The first half of the Grand Line.
The sky was clear, dotted with white clouds.
A sea breeze stirred the water, raising waves that slapped against the hull of the Marine warship. As they rounded a small island, two sailing ships flying black Pirate flags appeared ahead, locked in combat.
On the warship deck, a Marine soldier hurried to a sun lounger. Sephiroth lay there, wearing white beach shorts, a blue floral shirt, and sunglasses. The soldier reported, "Lieutenant General Sephiroth, the lookout reports two Pirate ships engaged in battle ahead. Awaiting your orders."
"Have Kuro take care of it."
Sephiroth waved a hand, a clear dismissal. The soldier withdrew quickly, not daring to disturb the officer's holiday.
The Marine hurried into the cabin and relayed the order to Kuro, who was reviewing reports on the G4 branch offices and their department heads.
"Understood. Prepare a small boat for me."
Kuro nodded, his face blank. He dismissed the soldier, set down his documents, and stood. Walking to a cabinet, he retrieved the briefcase containing his Cat Claw Ten Blades, then strode onto the deck.
Sephiroth was handing him an opportunity—a chance to earn merit and secure a promotion. He wasn't foolish enough to waste it.
Soon, a small rowboat was lowered from the warship onto the sea.
Kuro leaped from the deck, landing steadily in the boat.
He rowed hard with both hands, driving straight toward the two Pirate ships where boarding combat raged.
But just as he closed in, one of the Pirate ships was already sinking, destroyed by the other—a vessel with a female angel figurehead.
He sighed inwardly. A missed achievement.
What a pity.
---
On the Pirate ship with the angel figurehead, a black flag fluttered from the mast. Its center bore a skull symbol flanked by white four-leaf clovers.
This was the Clover Pirates. Their captain was Baccarat, a user of the Luck-Luck Fruit. She could steal others' fortune for herself, leaving them cursed with misfortune.
On the deck, more than twenty Pirates crowded around a beautiful woman. She wore form-fitting silver metal armor, carried a long sword on her back, and had a fiery figure, wheat-colored skin, a charming face, and long, wavy red hair. Their flattery washed over her.
Nearby lay a glittering pile of treasure chests and coins—the spoils of their latest victory.
"Captain Baccarat, you were incredible!"
"After you rushed their lines and touched them, they fell into chaos. They wounded half their own crew by accident. Their own Captain was shot dead in the crossfire..."
"Garen, the Captain of the Wild Bull Pirates, had a bounty of forty-six million Berries..."
"Captain, why didn't we take his head and their flag as proof? We could have made the news."
"Our crew would be famous!"
Baccarat listened to her crew's praise with an air of indifference. She put the safety on her pistol, spun it lightly, and slid it into the holster at her waist.
"Is fame as tangible as money?" she said, her voice calm. "I don't care about such things."
She walked into the pile of treasure, picked up a gold coin, and tossed it lightly in her hand.
In fact, becoming a Pirate was not her original intention...
She had provoked a formidable force in her hometown, and knowing she was powerless to resist, she had no choice. Using her Luck Fruit ability and methods, she gathered a group of thugs and ruffians and set sail to become a pirate.
Bang!
"Ouch! Where did that banana peel come from..."
On the deck, a pirate slipped on a banana peel and fell heavily.
Caw! Caw! Caw!
A flock of crows suddenly flew across the sky, leaving piles of droppings on the heads of the pirate crew.
"Ah! Damn smelly birds..."
Amidst the clamor on the deck, eight or nine people continued to experience a string of unlucky events.
This was because Baccarat, at the start of the battle, had chosen to absorb some of their luck to make herself lucky and increase her chances of winning. These were the side effects.
This situation would last for an hour or two before returning to normal.
Although her own strength was quite good—enough to handle over a dozen ordinary people—when fighting other pirates, she still greatly needed to steal the luck of her crew members to tip the odds.
To appease them, Baccarat could only say to those unlucky individuals whose luck had been drained:
"Those whose luck was absorbed by me during this battle will receive double the profit."
"Long live the Captain!"
"Thank you, Captain Baccarat!"
"Be sure to absorb my luck next time!"
Those whose luck had been absorbed, though still unlucky, were full of joy and held no resentment towards Baccarat.
Having their luck absorbed before the battle meant they didn't need to fight; they just had to stay on the ship and wait for it to end.
They were very willing to receive double the reward without having to lift a finger.
Just at this moment, because the pirates were busy dividing the spoils, they completely failed to notice that a small boat had quietly arrived beneath the pirate ship.
Kuro stood up in the small boat. He took the Cat Claw Ten Blades from his briefcase and quickly fitted them onto his hands. Then, with a slight push from his legs, he leaped up and landed on the Clover Pirates' ship.
"Damn it! A Marine has snuck onto the ship!"
A pirate counting treasures caught a glimpse of Kuro, dressed in a Marine uniform, jumping onto the deck out of the corner of his eye.
"Quick, grab your weapons and prepare to fight!"
As soon as he said this, the pirates gathered around the pile of treasure quickly grabbed the swords, knives, and pistols at hand.
"What's the panic? It's just one Marine!"
Baccarat showed a slight smile, stepped forward through the crowd of pirates, slowly drew the long sword from her back, and pointed it at the Marine soldier before her.
Kuro gently pushed his glasses with his left wrist. His expression was calm and composed.
After six months of rigorous training, he had mastered Soru, Moonwalk, and Paper Drawing. His self-created Pouch of Death technique, after incorporating techniques from the Six Styles, had made great progress. Now he could cut down anyone he wanted.
"I still have a lot of work to handle, so I don't have time to waste with you..."
Saying this, Kuro immediately used his Pouch of Death technique, vanishing from his original spot at a speed too fast for the average human eye to follow, and launched an attack toward Baccarat.
Seeing the enemy in front of them vanish without a trace, the pirates on the ship all showed expressions of horror, not knowing what to do.
But...
Baccarat had just absorbed the luck of over thirty pirates from the Wild Bull Pirates.
At this moment, she felt her luck was so good it was unbelievable.
So she simply swung the long sword in her hand casually toward the air twice, calmly and quickly.
The next moment...
As if guided by fate itself, the tip of Baccarat's longsword appeared directly in Kuro's path.
If he didn't dodge now, her blade would pierce his throat before he could ever reach her.
He had no choice. Kuro retreated in a flash, already planning his next strike the moment he cleared her sword.
Then his foot slipped.
He glanced down, startled.
A banana peel was stuck to the sole of his leather shoe.
His body, driven by momentum, began to spin wildly—a bewildered, high-speed top. His sharp claws sliced clean through a section of the pirate ship's railing as he sailed over the edge.
He hit the water with a heavy plop.
The sea rushed into his mouth and nose, bitter and salt-sharp. After a stunned second, Kuro shook it off. He kicked toward the surface, broke through, and spat out two mouthfuls of seawater.
He was just turning to swim back to the ship when a great splash erupted behind him. The water churned, and the sunlight vanished, blocked by a shadow.
Slowly, puzzled, Kuro began to turn his head to see what had risen from the depths.
The next moment—
Roar!
After letting out a roar from its mouth, this Sea King opened its massive maw, lunged forward forcefully, and directly swallowed Kuro in one gulp, its entire huge body quickly diving underwater...