuro — tell that bastard to crawl out here!"
The butler's eyes widened. "T-There's no one named Kuro here!"
"Impossible. I questioned his subordinates — they said he hid himself, and that he's been living here under a new identity!"
With that, Luffy acted like a sworn enemy, grabbing the broken front door and hurling it aside.
Chaos broke out in the mansion.
Five minutes later, everyone in the mansion had been gathered into the great hall — guards, maids, and the butler. At the front sat a girl with pale yellow hair in a wheelchair.
Standing beside her was a man with slicked-back dark green hair and glasses. His eyes were half-closed as he stared at the Straw Hats claiming to be his "enemies," utterly confused.
To be honest, when he first heard someone had come to kill him, he'd been shocked — but he'd never seen these idiots in his life.
Where the hell did this "mortal enemy" nonsense come from?
Just as he was about to speak, Luffy cut him off.
"So I finally caught you… Kuro."
With one wave of Luffy's hand, Zoro and the others drew their blades and aimed them at Kuro.
Everyone in the room froze.
Kaya gasped. "Hold on — this has to be a misunderstanding! He's Klahadore, not this 'Kuro' you're talking about!"
Kuro — now cornered — spoke quickly:
"That's right. I don't know you people. Who is this Kuro? You've got the wrong person!"
"Wrong person?" Luffy snorted. "Even if you turned to ashes, I'd still recognize you."
He stepped forward, eyes razor-sharp, and Kuro's heart instantly sank.
It was over. His perfect plan — undone at the final moment.
Then came Luffy's voice:
"Because of your hypnotism, Morgan thought he had captured you and used that to gain power in Shells Town for three full years!"
"And the man you killed on that Marine ship back then… that was my uncle."
"…"
Zoro and Nami stiffened in shock.
Killed his uncle?
Now that was real hatred.
Kuro opened his mouth to argue, but Luffy suddenly pulled out an old bounty poster and held it up.
"What else do you have to say? No one could mistake that face."
Everyone turned toward the poster:
[Captain Kuro — "Hundred Plans"]
[Extremely dangerous — dead or alive]
[Bounty: 16 million Berries]
"You thought hiding in some fancy mansion with a new identity would make you safe?" Luffy sneered. "Your crew is already in my custody. They told us everything — including your plan to steal this young lady's fortune. As a pirate captain, your ambition is pathetically small."
That last sentence sent a chill through everyone present.
Kaya clamped her hands over her mouth, her eyes trembling as she looked at the man she had trusted.
Because the face on the bounty poster… was exactly the same as Klahadore's.
The sheep-headed butler quickly pushed Kaya back. Everyone immediately spread out, keeping their distance from Kuro.
"Klahadore… you're a pirate captain?"
"And you really planned to take the young lady's inheritance?"
"Damn it — no wonder the master died after you came to the mansion! It was you from the start…!"
Listening to the accusations piling up, Kuro nearly exploded from rage.
Why?
Why — right when victory was within reach — did a bunch of lunatics show up?!
And what the hell was that about killing someone's uncle?!
He wanted to scream — but with that bounty poster in Luffy's hand, there was nothing left to argue.
From the moment that poster appeared, he knew…
It was all over.
A single oversight — and everything collapsed.
He lowered his head calmly and pushed his glasses up, the lenses flashing white.
"K-Klahadore…" Kaya finally regained her voice, staring at the now-stranger standing beside her. "So you really did kill my father? You really are a pirate?"
"…Heh… hahaha…"
Kuro finally dropped the mask. His voice grew cold and sharp.
"So the curtain falls after all. What an amusing turn of fate."
Then, without warning, he suddenly lashed out at the person closest to him.
Buggy: "???"
--- END ---
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T/N:
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