The original plan to patrol at sea for a while was scrapped—because of her.
Kuro could only sigh and issue the order to return to Branch 153.
"When are we going back? I'm starving…"
Lida was sprawled out in Kuro's office, her voice weak and listless.
"Shut up! If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have had to return so early!" Kuro snapped.
"You did say you'd let me eat my fill," Lida replied with a pitiful look, her eyes shimmering like a kicked puppy.
"Adults should act like adults. Quit pretending to be a child."
Lighting a cigarette, Kuro turned away and ignored her. "We'll be back soon. When we arrive, you can eat till you drop."
"If I get a satisfying meal, I'd die happy," Lida said with a content sigh.
"Shut up, you glutton. Don't say such depressing things," Kuro grumbled. "Once we're back, behave yourself. Don't go around eating the island's wildlife."
"Just let me eat and I'll be good."
Suddenly, Lida seemed to recall something. "You're from the 153rd Branch, right? Under Morgan?"
"You know him?"
"I've heard of him. Real domineering type. Brutal, too."
Kuro exhaled a puff of smoke. He didn't particularly care. He'd never had much contact with Morgan anyway. He had always leaned more toward Lieutenant Commander Ripper's side. Thanks to his low-key approach, he never attracted Morgan's attention, so things stayed peaceful.
He was also a veteran Marine, and most of the others treated him with respect. It kept trouble to a minimum.
Besides… Morgan was probably done for by now.
Two days later, the warship arrived at Shells Town and docked at the port of Branch 153.
"Lieutenant Commander Ripper, a warship—Chief Petty Officer Kuro has returned!"
At the port, a group of Marines saluted the warship, one of them pointing and announcing its arrival.
Not far off, two figures were busy preparing supplies on a small wooden boat—one wearing a straw hat, the other with three swords at his waist.
The warship passed by their boat.
Standing on deck, Kuro squinted at the smiling face of the boy in the straw hat.
The first time in his life he ever saw—
"What's wrong? You know them?"
Lida, munching on an apple, noticed Kuro's odd expression and glanced in the same direction.
They looked ordinary.
"…Nah. Not really."
Kuro looked away and gave a slight smile. "But I get the feeling those two are going to become pretty famous someday."
Still, that had nothing to do with him. Since the troublemakers were leaving from here, Branch 153 would finally settle down.
After disembarking, Kuro greeted the man waiting for him.
"Lieutenant Commander Ripper."
The man, now in charge of Branch 153 after Morgan's fall, gave a serious nod.
"Chief Kuro, good timing. There's something I need to tell you."
Morgan-related, no doubt.
Just as Ripper opened his mouth to speak, a thunderous bang echoed from the base in the distance.
Moments later, a Marine came running over, panting heavily.
"Lieutenant Commander Ripper—Morgan, Morgan has escaped!"
"What?!"
Ripper's face darkened. "How could he escape?! Didn't I tell you to keep a close watch on him?!"
"I'm sorry, sir!"
"Damn it!"
Ripper clenched his fists. "What are you all standing around for?! Gather the troops and suppress him! We can't let him get out—think of the townspeople!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Kuro, that's the situation," Ripper growled. "Morgan was taken down by those two kids earlier, but now he's going berserk! Take your men and stop him—we can't let him escape."
Morgan's going insane?
That wasn't in my memory…
"I understand," Kuro said with a nod. "Cass."
"Yes, sir!"
Cass quickly gathered the Marines and charged toward the base with their weapons ready.
Whether this was supposed to happen or not didn't matter. Morgan was meant to be captured either way. He wasn't a Devil Fruit user, nor did he have Haki. Bullets and blades would do the job.
.
..
...
In the plaza of the base, a tense scene awaited them.
A crowd of Marines had gathered around a towering, muscular man.
Seriously, what was up with the people in this world? Colmo was big, and now this guy…
Morgan stood at least three meters tall.
He used to be average height, too.
Maybe this world's oxygen really was better—or maybe extreme physical training actually made you grow taller here.
Morgan had one Marine hostage, his axe-arm pressed tightly against the man's neck. The poor guy was sweating bullets.
"Back off, all of you! Let me out or I'll kill him!" Morgan bellowed.
"That's Morgan?" Lida raised a brow. "He's really tall…"
But she didn't seem impressed. A Marine like him was far too weak in her eyes.
There were no strong people in East Blue—except for the man standing beside her.
None of the Marines dared to open fire, frozen in fear and indecision.
"Lieutenant Commander Ripper, what do we do?!" one of the Marines called out desperately as Ripper arrived.
Ripper's face was grim as he stared down Morgan.
Taking hostages… this was going to be a pain.
"Morgan, you've already lost. Surrender. Show a shred of dignity."
"Shut up! I'm the commanding officer of this base!" Morgan shouted. "Let me out now, or I'll kill him!"
His axe pressed deeper against the Marine's neck. A fresh cut opened, blood dripping down.
"P-please don't!" the Marine whimpered, on the verge of tears.
"Damn it…"
Ripper grit his teeth, looking away in frustration.
Kuro, standing off to the side, didn't seem particularly bothered.
Whether Morgan escaped or not didn't matter much. Even without a formal report, the people here already knew—Morgan couldn't return to the Marines.
"Morgan! You've already been defeated!"
Suddenly, Cass stepped forward, shouting with righteous fury.
"You don't deserve to be our base commander! The only one worthy of that title is Chief Kuro! Compared to you, Chief Kuro is the true Marine hero of this base!"
…Huh?
Kuro blinked in confusion, glancing at Cass.
What the hell is this bastard saying?
"Yeah, that's right! Chief Kuro always looks out for us!"
"Morgan, drop your weapon and surrender!"
His subordinates were all yelling now.
"Morgan!"
The hostage-taker's bloodshot eyes turned toward him.
"You… Luciru Kuro, that useless Marine! You think you can be compared to me?!"
Of course they knew each other. They had joined the Marines around the same time.
A few years back, Morgan had "captured" the infamous 'Black Cat' Captain Kuro and was promoted, rising rapidly through the ranks to become Branch 153's commanding officer.
Whether he really caught him… well, the real Kuro was probably still out there playing housekeeper—and was bound to get exposed eventually.
"Hey, he's insulting you like crazy. You're really not gonna say anything?" Lida whispered, nudging Kuro in the ribs.
Kuro shot her a glare. "Shut up. What's that got to do with me? Do I look like someone who wants to stand out?"
"Kuro! You think you're better than me?!"
Morgan snarled, his eyes wild.
"Then come over here and trade places with the hostage! Do you have the guts?!"
Kuro raised an eyebrow.
Now that's a provocation.
He wasn't really looking to stand out… but if someone came looking for trouble on their own, well—he couldn't be blamed for what happened next.
Looks like it's showtime.
He'd already made up his mind. If Morgan tried to take him hostage, he'd stage a little "accident" and let Morgan get caught without much fuss.
Wearing a noble, heroic expression, Kuro strode confidently toward Morgan.
"Chief Kuro, don't!"
"Chief, let me go instead!"
The Marines shouted in panic.
Morgan calmly watched Kuro approach. He grabbed a hostage and began walking as well. Just as the two sides were about to meet, Morgan suddenly hurled the hostage at Kuro and bolted for the gate.
"You—!"
"Fire! Don't let him escape!" Ripper shouted.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Gunfire erupted, bullets tearing up the ground around Morgan's feet. A few struck him. He grunted in pain but still managed to stumble out through the gates.
"After him! Don't let him get away!"
Led by Ripper, the Marines rushed after him.
Kuro stood frozen in place, blinking in surprise.
…He really thought Morgan was going to take him hostage.
Didn't expect him to just run.
Well—at least that meant he didn't have to act anymore.
Outside, civilians scattered in panic. But amid the chaos, a little girl with twin tails tripped and fell on her rear, eyes wide as she stared at the approaching giant of a man.
"Rika!"
A woman rushed forward, scooping the girl into her arms protectively.
"Out of my way!"
Morgan raised his axe, eyes wild, and swung down.
"Stop! Morgan!" Ripper's desperate scream rang out. He reached forward—but he was too far.
Too late.
Shing!
The sound of a blade unsheathing cut through the air.
"Ittō-ryū: Ichisen-ten!"
A single streak of smoke and dust sliced across the square in a perfect line. The blade passed Morgan and stopped just before the girl.
Kuro stood there, left hand on the scabbard, right hand slowly sliding his blade back in.
Click.
Splurt!
A deep gash opened on Morgan's back. Blood sprayed. His eyes rolled up—and he collapsed.
"You went too far," Kuro said coldly, casting a sharp glance at the fallen man.
He didn't care if Morgan ran. But trying to hurt civilians—right in front of him?
Unforgivable.
He was still a Marine. And deep down, the values from his previous life hadn't changed.
If he didn't see it, fine. But once he saw it—he couldn't just look away.
He couldn't watch someone die in front of him.
"K-Kuro…?"
Ripper stared at him, dumbfounded. That sword strike—it was masterful.
Was that really something Kuro could do?
He'd always thought Kuro was a diligent, humble Marine. Quiet. Low-profile. Despite joining early, he never made waves.
Who would've guessed he was hiding that kind of strength?
But before he could say anything—
Kuro's eyes rolled back, and he collapsed.
"Chief Kuro!"
"Get the doctor! Hurry!"
Panic set in. The Marines scrambled around him, shaking him and shouting.
Meanwhile, Lida stood nearby, pouting.
"His acting sucks."
Still, when something couldn't be explained, just fainting worked like magic. No need to expose his power—this was all part of Kuro's top-secret strategy.
Morgan was captured again, bound in chains thicker than before. There was no escape this time. He was locked in a cell, stripped of any strength to resist.
Back at the base, Kuro was carried into the infirmary. Lida followed, looking bored.
While the others ran off to fetch a doctor, Kuro cracked one eye open and subtly motioned for her to come closer.
Lida raised an eyebrow but walked over.
Kuro mouthed silently: "Touch. Me."
"…Huh?"
"Drain. Me. Dry." (He mouthed each word slowly.)
Lida blinked, then her eyes lit up.
You're asking for it now!
She'd been waiting for an excuse to go all in on this guy.
She placed her hand on him—and Kuro immediately felt the fatigue creeping in.
Unlike before, where he could resist with Armament Haki, this time it was real. The weariness seeped into his body like a chill.
But still…
"Can you hurry it up?"
He shot her a side glare while keeping his expression faintly pained.
Lida's eyes twitched.
She'd faced her fair share of monsters. The Grand Line was full of freakishly strong people. But even pirates with bounties over 100 million couldn't last more than five seconds under her ability without strong Haki.
And yet this guy…
"You bastard, what the hell did you do to your body?" she growled in disbelief. "Your stamina is insane!"
Kuro thought for a second. "Started training moderately at age six."
He said it like it was nothing. But to Lida, it was like a boulder had crashed into her chest.
Moderately?
Then why couldn't she drain him dry?!
His body was like an endless ocean—no matter how much she drew, more remained.
Honestly, Kuro's training hadn't been anything flashy. He didn't know any secret martial arts like Rokushiki. He just mimicked Garp's methods.
That was all he had.
You might not get it, but slicing off the top of a mountain with a sword—that's what he called swordsmanship.
Garp used his fists to flatten mountains. Kuro figured taking eighteen years to do the same with a blade wasn't all that strange.
He'd lost count of how many mountains he'd leveled since then. But to him, it still didn't feel like much.
Any proper swordsman should be able to do that, right?
Lida pressed her palms onto Kuro again, fingers pulsing with energy. She took a deep breath and focused.
"Vital Energy Plunder!"
Her ability intensified.
Sweat formed on her forehead. Even pushing herself to the limit, Kuro's stamina barely budged. It was like trying to drain a lake with a teacup.
Bang!
She slammed her fist against his chest in frustration. Kuro coughed.
"What happened?!"
The Marines turned around at once.
"Big bro Marine! Big bro Kuro's in trouble! Please hurry and get the doctor!" Lida cried, her big eyes watery and full of concern.
"Right away!"
No one could ignore such a heart-wrenching plea. The Marines bolted off again.
As soon as their backs turned, Lida spun around, her white hair lifting as if caught in a breeze.
"Lida, what are you doing?" he muttered, rubbing his chest. That actually hurt a bit.
"Shut up. I'm going all in. Vital Energy Plunder—FULL POWER!"
All pretense gone, Lida focused completely. She had to know—just how much stamina did this guy have?
Her body shifted.
From a small white-haired girl, she transformed into a stunning eighteen-year-old beauty. Her outfit strained to contain her curves, revealing an hourglass figure worthy of the One Piece world.
Bang!
Both hands slammed down on Kuro. Her eyes glowed pure white.
This time, he felt it.
His stamina drained like water down a whirlpool.
"We'll see how long you can last now!" she gritted out.
"Faster—just a little faster—I'm almost there!" Kuro urged her, voice tense.
His stamina was just past the halfway mark. A little more, and he'd be completely drained before the doctor arrived—then no one would be able to tell what really happened.
Step, step, step—
Rushed footsteps echoed outside the infirmary.
Kuro's eyes widened. "Lida! Can you do it or not?!"
Thud.
Just then, Lida shrank back into her child form—and collapsed to the floor.
(*****)
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