At first, Kairo D. Arashi thought it was just a thief.
But the moment he heard the weak plea for help behind him, he dropped the act. Turning around, he looked at the man collapsed on the deck.
The man looked utterly exhausted.
Slicked-back hair, wrinkled suit, lifeless posture—he appeared like someone who had barely escaped death.
"Speak," Kairo D. Arashi said calmly, not even getting up from his chair.
"Are you injured… or just starving? Sneaking onto my ship and asking for help—at least give me a reason."
"I… I was attacked by pirates…"
The man struggled to raise his head, pushing his glasses up instinctively.
And the moment their eyes met—
A cold glint flashed across Kairo D. Arashi's gaze.
"No need to act," he said with a faint smile.
"Get up… Captain Kuro."
The atmosphere froze instantly.
The man's pupils shrank.
In the next second, he sprang up, all weakness gone—his entire body entering full combat readiness.
Slicked-back hair. Glasses. Suit. Cat-claw gloves.
In the East Blue, there was only one man like this—
The captain of the Black Cat Pirates, "Hundred Plans" Kuro.
"I'm curious," Kairo D. Arashi tilted his head slightly.
"I haven't seen a single ship nearby all day. So… how did you get aboard?"
Kuro didn't answer.
But his mind was racing.
He had already executed his perfect disappearance plan—
Massacred a Marine ship, left one survivor, used hypnosis, and vanished from the world.
Everything had gone flawlessly.
Until now.
"Who… are you?" Kuro asked, eyes locked on Kairo D. Arashi.
"No need to look around," Kairo D. Arashi said casually.
"You're lucky. I'm alone on this ship. As for who I am—didn't you see the name? Traveler. I'm just a traveler."
"Traveler?"
Kuro paused—then smiled coldly.
"Then your journey… ends here."
In an instant—
He moved.
Faster than the eye could follow.
His sharp cat claws tore through the air, aiming straight for Kairo D. Arashi's throat.
Clang!
A crisp metallic sound rang out.
And then—
Silence.
Kuro's attack… stopped.
"W-what…?"
His eyes widened in disbelief.
His claws had been caught—
Barehanded.
Kairo D. Arashi's hand had turned pitch black, gleaming faintly—
Armament Haki.
The invisible pressure alone was enough to suffocate.
Then—
CRACK!
The claws shattered.
Just like that.
Before Kuro could even react—
Kairo D. Arashi moved.
A blur.
They crossed paths in a single instant.
Slash—
A thin line of blood erupted into the air.
Kuro's body froze.
Then—
He dropped to his knees.
Behind him, Kairo D. Arashi had already returned to his chair, as if nothing had happened.
"I'm just a traveler," he said lightly, tossing the broken claws into the sea.
"Why make things difficult for me?"
He paused.
"You already fooled the Marines. You could've lived quietly under a new identity. So why come back to killing and looting?"
Kuro tried to respond—
But only a broken sound escaped his throat.
His eyes widened in shock.
Not at his defeat—
But at something else.
Kairo D. Arashi… had seen through everything.
His "perfect" plan.
His escape.
His identity.
All of it.
His body trembled.
Then slowly—
Collapsed.
Life fading away.
Kairo D. Arashi stood up quietly.
No expression.
No hesitation.
He walked over, grabbed Kuro's body—
And tossed it into the sea.
Splash.
Gone.
"Didn't expect this kind of trouble… this early," Kairo D. Arashi muttered, glancing at the horizon.
Then he picked up his fishing rod again.
As if nothing had happened.
The sea remained calm.
The journey continued.